Phottix Strato / YN16 Trigger modification

Ironically this post was scheduled to run a little while ago and I had forgotten about it, since I wrote it I have discovered that nobody seems to be stocking these any more. But I'll leave it up in case you already own one of these and this is useful to you.

I have solved the problem of accidentally pressing the button on these triggers. One of the problems with the triggers is that the button is not recessed. This makes it difficult to build a cover for the button. So my first step was to file down the top of the button until it was level with the case. Ideally you should open the unit and take the button out, but be careful, you should follow the instructions I gave you for changing the battery to open the case, or you could end up damaging your trigger. In the picture above you can see that you don't have to take a huge amount of plastic off it.

With the button safely out of the trigger you need to sand it down until it is flush with the case. I used a dremmel tool to do this, but you could just use sandpaper and patience. Don't overdo it though as when it is flush, the button will be transluscent. If you go too far you could end up with a hole in the top of the button, so frequently test it against the case.

Now that you have it flush, you have a variety of options. You could make a tube to transport it in. This has the disadvantage of taking up space in your bag when you don't need it. I made a flip-off cover for mine. I took a cd case and cut a square of plastic out of it big enough to cover the button and the recess it sits in. Then I used a strip of gaffa tape to attach the cover to the trigger, make sure you use the low residue tape and it should be reusable. You could even use velcro, but I found it less secure and awkward.

That concludes all my modifications of the strato triggers.