I added an 1/8" female jack to a 580EX. Took about 5 minutes so I decided to add one to my 550 too. Well, the 550 is not quite as easy to mod. It requires more dismantling to find space for the jack. But, I got 'er done. Here's the result...








Things I discovered:

Move the jack as far forward as possible so there's no contact with other components.

When torqing the outer nut on the jack, be careful because the two halves of the jack can rotate and short across the terminals.

Here's a link to the 580 mod...

Good deal. I did this to my 580 at the bottom over the weekend, but put it too low, so I can't use the plug (even with a 90 degree angle) with the plastic feet that come with the 580..

Whoops

No biggie.. I plan on getting some mini 2.5mm female panel mount jacks, and I'll put it higher up.

Yep, I noticed that too.

Since the two jacks you mentioned will be wired in parallel, you should be able to send the signal on to a second flash, right?

Actually, I was just going to plug the hole up.. either with the new female connector, or something else. I'm using PW's too, so I don't really have a need for a second port. I guess you could do that tho.

Very cool tip, I've got a few 430ex's I could stand to mod and really never liked paying $60 each to have one gentleman whom I wont name, though you can find him on strobist, do the work. Its quality workmanship yes, but $120 for two flashes when I could do it myself for a couple of bucks ? Hmmm

I want to make sure something is completely clear here: I didn't post this info to take a shot at Michael Bass.

I'm all for DIY and helping others help theselves. I'm also a captialist and I'm personally looking for things exactly like this that I can sell to others choose not to make the improvements or don't have the necessary tools and skills.

For anyone else reading this that falls into the latter catagory and would like the improvements made to their flashes, here is a link to Michael Bass's website... Michael Bass Designs

Jason, certainly did not think you there were. Michael does great work yes, but its very pricey IMHO. Having the option to DIY for those so inclined is always a great option for photographers.

I've always felt that even with such how to info, its not really going to take any bread away from guys like Michael's plate anyways because generally the DIY types wouldnt be willing to pay, and those who would pay arent the DIY type, they just want it done, done right, and fast, cost not a factor.

I did it recently as well. You definitely have to make sure you get the jack placement right as it is a tight fit in there.

I've got the same issue as Brian with the cable blocking the slide-on stand. An L-shaped cable would really help.

I tried an L shaped plug on mine, but it's stll too tight a fit to use the Canon shoe. I guess that's probably why Michael Bass uses the smaller style of jack.

I still prefer mine with the 1/8" jack... fewer cords/adapters to keep track of. I'd like my camera bodies to have the 1/8" jack too, but I'm not ready to tackle that DIY yet.