Quick Vivitar 285HV question

[BEphoto]

I ordered two brand new vivitar 285HVs and got them earlier this week. I used one for a few days just perfectly, everything functioning as it should. Today, i received my wireless trigger that was backordered so i put batteries in the other flash and im not getting the same results.

They are turned exactly the same on the dial. I've got them both set to 1/16 power. The first flash i used fires off just fine. The other one that i just took out of the box today will fire, but not nearly as strong. It makes a little bit of a clicky or a "tick" sound when the flash fires, rather than the sound that the good one makes.

Changing the power doesnt make any difference, whereas on the good flash there is a noticeable difference in full power and 1/16.


So... is there something that im missing that could be making it not as powerful? is there something that i can check?

Im at a shoot right now and would like my brand new flash to function as it should. Its giving off a small flash, but not like it should be doing.

Any info (quickly if possibly) would be great. Thanks in advance.

Brad

[dpds68]

Switch batteries from the "Good" flash to the "bad" .

[BEphoto]

did that already. same result.

[MrScott]

There's a section in the Manual about "forming the capacitor (http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/vivitar_285hv.pdf)" - does that help???

[BEphoto]

There's a section in the Manual about "forming the capacitor (http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/vivitar_285hv.pdf)" - does that help???

If I did it correctly, it didn't help. Going to look into this a little more when I get home.

[Jim M]

It's not too timely, but I'd be inclined to think it was broken.

[pellepiano]

The quality is questionable on the Vivitars. I had one that did not work from start and one that stopped working after a few months.

[drh681]

that "clicky sound" may be a short circuit that forms as the capacitor charges.
In any case, it sounds like a manufacturing defect.