[BradleyS]

Got a Dine ring+point flash labeled "Auto-Exposure Macro-Light" without a battery or AC adapter. The AC slot has three prongs and the battery compartment has two contacts on one side, none on the other. It's larger than a 9V battery.

Any help is appreciated tracking down a power source. I'll should be able to post some photos later today.

[SOldBear]

Photos will be very helpful. There are many different versions of Lester Dine "Auto-Exposure Macro-Light."

[Not a Number]

Sounds like the Nissin unit that Lester Dine sold. This uses 4 "AA" batteries in a battery holder that slips into the compartment. Probably something impossible to find but I recall seeing a non-functioning unit for parts on sale on eBay not long ago.

I have no idea what output specifications are on the AC adapter. I've never seen one for this unit and Nissin no longer makes this model flash.

I suppose you could try contacting Nissin. Lester Dine will not help you at all.

Nissin Digital

Here's some photos of the unit I have. The ribbed portion is the battery compartment cover.

[BradleyS]

That's the one. Thanks for posting the photos.

I've contacted the company I bought it from (with the 105mm, of course!) and asked about the battery cartridge. It was clear that no AC adapter was included but they claim to have tested the unit, so I'm wondering if the cartridge was misplaced. Let's hope they have it. Worst case I can fashion a custom cartridge.

Pending their reply I'll probably contact Nissin. Thanks for the link. I noticed that Dine is still around but they seem kinda shady.

[Not a Number]

There's nothing shady about Lester Dine, they've been around since the 80s or maybe even earlier. They just will not give any support to old products and non-customers.

Let's hope that whoever tested the unit just forgot to put the cartridge back in and it is still around.

Note this unit is not P-TTL compatible so should only be used in AUTO mode on P-TTL cameras. This means you have to do a lot of chimping to get the exposures correct. The *ist series should support TTL flash metering.

[BradleyS]

This uses 4 "AA" batteries in a battery holder that slips into the compartment.

You wouldn't happen to have a photo of that battery holder, would you? The shop's looking and they aren't exactly sure what to search for. I'm not having much luck finding a photo.

[SOldBear]

You wouldn't happen to have a photo of that battery holder, would you? The shop's looking and they aren't exactly sure what to search for. I'm not having much luck finding a photo.

I had this unit for some time....

The battery holder (4 AA cells) is inside the power unit. I vaguely remember that you have to open the front panel of the power unit to access the battery holder.

The panel is just above the light sensor and the wording "DINE AUTO-MACRO-LIGHT".

[BradleyS]

Indeed, the problem is that once the front panel is open, the plastic insert that holds the 4 batteries and strings them together electrically is missing. I am hoping Not A Number or someone else has a photo to help the camera shop look for it.

[BradleyS]

Would really like to get my hand on that battery holder. Still, with a little improvisation:



Not the most convenient thing, but at least I know the flash works. That's four Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries in serial. I cut a few strands of copper from short piece of braided 10 AWG ground wire and affixed them to the battery contacts with Kapton tape. The bottom pair of batteries are unlinked and touch the unit's contacts easily, without modification. I added a bit of foam buffer on the left side for spacing (covered in tape to avoid shorting, just in case). Works perfectly, but of course it takes a few minutes to set up.

Figured I'd post it to give hope to anyone sharing my affliction.

Edit: Forgot to add that the cover does fit properly over the batteries. And please excuse the low-light iPhone photo.

[Not a Number]

Not a very good picture but should help give an idea what it looks like:


You might be able to modify one or the others of these to fit:
4 AA-CELL HOLDER W/SNAPS - WIRE FOR 3 VOLTS | AllElectronics.com
BATTERY HOLDER, 4 AA CELLS | AllElectronics.com

Dimensions in inches: 1 3/16 × 2 1/4 × 1 3/16. Actually there is a slight taper where the finger grips are to help with pulling the cartridge out. You'd have to match that in order for the cover to fit. Tapered end is 2 1/8" starting at 3/8" from the edge. You can make out the finger grip in the photo above.

Looking at the dimensions of the two holder linked above they should fit as they are almost exactly the same dimensions as the Nissin holder. You will have to add the taper/bevel as the cover will not fit without it. I guess it's there partly so you won't put the cartridge in the wrong way. You might need to do some re-wiring to get the terminals in the proper configuration. Again, lets hope the camera company still has the original part.

[Not a Number]

It appears this flash is also branded as the Yuzo DC2814 TTL Auto Macro Point/Ring Flash. A copy of the manual can be found on the Butkus/Orphan Camera/Camera Manuals website. This appears to be a Dine manual as it offers the Lester Dine 105mm macro lens as an option.

YUZO Auto Macroflash instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals