Flash PC sych lead query

andrewc

andrewc

Suspended / Banned
Messages
10,024
Name
Andrew
Edit My Images
Yes
Just packed up my Interfit EX150 heads for a possible gig tomorrow - short awards ceremony. Set them up to make sure they worked.

My el-cheapo Ebay triggers seem to have died :( so am having to resort to PC sync cord option.

Flash fires, and it triggers its friend by the optical flash sensor. Both heads recycle.

They won't fire again until I disconnect the sync cord and refit it. Is this normal? Any fix? This is with a 50D

I can abandon their use and just use my Sigma 500DG Super flash on the hotshoe instead.
 
No, that's not normal. I can't suggest a solution but you need to rule out the camera or the lights or the cable. So a bit of logical testing:

Plug cable into t'other light, does it do same - light or cable fault.
Use a different camera, does it do same - lights or cable fault.
Trigger both using sigma or camera flash, does it do same - lights fault.

try a different cable., etc... Hope that helps...
 
are you sure that the remotes are dead?

check the seating of the receivers.
 
Triggers do not have separate channels. Either on or off. Checked with new batteries.

One flash head doesn't like either PC sync cord.
One works with either PC sync cord.

Problem is same with 50D and 40D. Flashes and won't flash again unless the sync cord is removed and replaced. Easy but awkward.

I think I'll leave them at home, experiment a bit more next week and just set up a cloth background for tomorrow.
 
Hmm... I wonder if you've pressed a button too many on the heads? I can't say for certain because i've not used the ex150's, but i suggest resetting all the flash head controls to default settings. See what that does.
 
I'm wondering if the problem is that Canon use -ve polarity rather than +ve - but I've used these with my 350D and 30D quite a bit.

Only controls on them is a power knob, on/off and modelling light on/off

Curiouser and curiouser.
 
hmmm... i don't know either. i've used the ex200's with a 400d and 40d and they worked fine. I wasn't aware of the 150 control layout. the ex200's have loads of buttons, thus my previous suggestion.
 
Are the hot shoe connections firmly on contact? Try tightening the trigger onto the hotshoe as tight as possible. We had a similar problem with a friends camera the other day. It was a newish camera and the little prongs on the side of the cameras hot shoe connection were pushing the connector off of the contact point. What we done was got a hotshoe flash and tightened the screw on that as tight as possible a few times to weaken the prongs a bit so that they werent pushing the hot shoe connection apart.

Might be worth making sure that the connection is solid with no airspace between the hot shoe and the trigger.

Regards, James
 
See if your Sigma flash gun will trigger them via the slave cells. You could use that as a trigger if all else fails.
 
Use the optical slave on BOTH heads to work with - use a small flash on the camera, set to provide no illumination, that will just trigger the heads.....job done, no wires.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top