Olympus Cameras and Four Thirds System Digital SLRs Forum

Olympus Cameras Forum Discuss Olympus film and digital cameras as well as Panasonic and Leica Four Thirds System digital SLRs - forum moderator is Greg McCary.
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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    mesa, az, usa
    Posts
    168

    semi-broken fl50

    i just got a used fl-50 from somebody. he said that the ttl mode didnt really work on it, but it was fine in auto. i got it cheap enough that it would be fine even if all i used it for was off-camera manual.
    anyways, i got to try it out a bit today. it's the craziest thing because it works sometimes, and sometimes it doesnt. sometimes in ttl mode, the flash will go off but it wont sync with the shutter. also, sometimes i noticed that the flash just wont trigger at all.

    about the only thing i could find by searching around online was that the contacts could be dirty. too bad, that doesnt seem to be the case here. also, i read that it could be a symptom of the tube dying. they say that the flash will discharge, but it could be out of sync due to it not actually being refilled at the right time. the problem with that is the flash works perfectly in auto mode. i can blast 4 or 5 continuous shots all perfectly.

    has anyone on here had any type of experience with this kind of an issue?

    i'm just trying to figure out if i should attempt to open the casing and see whats going on inside of this sucker or not. i have some buddies that are sound and lighting tech's at a theatre here and are pretty good with electronics. if i could somehow find out what is causing the problem, maybe i could fix it. =)
    Olympus E-510
    w/ Ownuser BH-E51R grip
    Olympus E-1
    w/ Olympus SHLD-2 Grip
    Sigma 30mm f/1.4
    Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5
    Olympus 8mm f/3.5 FE
    Olympus FL-50 w/ broken TTL function
    2x Vivitar 283 w/ DIY VP-1

    coming soon:
    Olympus E-3
    Olympus 35-100mm

  2. #2
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Rome Ga.
    Posts
    10,550

    Re: semi-broken fl50

    Maybe a cold solder on the connection to the base? You might crack it open and see how the wires, if any, connect it the base that connect to the camera. If sometimes it works and sometimes not?
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    mesa, az, usa
    Posts
    168

    Re: semi-broken fl50

    thats a good suggestion. should be easy to check too. maybe a messed up contact inside the base of the flash. thanks.
    Olympus E-510
    w/ Ownuser BH-E51R grip
    Olympus E-1
    w/ Olympus SHLD-2 Grip
    Sigma 30mm f/1.4
    Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5
    Olympus 8mm f/3.5 FE
    Olympus FL-50 w/ broken TTL function
    2x Vivitar 283 w/ DIY VP-1

    coming soon:
    Olympus E-3
    Olympus 35-100mm

  4. #4
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Rome Ga.
    Posts
    10,550

    Re: semi-broken fl50

    If it is just heat it up and touch the solder joint up. Could get lucky.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    mesa, az, usa
    Posts
    168

    Re: semi-broken fl50

    cracked the flash open. all of the connections look perfect.
    i guess it's gotta be some kind of weird thing that only olympus could fix.
    Olympus E-510
    w/ Ownuser BH-E51R grip
    Olympus E-1
    w/ Olympus SHLD-2 Grip
    Sigma 30mm f/1.4
    Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5
    Olympus 8mm f/3.5 FE
    Olympus FL-50 w/ broken TTL function
    2x Vivitar 283 w/ DIY VP-1

    coming soon:
    Olympus E-3
    Olympus 35-100mm

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