# (pics added) Yongnuo 568EXii - my fix, and future mod....



## CharlieB (Sep 29, 2013)

A while ago, after some forum debate, and thinking, I opted for one, then another YN568EXii.

First... hey, good design. I like 99 percent of what they have there. The build quality is pretty decent (with noted exception below). Both flashes run consistantly with regard to exposure and recycle times. They work marvelously with the YN622 remote setup. Zero issues there.

Here's whats going on with these otherwise excellent flashes. After speaking with some other Yongnuo users, It seems the first of the 568EX's had a problem with the tension on the batteries. They sat low in the compartment, had some issues getting good tension and good contact. Someplace along the line, Yongnuo listened, and put taller/stiffer battery contacts in the flash. Thats good! Problem is, they didn't beef up the door to handle the stronger force now put upon it.

Both of my battery doors broke, in exactly the same way, after the same amount of time - and they have only been used so far in the house for testing of the setup. Zero harsh treatment. You can see by the direction the little plastic lock broke off that the force was from the inside, pushing out. Both flashes broke the bottom two rear most locking pieces. Contacting Yongnuo... they said to contact their eBay store, and they'd list the door as part - about $20 each shipped from China.

That prompted me to go for a better solution, since any replacement door would have the same issue. One possible solution, too late for me, is preventative action. If you look at how the locking tab works, and fits, you can see there is room for a fillet of material behind it to give it strength. If I was doing this on a new flash... I'd use some of that great black superglue (StewMac.com). I've used that stuff to actually rebuild bakelite pickup rings on a Guild electric guitar (not standard rings, and long long out of production). Also used it to totally rebuild the lost tip of a Gibson L6-S pickguard (the forward tip, that always breaks). Its good stuff, strong, and easy to work with. Just have to be super patient and go in thin layers, allowing dry time of at least half a day each layer. Think in terms of five or six nights with a toothpick, and an out of action flash during that time.

Ok... thats not for everyone. So, let it break, then fix it.

The YN568 is easy to get apart. Very orderly inside too. Most of all, its easy to get back together! Electrical connections are snap in plugs. You needn't get it far apart though, in order to change the door. Two screws, left and right, on the main housing accessable when the flash is rotated 90 degrees. Four screws holding the shoe/base on. Thats it. It seperates.... you'll need to take the front off, then finagle the pin holding the door out, and finagle the new door into place and slide the pin in. You'll also have to get the spring arm correctly placed in the case. Not hard, just... may take three attempts before you get it right.

However, since I don't have a replacement door, and its just as bad as the original....my option was to be a little more permanent. Remember, the flash is already broken... so how bad can it be right? I evaluated the location spot for an external thumb screw on the door, judging where the hole would appear inside the flash. There's a LOT of open real estate area in that flash btw, and an external power pack would be easy to adapt in. Anyway, about 1/4 inch down from the tip of the arrow on the door, you can make a little hole and fit a nut within the flash (epoxy) and voila....thumbscrew to the rescue. You'll need a 6-32 thread thumbscrew with about a 3/8 inch long thread. Computer case thumbscrews "may" work, as I had one that fit that very description, but I also noticed I had others that were short threaded.

Now for the mod.... I may do this after Biketoberfest. Not before, in case I screw it up. I think I'll be able to fit a power jack under the door, with corresponding opening right through the door for the plug. I plan on using a standard barrel type power connection, and while not the sturdiest, a little velcro to hold the cable from moving about will be good enough - for my use at least. Power to be had from a 6v sealed lead/acid battery, as is available from many sources, and which also fits nicely in a common rifle magazine pouch. Charge with a wall wart fitted with another power jack on its cable. Quick and simple, not high tech at all. The power connection within the YN 568 is the top most and bottom most inner batter connections. The rest just bridge to each other to series fit the batteries. Don't use both power supplies at the same time please, or.... as I may do, is just remove the thumbscrew at that point, and install a flush fit screw. At that point, I'll stick a fork in it, and call it done.

Folks.... this is a good flash, many parts are hot glued in place to prevent them vibrating loose, a nice touch to see a capacitor not just hanging in the air, nice to see the little connector cables all with plugs and jacks inside the flash. This is not a junk item, by any stretch of it whatsoever.

Hope some of you may be of benefit of my misfortune, and my couple of fixes. 

Many thanks!~

PS - I went out today and bought some things to actually do the fix. Ended up getting some 8-32 nylon thumbscrews from "that big box home store" for the whopping price of $0.75 American money, and since my 8-32 tap was worn from tapping some stainless steel motorcycle parts... I opted for a new tap and the proper drill as a kit for about $5.25 in similar American money. Total price with tax, just over six quid.

I ended up using a small chuck hand held, and things drilled and tapped nicely. Had to go back and enlarge the hole in the door a little, to allow the thumbscrew to easily pass, and alls well - save for a little deburring to get the excess from the edges of the holes. In nylon, the slightly larger 8-32 size made more sense for strength, and there's just enough meat in the plastic of the body to allow direct threading into the material. Nylon on styrene should be ok. Should it wear, I can always fit the epoxy'd on screw as formerly described. 

