Transmitter and Reciever Hacked

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Lighting info: Vivitar 285HV with large umbrella above and behind me.

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I decided to get into this strobist thing, and buy some cheap triggers, some call them e-bay triggers, but I got mine from a different website. I had purchased a set of 16 channel impact triggers for studio lights. They don’t work for the off camera hotshoe flashes, as the receivers have to be plugged into an outlet, but the transmitter looked like the 16 channel transmitters of the E-bay type. So I decided to get those so they would all work together. I also heard that Vivitar started selling the 285 flashes again, but made then with a different voltage so they would not fry new DSLRs. They call them the 285HV. Great got a couple of those. I should be all set.

 

Problems:

1. Come to find out the 16 channel E-bay triggers don’t trigger the 285hv’s when the batteries get low, and shooting on a low power setting on the flash.

 

2. The range of these little guys are about 10 feet, or so. Well that stinks!

 

Fixes:

1. I found out the 4 channel V2s triggers, a slight variation on the 16 channel; in that they have hotshoe connections, work on the 285hv’s because the manufacture took out a bridge rectifier in the circuit. I found the hack on the strobist group on flickr, and instead of bypassing my bridge rectifier; I just took it out and put in the two wires. Cool, the 285hv fires 99% of the time. Good enough!

 

2. Since I’m on a roll, I should do the antenna hack on the transmitter. I loved it so much; I did it on the studio transmitter as well. They are basically the same transmitter, with the exception it has an extra pc connector so you can hook it to a light meter and trigger your strobes. I hooked it up to the larger hole on the circuit board to the right in the picture, instead of the left one, because of my wire size. I cut the “tracing” on the circuit board to keep from having a Y type of antenna.

 

My Transmitter Hack:

www.flickr.com/photos/jbat/2207811796/

My Receiver Hack:

www.flickr.com/photos/jbat/2207020725/

 

 

B&H Impact 16 channel studio light triggers: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/469181-REG/Impact__AC_16_C...

 

SnapperOrgan’s discussion of jumping the bridge rectifier:

www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157600074580861

 

SnapperOrgan’s picture of jumping the bridge rectifier: www.flickr.com/photos/ptrunley/458694240/

 

 

Perry’s version of jumping the bridge rectifier: www.flickr.com/photos/86352240@N00/534053711/ and www.flickr.com/photos/86352240@N00/534053715/

 

 

 

Discussion of the V1, V2, and V2s on the Vivitar 285HV: www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157600967438214

 

One of the first discussions of the Ebay V series triggers: www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157594172539497/

 

 

More about the happiness of using the 16 channel’s with the hacks.

www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157600393599578

 

Bergmannfotos did both hacks plus some on the 285HV’s:

www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157600391798659

 

 

Done