I'm 99% sure you will have issues with the stereo version of that plug. Get the mono. (sorry, Tom, couldn't resist! ).
The majority of PW users I know (myself included) found out the hard way that the stereo 1/8" mini cords don't always work properly with the PWs. The mono plugs are problem free.
Also, at my local RS, the mono cords came in 6' lengths so I bought two pair of 1/8' mini mono plugs and cut the 6' cord in thirds and have three cords that are 2' long each. I rarely have my PWs farther than that away from the ABs.
Scott Sewell wrote:
I'm 99% sure you will have issues with the stereo version of that plug. Get the mono. (sorry, Tom, couldn't resist! ).
The majority of PW users I know (myself included) found out the hard way that the stereo 1/8" mini cords don't always work properly with the PWs. The mono plugs are problem free.
Thank you. I am very glad to have the correct info put forward. It could come in handy for those folks looking to the correct answer to this question in the future.
Yes, I got them from RadioShack. They didn't have the 1/8 mono on both ends but they had a 1/8 to 1/4 mono so I got that and an adapter for $11. It's a 6' cord, but was nice at the game when I had my AB 10' up in the air and was able to change channels from the floor. It worked great, no misfires!
I just received my first AB800 today (so yes, this is a total AB newbie talking here). I've got a "studio" set up with white seamless, a 580exII firing into an umbrella for the subject (fired by a PW+2), a 580exI blowing out the left side of the BG, and the AB800 set camera right to blow out the right side. Everything is supposed to fire with PW+2's. Camera has one on top, 580exI has one with a Michael Bass shoe adapter, and the AB800 is supposed to fire with a 1/8th mono cable, which I purchased at Radio Shack.
It isn't working, or I'm doing something wrong. I can get the AB to fire fine in optical slave mode, so it seems to be working OK, but I'd really like to know what is wrong. I tried all 4 PW's to 1/8th mono cable to the AB800. None of the PW's would fire it. Is there a setting I need?
Just thought of something... I'm going to run out to the studio and hardwire the camera to the AB800 with the cable supplied by AB to see if the 1/8th port on the actual AB body is dead. I'll let you know the result in a minute. Other than that, any ideas?
the AB800 ships with a long sync cable. What I didn't know was that the camera will send signal to both the sync port and the hot shoe, so I can have the AB plugged directly into the camera body, then have a PW+2 fire off everything else wirelessly. It works, and it also works if I have the AB trip optically, but I'd still prefer to fix the problem. The PW+2 doesn't remotely fire the AB800.
To check if the 1/8" port is dead, plug in your cable to the AB. Power up the AB. Then get a piece of wire and connect the tip of the plug on the dangling end of the cable to the part just back of the tip. The strobe should fire. If this works, it's a problem w/ the PW...
the port works (I connected the AB directly to the camera with AB's sync cable), and the PW's work (I have 4 of them and tried moving them all around).
My only guess is a faulty radio shack 1/8 mono to 1/8 mono cable.
I just got my AB800's and none of my mono cables worked. I got 4 cables from flashzebra and they all work. They are not true 1/8th miniplugs. They are 3.5 miniplugs, which are almost undistinquisable from 1/8th miniplugs, and mono. Get the popper cable, even if they cost a little more (4 cables shipped were like $16).
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