Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I was at a location venue with my Ultra Zap 1600 and 800 units recently, with the wired remote control to adjust power. When all were connected together I experienced many random flashes from both units. When I disconnected the remote the random popping stopped. I ended up running my event photography with one unit triggered by a CyberSync and the other with the built-in slave. That worked perfectly.

I'd like to figure out why I was getting random firing with the wired remote. The building was less than 10 years old, so I suspect the electrical system was decent. I initially suspected one of my extension cords (with no ground plug) and replaced it but saw no difference in performance.

I also get some random pops in my studio when I touch my camera or tripod. I suspect static electricity. Again, I'm using the wired remote (older one, not the LG4X).

-- Mark Turner

Be sure you are using the stock phone wires or cross over wires. Straight RJ11 will not work. Even under 10 yrs old, the electrical system could still be a culprit. It could still be miswired, or share a circuit with a refridgerator, flourescent lights, a computer server, dimmer switch, etc, which can cause a dirty ground. Also, be sure the batteries are firmly seated in the remote, and there are no bad pins in the LG4X or light heads RJ11 connections. Also avoid running the phone cords aong the power cords, make sure there is some seperation. You should always use a grounded cord and outlet for safety. Proper ground is also necessary for the RJ11 remotes to work properly.

I was using stock phone wires, and battery connection in remote was fine. Since all works properly in my studio I suspect the issue was grounding on location.

As a side note, I didn't realize you were using a crossover phone cable. I don't recall reading that (years ago) when I purchased my system. I haven't needed to replace a cable, but would have just gone out and bought a phone cable locally.

Crossovers should still be locally available. Also, note if you are extending a stock cable (i.e. using a coupler to join the original and another cable) the second cable needs to be straight, as it is already "crossed over". Using another cross over would cross it back, resulting in the net effect of a straight cable.