bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

OK, this is a new one, and hopefully someone with experience can help me. I usually try to fix my own equipment, but capacitors and the whole "death thing" scares me a bit.

This is a very new issue. One of my PCB ultra 1200s stopped working. By stopped working, I don't mean like when one of the 2 (half moon shaped) strobes blows, and only 1/2 will flash. The tubes both will give a slight glow when fired, but won't get any brighter even at full power. It's been a long time since I changed tubes, but I can't imagine that they would both be bad at the exact same time.

I know Ed used to service a lot of equipment, so maybe he, or someone else has an "Oh, that's an easy one" type answer. That's my hope.

Thanks
Bob

CO

Paul C. Buff has legendary customer service. They are very prompt when doing repairs. I have P.C.B. strobes but haven't needed to get them repaired. I know someone who did send his AlienBee strobe to them for repair. It was making a loud popping noise often when it fired. Just send P.C.B. an email about the problem. I don't know anything about repairing strobes myself. Maybe Mr. Shapiro can advise there.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

From the symptoms it sound to me that is not the flash tubes. It is unlikely that both would fail exactly at the same time. To be sure, check the tubes to see if there is any blackening or grayish discoloration at the base of the tubes where the electrodes enter the glass envelopes.

There are usually three electrodes going to the tube- a positive and negative and a trigger wire- The trigger wire runs from the contact at the base and is wrapped around the tube- make sure it is intact and the pins on the tube that go into the sockets are clean and in good mechanical condition.

It is also unlikely that the capacitors are burned out or impaired. They usually go out with a bang, a crackling sound, like frying bacon, or a burning smell. If the units is in constant usage, it is also unlikely that the are deformed. A significen short circuit woud have blown a fuse or opend the circuit breaker.

If the tubes produced a weak flash when triggered, it is probably a problem in the power supply- the capacitors are working but the stepped up voltage is insufficient to produce a normal flash. There could also be a problem in the trigger circuit which consists of a small capacitor and a trigger coil, usually just behind the reflector assembly.

Unless you have specialized test gear, a schematic of the circuitry and know what you are troubleshoot for, most of theses issues are not user serviceable. If you have a multi-meter that could measure into the 500 DCV range, you could see if there is high voltage reaching the tube, but even if this is the problem, servicing sold state printed circuits is highly specialized work.

I would go through the few steps I mentioned- see that the tube is clean and free of carbonization and everything is making contact and if it still malfunctions, the best thing is to send it in for service.

As you know, theses units can harbor lethal voltages that can cause burns or serious injury. Aside from that, a short circuit caused by a misplaced test lead or screwdriver can cause more serious damage to the unit.

As CO mentioned the PCB folks are known for fast, reasonable and excellence in customer service. The technicians will give it the once over and probably replace the offending circuit board.

If you do send it in, please let me know their diagnosis.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Best bet is: Send it to P.C.Buff for repair!!! Reasonable prices for repair and more importantly you won't get your D@@@ knocked in the mud.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

UPDATE!

Hey Bob!

I put in a call the the Canadian authorized repair service that handles PCB equipment up here in Canada. I spoke to the technician there just to get some information and see if he could walk me through a quick fix. They do that because sometimes they receive units where a minor issue could have been solved and the customer has to pay for shipping etc.

As per your description of the issue, he agreed that it is not a user serviceable situation and that you should send the unit in to the company in Tennessee. He said their turnaround time is about 5 business days or there is a $25.00 rush charge for expedited service.

The problem could be in the power switch, or the voltage multiplier circuitry- no big deal for the folks in their U.S. repair department. You can download a repair form online and ship the unit directly to them.

Regards, Ed

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Thanks to everyone. I guess I'll be shipping it back in. I did test the tubes in my good unit, and they worked fine.

As I mentioned, I like to fix my own equipment, but when it comes to capacitors and the whole death thing, I tend to stay away from scary stuff. I was hoping it was a "duh" moment, but as suggested, I'm guessing it isn't something I should tackle.

Appreciate the help.
Bob