Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Greetings all...I tried searching the forums to see if anyone else has encountered this problem. I have (4) Alien Bee 800 lights (2) of them will only fire at FULL POWER....I've tried everything...swapped the power cords...tested the outlets....I don't know how to fix the problem....Has anyone had this problem or have any suggestions...

~ Stormy ~ :shock:

Do you have anything plugged into the telephone jack? If so, remove it, and try using only the flash.

No nothing is plugged into the phone jack...and when trying to set up the lights I tested them one at a time, all the others were off

I guess I'll have to call technical support....this is a pain in the !@@....I haven't even used the lights 10 times yet....UGH :twisted:

If the slider is not changing the output, it will need to be serviced.

It is interesting to note that sometimes a user will think the power level of a Bee is not changing, when in fact he or she is visually keying on the model lamp intensity. The model lamp may be set to full power by simply releasing the dark gray TRACK button. The model lamp will then not follow the power fader, although the actual flash power from the flash lamp will change in response to the fader setting.
This error is usually made "in the heat of battle," as it were when the operator is rushed, and trying to prepare quickly for a shoot.
If in fact the flash power is not being adjusted by the fader, as verified by using a flash meter, or for the more experienced, simply by the sound the flash creates when triggered, then it is likely the fader itself has been broken, and the unit(s) need to be repaired.

I'll give the technical support / service department a call....my two lights are indeed not being adjusted, I just thought it was a little strange that both of them had the same exact problem and was wondering if anyone had encountered this issue.

:(