Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

My 30x60 softbox is very unstable and keeps falling off my AB's. Has anybody else had this problem and if so is there a fix to it. I have five Alienbees and it does not seem to matter which one it is connected to. Is kind of embarrassing when it happens in front of clients and replacing the flashtube and model light is getting rather expensive. Thanks for you help.

A few things to consider when determining why this is happening.

The main issue is making sure all four fingers are getting inside the speedring. If one is missing, then the box can certainly release.

Also, don't pinch the fingers, hang the softbox and let go. I would suggest making sure the box is centered, and the fingers are fully expanded. If the fingers have to lift the box in order to expand, they may not, so simply "seating" the box may help.

If you spin your softbox, do not do so where the speedring spins on the fingers. There are four knurled nuts on the speedring. Loosen them, and let the outer ring rotate on the inner ring.

Lastly, make sure the fingers are perpendicular to the faceplate (nothing mounted). If they bend inward toward the model lamp, then the fingers may need to be replaced. There is also the possibility the spring is out of spec on the fingers.

I had similar issues with the large softbox. It was too heavy to mount properly to the AB light. I have been using AB lights for years and years with all kinds of PCB modifiers, and the large softbox was the only one I had to stop using. It would mount/connect properly to the light, but would not hang / stay mounted so it was at right-angles to the light source!
I also had to tighten the thumb-screw on the light using pliers to keep the light/sb angle from slipping. Which led to many broken thumb screws!
Remedy - I just stopped using it. It's been in my closet for years now - collecting dust!

ramairweim, thanks for the reply, glad to know its not just me. I adjusted the connections on the light and it seems to working on my boom arm mounted to the wall. Just have to be careful and keep an eye on it. The tech folks say they have a new mounting system coming out so that the box will mount directly to the stand. Hope it works as I love the quality of light from this modifier and would hate to have to spend the $ on a different version. Thanks again for you input.

Depending on the age of the light or the softbox, it could be the fingers are slightly out of spec or the speedring is out of spec (or if a different brand speedring, one that is improperly designed).

As for the last statement regarding the pliers, does this imply the light and box were used on a boom? If so, then slipping can occur, and we recommend a baby drop down pin to change the axis of the stand mount.

The aforementioned adapter is in the works, and will be compatible with our foldable softboxes. There are speedrings on the market that attach directly to a stand already.

My 30 x 60 has never fallen off, but I remain wary, especially when there are kids moving around near the lights. There's no doubt that other mount systems are more secure than the Balcar mount.

Could you please tell me where I can get this?

Perhaps I should clarify. There are tradtitional speedrings that fit traditional softboxes that mount directly to the stand. There is not yet a speedring that mounts our foldable softbox to a stand.

I certainly see how what I said infers there are brackets for our current boxes, and I apologize for omitting the fact they are for the traditional softbox. However, our bracket is in the latter stages of development, though I do not have a specific time of arrival.

I had this issue my self...I ended up buying 2 spare modeling bulbs and one ring because of it was falling off . here comes how to fix it in one minute: go ahead and grab some pliers and bend only the tips inwards a little(not too much) the 4 tips...not the whole hooks on the AB , ...they must have lost their original shape and by doing it, it's gonna work like magic... they'll have a better grip then. Now I can tilt, move or whatever I want without facing any type of shame while with customers anymore. I was on the verge of getting rid of it but somehow I came up with this simple solution. guys: don't buy additional parts, this is just what you need to.