Elinchrom Strain Relief question

Hi all...

I recently purchased a Ranger RX/AS on Ebay... not sure if the owner new about this and didn't disclose it.. or it was damaged when the unit was packed? The kit is 100% functional... which is great as I got a fantastic deal. But... I need to replace/repair the strain relief on one of the "A" heads.

Have you ever had to repair/replace the cord? If so... can you please point me in the right direction to purchase a new strain relief?

Many thanks,
Hatch

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/uHUa​YK

My guess is you're looking at a new chord set. Hopefully not much stress has been put on the chord terminus inside the head. Unfortunatly, Elinchrom repairs get expensive. What did you pay for the kit and what did it include? I'd be looking at returning it.

windpig wrote in post #17598853
My guess is you're looking at a new chord set. Hopefully not much stress has been put on the chord terminus inside the head. Unfortunatly, Elinchrom repairs get expensive. What did you pay for the kit and what did it include? I'd be looking at returning it.

This shouldn't be a major repair. The head works... no cuts in the cables. Just a matter of replacing the strain relief. Ranger RX/AS 2 "A" heads... charger... Elinchrom case... 2 batteries... snappy harness... $1500. It looks to have seen little use as it was a backup system according to the seller... great shape.

Hatch

Looks like the rubber has broken where it exits the hole? I'd assume that you'll need to disconnect the wiring internally to feed through the new piece before re-assembling (assuming that you can find a direct replacement). I've done similar repairs to my speedo heads, but they use a different method...a 2 piece relief bushing that assembles *over* the cord and is then pressed into the opening. It might be an easier solution provided you could get the correct size.
fwiw, the speedos use one of these- http://www.novoflex.in …rainReliefCordB​ushing.jpg

Good luck though, sometimes (in my experience) these relatively simple things can be frustrating to correct.

How 'handy' are you feeling, and how comfortable are you around high voltage electronics? If the unit is not covered under any kind of warranty now then I would just head down to a decent hardware store and pick up a suitable replacement strain relief and attach it. You may have to order something in, but 2 and 3 piece cord strain guards are easy enough to put on. (However some styles may require some very minor modification to the back plate. I'm kind of a fan of three piece units that have two pieces which screw together over the outside cables, and then are in turn screwed into the third piece that sits inside the unit, which requires a few small holes drilled into the back plate.)

Do keep in mind that most of the internals of a flash should be considered live and dangerous, even when unplugged. Those capacitors can not only hold a charge after the fact, but can even slowly pick up charge over time. So don't go licking things or sticking your fingers where they shouldn't go. And I really don't encourage people to open them up if they're not familiar with electrical work.

I'll be curious to see how available the strain relief is.

many thanks for the comments. I'm going to bring the head in to work... I have a coworker with an electrical background. He is going to help put the new strain relief in ... that is.. once I locate one that will work I don't have an issue with him having to modify/drill the back if need be... as mentioned.. the head isn't under warranty. I just want it to be safe to operate... doesn't have to look pretty.

This guy respects electricity and has no desire to get zapped LOL

The capacitors are in the pack aren't they?

simonbarker wrote in post #17600233
The capacitors are in the pack aren't they?

That would make sense as all the juice is coming from the battery pack. Either way... I'm not touching it ROFL

Hatch

Don't be a wimp

What would Tesla say?

windpig wrote in post #17600369
Don't be a wimp

What would Tesla say?

Probably something along the lines of "You don't have any idea what you're doing, do you? Seriously, stop poking at that like an idiot, you're going to set fire to something, and seeing as I'm just a figment of your imagination at this point given how long I've actually been dead, and I'm not going to help in any way if you do..."

I've never had my hands on that specific unit, but pretty sure there are several capacitors in them based on how large the heads are. Even the super small flash heads generally have at least the trigger capacitor in them, which while it isn't super large and powerful, it is still enough voltage to give you a bit of a stun. And when dealing with high voltage stuff it often isn't the shock itself that will harm you, but rather whatever you hit your head on as you stagger and trip.


But I am honestly rather curious as to how the setup for those units are, so it would be rather cool if you could possibly get a few photos of things while it is getting fixed.

It's headed to the Mac Group for repairs... should be under $150 ... and I can sleep at night knowing it will be repaired correctly. Plus... if I want to sell this at some point... I don't think future buyers would appreciate my coat hanger and duct tape repairs

Hatch

Just an fyi, you might want to check with Joe at Cellux Electronic in Maine. He's done my repairs for years and years. really good, very reasonably priced. If nothing else it might give you a price comparison.

Foodguy wrote in post #17600841
Just an fyi, you might want to check with Joe at Cellux Electronic in Maine. He's done my repairs for years and years. really good, very reasonably priced. If nothing else it might give you a price comparison.

Thank you for the info.

Hatch