Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi Folks - I was shooting a session yesterday and one of my AB800 stopped sync with CC. The other AB800 worked fine - I could fire it from the CC but not the other strobe. This has happened before but only for a moment or two. Typically when I set CC to fire all strobes then switch back to fire just the one it works fine. Yesterday was a different story - I spent several minutes trying to get it to fire - tried firing all with CC, adjusting with CC, unplugging and re-plugging the power and other cords, I fired the strobe using the test button but could not get the CC to fire the strobe - this was a tad embarrassing as I fiddled with my strobe and the subject just sat there. I was about to just use the optical trigger when it started working again. I worked fine for the rest of the session - I could adjust the output, test fire and it triggered with the camera just fine. Any suggestions on what happened and what I could do to avoid this in the future would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Bill

Did you try testing in the ALL channel position immediately following the removal/reapply of the power cord. This is typically the best way to jump start a receiver which has just been (re)introduced after a power cycling.

Also, if you are finding this to happen frequently, I would suggest moving to a different frequency.


Are you sure all model lamp buttons are pushed in and the power slider is set to full? And are you using a grounded outlet?

Hi Folks - I don't recall if I tested in the ALL setting after reapplying the power cord but I will do so in the future if this happens again. I did check that the modeling button was pushed in and the power slider was on full. I'll keep in mind changing the frequency if this continues. Is this because the frequency for that receiver might be not be working properly or getting interference? The other strobe worked fine on the same frequency. Thanks again for your quick response.

It would not likely be due to a bad receiver. There is always a possibility of interference when using radio remotes. There is also the possibility of shielding and attenuation. Interference is fairly rare, but switching frequencies should dial you out of any problems.

The red outline indicates a "cannot comply" message. This means the Commander is telling the receiver to do something it cannot do (like take power above maximum or below minimum), or there is a communications error, like the receiver has no power, out of range, etc. This is a good trouble shooting step in identifying the problem. When this outline appears, it is typically when power to a channel is raised or lowered (again, do not try to raise above minimum or lower below maximum).

Hi Folks - I was getting the red outline on the Commander as I was attempting to trigger the strobe. I had adjusted the power of the strobe and I probably moved the setting out of the range. This was a good lesson and I will be more careful. If this happens again I will disconnect the power and wait a few minutes to let the unit power down and then after reconnecting try the ALL setting to trigger the strobes. Thanks again for your help -Bill

To clarify, it will not hurt anything to run the power to the stops and "keep going". The red outline tells you it cannot go further. No additional functions are affected.

What does happen is you get the red outline, which is also a symptom of a receiver that is locked up or out of range, etc. If you take the power to the stops and get the red outline, it is not clear if this is due to the range limit or other problems. If you avoid the limits, and get a red line, you know there is a communication error.

Again, taking the power to the stops will not create a problem in and of itself.

Hi Folks - Thanks for responding so quickly and for clarifying. Bill

Yesterday. I had a similar problem with an AB800 and an AB400 not responding and having the red outline appear on the CC. My other AB's were responding okay.

I fixed the problem by removing/re-inserting a battery in my Receiver (CSRB+) and everything worked fine again.

It's likely that the problem occurred because I set them outside of their normal range.