topic Pilot light on 580 EX II not turning on at all in Speedlite Flashes

Pilot light on 580 EX II not turning on at all

bensonwu — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 08:01:06 GMT

Hello all. I've had this unit for a little over a year, but I don't use it so frequently. Recently, I took the flash out and turned it on, but the pilot light wouldn't turn on at all. I could still configure the settings, but despite my efforts, the pilot light still wouldn't turn on? Any suggestions?

Re: Pilot light on 580 EX II not turning on at all

RobertTheFat — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 12:23:55 GMT

Recharge the batteries.

Re: Pilot light on 580 EX II not turning on at all

TCampbell — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 16:08:31 GMT

The batteries do not directly power the flash itself. They charge an internal capacitor which is able to release its power in a surge.

If the batteries are low, they'll still power the unit so you see the LCD panel, but they won't have enough power to charge the capacitor and you won't get a pilot light (or you may eventually get one after a very long wait.)