Minolta Autocord and flash

I have an old minolta autocord in pretty good condition. I've gotten some great negatives from it. Yesterday I tried using a flash with it--a Neewer speedlight, but for whatever reason the autocord wouldn't trigger it. Is there some trick to using a flash with the autocord? Or will a new flash just not work with it.

Mine doesn't have the Citizen shutter, but there should be a lever somewhere around the shutter to set X sync as opposed to M or FP. Second, perhaps the cold shoe is shorting the contact on the bottom of the flash. Try putting a bit of scotch or electrical tape on the inside surface of the cold shoe to insulate it. Third, pc connectors often get loose or corroded. You could try cleaning the contacts and very very gently squeezing the outer ring on the flash cord contact for a tighter fit.

mine has the 'Optiper MXS shutter 1 sec- 1/400th and I set the Sych lever to 'X' and it worked with flash no problemo.
Bounced Flash -- Mecablitz 45CL1 Shutter Speed 1/400th

Minolta Autocord FLASH test by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

hsandler said:

Try putting a bit of scotch or electrical tape on the inside surface of the cold shoe to insulate it. Third, pc connectors often get loose or corroded. You could try cleaning the contacts and very very gently squeezing the outer ring on the flash cord contact for a tighter fit.

Click to expand...

This is a big one. Try the flash not mounted to the shoe, but still attached to the sync port.

mweintraub said:

This is a big one. Try the flash not mounted to the shoe, but still attached to the sync port.

Click to expand...

+1. Had the same problem with my Mamiya. The all metal cold shoe shorts out the flash. A piece of electrical tape fixed that.

You might find that attaching a flash bracket might be a better solution. Not least because you run the risk of the hotshoe of the flash breaking off if it is left horizontal like that, it's a known weak point on most Chinese flashguns.