Battery necessary in Yashica 124 for Flash?

[paul_mcevoy]

Hello all,

 

I just got the right PC cord for my Yashica 124 and Vivitar 285 flash.

It's not firing though. I haven't put a battery in the camera yet

(have been shooting outside with sunny 16 mostly). Does it need the

battery to flash sinc?

 

Also, is there more than one place to CLA one of these? I know the

obvious answer, but I'm wondering if there are additional answers.

Sorry for the weirdly phrased question.

 

Thanks

Paul

[h._p.]

You wouldn't need a battery in the camera to fire the flash. The flash circuit is made by a switch attached to the shutter which closes to make the connection.

 

Check the cable by switching on the flash and using a screwdriver with a plastic or wooden handle to short the core and shield of the cable (the pin and the metal cylinder surrounding it)

 

If the flash fires then you know the flash and cable are good and the fault lies in the camera. If it doesn't fire, then either the cable or the flash itself is faulty.

 

DON'T do this test with a metal handled tool as you'll find that even the relatively small capacitor in the flash will give you a nasty shock!

[Sandeha Lynch]

Ancient PC contacts can benefit from a gentle poking with a sharp stick doused in WD40, or similar - that is to say, something fine enough to get in there and scrape around.

[mskovacs]

Put anything but WD-40 near the shutter. I would suggest using some alcohol to clean the synch post and the synch connector. When you plug it in, press it in all the way and rotate it back a forth a couple of times to scrape away any oxidation and get a solid connection. Sometimes you also get a loose cord plug that won't work well unless you hold it in. Not exactly convenient but often easily fixed with some careful bending of the cord plug.

 

If it still doesn't fire, there is probably oxidation/oil on the flash contact inside the shutter. It is basically a simple arrangement where a piece of metal strikes a contact to close the ciruit when the leafs are open all the way. Simple to fix but you need enough skill to open the shutter to do it and TLRs aren't the most accessible for a beginner.

 

If you look at the photo, you can see an X-synch flash contact (a very good aftermarket addition) that needed some attention due to age. The arm on the right is what moves up when the shutter opens. It causes the metal contact to move down and strike the fixed part of the synch post and close the circuit (inner circle). Simplicity!

 

On later shutters, there is a delay for M synch (flash bulbs) that fires the flash before the shutter opens.<div></div>

[paul_mcevoy]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Much appreciated!

 

Paul

[phil_garey]

The flash sync cord is very often the problem. I am an old guy, and we use to carry extras at all times. They may look good! But!