Pictures in the next post, no particular order


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## CharlieB (Oct 1, 2013)

Here's the inside of the battery compartment, and you can see the threads in the hole... just enough thickness to make a good strong fastener. Nylon on styrene should last a long time.




Outside of the battery door. You can see I didn't deburr the hole (yet) and it looks oblong, but its not. Also note - thats how far the door sticks out with the two bottom rear tabs broken off (on EACH of two flashes... jeeze!)




There's the thumbscrew in place. Yes... its a little Frankenstein looking, but serves well, and... if I want I can capture it on a little piece of fishing line so it won't get dropped accidentally. Yes, I'll carry a spare - its two for 75 cents at Home Depot.




Broken tabs. You can see they broke outward, as if the batteries were pushing excessively on them. Thats exactly what happened! No abuse. Literally both units were on my desk, bench, or coffee table as I tested them for use together. Both flashes had remnants of broken tabs (before I took the pictures or considered a fix) that clearly showed the force was from within - pushing out.




With the case halves pulled apart, thats the pin that must be finagled out of its hole to change the door. Best way is to scrape along the pin next to the spring with an Exacto blade... so that you can have the end of the pin peek out of its hole, then grab it wtih tweezers. This procedure is not needed if you just plan to add the screw!








Two pictures of the screws that need to be removed if you plan on taking the case apart. Those two, plus the ones on the shoe have to come off to open up the case. I only did so out of curiosity - to see what changing the door would entail. Note the one screw has an anti-tamper date code sticker over it, which I destroyed in the fix. These screws only need to be removed if you're changing out the door. 




Lots of real estate space inside the flash... no problem fitting the screw, or later on, putting in a power jack for 6v power.




Shoe off. Notice the very nice build quality, neat job they did with the wiring. This is so typical... they put a lot of engineering thought into the real working guts of the unit, and its production, and totally missed on the tabs that keep the battery door closed.




Two of the four bottom screws that need to be removed to get the shoe off.

Technically... the shoe need not be removed to make the hole, and tap it for the screw. But, you'll see some black wires in there that "may" get in the way of a drill bit or tap. Better to remove the shoe, hold the wires clear while making the hole. I did my "drilling" by hand, putting the drill in a miniature chuck and just used hand pressure and rotation to make the hole. The relief hole in the door was 5/32 inch. The hole in the body (and orignally in the door) was whatever was provided in the tap/drill kit from Home Depot.

I hope this saves some of you blokes 'n birds a bit of grief, and allows you to keep on shooting. Been told as well that the YN565 has the same issue at times. Again... not the best of fixes perhaps, but it certainly gets the job done and keeps you shooting for another bit of time.

Now... off to Biketoberfest for the big test of this Franken-rig of a lighting setup.


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## Jim Saunders (Oct 1, 2013)

Well done! Let us know how it holds up. I'd rather see devices put together like this in the first place than held together with plastic tabs.

Jim


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## CarlTN (Oct 1, 2013)

I am trying the YN560 iii, but it doesn't do E-TTL...can the 568 do it?


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## CharlieB (Oct 1, 2013)

Yes. It does Ettl manual and multi as well as high speed synch.


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## CarlTN (Oct 1, 2013)

CharlieB said:


> Yes. It does Ettl manual and multi as well as high speed synch.



Where is the best place to buy one, and how much are they? I paid $75 for the YN560.


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## CharlieB (Oct 1, 2013)

Best place is in Hong Kong. I got mine on Amazon. YN has an ebay store. Price about $180. The YN565 has all the Ettl but no high speed synch for about $120


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## CarlTN (Oct 4, 2013)

CharlieB said:


> Best place is in Hong Kong. I got mine on Amazon. YN has an ebay store. Price about $180. The YN565 has all the Ettl but no high speed synch for about $120



So the 565 would do auto E-TTL? I don't want to have to set the flash's output manually...this will be my only, on-camera flash for the time being. Will the 565 auto zoom when I zoom the lens?


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## ger.sec (Sep 21, 2017)

hello CharlieB, i am interested in your FUTURE MOD. have you attempted it yet, i cant seem to find a post about it.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 21, 2017)

A good company would admit the issue, and have a recall or send replacement parts at no charge. I can't imagine wanting a unit for professional use if the door breaks with little use and the manufacturer does not stand behind it. To me, its just a hint of what lies inside.

I've worked with electronics manufacturers over much of the world before I retired, its a constant battle, even with the best of them to get them to use proper parts, materials, and processes. We not only visited production lines, but we tested units with many tests, and tore down units to look at them, cross section them, look under the outer cases that hide the construction, measure plating thicknesses, we checked everything. 

Its amazing how little understanding some manufacturers have on the ultimate impact of design changes, and, since testing is expensive, they don't retest after a design change.

Another thought: Beef up the battery door, and what breaks next due to the stronger springs?


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