Chosen Solution
I have a Maxxum 2800 AF flash I got with a Maxxum 7000 and 100-200 (1:4.5) lens. The camera worked perfectly, but the lens needed some work (AF gear was stuck, which I fixed by taking the rear lens plate off, letting it spin w/o the rear gear on the lens in the way, and coaxing it manually with a flathead) and the lens and camera have both been perfect. However, the flash has never worked. I’m not getting rid of the rest of it over a dead $15-20 flash, especially with the lens is worth as much as I got it all for. I’d rather discard the flash and keep the working lens and camera. The flash is so dead, not even the test button fired. I have tried reseating the flash a few times, and it just does not work. I used 4 brand new AA batteries as well, so I know it is not the batteries in the flash. I also tried to clean the contacts in the flash (no corrosion, so denatured alcohol was used), and the situation did not improve. That said, while these were new batteries they are from Costco (that is to say, stockpiled) but were not expired. I did change the Jobsmart (TSC) AAA batteries I got with the camera (“batteries not included”) with new ones, and neither set changes anything. The TSC batteries also tested good on my analog multimeter.NOTE: The flash has a connector on the front that interfaces with the camera, but the cable is not required for the Maxxum 7000; it communicates solo – I suspect it’s meant for high-level communication with the vintage ones, or higher end cameras. Is there anything I can do to verify the flash isn’t dead, or is it just not worth messing with? UPDATE Tried brand new primary Lithium batteries, the flash is still dead. UPDATE (3/18) However I did notice one of my 7000’s (one from a lot with a Maxxum 5/other for the lens with the flash) and the lot 7000 was not treated well in 2 ways: the mirror is pitted, and I had to clean battery acid (normal for the AAA cover due to storage neglect so I overlooked it). I’m going to relegate that suspect 7000 due to parts unavailability and see if it works on a 7000/9000 that was well used and taken care of. UPDATE (3/19) I opened the flash up after finding out how, and I cannot see any obvious faults on it.
I took a closer look at the main board and this area seems to connect to the button. Everything checks out so I think it’s a component soldered to the board.
Do you hear any sound when you turn the flash on? The inverter makes sound due to magnetostrsiction of the transformer. If you don’t hear that, you’re not to first base. Unfortunately, Fixing this requires some electronic troubleshooting skills, and also precautions due to the high voltage involved. You could get lucky and find a bad switch, or a broken wire, but it will likely take more than that. If you can find a schematic for it and have the skills, then give it a try. Also, you should stop using alkaline batteries in your expensive equipment. NiMH have several advantages, some of those being cost-saving, but the biggest of all is that they don’t leak, whereas alkaline are guaranteed to leak. It’s not that it’s impossible for NiMH to leak, but I’ve never seen it in 15 years of NiMH use. I lost some expensive equipment to alkalines, before I wised up. I recommend Panasonic eneloop cells and a decent smart charger. If you use high-intensity flashlights, you should get a charger that will also charge the lithium cells for your flashlight. They’re readily available
