I have a 430EZ flash with a flakey switch. It generally does not turn off, though if I jiggle it and pull it back slightly it does turn off.

I took the four screws out of the bottom and opened the bottom but you can't get to the switch that way.

Do the sides just snap apart after you remove the screws?

Canon wants $75-120 to fix it, and I wouldn't spend that, since I'm soon going to get a G2 and one of the EX flashes. But if it's easy to get the sides off and get to the switch it would be good.

Thanks.

-- Steven M. Scharf (scharf@hotmail.com), November 16, 2001

Answers

Can't give you specific info regarding that model, other than to say we're talking about some pretty serious high-voltage inside that unit, stored in the main capacitor, which can really rearrange your hairdo...so be careful about poking around in there.

-- Charles Hansen (charleshansen@aol.com), November 16, 2001.

Before you take it apart, put batteries in to it, turn it on, fire it and very quickly open the battery door to shut it off before it even partly recharges. You may want to practice this to get the timing down with the door half open. Or else you will quickly feel what Charles means. The idea is to completely discharge the capacitor before you work on it.

Okay, you got the bottom off. The next step is to swivel the flash head to one side and get the 4 screws under it. Two on each side. You will probably have to swivel it one way to get two off and then swivel it the other way to get the last two off. Actually, you really only have to get either the front two or the rear two screws out (your choice) since both left & right sides just screw into a couple of metal straps. you'll see what I mean when you get it apart.

To put them back together you screw the front screws (or the back screws) into the straps, letting the other end of the straps hang out and then press the front & back halves together while you put the rest of the screws back in.

These parts don't go back together all that easy. There is usually a lot of fiddling you have to do to get all the semi-loose parts & wires back into their right positions before the halves will press together. The whole thing is quite tightly fit.

I've never had a switch out of one of them, so you're on your own from there.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), November 16, 2001.