Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Just got a new Einstein last Friday, and it occasionally will fail to flash. When this happens there is no pop sound, but the recycle beep does happen so it seems this would indicate that it received the signal to fire. This seems to happen more often when I have been using it for a while and then pause briefly, then when I try to start shooting again after a few minutes it will fail to fire the first time. Sometimes it will continue to not fire until I walk up and push the test button, and then usually on the second or third press of the button it will fire and continue working for a while.

I am using some really cheap yongnuo triggers with the sync cable connected to the sync port on the trigger. But I can't believe the triggers would be the problem, since I am still hearing the recycle beep when the Einstein fails to flash. Is it possible the trigger is not making a good enough connection between the conductors in the sync cable and its enough to cause the Einstein to recycle but not enough to cause it to fire?

The manual talks about the flashtube possibly being loose from shipping, but it seems to say that if this was the case I would still hear the pop. Is this correct?

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

I would think if the flash tube was loose, you would hear an arcing sound as well as the pop of the flash when it did fire, but not hear anything when it did not fire (not including the recycle indicator).

The triggers should not have anything to do with it directly, nor would the cords. The chirp would come after the flash firing and is not directly connected to the trigger circuit.

It would not hurt to remove the dome and make sure the flash tube is seated, however, I am going to guess it is a faulty light. If you do try to re-seat the tube, be sure to unplug the light and let it sit for several minutes. Also, be sure to use clean cotton gloves or use a clean cloth/tissue when handling the flash tube or model lamp.

Also, look for breaks in the wire or glass. Note: there will be some brownish marks inside the glass near the legs. This is perfectly normal and does not indicate a fault or excessive use.

If the tube is properly seated, contact our customer service team for the best way to get the problem corrected.

I'll check the tube and go from there. Thanks!