oops! i've broken my Sigma super Flash

i have a sigma ef-500 super flash, a great bit of kit, and i was trying out some off camera flash techniques i saw on the strobist blogspot. but when i placed my flash on my hotshoe sync ontop of a tripod and attempted to fire it, it stoped working.

i can still fore it manually, and all the ettl and zoom connections seem to work fine, but when the flash is on my canon 5D it wont fire, plus the charge indicator light wont illuminate. i think i may have shorted out some of the connections on the bottom

i suppose i can use it as a slave flash if i buy an new one to trigger it, but i am a little unimpressed with myself.

anyway, the question is, has anyone else had this unfortunate mishap, and does anyone know how to fix it? have i just blown a fuse?

e-an

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Double-check the five contacts on the bottom, make sure they all look ok and spring back after you press on them.

Perhaps remove and reinstall fresh batteries.

Beyond that, I don't know what else to advise.

I also have a hard time with my Sigma Super DG... The battery compartment doesn't seem to make the connection between all the batteries properly. Opening it and closing it (when fresh batteries are installed) resolves that issue most of the time.... Quite a pain in the low-lower back if you ask me, esp that I sometimes use it for weddings... (I don't rely on it that much anymore because of that)

I was having a probem similar with my 580EX. Turns out one of the NiMh batteries was shorting. I teasted with ym other batteries ot find the dud and replaced it. Problem solved.

So yeah, try other batteries and make sure the contacts are contacting.

I was having another problem with one of my old 1Ds bodies. The camera wouldn't fire the flash. Off camera it fired fine. The actual camera body hot shoe had worn "open" a bit over time by taking and putting flashes on and off. A little tapping with a big rubber mallet and the hotshoe was reshaped to make contact properly.

But I doubt your 5D is doing this.

If I switch off my Sigma DG 500 Super, it can be restarted only if I open the battery compartment door and shut it again!!

The battery door seems to be weakest link in most flash units

As someone else suggested, try replacing the batteries and checking the contacts. Mine seems to be a milder problem than yours.