Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I absolutely love my 4 lights that I have... when they are working correctly. I have looked on the forms and looked online, but I can’t seem to find the answer to my problem. Thanks in advance for your help!

I have a B400, a B800 and 2 WL1600. From what I can tell, I am having this problem with all of my lights or at least 3 of them. I will be using them and they will be working fine, and suddenly the light will no longer fire and I will hear a beep instead. The ready light is on but it still will not fire from the test button or the camera with Radio Slaves. I have turned off the unit and waited a minute or two, I might get a few more flashes, but it will then begin to beep again.... This problem has occurred when it is plugged in to the wall and with the vagabond.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you fix it???
Thanks!

Sounds heat related, how long are they running, how aggressively are you using them, and in what environment?

Thanks for your reply.

I used them tonight on a shoot and after only a few test shots I was receiving the beep again. I do tend to be a quick shooter, but it was beeping right after setup... It was 50 degrees outside with a breeze. I’ll have to keep an eye on how quickly I am shooting and see if that fixes the problem.

Thank you.

Doesn't sound like you're abusing them to me, maybe try re-seating the flash tube?

I’ll give that a shot. I think that I will also order a few new bulbs and see what happens before I resort to sending them in for repair....

First, only the WL's would beep. The Bees do not have an audible alarm. Pocket Wizards have a chirp also (if not always, then it can be turned on, some models may vary). DO check your flash tubes, even on the Bees. First, see if they are loose, and if so, pull them so inspect the legs. If there appears to be charring on the legs outside of the glass, then the light and tube need to come in for repair (The unit has arced, and burned both the contacts inside and the contacts on the tube. This will continue to get worse if not fixed, and will damage new tubes if replaced). If there are any broken wires, the tube will need to be replaced. If they are not charred or have wires broken, then reinstall, making sure the tube is fully seated. When mounting or dismounting a softbox, make sure it does not fall onto the tube. This can damage ro dislodge the tube. Also note, there will be a burnish look to the inside of the tube near the legs. This is normal.

If the lights still chirp, also listen for the fan in the X series lights. If they are not running, they can overheat. Also, what modifiers are you using on these lights, and how are they positioned?

Also, try eliminating the PW's as a source for the beeping.

Well, that explains it... there is charring on one of the legs on both of the white lightenings and the bees are fine. Thanks for your help. I will be sending them in for repair.