Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hello all,

Quick question. Over the holidays I received a CST, CSRB+, and Cyber Commander all in preparation for the Einstein 640. I currently have the CSRB+ attached to a SB-600, the CST obviously on the hotshoe of the camera, and I am hand holding the CC.

I have gone to the flash meter menu and have tried to get the Cyber commander to meter, but nothing is happening. Is this because I am using the SB-600 instead of an AB strobe? Does the PC cord still have to be attached for the CC to talk to the CST?

BTW - I look forward to the Einstein and hope that it will be a great step into my first real studio light!

Thanks,

Grant

Hey Grant,
You should not have to go into a special menu to take a meter reading. Pressing in on the right button in the "Flash" screen will fire the remotes. Be sure in either screen, the channel or channels you wish to meter are selected.

how are you connecting the receiver to the 600? do the lights fire at all?

Incidentally, you are aware the CSR+/CSRB+ will not control the Einsteins' output, only trigger? The receiver modules will be required (and far easier) for that function on the new ligths.

TS

I have the 600 attached to a hotshoe mount on top of the stand with a PC line (via Flash Zebra) going out to the CSRB+.

I do realize the receiver situation; however the CSXCV receiver isn't out to be purchased yet, therefore I do not have it yet. The CSRB+ was purchased specifically for the SB-600 to fire in conjunction with the Einstein and CSXCV when they both come out.

I will go back and look, however, I have tried putting the speedlight in several different channels, and still have not been able to have it meter. I will try a few more times and call if I can't get it to go.

Thanks,

Grant

just for my own education... Why is the CST needed if you purchased a Cyber Commander? I thought the Cyber Commander could trigger the CSRB+ receiver?

Thanks
Russell

Grant,
will the flash fire and not meter, or will it not fire at all? If it does not fire, double check frequency settings on both receiver and CC.

Russell,
CST is helpful to leave in the hotshoe for triggering while the CC is in hand for metering and adjustment. The CST is not absolutely necessary.

TS

If the speedlight will fire from CC, it should meter. I suggest a call to tech support to go over it is see what's happening.

Now, another subject: I see many questions "Why can't I fire my PW Sekonic with Cyber Sync, or RP or Skyport, etc. The usual casual answer is "They're not on the same frequency".

But there is much more to it than that.

First, on the 2.4GHz band alone there are hundreds of distinct frequencies (we use a choice of 16 of them). The bigger issue is that each device (say CyberSync, Skyport, WiFi, etc) digitally encodes the transmission to perform specific functions, so the digital "words and packets" are unique to each system. For example, we use a 256bit digital word to define everything Cyber Commander does. Skyport has a different set of things it does . . . same for a WiFi system.

When each word is transmitted, the receiver checks the word for the correct arrangement of data to confirm the word is intended for it and that all the bits are in the right arrangement to perform a valid and specific function - IE "set flashpower of Channel 7 to XXX" Were it not for this, any transmission from any device (say WiFi) would falsely trigger the receiver or cause the settings to go haywire. This all happens in 1/4000 second with CyberSync/Commander.

So unless some industry standard is established to define exactly what the transmitted code means, there is no possibility for one manufacture's device to be compatible with another. This is not going to happen, since different manufacturers have different functions they want to perform.

So there is no conspiracy here to make systems incompatible . . . it is free enterprise at work, with each manufacturer creating it's own proprietary code needed to perform the specific functions they deem desirable.

For example, PW does multi strobe sequence effects with four basic channels while CC does flash duration and color temperature and 16 separate channels.

Same in the pc/Mac world - a Photoshop word has an entirely different meaning than an Excel word, even if they come at the same frequency.