Electronic Gurus wanted...

I also got my hands on the Metz 76 Manual and it states DANGER Never disassemble the flashgun There are no components inside the flash gun that can be repaired by a layperson.

That's a standard disclaimer.

Good advice in the case of an electronic flash, though. Touching a large capacitor charged to 350 volts isn't recommended!

There is no charring or damage to the rest of the flash as far as i know ?

Thing is, the melted solder pad shown on the underside of the board doesn't look like heat damage. It looks as if that part of the board shorted to something else.

 

Have a good look at where that board was sitting and see if there's any sign of a short to an adjacent track, wire or component.

Thing is, the melted solder pad shown on the underside of the board doesn't look like heat damage. It looks as if that part of the board shorted to something else.

To me it looks like the overheating resistor caused the solder to liquefy and move.

To me it looks like the overheating resistor caused the solder to liquefy and move.

Yes, but the resistor must have got the extra voltage and current to overheat from somewhere. And the top of the board doesn't appear to have any shortage path.

 

There's what looks like copper sputtering around the resistor solder pad too, and the wire end of the resistor is melted back. There's so much deposit around that solder pad that the copper track can't be seen and traced.

MKT is (was?) a subsidiary of Philips that manufactures capacitors.

 

If you can show more of the burned board and its relationship to the rest of the flash, then maybe we can get a better idea of its function, and hence the purpose of the resistor and capacitor.

I Googled MKT capacitors and this is what I got: mkt capacitors - Bing images It looks like they do sell capacitors like the ones on the Metz board that I showed you in the pictures but I'm still not sure what that black cube is all about ?? Usually when you purchase Capacitors you have to know the uF rating is before you order ?

Usually when you purchase Capacitors you have to know the uF rating is before you order?

I don't want to rain on your parade, but it looks to me like you miss the knowledge to be successful in trying to do a repair that might be a challenge to even the most experienced person. It doesn't make sense to try to figure out the details of that specific component without knowing what is called the root cause in failure analysis lingo.

Without that, you - and anybody else - are lost in the woods.

As for that capacitor, you not only need to know the capacitance rating, uF for instance, but also what type of capacitor (they are not all the same), it's voltage rating and more than likely what the + and - poles are (screwing that up in installing the capacitor might result in a mini-explosion with possibly fragments and acid flying in all possible directions).

The only solution that I can think of is for you to find someone with the technical expertise and willingness to find out if repairs are even possible.

Edited November 19, 2020 by frans_waterlander

According to criscam.com the way they service these flash is that they replace the entire board according to Metz specifications. I'm looking at eBay for some spare parts. Maybe I can slap a lower board on there ?

Heaven save us from board swappers that call themselves electronics technicians!

 

Be that as it may.

If you're going to buy a stack of new boards, you might just as well look for another used MZ-76 flash. Because there's no guarantee that the fault is limited to the board showing blast damage. It may be two boards, three..... who knows?Plus your time and risk (350 volts is not to be tinkered with!).

Good idea.