New to using a Godox AD 200 Flash

[colinbm]

I now have a Godox AD 200 flash unit....but.....I am very new to using a flash unit....:-(

I see there are many posts on improving the flash unit for UV output ?

Many question for a newby....

Do I need a trigger unit to mount on the Hot Shoe, I will be first using the flash with a Lumix DMC G3 that is converted to full spectrum ?

Secondly I want to use the flash unit with my Sigma Foveon cameras too.

Can I have a list of what I need to use the flash unit with these cameras & to make it UV friendly Please ?

At the moment I am overwhelmed..........

Cheers

Col

[dabateman]

Hopefully other will chime in to help you.

I don't have any Godox flashes. But I do like to use the PC sync port to control flashes. Just saw that the Ad200 has a 3.5mm port. So for the Sigma cameras you can control it from the PC sync terminal using a cable with the 3.5mm end (newer cables).

The G3 doesn't look to have a PC sync port. So you can add one with Wein safe sync, which is a $50 thing that you slide into the top flash shoe. Or read the reviews to see which wireless transmitter will work. The pin layout of my Panasonic Gm5 matches Canon products. But your G3 looks different. So check to see what people have used.

Should be fun new toy to play with.

[colinbm]

Thanks Dave......"Should be fun new toy to play with." But this old brain gets easily overwhelmed....:-(

Anyway one step at a time.....

[Cadmium]

I think that is the flash that Boon was using...

and here is a topic that Enrico posted:

https://www.ultravio...__fromsearch__1

 

I am not a flash expert, and have no experience with this flash.

[enricosavazzi]

For operation in manual power setting (set on the AD 200 unit), any remote (wired or wireless) that sits on the hot shoe of the camera will work. This includes cables with hot shoe male contact at one end and sync plug at the other end. For wireless, the transmitter and receiver need of course to be compatible with each other. The receiver also needs to be connected to the sync socket of the AD 200. Receivers equipped with a hot shoe socket for use with speedlights are not directly compatible with the AD 200, unless they also have a sync cable socket output.

 

For operation in TTL mode, the wireless transmitter needs to be one of the Godox models compatible with the camera model and with the AD 200 built-in receiver. You can use these transmitters also in manual mode, but they are overkill for use exclusively in manual mode, unless you need the ability to manually set the power on the transmitter (as opposed to the AD 200 unit). I have had odd compatibility problems with the cheaper Godox TTL transmitter models (X1T series) for Sony cameras. The more expensive and larger transmitters (XPRO series) are more reliable in my experience. I have not tried the X2 series. I don't know whether there are third-party transmitters compatible with the AD 200.

 

The flash tube needs to be replaced to increase the UV output. This is a relatively complex subject that has been discussed in at least one earlier thread (e.g. see link in preceding post). There is no real guarantee that TTL exposure will still be precise after replacing the tube with a third-party one.

[ulf]

There are several wireless trigger transmitters, but they are designed for specific camera brands and their dedicated hot-shoe communication.

I do not think such a transmitter will work well with wrong camera brand.

I have mainly used transmitters for Canon, and lately Sony and they work well.

For a stability and repeatability I prefer to run in manual mode.

 

The modification of the Speedlight-lens head is rather simple.

https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/3206-is-the-godox-ad200-ttl-pocket-flash-kit-uv-convertable/page__view__findpost__p__26649

 

I have posted several topics about my adventures with this flash after reading Enrico's excellent topic about his experiences with the flash.

Just do a search for Godox AD200

[colinbm]

Thanks Steve for the link...

Ulf, thanks for the link to the speedlight link...

Enrico, thanks for your articles all very useful, I have no problems with changing the xenon bulbs mod & soldering the banana plugs etc & I have ordered the bulbs from Israel.

I think I'll use a wired connection, as mostly will be close to the camera.

More thoughts later....

Col

[ulf]

What type of bulbs is it you ordered?

https://www.ultravio...dpost__p__25662

The small 40Ws type will melt and self-destruct rather quickly if you fire with full power in short intervalls.

I am currently using the straight 250Ws type in both my Godox AD200, together with the standard reflector.

 

The PCBs I made for the banana plugs are quite good at protecting the brittle tubes during insertion and extraction from the holder.

https://www.ultravio...dpost__p__22520

[colinbm]

Oh I ordered these, I thought they were what Enrico used...?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SPIRAL-Xenon-Flash-Lamp-Strobe-Tube-Flicker-Stroboscope-HorseShoe-Beacon-Helical/121809484311?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[ulf]

I know I have posted pictures about these melting tubes, somewhere here, but cannot find them anymore.

It is either my lacking search skills, or vanishing of some posts.

[colinbm]

I am hoping to use 70-80mm round filters for UV, UVIVF & Cyan IIRF & perhaps IR, with a bulb that passes UVA, with the 5" or 3" round Godox flashes,

either https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Godox-H200R-Ring-Flash-Head-Separation-Extension-Head-For-AD200-Flash/293439421005?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

or https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AU-Godox-AD-S2-Stardard-Reflector-With-Soft-Diffuser-For-AD200-AD360II-Flashes/183205687007?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

both have the spiral xenon tube that I thought were easy to get without any UV coating ?

[ulf]

Just try the Speedlight head that came with the lens, without it's fresnel-lens.

It is better than expected and with a small front area.

