I need help with my strobe.

[Precha]

Hello, I need some advice on repairing a strobe.

I recently got a Sea & Sea YS-27DX at a low price. The issue is that it powers on, but when tested, the flash does not fire. I opened it up to check the internal circuit, and everything looks to be in good condition.

At this point, I suspect that the problem might be with either the flash tube (Xenon bulb) or the sensor. I’d like to ask for advice from anyone who might be able to help. How should I go about repairing it?

[Chris Ross]

Hi Precha, sorry to hear about your strobe.   You say it powers on, does this mean your hear the sound on the circuit charging up and then the ready light comes on?

 

How are you trying to trigger the strobe?  It looks like it is purely triggered by a slave sensor, so a camera flash should trigger it.  You could also use an infrared remote to trigger it.  Which mode are you in when testing ?  Have you tried both modes?  It appears one mode is for cameras with pre-flash and the other for cameras without. 

 

If you have already tried all of this I would think it is probably the sensor that is at fault.  If the tube is gone, that is often visible. 

 

Regarding repair, be warned that the capacitors in these strobes work at high voltages and store a lot of energy and can cause serious injury.  They need to be discharged before any work is done.  If you are not experienced working with electronics, better to find a repair shop.  However finding someone who knows how to work on such an old strobe would be difficult I think.  Repair costs likely will exceed the value of the strobe unless it's something very simple.