Making a pc-sync flash cable for a flash unit.

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Making a pc-sync flash cable for a flash unit.

This is related to photography equiptment, not flashcards/syncing/etc.

What I have is a digital camera that has a pc sync jack and I want to use a little external flash unit that I found with it. The only problem is that the flash doesn't have the pc sync jack (i thought it did when i bought it, it turns out that was just the sensor).

Does anyone know if its possible to hack a pc sync cable to a hot shoe or something. This flash is generic and simple and I don't care if I rip into it and hack the cable to it (the flash was 5 dollars at a thrift store).

Is it as simple as running the cable to the flash unit, opening it up and just splicing the center connector of the pc sync cable to the wire that goes to the hot shoe??

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How is the flash activated?

How is the flash activated?

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by the hotshoe. All it has i

by the hotshoe. All it has is a single contact on the bottom of the shoe.

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Re: Making a pc-sync flash cable for a flash unit.

This is related to photography equiptment, not flashcards/syncing/etc.

What I have is a digital camera that has a pc sync jack and I want to use a little external flash unit that I found with it. The only problem is that the flash doesn't have the pc sync jack (i thought it did when i bought it, it turns out that was just the sensor).

Does anyone know if its possible to hack a pc sync cable to a hot shoe or something. This flash is generic and simple and I don't care if I rip into it and hack the cable to it (the flash was 5 dollars at a thrift store).

Is it as simple as running the cable to the flash unit, opening it up and just splicing the center connector of the pc sync cable to the wire that goes to the hot shoe??

They make adapters that do exactly that. Usually they're used the other way around--hot shoe on the camera triggering a sync jack on the flash--but they work for what you need.

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Adapters

They make adapters that do exactly that. Usually they’re used the other way around–hot shoe on the camera triggering a sync jack on the flash–but they work for what you need.

It sounds like the original poster wants a PC-to-hotshoe adapter (small PC cable to a generic hotshoe), usually used to add a hotshoe to an older pre-hotshoe camera. (Think pre-Asahi Pentax, Nikon F1/F2, screw-mount Minoltas and the like.)

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The hotshoe . . .

has two contacts, the one on the bottom and another along inside the shoe's mounting slot (the side.) To fire the flash short those two contacts.

So rip it apart and wire the PC cord's two wires to those contacts, doesn't matter which to which and yer good to go.

dan k

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Thanks!!

Perfect!! Thanks for the info. Thats really simple to do.

Now i am finally going to have a digital camera that is capable of taking pics indoors at night.

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It works fine. Thanks agai

It works fine.

Thanks again. It does exactly what I expected it to.

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