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07-06-2010, 03:13 AM   #1
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Has my AF540GZ Flash Lost It's Mind?

I can trigger the flash both on and off camera, but it is refusing to sync with the shutter when its open, i'm guessing it fire half a second after the shutter and nothing I can do will make it work right.

07-06-2010, 03:57 AM   #2
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Is it a problem both on and off the camera? If only off, you may have inadvertently changed the slave mode.
07-06-2010, 04:35 AM   #3
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On and off. But its worse.

The flash now ONLY fires in full power mode, no matter what the settings are on or off the camera. Even at 1/64 the flash will only discharge at full power.
07-06-2010, 04:36 AM   #4
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I should note I can smell a funny burnt electronics smell from inside...great :S

07-06-2010, 07:52 AM   #5
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Sounds toast to me. Out of curiosity how long have you had it?
07-06-2010, 09:55 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by noahpurdy Quote
Sounds toast to me. Out of curiosity how long have you had it?
Since September last year.

I can't even remember the US retailer I bought it off! GRRR!

It working fine, until the fully charged batteries seemed to mysteriously go dead. I then recharged, put them in, took an off camera shot and noticed a strange burning smell.

As I said the flash fires beautifully at full on and off camera, just it doesn't sync and the power cannot be controlled. Judging by the smell I hope it's something simple like a transistor.
07-06-2010, 12:26 PM   #7
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It sounds a little flaky, but I'm not sure the smell is the key. After a flurry of full power flashes, I've smelled a heated electrical component smell from a number of flashes I've owned.

07-06-2010, 01:36 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by C.W Tsorotes Quote
Since September last year.

I can't even remember the US retailer I bought it off! GRRR!

It working fine, until the fully charged batteries seemed to mysteriously go dead. I then recharged, put them in, took an off camera shot and noticed a strange burning smell.

As I said the flash fires beautifully at full on and off camera, just it doesn't sync and the power cannot be controlled. Judging by the smell I hope it's something simple like a transistor.
if the smell is new to the flash you may have really had something fail internaly. You should send it for service, as it may be repairable, since the flash itself seems to be functioning, but don;t play with it too much because you could damage it further.

remember, electronics does not work on the movement of holes and electrons in peices of silicon, but on smoke. Many people have demonstrated that things stop working when the smoke leaks out
07-06-2010, 05:32 PM   #9
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Great...I may just claim it on my travel insurance.
07-06-2010, 06:43 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lowell Goudge Quote
if the smell is new to the flash you may have really had something fail internaly. You should send it for service, as it may be repairable, since the flash itself seems to be functioning, but don;t play with it too much because you could damage it further.

remember, electronics does not work on the movement of holes and electrons in peices of silicon, but on smoke. Many people have demonstrated that things stop working when the smoke leaks out
Fine, I can`t help it. "The smoke is the great equalizer and the keeper of all electronic things.
You let it leak out and the sky will fall".
07-06-2010, 07:48 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lowell Goudge Quote
remember, electronics does not work on the movement of holes and electrons in peices of silicon, but on smoke. Many people have demonstrated that things stop working when the smoke leaks out
That's the phlogiston being released. Things don't work when the phlogiston is gone.
07-06-2010, 11:41 PM   #12
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Lol.......can dodgy rechargeable batteries kill / damage a flash?
07-07-2010, 04:49 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by C.W Tsorotes Quote
Lol.......can dodgy rechargeable batteries kill / damage a flash?
I have heard of some batteries having too low a resistance causing an excessive flash charging current, but that is a long time ago when rechargeables and high power alkalines came out.

Don;t think it is a problem today, and I use any and all kinds of batteries in my AF540FGZ Nicad's Nickel etc, and no issues
07-07-2010, 06:35 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lowell Goudge Quote
I have heard of some batteries having too low a resistance causing an excessive flash charging current, but that is a long time ago when rechargeables and high power alkalines came out.

Don;t think it is a problem today, and I use any and all kinds of batteries in my AF540FGZ Nicad's Nickel etc, and no issues

should note that in the manual it says to use:

Alkaline, Lithium or rechargable Ni-MH batteries

don't use Ni-Cad or Ni-Mn (Nickel Manganese - never seen one of those)
07-07-2010, 08:25 AM   #15
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I never bothered to look! DOH

I have been using the same rechargeable NIMH since I got the flash.

If you can't use those, then what can you use??
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