No power to speedlites?

[dillon_pritchard]

<p>Hi there! First post here, glad I found this place, seems like it will be a great resource! Anyhow, I've recently started collecting FD gear, and in the process have acquired three separate speedlites as part of group buys: a 177A, a 188A, and a 277T. Unfortunately, none of them seem to work. Even with fresh batteries, powering them on doesn't do anything. No "charging" noise, no pilot lights, and of course they don't fire when on camera (and I've tried multiple cameras including a couple modern ones). I've been an EOS user for years but this is my first experience with flash guns this old. Is there something I'm missing, or is it possible that all three flashes are bad? Do these old speedlites fail often? Would it be possible to repair myself? I know that last question is hard to answer without knowing what the problem is, but I'm hoping to hear from someone who has experience with repair. I am at least handy with tools, including a multimeter and soldering iron. Thanks in advance!</p>

[John Seaman]

<p>Dillon, welcome to photo.net. It looks as if you have been very unlucky with these three flashguns. You aren't missing anything. they should liven up and fire with fresh batteries, it looks as if they are all faulty.<br>

<br />Actually this is quite unusual, flashguns are usually pretty durable things. As to repairing them, well apart from cleaning the battery contacts, I wouldn't attempt it. They are very cheap these days and as I say, most still do work in my experience. There's also the issue of the stored voltage in the capacitors, which can be dangerously high. Don't ask me how I know!</p>

[howard_m]

<p>definitely look closely at the battery contacts and see if there is any (white-ish??) residue indicating that a battery leaked.</p>

[flatulent1]

<p>It's been my own experience that flashes that age are much less reliable than the cameras they went with. I had a set of four 300TLs, all worked just fine for a while, then two died within a year. I had a 199A that worked intermittently, a 299T that was just plain dead, and a 420EZ that made the strangest sounds when powering up. I currently (sorry, no pun intended) have a pair of 300TL, a pair of 430EZ, a pair of 430EX, and a 580EX that all work just fine. The flashes that died I pitched in the trash. Sad to say, they're just not worth trying to repair.</p>

[awahlster]

<p>I have managed to bring back a couple older Canon Flashes by putting new Alkaline batteries in them and leaving them turned on for over night. Sometimes the capacitors can be forced to take a charge that way. Sometimes they are crap and tossing them is the only option</p>

[awahlster]

<p>I have managed to bring back a couple older Canon Flashes by putting new Alkaline batteries in them and leaving them turned on for over night. Sometimes the capacitors can be forced to take a charge that way. Sometimes they are crap and tossing them is the only option</p>

[dillon_pritchard]

<p>Thanks everyone! Tonight I'll plan on getting some fresh Alkaline batteries (had been using rechargeable NiMH batteries), and checking the battery terminals for corrosion. I have experience working with electronics and have replaced capacitors in audio gear. But if that were the problem (failed caps) I don't think it'd be worth the effort to replace them, as cheap as these are. I had just hoped I was missing some glaring problem that's unique to these old Speedlites. Looks like I may be shopping for some new flash guns!</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>It is highly unlikely that all 3 flashes go bad at the same time, but since you got them as a pile of junk: "<em>have acquired three separate speedlites as part of group buys</em>", they are most likely ready for trash.</p>

[paulo_bernardo_trindade]

<p>I have some canon speedlites (133-D;155-A;177-A) don,t work,even with fresh batteries and leaving them turned over all nigth,sometimes the pilot lamp started red,but don,t fire.I keep them to spares.</p>

[henryp]

<blockquote>

<p>I have managed to bring back a couple older Canon Flashes by putting new Alkaline batteries in them and leaving them turned on for over night.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If they've been sitting unused for an extended period of time you have to reform the capacitors and that's the way to do it, although a couple of hours should be more than adequate. if that doesn't do the trick, overnight won't.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[jim_momary]

<p>For the brave, electronic twiddler -<br>

<a href="http://www.vcomp.co.uk/tech_tips/reform_caps/reform_caps.htm">http://www.vcomp.co.uk/tech_tips/reform_caps/reform_caps.htm</a><br>

I've done this twice with old radio caps, once successfully, once not. You really need to be careful and have a grasp of the electronics/risks. Dancing with lethal charges isn't a simple foxtrot.<br>

Jim M.</p>

[richard_cook2]

<p>According to Wikipedia:<br>

NiMH batteries normally operate at 1.2 V per cell, somewhat lower than conventional 1.5 V cells.<br>

I suspect that the speedlites need a higher voltage to charge up successfully.</p>

[dillon_pritchard]

<p>So, I put alkaline batteries in all of them and left them on. Two of them did nothing at all. The 177A actually sounded like it was charging after a few minutes, but it never fully charged, and after a few more minutes the batteries got really hot. Needless to say, I ditched all three. Ah well, I got these as part of a lot...it was the cameras and lenses I was after, which work flawlessly, so no huge loss. It just would've been nice if they worked. Thanks for the advice, everyone!</p>

[cadillacmike]

<p>Rich, I've never had a problem with NiCds or NiMHs in Canon Speedlites.<br>

Don't toss the bad ones. if you break a foot off a working one or crack the lens, the old ones can be used for spare parts.</p>