evan_ryan1 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 regular 285, i know its like 20 yrs old but shooot... i put brand new batts in even just wondered if anyone had any ideas IS THERE A WAY TO TEST IF IT HAS ANY JUICE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_madio Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Can you hear the capacitors charging? If not and you are so inclined, open the flash and check the electrical connections. I had an issue with an older 285 where I had to re-form the capacitor ... set the flash to manual and fire off 20 flashes. If you can't get it going, it's probably not worth the repair bill so just find another on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lee5 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Just be *very* careful: high voltage may present, if the capacitors work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maury_cohen Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Can you describe "randomly stopped working" a bit more specifically? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarence_l Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Hello, Corrosion on the contacts in the battery compartment may be a contributing factor. Rubbing the oxidised metal clean with a pencil eraser can help. With My Regards, Clarence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan_ryan1 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 the capicatators charging is the lil sound correct? well i dont get that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_madio Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Yes, the capacitors charging is that sound that comes from the flash that increases in frequency as you wait for the ready light. That means that there is a problem before the capacitors. As others have suggested, try cleaning the contacts, and do as much inspection as you dare, but be careful as capacitors can hold a lethal charge for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarence_l Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Hello, I'd be really careful about opening it up. Even if you've pressed the flash test button many many times after you've turned it off, and nothing happens, there could still be a lethal charge left in the capacitors, and it won't disappear overnight, or even over a few weeks or months. You'd have to put some sort of load between the contacts I think, to get rid of the charge safely. There are instructions for this online but I'm not well versed in electrical equipment so when the contacts on the shoe of my Vivitar 283 gave up on me I bought a slave trigger to use with it instead. With My Regards, Clarence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan_ryan1 Posted January 21, 2006 Author Share Posted January 21, 2006 WOW THANKS... I DID THE ERASER TRICK AND IT WORKS....THANK YOU SOO MUCH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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