Re: 20D: Seeing but not Synching with 550 or 420 f
Hi, Dennis,
[ QUOTE ]
Some of them have a high trigger voltage that can damage the flash firing part of the camera's shutter. I believe the maximum you're safe in putting across the contacts is something like 6 volts.
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The Canon 20D sync outputs (both the PC terminal and the shoe) are rated for up to 250 V, and I understand that these interfaces include protective circuitry so that if a higher voltage is found there it is shorted out or something so as not to damage the electronic "switch".
The shutter contact (if there is one) does not go directly to those interfaces (as it did on earlier cameras of this stratum).
Best regards,
Doug
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Re: 20D: Seeing but not Synching with 550 or 420 f
[ QUOTE ]
Hi, Dennis,
[ QUOTE ]
Some of them have a high trigger voltage that can damage the flash firing part of the camera's shutter. I believe the maximum you're safe in putting across the contacts is something like 6 volts.
[/ QUOTE ]
The Canon 20D sync outputs (both the PC terminal and the shoe) are rated for up to 250 V, and I understand that these interfaces include protective circuitry so that if a higher voltage is found there it is shorted out or something so as not to damage the electronic "switch".
The shutter contact (if there is one) does not go directly to those interfaces (as it did on earlier cameras of this stratum).
Best regards,
Doug
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks Doug, I wasn't positive what the 20D's tolerance was, but I would still be a bit wary of high trigger voltage strobe packs. I was under the impression that the 20D shutter still was an electro-mechanical device that could be harmed by high trigger voltages, guess I was wrong..??
Anyway, it would be a logical explaination for this problem, no..?
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Re: 20D: Seeing but not Synching with 550 or 420 f
I figure I should check in.
The camera and flash units are now talking to each other. Monday night I had to take mug shots of my nephews for their ski lift passes next season, and just for the hell of it I slipped the 550 onto the 20D. It synched. I have no idea what was wrong, which makes me wonder when (if) it will happen again.
To address a few things mentioned earlier --
Doug: I did not know that pulling both batteries wouldn't reset my Custom Functions. I assumed it would do a complete reset. Good to know that it won't. (Though I did write down the CF's I had active before I pulled the batteries.)
Jim: The contacts were the first thing I checked. Nice and clean. And as for the second camera, if I'm being paid for a job, I don't leave home with fewer than two bodies. Even if the 300D is painfully sloooooow....
Dennis: The pop-up flash worked fine all along. I've also used studio lights (both mine and someone else's) before with this body, with no ill effects. Besides, isn't the concern about trigger voltages for older hot-shoe flashes? I didn't think using the PC socket would harm anything.
Anyway, thanks to all for the replies and suggestions. If it starts acting up again I guess I'll have to bring it in.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Re: 20D: Seeing but not Synching with 550 or 420 f
[ QUOTE ] NJMurphy wrote:
I tried removing the main battery already
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[ QUOTE ] Doug Kerr wrote:
Pulling the main battery certainly doesn't reset all the CF's. (We'd all be way irritated if it did!)
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[ QUOTE ] NJMurphy wrote:
Doug: I did not know that pulling both batteries wouldn't reset my Custom Functions. I assumed it would do a complete reset. Good to know that it won't. (Though I did write down the CF's I had active before I pulled the batteries.)
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Huh? Who mentioned BOTH batteries?
Pulling the MAIN battery won't reset the CFs (as mentioned above).
Pulling the main battery AND the backup battery will (although I think you'd need to leave the batteries out for a while to be sure).
But I can NOT think of any reason you'd have to pull the backup battery out! Pulling the main battery will definitely turn the camera off, and there's a menu function for resetting to factory defaults.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Re: 20D: Seeing but not Synching with 550 or 420 f
David:
I think you misunderstand. When Doug and I mentioned the 'main' battery, I assumed people would realize we were speaking of the 'button' cell, not the BP-511.
Pulling the button cell along with the BP-511 is recommended for a 'reboot'.
And I pulled both batteries for about 90 minutes; after replacing them, my CF's were still set.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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