User's Manual

Trouble Shooting
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RadioPopper PX Radio Wireless System
This indicates a good radio connection exists and the units are clearly communicating with speed and accuracy that
should allow normal operation.
NOTE: Near the edge of the eective radio range for your particular environment, it is possible the Link LED may remain
lit and test broadcasts produce the expected feedback while still your slave ash fails to activate. Near the edge of the
radio range, some of the “blinks” of light transmitted by the PX system may be dropped and not correctly reproduced
resulting in failures to re.
4. Install your PX Transmitter on top of your Master Flash or IR Commander as described in the Installation Instructions
section of this manual. When you take a shot, the Link LED on the PX Transmitter should strobe briey following the
shot. This indicates the magnetic sensor on the PX Transmitter is picking up a signal from your Master Flash or IR
Commander. It does not necessarily mean the signal is complete or correct, simply that a signal is being received.
If the Link LED of the PX Transmitter does not strobe when shooting, re-check your installation and that the batteries in
your PX Transmitter are good, as well as checking the batteries in your IR Commander.
Slightly adjust the placement of the PX Transmitter on top of your Maser device. The magnetic sensor should be 1/2” to
1” above the plastic surface of your ash, and should be placed rear of the front edge of the ash 1/2” to 1”. Moving this
sensor closer to the ash lens (where the light comes out) may actually degrade performance. The magnetic signal is
strongest and most consistent a bit further back from the ash lens and a short distance above the plastic exterior of the
ash.
Even if the Link LED on the PX Transmitter does strobe after a shot, it is possible it may not be picking up the complete
signal from your Master Flash or IR Commander.
5. Check the placement of the nylon bead at the end of the optic tube on the PX Receiver. It may have slipped loose
during use. We recommend securing the bead over the IR sensor of your slave ash with a square of gaer’s tape. Your
local camera dealer should stock new formulas of gaer’s tape that won’t leave residue or marks on your ash.
Ensure the bead is placed over the infrared sensor of your ash as per the Installation Instructions in this manual. It
should NOT be placed over the red plastic piece on your slave ash - this is not the infrared sensor. On the SpeedLite
550EX used as a slave note the infrared sensor is not centered on the black window, it’s in the lower right corner. See Fig
2-4 (Pg. 15) in this manual.
6. Check the optic is inserted into the sleeve on the side of the PX Receiver.
7. Make sure there is no excessive bend in the optic tube extending away from the PX Receiver. A bend any tighter
than what would wrap around your nger should be avoided. An excessively tight bend radius will prevent light from
eciently traveling down the length of the optic tube and may result in reduced reliability.
Trouble Shooting other Miscellaneous Issues
High Speed Sync - “I see the ash re, but the image is still dark.”
This may also be seen as a “pre-ash with no main ash” type of mis-re as described above, but is not actually a mis-re
at all. When playing with High Speed Sync it must be realized that your ash produces an exponentially reduced amount
of light the higher you push the shutter speed. If you’re shooting at 1/8000 (and we know you’ll try it) your ash is
emitting very little light and only has an eective range (between the ash and the subject being lit by the ash) of a
few feet. If you place the ash much distance from the subject or through a diuser, you may not see the contribution
of light to your image, even though it is indeed ring correctly.
Try reducing your shutter speed or getting the ash closer to the subject.
One of my PX’s has become non-responsive
You may observe a PX unit “freeze up” and become non-responsive to button presses, won’t turn o, won’t de-link or
re-link and so on. This is usually caused by a low battery. There is no “low voltage cuto” in either unit. We’ve designed
them to allow the battery to continue to drain until some part of the circuitry can no longer function to allow longest use
of a battery, or to squeeze the last bit of power when you’re in a tight shooting situation and can’t replace batteries.
A new Alkaline battery (the non-rechargeable ones you get from the store) should last 5 to 10 hours of continual
transmit time. Rechargeable batteries will probably go longer, but remember that rechargeable batteries tend to
naturally drain and die o on their own after a couple days of non-use.