3600 HS (D) flash fix page.
Note, do not link to this page. Link to the disclaimer page.
Please note that the 121 firmware may have fixed this problem, and it may not be necessary to perform this modification any more. I would wait at this point to how the new firmware works out..
Have you read the disclaimer? You must read it.
Follow these steps exactly. Failure to follow these steps could result in injury to you or your equipment.
1) Remove the batteries. YOU MUST REMOVE THE BATTERIES. If you don't remove the batteries there will be high voltage present in the open flash that could injure you.
2) Double check that you removed the batteries.
3) After removing the batteries, wait a few minutes to allow the flash to discharge.
4) remove the two screws on the face of the flash as shown above
5) Using a knife, pry off the two rubber disks on each side of the hinge. Set them sticky side up so that they can be reused.
6) Using a sharp knife, slit the adhesive covering the seam beteween the two flash halfs under the disks as shown above.
7) Remove the two top screws shown above. It is not necessary to remove the bottom screw shown as I did. The screws are hidden under the adhesive, use the photo above as a guide.
8) Turn the flash over, and remove the two top screws shown above from the other hinge. It is not necessary to remove the bottom screw as I did above.
9) Place the flash as shown above with the flash tube to your left. Remove the top cover of the flash, it should just come right off if you got all the screws. DO NOT TOUCH THE FLASH TUBE OR CIRCUIT.
10) Note the small Green circuit board in the center of the hinge. This is the switch. There are two wires attached to this board, you need to cut or desolder one of them (but see the update below before you do). The photo shows the hinge before wire removal. I removed the top Brown wire because it was easier to get to, but you can remove either one. I recommend desoldering it so that you can put it back later if you need to, but on my unit there was enough free wire that you could cut the wire and resolder it again later if needed someday.
UPDATE: "Crowning" suggests that you don't have to cut a wire at all. If you take the hinge apart further, you can just pull off a connector. Sorry I don't have images of this because I didn't do it that way, but Here is a page that he put up about the process showing the connector. Which is easier; it is up to you. Not everyone is going to be comfortable soldering, but you will have to take the hinge apart a little farther to get to the connector. In retrospect, pulling the connector off is probably the best way to go, and you can put it back on again (probably need a fine pilers to help). To get to the connector, you will have to take the screws out of the bottom of the case too. Two on the sides by the hinge, and two on the bottom. If you do, watch out for what happened to me, if you take the bottom section with the hot shoe off, be sure that the gizmo for the little release button on the side of the flash is lined up when you replace it. If not, you will attach the flash to the camera... and will not be able to use the release button to take it off again!
MORE INFO: John Riophe adds some comments about doing the "Crowning Mod" and opening the bottom end of the flash. He writes...
" A couple of tips, however:
(1) I found that the adhesive that holds the rubber disks which cover
the ends of the hinge cylinder was damaged beyond salvaging in the
disassembly process. I removed the leftover bits and re-attached the disks
with a 3M product called "emblem adhesive," which you can probably
pick up at your local auto-parts store.
(2) As I opted to unplug the
little connector in lieu of cutting any wires, I needed to take the hinge
apart - which pretty much involves taking out all the exterior screws and
being very, very, very careful to put things back together precisely as they
were originally. Specifically, you need to watch for:
(a) The linkage
that lets you press the release button on the side of the flash and remove it
from the camera. I found that removing the entire butt-plate/hot shoe flange
made this easy to work.
(b) There's a little spring with attached plug
which helps hold the battery door in the closed position. If you open your
battery door, it's right to the rear of the third battery from the top. If
this falls out, that's where it needs to be put back.
(c) Which
connector to unplug is a little hard to see in crowning's photo of the
exposed hinge area. It's attached to the circuit board at the rear panel of
the flash (where the LEDs are), and it's the center of three connectors, the
two-wire connector with the brown lead attached.
(d) Getting to that
connector can be difficult, but it's not very firmly plugged in; you can
tease it out with a tiny flat screwdriver.
(e) To reassemble, attach
the butt/hot shoe mount part last, making sure that the release button
mechanism is engaged."
11) Put it all back together again ;) The two screws for the outside of the flash that were removed first have flat heads, the rest don't.
12) Enjoy proper exposure with bounce flash now. The bounce light on the flash will no longer come on.