Vivatar 283 flash unit: It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4...

nitrophil Loc: Dayton, Ohio

It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4 Power Supply plugged in. There were no AA batteries stored in it. I'm sure it is a small problem to get it working again, but can anyone tell me who I can send it to?

I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks to all!

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

Be careful. Google that flash. I have one. There were two different voltages that will go thru the camera, depending on the manufacture date I think. Wrong one may fry your camera's electronics from what I've read about it. There are You tube video's about fixing the problem.

Quixdraw Loc: x

A great old flash - have one with all the accessories. I would not attach it to a digital camera, but will use it as a remote. Almost certainly not worth repair - you can probably find another "guaranteed" to work on the internet for a few bucks.

hcmcdole

I have one as well but it is put up in a closet as a nostalgic relic of the past along with my last film camera (Canon AE-1).

Does Vivitar do service on these today?

I found this link that shows how to disassemble one.
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-disassemble-a-Vivitar-283/

rmcgarry331

The Vivitar 283 Flash is a great unit. I still have two of my original units from the film days, that I use on occasion. In the digital world they are still useful, if you have a flash sensitive trigger, that can handle high voltage. That being said unless you have a Vari-power VP-1 module it will only deliver a full power pop. As far as getting it repaired they sell on e-bay for under $15 and with accessories for under $25, so the cost of getting yours repaired, would probably be greater, than finding a replacement.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

nitrophil wrote:

It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4 Power Supply plugged in. There were no AA batteries stored in it. I'm sure it is a small problem to get it working again, but can anyone tell me who I can send it to?

I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks to all!

This is not unusual , during long term storage the capacitor will die, sometimes you can reform the Cap. using a 110v power supply if you still have it. plug it in turn the flash on and try pushing the test button every time the ready light comes on, this may or may not work but it is worth a try if it does work it will take a good while to get a full charge.To answer your question about repair, it would not be cost effective to have repaired if repair is available.
I fire my studio strobes at least once a year just to keep them alive.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

nitrophil wrote:

It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4 Power Supply plugged in. There were no AA batteries stored in it. I'm sure it is a small problem to get it working again, but can anyone tell me who I can send it to?

I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks to all!

Capacitors should be charged at least once every month if not once every three months. You may well need new capacitors.

BebuLamar

nitrophil wrote:

It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4 Power Supply plugged in. There were no AA batteries stored in it. I'm sure it is a small problem to get it working again, but can anyone tell me who I can send it to?

I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks to all!

It's dead. I would say. If I were you I won't try to fix it.

CO

Nikon recommends that their speedlights be taken out once a month and fired a few times to reform the capacitor. I don't know if Vivitar has the same recommendations.

In almost all flash units, the storage capacitor (which stores the electrical energy that energizes the flash tube) is of the electrolytic type. In that type of capacitor, the dielectric (the insulating layer between the two electrodes of the capacitor) is a thin film of aluminum oxide on one of the aluminum electrodes, created by an electrochemical process.

If the capacitor isn't charged for a long time, that dielectric layer can "deform" (degrade), causing the capacitor to electrically "leak", with the result that (depending on the nature of the charging circuit) it will not fully charge and/or may heat up internally.

(Download)

RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

nitrophil wrote:

It has been put away for at least 5 years. I forgot I had it, since my last move. It won't charge with new batteries, and will fire only once with the SB-4 Power Supply plugged in. There were no AA batteries stored in it. I'm sure it is a small problem to get it working again, but can anyone tell me who I can send it to?

I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks to all!

My local camera store has a used Vivatar 283 E+
Bergen County Camera Westwood NJ
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Bill_de Loc: US

Manglesphoto wrote:

This is not unusual , during long term storage the... (show quote)

No guarantee, but definitely worth a try.

==

RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

Fash has been for sale for a few months $49

williejoha

First, I would not use the old flash ( great unit that I own) with any current camera. The Voltages are different. You can still use it as a slave as long as it is triggered by anything other then the camera direct ( no cable connection ). The Vivitar’s 283 internal capacitor can be brought back to life most of the time by simply putting new batteries in and then keep flashing it manually. Mine always took its sweet old time And many charge cycles before it was back to somewhat normal. Good luck.
WJH

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

smussler wrote:

Be careful. Google that flash. I have one. There were two different voltages that will go thru the camera, depending on the manufacture date I think. Wrong one may fry your camera's electronics from what I've read about it. There are You tube video's about fixing the problem.

Serial number charts are on the web... consult one. Wein Safe-Sync HSHSB is the solution if your flash has high voltage.

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

burkphoto wrote:

Serial number charts are on the web... consult one. Wein Safe-Sync HSHSB is the solution if your flash has high voltage.

Thanks, been a while since I tried getting voltage info on that flash. Will check out the serial number. My flash hasn't been used for over a decade, so it may be a moot effort.