Speedlight question

[mai_lin]

Was trying to use my 430ex for fill this morning and it worked well for about 12 shots - then it wouldn't fire. It was on, I even tried changing from ettl to manual and nothing. The pilot light wasn't lit. I took it off think the contacts weren't seated correctly and still nothing.

Any idea what could cause this?



Jen D.

[Jeff]

Dead batteries?

[mai_lin]

Nope - newly charged last night. The display is working fine? Maybe the rechargeables are dying though? Had them for about 8 months now...



Jen D.

[Jeff]

Only thought is that there's enough juice to power it on but not enough to charge it for a flash. Did you try different (new) batteries?

[John E]

I don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone know if there is such a thing as an A.C. adaptor for speedlites?

[WillMass]

Easy enough to check.

Change 'em and see if it works.

[Jeff]

There is a battery pack for the 550 & 580 series but not for the 430EX. The little cover is there, there's just nothing underneath it.

[WillMass]

I don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone know if there is such a thing as an A.C. adaptor for speedlites?

Don't know of one, but you could make pretty easily. CP-E4 is the way to go though. Don't know if the 430 has a receptacle though. 5XX Series do. 420's do not.

[Jeff]

Hey Jen....We're waiting for you to change your batteries ;)

[40Dude6aedyk]

When you write "for fill", do you mean you were using HSS mode? Could it be it overheated and shut itself off for awhile to cool down?

[mai_lin]

:lol:

Too funny - I'm recharging the batteries. My backup batteries weren't charged so I can't check it just yet. I'll charge these for an hour or so if put them back in - if it works then I think its just the rechargeables dying. I use the heck out of my speedlight so I bet the batteries are overused - probably have about 30 charges on both sets now...

I hope that's all it is. I have nightmares about my speedlight dying...really.


Jen D.

[mai_lin]

When you write "for fill", do you mean you were using HSS mode? Could it be it overheated and shut itself off for awhile to cool down?


Nope, ETTL. I don't use any other mode when on-camera - too much chimping otherwise. I wish flash settings stored in your EXIF - would make learning on camera manual mode much easier...



Jen D.

[Jim M]

Thirty charges? Doesn't seem like that much to me.

[bohdank]

Ya, you should be able to get hundreds of charges out of a set. I have batteries that are well over 5 years old and have been recharged a LOT of times... still work fine.