• 2nd tube replacement

    lion mclionhead • 08/21/2023 at 17:27 • 0 comments

    The 580 EX II went out again in 2023, after just 5 years with the new tube.  The 2nd tube replacement went a bit smoother.

    The capacitor grounding pad in the 1st tube change was no longer at 330V.  It was now at 5V.  What was still at 330V was the pink wire.  This had to be discharged.

    The service manual actually recommended discharging the now defunct pad.

    Then the wires came off the PC board.

    As recommended, the silicone band came off before taking the tube out. Then the tube came out with the wires.

    The old tube still appeared viable.

    The reflector showed progressive fogging, possibly from outgassing of the shrink tubes.

    The new tube got point to point soldering instead of wraps of the wires around the terminals + soldering, as the previous tubes had.  It was slightly fatter than the previous tubes.

    Then the tube slid back in without the silicone band.  It had to slide in from the left.  The tube + heat shrink was too fat this time, so the heat shrink had to be stripped off of the right side.

    Then the silicone band went back on with much tweezing.  It had just enough compliance to get the wires through it.

    Helas, it still no longer flashed.  This seemed related to the discharging pad no longer having 330V.

    The focus aid still worked. 

  • 1st tube replacement

    lion mclionhead • 08/21/2023 at 17:09 • 0 comments

    The lion kingdom's 580 EX II died in June 2020, after 12 years.  Lions took many indoor photos with it.  

    Then, this arrived.  It behooves humans to get a bulb assembly rather than a bulb.  

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-Speedlight-580EX-II-flash-reflector-flash-tube-assembly-CY2-4229/525541142

    The bulb is very hard to replace on its own.  There was a starting guide on 

    https://joelgoodman.net/2012/07/19/flash-bulb-repair-canon-580ex-ii/

    It's essential to discharge the capacitor.  It still had 200V after 2 weeks with no batteries.

    There is a discharging hole with electrical contact inside, exposing the capacitor's + terminal.  This must be grounded through a 10k resistor to the flash ground, without touching the resistor or ground while touching the + lead.  The trick is to keep 1 paw behind your back while holding the + lead with your other paw.  Helas, this burns off the orange band on the standard 1/4 W resistor but doesn't kill the resistor.

    A few screws revealed the electronicals.

    The bulb assembly is on a corkscrew drive.  The corkscrew drive moves it to adjust the spread of the beam.

    The 12 year old bulb was cactus.

    4 cables connected to the assembly.

    The old bulb & silicone were liberated, after discovering the bulb was as fragile as paper.

    Then 1 end of the new bulb was soldered in before inserting it back into the enclosure.  

    This was the wrong way to insert the silicone. 

    The lion kingdom did what it could with the silicone on 1st.  The soldered end went back into the assembly.  The unsoldered end received its silicone 1st, then wire, & finally heat shrink.  The heat shrink was too long, but if the sharper turns break the wire, there's more wire from an old LCD backlight in the apartment.

    Based on the challenge of getting the silicone on, all 3 wires clearly need to be desoldered from the PCB 1st.  The wires should be soldered to the bulb without the silicone.  Then, the heat shrink should be put on.  Then, the silicone needs to be fed around the wires before soldering the wires back on the PCB.  The assembly probably doesn't need to be taken off the corkscrew drive if you have the right tweezers.

    The lenses only go on 1 way.

    Reassembling the 4 wires showed how the 580 EX II wasn't designed at all for manufacturability.  They wanted the best possible flash, no matter how expensive it was.  

    Then, the deed was done, showing what a luxurious flash it was compared to a cheap flash from 40 years ago.