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CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 12:15 pm: | 
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My Vivitar 283 has been acting strangely: Last night it simply wouldn't power on at all, in spite of fresh batteries.
Today, I tried the switch again with he same result.
However, when I next decided to pull the sensor off and was prying it with my fingers to remove it, the unit powered on--the ready light came on and I heard the accompanying whine as the cap started to charge.
I pushed the test button and the flash went off. Then, nothing. Once again, the unit refused to power on or charge, leading me to believe there's some sort of contact problem somewhere.
I know just enough about dangerous electrical equipement to realize I'm not qualified to poke around inside. Is there anything else I can do--externally--to remedy the problem?
-CJ |
Ben
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 01:01 pm: |
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Sometimes mine refuses to power up when I first install a new set of batteries. In that case, it always starts working after I pop out the battery holder and then put it back in. |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 01:09 pm: |
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Ben, et. al:
Sorry for the double post--mods, please delete the dupe. For some odd reason about an hour ago, my browser or the server wasn't accepting posts.
Ben--I thought the battery holder was the problem, initally. The man-handling involved in removing it and pushing the holder back in had the side effect of my hands pushing on the sensor...
It seems THAT was the real issue.
Forty-five minutes after my initial post here, and after wrestling with the thing, it seems to be behaving. I took the sensor out a few times and reaseated it, and tightened the screws on the bottom of the sensor.
I haven't sprayed contact cleaner in there--would Deoxit help?
If anybody can suggest anything else to tweak, please let me know.
-CJ |
Ben
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 03:16 pm: |
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I don't really have too much of an understanding of what goes on inside these things, so don't know if I can be of much more help.
It never hurts, though, to clean the battery contacts with a pink pencil eraser. This will sometimes clear up battery issues. Remember that it doesn't take too much oxidation to impede the flow of 6 volts to the point where the device isn't getting enough power.
Also, the flash will still fire with the sensor totally removed. It will give you a full-strength flash, dumping all of the power that the flash capacitor has available. This drains your batteries extremely fast, but it will still work. |
Sunny
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 - 11:59 pm: |
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i swear, i have had the EXACT SAME issue! and i just got my vivitar, it does not power up, then i removed the sensor, it turned on, then i tested it, once, twice and then it was done.
no more does it work, no idea what to do.. |
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