A few years ago, I invested in a Godox TT685s flash unit, a TT350s flash unit and X1Ts transmitter for my Sony A7III camera. Despite their potential, I rarely use them, leading to some forgetfulness about configuring their wireless transmitters. A helpful YouTube video brought back memories of the necessary settings, including the requirement that the channels used for communication between devices must match. I also remembered there was an irritating issue about them, but I couldn’t quite recall what it was.
Before a party, I tested the flashes on our Chihuahua, Diego, placing one on the floor and the other on a window sill. Both worked flawlessly, and I was excited to use them that evening. Diego is a very patient subject, sometimes anyay.
Later on, I got my camera out, successfully made a photo or two of one group, then headed to the kitchen. However, while trying to photograph the beautiful desserts there, the flash refused to fire, even after several attempts. I resorted to aperture priority mode with auto ISO, managing to snap a few shots without the flash’s assistance. Despite the hiccups, I was able to capture images.
I went around to different groups to take photos, but to my dismay, the flash wouldn’t fire as expected, leaving me to apologize for my failed attempts. Fortunately, after numerous attempts, the flash worked, but the experience was disconcerting. Eventually, I resorted to attaching the flash to the camera and was relieved when it worked perfectly. Because of the complications, I was grateful to have captured some memorable shots.
While troubleshooting why my Godox TT685s flash didn’t fire, I scoured the internet for answers. Amidst various suggestions, I stumbled upon a StackExchange post that revealed the true reason behind the problem: the Godox X1Ts transmitter and the TT685s flash were positioned too closely to each other. I remembered it was the same vexing issue that had slipped my mind earlier!
Godox added a “close mode” to their transmitters to address the issue of the X1Ts transmitter and the TT685s flash being too close to each other. While it’s unclear to me why this would affect radio signals, it’s good to know there’s a solution. A firmware update may be needed for the X1Ts, but my device has the latest one (v18). To activate this feature, hold down the TEST button while powering on the transmitter until the status light blinks for 2 seconds. The setting will reset when the device is turned off. After trying this out, I can confirm that it worked flawlessly.
I don’t use flashes much. In the future, if I encounter that same non-firing issue with my Godox X1Ts transmitter and TT685s flash, I hope I’ll remember to check my own blog first to avoid the hassle of researching it elsewhere. Hopefully, my own documentation will come in handy and save me time in the long run!