Weird thing

[kevinbell]

I bought a Canon 199A flash off ebay. Well got it and I thought it was dead. I put fresh alkalines in it, switched it on, nothing. Moved all switches on it, pushed the little buttons, took out the batteries, put them back in. Even cleaned all the contacts, nothing, dead as a doornail. I was kinda in a pissed condition thinking I had been had. I was holding my other Vivitar bounce flash and you know at this point you're thinking "anything" to make it work so you don't feel like an idiot. I switched on the vivitar and let it power up. Now this sounds cooky and it still shocks me. I was sitting there, the Canon still switched on and it was dead, not doing anything. I aimed the vivitar's lens directly into the Canons and fired off two flashes and immediatly after the second flash popped off the Canon came to life. I heard it start whining building a charge up. Now what on earth made this flash go from dead to alive by just trying something "dumb" like thinking one flash can jumpstart another!?? Anyway I'm happy cause the Canon now powers right up, flashes bright and nice and the confidence light, everthing is working. Just tell me what weird thing made this thing come to life? I'm still puzzeled because just flashing one flash against another can't make it come to life or can it? I feel crazy for writing this but ill be dang if that flash isn't now working!

-Kevin

 

[jstraw]

I don't remember if the 199A has a slave mode. Does it? Was/is it in slave mode?

 

[Frank Szabo]

I'd seriously consider putting a stake in its "heart".

 

[Barry S]

Flash-to-flash resuscitation?

 

[John Koehrer]

Don't know why.
The 199A has a sensor in the front, could be that the flash from the Vivitar refreshed(?) the thyristor?

 

[MattKing]

Did the Canon flash make any sound when you first powered it up?

It may be that the timing with the Vivitar was just a coincidence, and it was just the "exercising" of the Canon that started the process of revitalizing the condensor.

Or maybe it is haunted .

Matt

 

[Anscojohn]

Remember the logical fallacy, Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.

 

[Toffle]

Remember the logical fallacy, Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.

Maybe so, (well, probably so...) but I have a dead Vivitar at home that I'm going to try to jolt first chance I get.

 

[kevinbell]

Canon

No the Canon made no sound at all when first powered up. I left the button at the "ON" setting. When I put the Vivitar lens to lens up agains the Canon it started on the second "pop" of the flash. I popped off one, dead. As soon as I "popped" #2 the canon begin to make the usual whine a flash makes as it charges. It's like the vivitar just woke it up or jump started it. At any rate I'm happy.

-Kevin

 

[Bob F.]

If only Dr. Frankenstein had such flashguns back in the day, he could have saved all that mucking about with lightening rods, metal tables on castle battlements and that unfortunate business with the local mob turning up with burning torches and waving hay-forks, sickles etc.

Science could have been advanced by decades...

 

[eddym]

Maybe your Vivitar is a saint? ...or an exorcist?

 

[tac]

My Weegee Board tells me that your flash is haunted.

 

[Kino]

I'd try pointing that flash at other broken photo gear, sick people, cars that need repairs...

Seriously, a totally blind stab makes me wonder if SOMEHOW the flash either reset a chip in the other flash via the light impulse into the sensor OR the EMP from the discharge did the same.

Could also be that the capacitors and thyristor was so totally depleted of energy, the flash had to charge over an extended period and, just so the cosmos could mess with your head, it reached a point where normal charging could occur just as you discharged the other flash.

Either or neither, it worked.

Say, I got an achy knee, you want to mail me that strobe for a bit?