Elinchroms going crazy, please help!

[patrick_f]

<p>Hello everyone, back here looking for some help again. Here is the situation - and it is blowing my mind as to how/what could be happening as I have tested tested and tested again. I have a set of 5 Elinchrom EL 500c monolights, two older three newer (see lights in attached pic for reference). Using these lights in a studio setting they are 100% reliable, NEVER any problems in the 12 / 5 years I have been using them. Most of the time I take them on location they exhibit 100% reliability. Still, this year I have had 4 "big deal" shoots (actually, 4 of my 5 most important shoots no less) where they just seemed to go haywire. All 4 times, the same problem. Basically, if the light fires at all it fires about one of three times you hit the test switch. Here is what I am working with for said problem: 5 Elinchrom lights, Pocket Wizard (plus II and MultiMax on Camera), Extension Cords (6 or so), �Vagabond II power system, and as a backup 5 of the actual hard wire synch-cords for plugging the camera directly into the light (to control it). All 4 shoots happened in large industrial type settings where clean, solid power should not have been an issue (Food manufacturing plant, Baseball Stadium (pro team), Jet Aircraft FBO Hanger, and a manufacturing plant). What happened is pretty consistent in respect to the locations. So I go to set up just one light for fill, half power. Plug into the Vagabond, hook up the PW's, grab the light meter to test and .... nothing. I hit the PW test button probably 10 times for every successful "pop". Ok, Vagabond is the issue? Run a Stinger to an outlet. Test outlet (testing FINE). Run Stinger (extension cord) back to the light, plug in, same deal...except now it might fire once for every 3-4 times I hit the "test" button. By this time I am sweating. So maybe it is a Pocket Wiz./WiFi issue? I plug the "hard cord" into the light/camera (or meter). Same thing. Swap out the synch cable for one of the other 4 or so that I have rigorously tested at home/studio and that I know works. Same thing. Swap another cable. Same thing. Maybe it is the Stinger? Swap that out (once or twice). Same thing. So it must be the Head. Swap that out for another Monolight....SAME THING ALL OVER. So different heads are having the same results with the same equipment. And by this time the person I have to shoot is getting impatient and I am drenched in sweat. Never let them see you sweat, right? Still, I do not get better than one sucessful flash firing out of three or four shots. Most of the shots the flash never fired.<br /> So I get home after the most recent "incident". First thing I do (and I mean as soon as I walked through the door): test everything. Same lights, same Wiz., same cords, same stingers, same Vagabond...everything. 100%. Every shot fires. So I take the Vagabond outside. 100%. I run a stinger from an outside outlet. 100%. And on the week long project of photographing for a catalogue here in the studio - 100%. So, it only seems to happen when I have some VIP or CEO in front of me and when I am under huge time restraints, and in a place where the power output and quality should not be an issue. And to further stump me, why was the issue going on with the Vagabond as well as different Flash Heads? The Photo-Gnomes really "F" with me every now and then, but this is really pushing my buttons! I cannot afford to have this happen again but I have no idea "what" is happening! Oh, and I also swapped fuses on the lights just to make sure...<br /> Thanks in advance, any insight is huge.</p><div></div>

[leighb]

<p>You don't mention the ready lights. Are they coming on as they should?</p>

<p>If the problem occurs when you hit the test button on the light, then it's something inside the light, not the external equipment.</p>

<p>First suspect would be bad/leaky capacitors. Standard problem and easy to fix if you have a good repair shop.</p>

<p>I'm shooting the same older Elinchroms with no issues.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

[patrick_f]

<p>Thanks Leigh,<br>

The ready lights do come on (although I leave them off generally), but why would the capacitors go bad on all 5 lights (some are 12 years old, some are a little over 5) at the same time? �In addition, why does this seem to only happen on location? These lights have fired 1000 times since the last "incident" (which was two weeks ago) without a single failure. It seems that the only difference happens to be location vs. "home". Also, I live in Florida - do you think humidity, etc have contributed to failure �(the capacitors going bad). I know better than to leave batteries in things that go in and out allot.<br>

Another thing I was thinking/wondering - could magnetic or electronic interference screw with the lights themselves?</p>

[leighb]

<p>Hi Patrick,</p>

<p>I'm trying to figure out how you leave the ready lights off? There's no option to control them that I know of.</p>

<p>Capacitors fail over time, although this happens much more commonly if the lights sit unused for an extended period. Since they have by far the highest failure rate of any of the components in the lights, they're always the first suspect.</p>

<p>I'm really at a loss to suggest a failure mode, particularly one that would apply to both groups of lights.</p>

<p>Humidity could be a problem, particularly if there's dust inside the lights. This might create a leakage path that could drain off power from the capacitors, although this is a really weird scenario and not terribly likely.</p>

<p>How are you triggering the lights? You mentioned multiple sync cords. You're not just connecting all the sync cords together and then to the lens are you? The Elinchroms have built-in optical slaves, so you only need to trigger one light from the camera, and the others will follow merrily along. Connecting multiple sync inputs together is not a good idea. There are electrical problems that might arise if you connect multiple lights together.</p>

<p>Wish I could be of more help, but this is a real odd-ball.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[patrick_f]

<p>By ready light I thought you meant "model lights" and that it was a term that I do not use. If by ready lights you mean the green square test button, it always comes on and shows the recycle time when the lights do fire...<br>

I always try to start off with the Pocket Wizzards but if they fail I fall back on the traditional 16 foot synch cords that came with the lights. They suck, but with WiFi sometimes I have to use them. Most of these shoots I was just using one light/sun/reflector/scrim..... <br>

Thanks again. This is REAL odd ball to me as well - there is no explanation I can think of!</p>

[leighb]

<blockquote>

<p>If by ready lights you mean the green square test button, it always comes on and shows the recycle time when the lights do fire...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yes, that's the ready light. The strobes won't fire until the ready light comes on. </p>

<p>Once the ready light is on the strobes should fire by pressing that green button or by any of the standard trigger methods. </p>

<p>Do they fail to fire when you press the green button after the ready light comes on?</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[gianni_siragusa]

<p>Hi Patrick,<br>

I've both had in the past and still have one of these 500s (but this specific one is the newest type before they became RX - the one to be clear with the Eilinchrome 500 brand in green and with user replaceable flash tubes ) and also used the older 500 EL plenty of times and in all conditions. From Florida in August and you know how humid that is to studio set-up in London. Always worked. The only times they don't work is when capacitors start leaking and that would correspond to the syntoms yours manifested...irregular flash patterns (doesn't fire for 3-4 times then it does etc....What I find unusual though is that a leaking capacitor wouldn't "fix itself" once you are back at the studio! Something makes me think that the power supply here might have been the cause here.</p>

[patrick_f]

<p>Thanks guys. And yes, the green ready light is on when I hit the test button. I just found it very odd that the power source would not be sufficient. �I thought that the extension cords might not be heavy enough grade, but then how would you explain not working with the Vagabond...? Still perplexed. If I get the money I might send them to Flash Clinic in NY.</p>

[andy_goss1]

<p>Hi Patrick I stumped out for a brand new elinchrom 2 head BXRI 500 head kit and the very first time of using the first head out of the bag one head displayed the same issues as you mentioned that by pressing the test button on the head it would only trigger every 3rd or 4th attempt.<br>

The other head worked fine, very suprised by this as Elinchrom has a stellar reputation for quality but I did get a repalcement head which took 3 weeks but no issues todate.</p>

<p>I hope you get your issue fixed Patrick.</p>