Flash not recycling

[todd_torfin]

<p>I have a Canon EXII flash and a Quantum Turbo SC battery pack and my recycle time is terrible. I will get one picture with flash firing then will wait 3 to 5 seconds at least and take another picture and no flash then take another picture and the flash will fire. Is there something wrong with my flash or a setting in my Canon 7D that needs to be changed. Should I look at getting a different flash?</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>Try other batteries, e.g. AA or whatever type your flash takes.<br />Quantum Turbo batteries were suppose to provde stronger power than any other batteies, so there is something wrong with them.</p>

<p>If there is a test button on the flash, test recycle timing of the flash alone, disconnected from your camera.<br>

If there is no Test button, then you could just short together the flash hot foot to cause discharge. Try do do it repeatedly to see if the Quantum is any faster without camera.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Check the manual are you sure you have the cables set up right ? I get 1 second recycle time at full power with my turbo, -1 second in ETTL.</p>

[bill_akstens]

<p>Make sure the Flash's custom function is set properly. I dont recall which setting it is, but you want to set your flash control (low voltage) electronics to be powered by the internal AAs, and the big flash capacitor to power from the external pack. And the setting may be counterintuitive, so try both settings and see which seems to work best. The AAs in the flash must be in good shape as well, since they power the internal low voltage electronics.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>This is what you need to check. I have a 580EX II and the SC pack.</p>

<p>1. First, use the custom function on your flash that uses only the power from the external pack to power the flash. If you use the setting to have both the AAs and the pack to power the flash, if your AAs start to run down, it will also slow the recycling time overall, regardless whether you have the pack attached or not.</p>

<p>2. Make sure your flash's sleep setting is 0 or 'never goes to sleep'. If the flash goes to sleep, it will push the pack out of the loop, and when you next wake it up, it will be as if you don't have the pack attached.</p>

<p>3. You must power up the pack in a certain order or the camera/flash will not recognize the pack or use it. This is probably what is happening to you from your description above.</p>

<p>a. Turn on the camera.<br>

b. Turn on the flash.<br>

c. Attach the external pack cable and turn on the pack while the flash and camera are awake. If you are already running the camera and flash, and want to attach the pack, again--make sure they are awake before attaching the cable and turning the pack on.</p>

<p>Full recycle from a full power flash is 1.5 seconds. It is easy to try to take pictures in less time than this. In addition, the 580EXII sometimes just flakes out--this is a flash thing, not a Quantum issue.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Actually, I re-read the manual and it is probably best to turn the camera and flash off before hooking up the cable for the pack. Then turn on the camera, flash and then the pack, in that order. In any case, you can test to see if you actually have the pack power by firing a full power (1/1) flash and watching the ready light. It should be a little more than a second for the ready light to come back on.</p>