Old Vivitar 283 with SB4 power supply

[MikeV]

If anyone still has an old Vivitar 283 laying around and the SB4 power supply, can you check the power supply for me and tell me which side is the + side? I want to set mine up with a battery pack but don't want to guess at the pins and reverse the polarity.

Thanks Much.

[AmateurGlamour]

Mike,
The SB4 puts out 200 VDC at 4MA. The connector is keyed with shoulder notches on one side. That is the positive side of the connector.
Hope this helps.
Jim

[Arkie]

What I have done with my Vivitar 285 HV flashes is buy the Quantum battery adapter that fits the old Quantum 1 batter pack. This is a simple RCA male plug. You have to drill or notch a hole in the battery door. I go to the local wholesale electrical supply and buy the battery that fits the emergency lights in department stores (6 volt 4amp/hour). Then pick up a female RCA plug and wire it up. The ground is to the outside of the plug. I get the batteries for about $12 and use them for four or five years, then replace them. They are a sealed lead acid battery and recharge with no memory. The charger costs about $20. I have yet to run one completely dead in fifteen years of using them, sometimes shooting over two hundred full power flashes in an hour. I used a cell phone battery(the old bag phone style) from Radio Shack until they quit carrying them. I spend more for the bag (that fits on my belt) than I do for the battery. Just one way of keeping the costs down and keepin' on clickin'. Rick from Arkansas "Arkie"

[MikeV]

Thanks much!