Speedlite won't fire

[PhotoJunkieJen]

My recycle time on my Speedlite 430eii is getting pretty slow. I changed the batteries and that doesn't seem to help any. The manuel said it could possibly mean the electrical connections need cleaning. Any idea about how to do that? Or what other possible solutions might fix my problem?

[Swisstony10]

If it's just the metal contacts which are causing the problem, then you can give them a rub over with a standard pencil eraser, or a soft cloth/piece of kitchen roll. If you want to be really certain they're clean, perhaps a tiny drop of lens cleaner or other similar solvent on a q-tip wiped over the contacts, and then rubbed clean with a cloth.

I don't know how the batteries go into a Speedlight, but I know that the way they go into my Jessops flash I can only conveniently get to the contacts at one end of the battery compartment because the door is on the side of the flash. Still, it's worth a try if the manual recommends it...

Russ.

[inkista]

Are you sure the batteries you put in are fresh and fully charged? Most rechargeables will discharge themselves over time, even if they're not doing anything but sitting in a box, which is why we so love eneloops....