Self made Hasselblad 500 EL/M acessories

Disclaimer: if you follow these ideas, you do it on your own risk. Please, check and recheck that everything is OK, even in case instructions are not...

See also what Hasselblad officially thinks.

Cable release

You need: one 5-pin DIN-connector (pins located at 270 deg. angle), some 2-wire cable, a push button switch closing contacts and a 35 mm film can. Solder wires to pins 1 and 3 of the connector. Make a hole in the bottom of the film can and push the cable trough it. Make a hole in the lid of the can and attach the switch to it. Solder other ends of wires to the switch. Polarity doesn't matter.

Power supply

Useful in a studio where electricity is available. Get a mains transformer giving 6 V DC out at least 400 mA and a DIN-connector, as above. Replace transformer outlet plug by the DIN-connector, + to the pin 1 and - to the pin 5. Polarity is important, check by a voltage meter before you try it on a camera.


9V battery replacement of NiCD-battery

NiCD-batteries for 500EL/M are hard to find because Varta doesn't manufacture them any more. If you find some, they are pretty expensive. They don't fit in standard chargers. If you don't have Hassy's own charger, you have to build one by yourself. Fortunately standard 9V battery fits Hassy's battery compartment. Although it's nominal voltage is 9V, it drives the camera well (actually a little bit faster) and doesn't make any harm. Apparently the internal resistance of the battery will reduce the voltage at the 200 mA current drawn by camera. I have made some measurements and seen the battery voltage to drop as low as 3-5V on the peak load, when the camera is operated.

One 9V battery can drive the camera for about 50 (or more) size 120 films. Cut 2-3 cm pieces of copper tape with adhesive backing (used by stained glass artists) and solder the wires of 9V battery connector to them. Then attach minus (black) copper strip on the top of the connector, the other on the bottom of the battery. It will fit nicely in the camera. Polarity is important, + must be towards the bottom of the battery compartment of the camera.