Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

This has been a continual problem since I got my einsteins over 2 years ago. Periodically , the cybercommander stops communicating with the light and won't change the power or trigger the flash. When this happens, it's always an extremely awkward set of steps involving powering off the light, switching to different screens within the cybercommander, etc., etc. Eventually it will come back but this happens about once *EVERY* setting. I thought maybe it was some bad switches on my cyber but I recently sent the cyber in for a refurb due to the battery clips coming unsoldered and they checked out the switches and they were within spec.

I also bought a second cybercommander recently and it exhibits the same behavior.

This has happened in multiple locations, including in studio, on location, etc. I have considered spending the extra money to switch over to PW but I've heard that they are flakey as well.

I'm not the only one either. At a recent workshop I attended (afterdarkedu) many photographers had experienced the same behavior. Several have switched to PW and say that it's more reliable.

PLEASE HELP!

First, can you verify the firmware version the E640s are running. This will flash on the screen when powered on, or it will be displayed in the diagnostics screen.

Also, does this happen to all lights at once, every time? Or do some lights work and some don't?

Do the lights still fire from the CST, even when not responding to the CC?

FW 173 ver 30
and yes, the lights still fire from the CST even when not responding to the CC

I mentioned this before but with the original remote, a couple times I found myself in a situation where clicking 1x on the power button was raising the power by almost 2/3 of a stop. This was shooting at about 5' away with a 2x3 softbox and trying to go from 5.6 to 6.3. I could not get it to 6.3. It would be at 5.6 and I'd hit the up arrow and it would jump to F9. I'd hit the down arrow and it would jump to F5.6. I finally had to pull the plug on the light to get it to respond normally again.

In all this time, it was still firing with the CST

While the last part sounds familiar, I was unable to find the thread that discusses this, nor could I find an email, so I may need to ask some questions again, and I apologize if I do.

First, would you expound on the problem of adjusting power by 1/3 stops. You use f/6.3 and f/9 as examples, but they are not displayed aperture values on the Cyber Commander. Also, you say 2/3 stop adjustments, but use an f/5.6 to f/9 jump in measurements, which is 1-1/3 stops.

When this happens, do you by chance notice if the back panel still has CH and FREQ options, or might it change to Zone and CH options? Similarly, does the power bar on the display change by more than .3f, or is it just metering that much higher?

i don't use the cybercommander for a meter. I use it as a remote but use a Sekonic L-358 for metering. I found the cyber to be a big erratic and even with the compensation, the drift was non-linear so it's easier for me to just set parameters with the cc and trigger with the cc but meter with the sekonic. The 2/3 was incorrect in the case I mentioned. It was jumping from F5.6 to F9 .



No, I didn't notice whether it had changed to zone / ch. And I don't remember the details of what happened when I changed the light settings on the back panel. I might be able to find my original posting because I know I tried that but can't remember if that worked or not.

However, that was a pretty radical issue and it's only happened a couple times. The issue with dropping comms with the cybercommander happens pretty often. Like I said, I originally chalked it up to a flakey switch but it's happened enough now that I don't think it's that. I think there's some communication lost between the cyber and the einstein and the cst still triggers the lights but the cyber is in lala land and won't trigger or set the power when this happens.

Do you assign each Einstein its own channel?

Similarly, might there be an unused Einstein on the same CH and Freq that is still plugged in?

Or any other condition that would yield two Einsteins on the same channel/ frequency (even background lights)?

all my Einstein are on unique channels and numbered with duct tape on the side.

Just a shot in the dark. Are you running any other wireless technology while this happens? If so, what kind, and how is it positioned in relation to the Cyber Commander and lights?

wifi and cell but remember, this is not just a studio situation. This happens in studio and on many different locations.

Yesterday, it happened again but it may be an issue with the hardware. The power up/down button on the cyber just stopped working. It took me 5 minutes to get it working again and I had to resort to powering the lights off by unplugging them to get it to work again. This is a new cyber so something may be wrong with the cyber.

Very disconcerting. I really wish you guys would make a module that could be plugged into an iphone or android phone. This would eliminate a HUGE problem. And it's not just me. I've talked to dozens of people with similar issues.

Many folks just end up adjusting the lights by hand on the back of the light which is what I ended up doing.

wifi and cell but remember, this is not just a studio situation. This happens in studio and on many different locations.

Yesterday, it happened again but it may be an issue with the hardware. The power up/down button on the cyber just stopped working. It took me 5 minutes to get it working again and I had to resort to powering the lights off by unplugging them to get it to work again. This is a new cyber so something may be wrong with the cyber.

Very disconcerting. I really wish you guys would make a module that could be plugged into an iphone or android phone. This would eliminate a HUGE problem. And it's not just me. I've talked to dozens of people with similar issues.

Many folks just end up adjusting the lights by hand on the back of the light which is what I ended up doing.