Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Am getting Ab1600 tomorrow


Font have cybercommander or wireless triggers.. I'll be using sync cords. How do I get both ab400 and ab1600 to flash at sometime with sync cords???please help. Any help right now would be appreciate so I can prepare for tomorrow shoot.

You will only need to synch one with a cord. As long as you do not plug in a cord to the other one, the slave on it will detect the flash of the other AB and fire as a result.

This a completely workable situation, and the slave will take care of you.

The only times this can be problematic are if you are using your gear in the same space as others, in which case their flashes will trigger your slaved AB, or if you are outdoors (or the lights are so far separated) where the slave sensor may not be able to see the flash from the synched AB.

Am not sure if I understand so If I put a b400 near 1600 with sync cord plugged in it and a400 will flash without any cord or wireless remote plugged? I never used two lights together before so it'll be ,y first time. Excuse my ignorance and English as 2nd language.

BP I appreciate your help.. Do u have instant messenger?

That's right. All the Alien Bees have a slave eye that makes them fire whenever another photographic flash fires. You can trigger either of them with a PC sync cord and the other one will fire also. When you plug anything into the sync jack it disables the slave eye on that particular strobe.

I didmt know that. Would abs flash when my 580 ex ii speedlite flash? as well?

AB units have the jack for the sync chord on the back. If nothing is plugged into the jack, the AB is defaulted to fire in Slave Mode. This means that ANY flash from another AB, a speedlight, etc. will cause the AB to fire.

When you plug a cord into the jack on the AB, the slave mode is disabled, and the light will only fire when a signal comes thru the synch chord.

So, you plug a sync cord into one of your ABs, and and both it and the other unit will fire together.

So, you have already been using your AB400 with a sync chord. You will do everything the same, and all you need to do with the second light is set it up, turn it on, and it will fire too.

You want to have the slaved AB in a position where it can "see" the flash from the other one. But if you are shooting indoors, in a studio, etc., there should be enough bounce of the "master" (synched") that the slave will see it.

Do I need to press any button that slave will flash? Will slave indicator light up on back of ab unit? I see white dot above slave.. Does it light up?

Sorry for those questions. As I never use it as second or third light

Holy s$&@ it worked. I didmt know so for a month I could had used two flashes instead one flash.

I thought I'd need remote wireless flash to use each unit to flash sync.... Holy s$&@

No, you shouldn't have to push any buttons for the slave feature to work.

Since you have a speedlight, you can test this right now with your ab400 (no need to wait until you get your 1600 tomorrow).

Thank you so much and the other guy who replied... Thank you!


Last question... Can speedlite do the opposite if I use one of ab as master and speedlite as slave?


If you have more advice or think I might not know something related lights. Please please tell me. I'd like learn... I appreciate this forum lot. Nice people.

Thank u