Inon Z-240 Issue with TTL

[f3nikon]

Okay, I just finished several shots with both the YS-90 strobe and the Z-240 using the olympus SP-350. All the shots in this comparison are with the SP-350 except the last row, they are on my D200 with the Z-240 and Sea & Sea TTL adapter to show that TTL does in fact work with the Inon strobe.

From the tests though, the Inon strobe doesn't even look like the power ever changes no matter what settings I choose. They look the same for the most part. The YS-90 however does a very good job considering it is a point and shoot and the SP-350's own internal TTL isn't much more consistent.
QUOTE]

Excellent test putting the internal Olympus flash makes a great reference point or standard on how the external strobes should perform.

My guess is that the H/M converter is trying to tap into the strobe power control pin at the hotshoe and is some how now getting the signal or the converter maybe bad an not telling the strobe when to turn off.

 

[rjsimp]

My guess is that the H/M converter is trying to tap into the strobe power control pin at the hotshoe and is some how now getting the signal or the converter maybe bad an not telling the strobe when to turn off.

Well, I know the converter is working because it works with the YS-90 strobe. I know the Inon Z-240 should be working because it works with the D200 setup. So, there is definitely some sort of communication failure there, but I'm pretty sure it is not a defective component as opposed to something is either not set up right or it is not capable of working for some reason.

Very frustrating in any case. The good news is the Z240's were ordered to go with my D200 anyhow, but I don't like the fact they don't work as they should on the SP-350..

 

[rjsimp]

Perhaps I should have typed "insulation" plate and not "isolation" plate in my previous post. Sorry............

The insulation plate is discussed in the quick start guide:
http://www.inonamerica.com/content/docs/Z-240 strobe settings - Quick StartLT60812.pdf

Not sure yet what exactly the TTL insulation plate is insulating (or isolating). I believe you should have received a pair of TTL insulation plates with your strobe according to the InonAmerica web site:
http://www.inonamerica.com/products.php?product_id=272&pagenum=1&prodcat=1&subcat=2

b

Okay I found these insulation plates. They basically block out 2 of the 5 wires in the sync cord. It allows only the pins, but the contact points are blocked.

Anyhow the result was much worse. The only thing that worked was manual mode, the TTL was doing full dumps for the pre-flash and not firing the real flash because it didn't have enough power left after the full dump. So you get a nice black picture.

Anyhow, the Heinrichs people will have to look into this again. Maybe they will post here a message that will give me some ideas. I'll email them what I did so they can maybe tell me what is going on.

 

[bobf]

Rich,

I know how frustrating it can be to have new toys that aren't performing as we hoped. Fortunately you have chosen to purchase equipment from very reliable vendors and manufacturers. I'm certain a solution will be found..........

regards,
b

 

[Mark Rupert]

Does the Z-240 fire properly without the converter? If so we would suspect there is an incompatibility with the converter. In that case, since we do not have your configuration (camera, housing, converter) we cannot try to reproduce the problem, so please contact converter maker for resolution. If the strobe won’t fire even without the converter it may be a strobe problem, so send to your dealer, or to us directly if you purchased it from one of our authorized dealers, and we will check the strobe and promptly fix it as necessary.
-Mark Rupert
Inon America, Inc.

 

[rjsimp]

Does the Z-240 fire properly without the converter? If so we would suspect there is an incompatibility with the converter. In that case, since we do not have your configuration (camera, housing, converter) we cannot try to reproduce the problem, so please contact converter maker for resolution. If the strobe won’t fire even without the converter it may be a strobe problem, so send to your dealer, or to us directly if you purchased it from one of our authorized dealers, and we will check the strobe and promptly fix it as necessary.
-Mark Rupert
Inon America, Inc.

I really appreciate your response here Mark. I am sure the strobe works (as I have two of them and they do the same thing) because if you look at my samples and some of the previous posts, it works on my D200 with the Sea & Sea TTL converter. It doesn't work with the SP-350 and the converter there. I have tried two different housings and they do the same thing and both of those housings work with my YS-90 strobes. So, the converters are working, just not with Inon's Z-240. I would say, well, no big deal except that Heinrichs' web site say's it is supposed to work.

I agree it is down to talking with the converter people. Maybe they will chime in on this thread which would be great!

Again, I appreciate your posting and I agree with you that it is most likely the converter that is the problem. Thanks!

 

[Larry C]

Rich, thanks for all your effort. Your test has been very (sorry) illuminating. I'm still looking forward to anything H/W has to add. Obviously, the Z240 is a fantastic strobe. In all likelihood, it produces fine pictures in the external auto mode. I wish I could be confident that it would make consistently good adjustments in conjunction with the H/W converter. Right now, I would be hard pressed not to just go for a pair of YS-110s, assuming they act like the YS-90AD's. Nothing is perfect, but I think the goal has to be to get consistent lighting over as many different conditions as possible.

 

[rjsimp]

Rich, thanks for all your effort. Your test has been very (sorry) illuminating. I'm still looking forward to anything H/W has to add. Obviously, the Z240 is a fantastic strobe. In all likelihood, it produces fine pictures in the external auto mode. I wish I could be confident that it would make consistently good adjustments in conjunction with the H/W converter. Right now, I would be hard pressed not to just go for a pair of YS-110s, assuming they act like the YS-90AD's. Nothing is perfect, but I think the goal has to be to get consistent lighting over as many different conditions as possible.

Larry, it JUST so happens that I will have a couple of YS-110s here on Tuesday this week. So, you can rest assurred that I will be testing those and put the results up on this thread as soon as they arrive and I put batteries in them.

At this point, I would say the YS-90ADs or hopefully YS-110s are the best bet also for compatability with the HW adapter and the SP-350. They definitely produce some consistent results based on my testing.. The Inon does a very good job when hooked to my D200.

 

[stiebs]

Okay I found these insulation plates. They basically block out 2 of the 5 wires in the sync cord. It allows only the pins, but the contact points are blocked.

Anyhow the result was much worse. The only thing that worked was manual mode, the TTL was doing full dumps for the pre-flash...

That's pretty much what is expected. There's some good info on the S&S strobe interface at http://www.camerasunderwater.info/engineering/flash/nikttl.html

Putting the insulator in will basically cause the flash to go into full manual mode. It blocks the contacts for the 'SP' and 'Quench' pins. The Quench signal is what the camera uses to tell the strobe to stop firing when in TTL mode. No surprise you got a full dump. The SP line is not so critical, but in the Z200 (and I presume the Z240) it may be used to trigger the focus light when the shutter button is half-pressed on some cameras.

 

[rjsimp]

That's pretty much what is expected. There's some good info on the S&S strobe interface at http://www.camerasunderwater.info/engineering/flash/nikttl.html

Putting the insulator in will basically cause the flash to go into full manual mode. It blocks the contacts for the 'SP' and 'Quench' pins. The Quench signal is what the camera uses to tell the strobe to stop firing when in TTL mode. No surprise you got a full dump. The SP line is not so critical, but in the Z200 (and I presume the Z240) it may be used to trigger the focus light when the shutter button is half-pressed on some cameras.

Okay, so they did what they were supposed to do, but did not make the TTL work which is what I was looking to do..