You would use a Flashtube Extender if you wanted to shift the angle of coverage of the flashtube in reference to the reflector you are using. Each one is about an inch long and it is very unusual to need more than one per Head.
The ATTE Flashtube Extender is another American made accessory built here in our Florida factory. It is important for them to be well built because as the flashtube is getting all the voltage for each flash, a poor connection or arc here will cause problems very quickly.
If you are adapting a custom reflector or if you have specialized lighting needs then locating the flashtube differently than “stock” could be critical to getting the lighting effect you desire.
A popular example of when you use a tube extender is with the telephoto reflectors from Norman™ or Quantum™ which work fine on the Lumedyne Heads. In comparison to the normal Lumedyne reflectors, the smooth hyperbolic shape of the telephoto variety pushes the light forward mostly in a more narrow beam of light, but it is an f-stop brighter with about 35 degrees coverage. If you further add a Flashtube Extender then the resulting “bright part” of the coverage is narrowed to just 15 degrees but then it’s a second f-stop brighter than the normal 60 degree reflectors we use. Note: Both those reflectors each include an extender when they are bought new however the Norman version can’t fit our Modeling Heads without drilling the center out first.
Another example is when the ABRA Bowens™ Reflector Adapter is used with a large beautydish. Our flashtube would be all the way at the back of the reflector, (like theirs would be too) but if you wish that you could use more of the walls of the reflector, then you use an ATTE to move the flashtube forward into a better focal point for the whole reflector.
The ATTE has a hole in the center to accommodate the two legs that power and hold the modeling bulb for Lumedyne Heads. However, the modeling bulb should be removed and not typically used together with the ATTE. Leave the white insulating sleeves and the rest of the modeling apparatus alone, it fits in the hole. Simply remove the modeling bulb while using the ATTE.
