Cactus KF-36 problem

[Kafter244]

Does anyone else use the Cactus KF-36 or the Vivitar 285HV (as I'm pretty sure they're the same thing) strobe?

I'm finding that my ready light remains permanently on red without ever going to green, let alone flashing red/green 'ready' like the manual says it should. I've tried fresh batteries and tried 'forming the capacitor' as per the manual, but it still just stays on red.

Do you think it is actually getting to full power but not registering, or is it just old and therefore unable to reach maximum power anymore no matter what I do? If that's the case, how do you suggest I compensate the exposures?

Any help would be much appreciated! Cheers.

[fullboost]

Hi there,

I have the Cactus KF36 and have used it for around 2 years without a problem. Both red and green lights flash and I rarely 'form the capacitor' as the manual states.
What power setting do you use in general?
That said I also bought their AF45 unit and have found it to be a complete lemon. It quite often doesn't turn on properley and 90% of the time it's only good for a few exposures before it shuts itself off.

At the end of the day you are buying cheap equipment so you can't expect a reliable product.