Troubles with wireless trigger on 540FGZ

My Phottix Tetra PT-04II (AAA version) can't release the flash out of the AF-540FGZ flashgun. The receiver would go red when I press the shutter on K10d or when i press the test button on the transmitter (so channels are set right and batteries are fresh) but no flash at all.

BTW: the second receiver works like a charm with the sb-28 (switched receivers and it did not help, so now it;'s down only to 540 settings ;-( While I can still shoot with it on and off the camera (i mean wirelessly but with the in-built flash) it's dead with radio triggers... grrr

I hope for anyone this does make any sense and thanks in advance for any suggestions What are the ideal settings of the flash & what did I go wrong?

All the best,

Michal

What settings have you tried on the AF540?

The AF540 should be in normal mode (ie NOT wireless - because that's the Pentax P-TTL flash wireless not your Phottix), and in either "A" or "M" mode.

PS. Did you know the K10D can trigger remote P-TTL to the AF540 without any extra equipment??

Matt

I think I tried every combination of flash setting (starting with full M). I know I can trigger 540 off camera with the in-built flash, but now I need to trigger two flashguns including SB-28 which is incompatible with Pentax pttl (it fires two quickly using pttl pre-flash as a relase), so I guessed radio triggers would be a good try...

Well, I've just Googled here and it says it's compatible with the AF540...

The only issue that I can think of is that the hotshoe on the Phottix may have confused the AF540 - I've found that if some of the Pentax dedicated pins are shorted to the main area of metal that the flash gets "stuck". Maybe this is what's happened to you?

When testing this out I cut out a piece of 35mm film leader and used it to insulate the dedicated pins on the flash

As far as I am aware the AF540 should trigger normally if only the centre pin and outer (ie main metal) are shorted.

(FWIW, there are some adapters, from Hama I think, that provide an insulated hotshoe with just the centre pin)

Does that make sense?
Matt

My Phottix PT-04TM units work OK with AF360FGZ, AF540FGZ, and AF500FTZ flashes. One Tx on camera & 3 X Rx on flashes.

Yours seem to have a slightly different model number though, Phottix Tetra PT-04II versus my Phottix PT-04TM (No Tetra anyway in the name). Mine also use AAA batteries.

What's the distance between Tx and Rx in your setup?

EDIT: Having looked at the images from Matt's link, yours would seem to have a synch socket on the receivers, mine don't have that.

Thanks guys for your help.

Mannesty: yep, it's different (updated) set - what kind of flash setting do you use?

Mattmatic: That's a great idea - I tried to filter some of the pins, but it did not work. Maybe I'm doing it wrong - which exactly am I supposed to left out

I use everything in manual mode, I have more control that way.

The pin that needs to be isolated is the one at the top of your image, next to the locking pin. It will often short out on metal mounts (which most of them are).