HELP with Nikon SB-600 Speedlight

<p>Help! My SB-600 speed light will not flash. It has been sitting in my camera bag unused for the last 3-months.<br>

--I've installed new batteries<br>

--battery terminals appear to be clean and uncorroded<br>

--ready light comes on<br>

--i've double checked to make sure batteries were installed in proper position<br>

--It goes to STBY mode ok.<br>

--It does not fire when I try to do a test flash..not does it work when I put it in my D7000 hot shoe.<br>

ANY THOUGHTS?</p>

<p>Perhaps is set in the Remote mode ?<br>

Reset the flash to factory defaults.</p>

<p>Frank, I have set the flash to factory defaults and still no joy.</p>

<p>One of mine stopped working even though the ready light was on. I sent it to Nikon and they told me it had a crack in the glass. I told them that I did not notice any crack before I sent it and had never dropped it. They told me it would cost about $125 or so to repair. I had also sent them one of my D300's that developed electronic problems. The flash was no longer under warranty but the camera was. Lucky for me they fixed the camera, plus sent me another flash @ no charge. At any rate, check the glass on the flash for hairline cracks. It has been a few years, but if I remember correctly, my flash was acting up before it died and I had sent it in, but I did not know if it was the camera or the flash.</p>

<p>John, thanks for your input. I've checked the glass for hairline cracks, but unable to see any. I don't use my flash very often. The last time it was used was last Christmas. </p>

<p>When in doubt, clean the contacts on the hot shoe and SB600 with a pencil eraser.</p>

<p>Bob, thanks for the info. That was one of the first things I tried and still no joy.</p>

<p>Bill: The SB700 suggests replacing the batts while the unit is<strong> ON</strong> if 'it doesn't work properly' ... do tell us how you come out on this ...</p>

<p>Have you recently dropped it, even if it seemed as though it wasn't a hard fall (like onto carpet)? One of mine broke that way. Also, the eraser trick doesn't always work. If you haven't tried contact cleaner, I would suggest that. That also happened to me and they started working again.</p>

<p>Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. No further help is needed because I made a real mess of it this afternoon. I took it to my son's house, who acts as my tech support, and totally destroyed it. I took the SB-600 very carefully out of my camera bag and immediately drop it on his concrete floor. Now, I hear all sorts of parts rattling around inside the unit. OUCH! I think it is beyond repair. Fortunately my son has an SB-600 and said I could use his. </p>

<p>Ouch! I think you wanted an excuse to upgrade. Now you have it:) You might have that hairline crack in the glass now.<br>

Keep it for spare parts if you plan to getting another or for your son's. Personally, I would not know much on replacing anything inside the unit. You could also send it to Nikon for a free estimate. Just let them keep it if it too pricy. </p>

<p>Well, that's a shame, Bill. But it sounds like a Freudian Slipped-Out-Of-Your-Hands moment, to me! You'll really like the SB-700 when the budget permits.</p>

<p>As well-designed as Nikon speedlights are, you need to *<strong>pop</strong>* the flash one or two times every month to keep the speedlight circuits happy. Going 90 days (or so) and having the flash not work on day 91 is something you may have prevented.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>As well-designed as Nikon speedlights are, you need to *<strong>pop</strong>* the flash one or two times every month to keep the speedlight circuits happy. Going 90 days (or so) and having the flash not work on day 91 is something you may have prevented.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jerry, is that just from your experience or Nikon suggests that we must use those flashes every month?</p>

<p>Including my two SB-R200 macro flashes, I have a total of seven i-TTL flashes plus a few older ones. It would be a bit of a burden that I need to fire each one of them every month. The fact of the matter is that some of them I use rarely nowadays, perhaps not even once a year. So far each one of them always works when I need it.</p>

<p>Inserting the batteries incorrectly into the SB-600 (it has a strange battery orientation) and contact corrosion are the most common causes of SB-600 "problems." See this thread from about 4 months ago: <a href="../photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00ZfjM">http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00ZfjM</a><br>

The OP on that thread initially thought those contacts were clean but in fact they were not.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it is all a moot point now for the OP here.</p>

<p>I would also like some verification on popping the flash a couple of times a month. I have a pair of sb600's and I usually bring one as a back up, but rarely use it. I'm sure it has been 6 months since I used it last. I do remove batteries until I use it.</p>

<p>This got me thinking about flash units that are sitting in stock for months. What do they do about popping flash every 90 days or so, or would this only pertain to flashes that have been sold/used?</p>

<p>Then also there is the issue of 'having your speed light serviced (read 'looked at') once every two years by a Nikon Service Center. Shun, I read your piece on all the Nikon Speed Lights , which was excellent for sorting them all out... is there a one-source for definitive 'care-and-maintainence' also ?</p>

<p>"Jerry, is that just from your experience or Nikon suggests that we must use those flashes every month?"</p>

<p>Here is source 1 of 2</p><div></div>

<p>Source 2 of 2</p>

<p>[...regret that I do not have a SB-900 to see if the instruction booklet as the same info on keeping the speedlight capacitor working as designed...]</p><div></div>

<p>Jerry: Both the SB700 and the SB 910 have that info also ... and remove batt if longer than two weeks inactive ... is that overkill?</p>

<p>Jerry, thanks for the info, but as I pointed out earlier, I never follow that particular recommendation from Nikon and all of my Nikon flashes work fine after sitting idle for a year or two. Therefore, I don't believe not firing a flash for a long time would cause it to fail. In fact, the Nikon literature you cited also does not specify anything like not firing them once a month would cause them to fail.

</P>

<P>

If you read that thread from 4 months ago, that other person left her two SB-600 idle for over a year. The only problem she had was oxidized battery contacts. Once she cleaned those, both of her flashes were fine again.</p>

<p>It is a good idea to remove the battery from flashes and cameras (and other electronics) if you are not going to use it for a long time. The main concern is that some batteries can leak and that will damage the electronics.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I took it to my son's house, who acts as my tech support, and totally destroyed it. I took the SB-600 very carefully out of my camera bag and immediately drop it on his concrete floor</p>

</blockquote>

<p>definitely a hairline fracture.</p>

Spend $10 and send it to Nikon Service Center in CA or NY for an estimate. They may tell you it canbe fixed for the

scheduled price of $97 plus tax & shipping ~$125 with a 6-month warranty. Wouldn't you like a nice SB600 for $125?