There is nothing to buy, just a few minutes tinkering with a screwdriver.

 

Even if that solution do not reach very far into UV-A It might be enough, at least for flowers as you can get rather close without obscuring the camera's view-field.

[colinbm]

Thanks Ulf, today I placed a 77mm U340 filter over the speedlight & saw no florescence...:-(

[ulf]

Did you remove the fresnel lens first?

Also, you must block the massive IR from the flash.

Otherwise it will overpower all fluorescence.

[ulf]

The only reason for using a flash for UVIVF is to get short exposure times.

Without practical experience I think a strong UV-LED would be easier to filter and use.

[colinbm]

Thanks Ulf

With the fresnel & glass removed & with the U340 filter I can now see florescence....;-)

The straight xenon tube in the speedlight seems to be free of coatings, whereas the spiral tubes I can see a gold/yellow coating.

Cheers

Col

[ulf]

Here are some information and comparisons with different working distances for the Speedlite. ( with protection glass window )

And also comparisons against the Canon 199A:

https://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/3242-intensity-comparison-between-canon-199a-and-godox-ad200/page__hl__godox__fromsearch__1

[colinbm]

Five of these 40w spiral tubes in series will give 200w.....yes ?

[ulf]

The energy-specification Ws number or J = Joule for the tubes is what they are expected to handle repeatedly from the driving electronics. The Ws number is a measure of how much energy that is stored and can be released in and from the flash's storage capacitor.

 

The 40Ws tubes are a bit overloaded as the Godox AD200 is a 200Ws unit.

If you wait for them to cool down between flashes they will survive longer, but be prepared to replace them.

 

I do not think it is possible to connect all five 40Ws tubes at the same time to the Godox in a way that works.

You have to chose tubes with an energy specification of >200Ws

[colinbm]

Thanks Ulf

I don't have the knowledge to determine whether the spiral tubes can be mounted in parallel or series, so I will try one & see how long it lasts.

I have ordered a surround for the speedlight that I can mount the 77mm filters onto.

[ulf]

First a WARNING!!

Never ever fiddle with flash tubes connected to a powered on flash.

 

The godox AD200 is rather safe to work with as you can separate the flash heads from the flash body.

 

The tubes will not work connected in series and likely not connected in parallell either.

 

Some flash basics:

The tubes have two power poles and one ignition pole.

The power poles are the ones entering inside the tube and can have a preferred connection order.

The ignition pole is the thin thread surrounding the tube.

 

The flash's electronics consists of four vital main parts.

Modern flashes has many other function blocks, but the basic ones needed for the flashing are these:

1.)

A big energy-storing capacitor.

The size of that capacitor determines the power it can output. It is the Ws-value.

The energy and voltages, several hundred volts, stored in the capacitor when charged are LETHAL!!

2.)

A charging circuit to fill the capacitor with energy by charging the capacitor to the by design preset voltage.

3.)

An ignition circuit, generating a short ignition pulse of several thousand volts.

This is connected to the ignition-pole of the tube.

4.)

Control electronics with high power switches.

This part stops the burn of the flash after a desired time, depending of power settings or TTL-control command from the camera.

Stopping the burn is saving the rest of the charge left in the capacitor.

Without this circuit the burn would continue until the energy is exhausted.

 

One of the flash tube's power poles is connected to the electronics and capacitors 0V, the second to the high voltage pole of the capacitor.

 

To ignite the tube there must be enough voltage over the tube.

Connecting several tubes in series divides the available voltage making it impossible to ignite them.

Also only the first one is connected to the common 0V, also used by the ignition circuit.

[Stefano]

Once I tried to modify a camera, and I was shocked twice by the flash capacitor, which is usually charged at 300 V. If you are healthy (no heart conditions or other health problems), and the current flows in a path which doesn’t go in the chest region (in my case it was all contained in my right hand), it shouldn’t be life-threatening. But I guarantee you that is isn’t a very nice sensation to feel. My dad got shocked by the same capacitor seven times. I suggest you to discharge it with a resistor (a dead short would damage the terminals a little, probably melting metal on the contact region).

[colinbm]

Thanks ULF

For now I will use the bare speedlight only & it appears that it is uncoated ?

I can make the 77mm filters mount onto the speedlight adapter I found above.

[dabateman]

One I tried to modify a camera, and I was shocked twice by the flash capacitor, which is usually charged at 300 V. If you are healthy (no heart conditions or other health problems), and the current flows in a path which doesn’t go in the chest region (in my case it was all contained in my right hand), it shouldn’t be life-threatening. But I guarantee you that is isn’t a very nice sensation to feel. My dad got shocked by the same capacitor seven times. I suggest you to discharge it with a resistor (a dead short would damage the terminals a little, probably melting metal on the contact region).

 

No not good.

If you are working on a flash for the first time watch several YouTube videos about it, and then rewatch them to be familiar.

Never get shocked by a flash capacitor or an air conditioner capacitor. Either of those will kill you. And I mean will actually kill you. Much more dangerous than UVC light.

 

Never expect a capacitor to be at low charge. Always discharge, measure and discharge.

 

[colinbm]

Thanks Dave, I am very aware of the capacitors, they are everywhere, including most AC motors use a capacitor to start.

Thankfully with the Godox AD200 the flash head can be separated from the battery & capacitor....nice & safe :-)