[photo-3d] Tilt-a-mite flash guns

[Edwin Clements <eclements@xxxxxxxxx>]

I have bought a few of these over the last few years,
all of them for under $5 each (several for 50 cents or
$1).  I check them out in the following manner:

1.  The first thing I do is get another one that
works, put a flash bulb in it, and push the test
button to make sure the test light lights up.  This
tells me that the flashbulb base contacts are OK.  

2.  If it (the newly bought one) has a battery and
capacitor in it, I put the flash bulb in it and push
the test button to see if it lights up repeatedly. 
You want to do it more than once, because the battery
could be dead and the capacitor still charged, and if
that is the case it will only flash once.  

3.  If the results of #2 show the battery is dead, I
check the battery with a voltmeter and if it is dead,
throw it away.  Then I get a battery from a working
unit, put it in there, and try it again.  Most of the
time it works then.

4.  If it still doesn't work, using a known good
battery, I get a capacitor out of a working unit and
put it in there and try it again.  If it works then, I
know the capacitor was bad and throw it away.  

5.  If I get it to the point where the test light will
consistently light up when pushing the test button, I
will then put the flash bulb in it and plug the PC
cord into a camera, to make sure the PC contacts are
OK.  This requires using a flash bulb, but I usually
use ones that I would be unlikely to use in a photo
situation anyway.  

6.  After all this, I will put some kind of label on
it (3M Post-It 1/4" wide tape works nicely) to
indicate "Works OK", "Needs Capacitor", "Needs
battery", etc.  I also put a label on the battery to
indicate the date I got it (or in the case of buying a
new battery, the date I bought it).  

7.  I have thought about soldering in a replacement
capacitor on some of the ones that do not have a
capacitor, but I haven't really bothered with it
because I have several of these units that work so I
haven't really needed to.  But I am sure it could be
done fairly easily.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------
High rates giving you headaches? The 0% APR Introductory Rate from 
Capital One. 9.9% Fixed thereafter!
http://click.egroups.com/1/3010/5/_/160438/_/955399482/
------------------------------------------------------------------------