I have a T-10 macro flash and the 6V Power Pack 2, so I did a little
experiment. First, I made up a little homebrew extension cord, giving me
access to voltages and currents for measurement.
The extension cord consists of Philmore part numbers 210 (DC Coaxial Plug,
2.1mm ID and 5.5mm OD)) and 257 (DC Coaxial Jack, 2.1mm pin and 5.5mm ID), and
some 20-guage (AWG) stranded hookup wire. The plug (#210) is what's on the end
of the 6V Power Pack 2. Soldering is required. These parts are available at
electronic parts stores, such as U-Do-It or Active Electronics in the Boston
area, or perhaps Radio Shack.
For Olympus, the center is negative, and the shell is positive. This is what
some wall warts do, and also the Olympus 6V Power Pack 2.
I doubt that Olympus ever made wall-wart power supplies, instead buying them
from one of the standard manufacturers and relabeling.
Results, using fresh (will expire in 2007) Duracell Ultra batteries, with the
"new M3 technology", whatever that is, follow:
Open-circuit voltage, with modeling lamps off, is 6.28 volts.
With T-10 modeling lamps on, the voltage is 5.2 volts and the current is 1.25
amps, so the power is (5.2)(1.25)= 6.5 watts. The lamps are incandescent
(tungsten), and are not LEDs.
I also have a Zip drive. Its wall-wart is regulated, being rated to deliver 1
amp at 5 volts, so while a bit underpowered it should nonetheless work, without
danger to the modeling lamps. It has positive on the center, negative on the
shell, the opposite of Olympus, but modeling lamps don't care. However, the
Winder may try to run backwards if driven with reverse polarity, and the camera
may not like it.
Incandescent lamps are not that fussy about their power source, and will work
with either polarity of DC, or even AC.
The Winder 2 also wants "4-6 volts DC", and I assume that polarity matters. I
measured the winder too, and get an average of 0.6 amps using a digital
volt-ammeter, with peaks to 0.8 amps, while in sequential-shot mode driving an
OM-1 with no film in it. However, this volt-ammeter is slow, so it won't see
the true peaks, which are probably twice the average, or about 1.2 amps, the
same as the above lamp load. This makes sense if the intent is to use the same
wall wart to drive both T-10 (and T-8) modeling lamps and Winder 2 as well. (I
don't know what the Motor Drives require.)
Looking in the 1997 Allied Electronics catalog, for instance Elpac makes some
suitable 110 VAC wall-wart regulated power supplies supplying 5 volts at up to
2.0 amps. The 1.0-amp version costs $26 each, while the 1.5-amp and 2.0-amp
models both cost $42 each. The type 760 output connector is exactly what
Olympus requires, but the polarity may be reversed, if the Allied catalog is
correct. The 1.5-amp model is 4.33x2.44x2.00 inches, while the 2.0-amp model
is 5.00x3.07x2.24 inches. There are lots of options. Another source for small
quantities is DigiKey. Both Allied and DigiKey have excellent websites.
www.allied.avnet.com, www.digikey.com
Bottom line is that we ought to be able to get suitable wall-wart power
supplies to run T-8/T-10 modeling lights, and Winder 2, although we may need to
reverse the polarity on the plug. This is most easily done by cutting the cord
and repairing it, using heat-shrink tubing to cover and reinforce the repair.
One can also use this opportunity to make the cord longer. With luck, the
motor drives will also work with this same wall-wart.
Joe Gwinn
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