270EX II will not meter

Title explains it all, wondering if anyone has heard of this problem. My "new" refurbished 270EX II will only fire at 100% power on multiple cameras, with and w/o cables. The flash menu on my 6D and 60D give me an error message that a flash is not connected when flash is mounted on hotshoe, although the flash is powered and firing. No problem with contacts on hotshoe or flash.

Unfortunately I purchased the 270EX II sometime last year as a backup for macro flash so the refurb warranty is expired by now. I paid $100 for it, so I'll either use it for scrap materials or accept the fact that I can't dial down the output whatsoever.

Must be internal circuitry problem with the flash unit? Probably impossible to fix myself?

Thanks.

davebreal wrote in post #17378150
Title explains it all, wondering if anyone has heard of this problem. My "new" refurbished 270EX II will only fire at 100% power on multiple cameras, with and w/o cables. The flash menu on my 6D and 60D give me an error message that a flash is not connected when flash is mounted on hotshoe, although the flash is powered and firing. No problem with contacts on hotshoe or flash.

Unfortunately I purchased the 270EX II sometime last year as a backup for macro flash so the refurb warranty is expired by now. I paid $100 for it, so I'll either use it for scrap materials or accept the fact that I can't dial down the output whatsoever.

Must be internal circuitry problem with the flash unit? Probably impossible to fix myself?

Thanks.

Ensure the flash is properly indexed in the shoe and that the contacts are clean.

In order for any ETTL compatible flash to work properly with any ETTL camera, you need all of the above...

1. Proper electrical contact of all pins of the ETTL hotfoot/hotshoe
   
2. If not a direct flash-camera connection, use of ETTL cable or a suitable ETTL radio transmitter/receiver
   
3. Flash needs to be in 'ETTL' mode, not merely in 'TTL' mode (which is film camera TTL, which is not compatible with ETTL)
   

There are no external controls on 270EX, no way to choose ETTL or TTL. I'm starting to think a pin is not extending properly.

davebreal wrote in post #17378887
There are no external controls on 270EX, no way to choose ETTL or TTL. I'm starting to think a pin is not extending properly.

The 270EX uses the cameras flash menu to change modes and settings. Your flash may be in Manual mode set to a high flash output and will need to be changed back to ETTL through a compatible cameras flash menu. Your flash will also remember it previous flash settings so if it were last used in Manual mode with a camera with a compatible flash menu then used on a none compatible camera or used as an "off camera" flash with one of the TTL receivers then it will only fire at the previous Manual flash setting until changed in the flash menu of a compatible camera.

agv8or wrote in post #17379307
The 270EX uses the cameras flash menu to change modes and settings. Your flash may be in Manual mode set to a high flash output and will need to be changed back to ETTL through a compatible cameras flash menu. Your flash will also remember it previous flash settings so if it were last used in Manual mode with a camera with a compatible flash menu then used on a none compatible camera or used as an "off camera" flash with one of the TTL receivers then it will only fire at the previous Manual flash setting until changed in the flash menu of a compatible camera.

There is no manual mode on the 270EX II, only ETTL with Flash Exposure Compensation, but attempting to reset the DSLR's flash setting with my 430 or 580 does sound like a good idea.

This guide may be of use, amongst other things it explains how to set ETTL through the camera menu:

https://cvp.com …e_270exii_quick​_guide.pdf

sandpiper wrote in post #17379469
This guide may be of use, amongst other things it explains how to set ETTL through the camera menu:

https://cvp.com …e_270exii_quick​_guide.pdf

Camera menu for flash not accessible because the camera does not detect the 270EX

davebreal wrote in post #17379749
Camera menu for flash not accessible because the camera does not detect the 270EX

Which is exactly your issue, either faulty / dirty contacts or a faulty flash. But this has been covered already.

Phil V wrote in post #17380057
Which is exactly your issue, either faulty / dirty contacts or a faulty flash. But this has been covered already.

There is no dirt. Flash is fresh from factory (refurb) and camera is about a month old. No wear and tear or smudges on either shoes.

davebreal wrote in post #17380176
There is no dirt. Flash is fresh from factory (refurb) and camera is about a month old. No wear and tear or smudges on either shoes.

If the contacts are clean and well seated, it's faulty, as that's the last resort. Fresh out of the box means nothing, everyone is know has an experience of buying faulty goods.

Phil V wrote in post #17380846
If the contacts are clean and well seated, it's faulty, as that's the last resort. Fresh out of the box means nothing, everyone is know has an experience of buying faulty goods.

Yep, I think there may very well be a defective pin under the flash. I may fiddle around with a thumbnail and see if I can get them extending and retracting fully. Warranty is no longer good on my flash, ordered it quite a while ago although I hadn't used this one.