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Does anyone recognise this problem? My Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II will only flash when it's connected to an external battery.

Set-up:

  • Canon EOS 1D Mark II
  • Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II flash (loaded with 4xAA fresh new batteries)
  • Godox Propac PB960 battery pack

With the flash mounted on the hotshoe, I turn on the flash. The indicator light turns pink for half a second, and then to blue. It remains blue. Cannot flash.

I connect the battery pack and turn it on. Indicator light turns red and I can fire the flash as long as the battery pack is connected.

If the indicator light is red and I remove the battery pack, it's sufficiently charged for one more flash. After flashing, the indicator light turns blue and cannot flash.

Another experiment, in a master / slave setting. I have the YN600EX-RT set up as slave and functioning normally with 4xAA batteries. When the RT II is master to the RT (slave) and the indicator light on the RTII is blue, it will trigger the slave.

Previously, before I had the battery pack, it operated fine. Then all of a sudden it wouldn't fire without the battery pack.

Any ideas? Is the RT II just broken?

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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I was playing around with my flash having the same problem yesterday - and here is what worked for me:

  1. connect the external battery
  2. Hold SET button and switch the flash to LOCK
  3. Wait until it boot and light becomes rad (hold the SET button)
  4. Turn switch to ON and release SET button
  5. Press MODE - this will switch the flash to kind of diagnostic mode. (Maybe you need a fire and recharge capacitors here not sure)
  6. Turn switch to OFF

Now act fast you need your flash capacitors to be charged

  1. Disconnect the external battery

  2. Hold SET button and switch the flash to LOCK

  3. Wait until it boot (hold the SET button) and light becomes rad (yes it becomes because capacitors charged)

  4. Turn switch to ON and release SET button

  5. Press MODE - this will switch the flash to kind of diagnostic mode.

  6. Fire several (5 or 6) times by pressing rad button - my flash started to recharge it's capacitors from this point.

  7. Turn switch to OFF

  8. Turn switch to ON

Now magic - my flash works again without external battery!

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Set custom function #12 to 0 so you run off camera cells instead of batt pack cells

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Are you sure that's the right custom function? The manual I can find says that custom function 12 is mirror lockup (page 151). \$\endgroup\$
    – Philip Kendall ♦
    Commented Sep 2 at 9:08
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    \$\begingroup\$ @PhilipKendall, the PB960 is a flash power pack, not a camera battery grip (and a 1D series would have an integrated grip, anyway). C.Fn-12 is how you tell the Canon 600EX-RT II whether or not to draw power from an external battery pack and this would be the correct answer if the OP's 600EX-RT II weren't the Yongnuo clone. The YN-600EX-RT II's user manual, unfortunately, does NOT list a C.Fn-12. \$\endgroup\$
    – inkista
    Commented Sep 6 at 4:00

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