Dumb question about CR2 batteries...

[Walczak Photo]

Hey Folks,
Ok...dumb question time. I recently got a set of those cheapy Chinese transceivers off Ebay (the RF-04/PT-04) for some off camera flash. The receivers of course use the CR2 batteries...which on mine were dead right out of the box, so I had to buy a set of Energizers from the drug store. The question is dumb but simple...how long can I expect these batteries to last in these things? Weeks? Months? Years? I know the answer is based on "how much I use them" so let's say an average of 2 - 3 hours of shooting time a week for reference. I've never dealt with CR2 batteries before...never even knew such a thing existed so I have no idea how long I can expect them to last.

Basically I'm wondering if it's really worth the bother to get rechargeables for them.

As always, thanks!
Peace,
Jim

[rj.laroza]

since u already stated how often u are planning on using them, 2-3 hours a week. we also would need to know what brand of rechargable bats you are planning on using.

i myself use the same cactus v2s's. one common problem people have when dead bats that come straight from the box is that they havent removed the clear plastic around it. i had that same problem when i first got my set of cactus'. try remove the plastic around the bat before u purchase a new set.

as for rechargables.. i doubt its needed just for these cr2's. only 2-3 hours a week isnt that bad. make sure u turn off the recievers when ur done with them. good luck

[Walczak Photo]

one common problem people have when dead bats that come straight from the box is that they havent removed the clear plastic around it.No...these batteries were not wrapped (and I will try not to take the insinuation that I wouldn't know the difference as being too insulting LOL!). Move over, there was no packing in the box at all to keep things separated during shipping. My guess is that at some point they simply ended up shorting out against each other or something inside the box. Either way I put a volt meter on them and they were both completely and without doubt, quite, quite dead.

And yes, I do turn off the receivers when I'm done (as well as the flashes).

As far as the batteries that I did put in the receivers, they were the Energizer Photo "E2 Lithiums"....$15 at Walgreens for a pair of them (the blue package). I'm sure they're pretty good batteries and I'm sure there probably isn't a lot of currant draw on these little receivers, but I also know how my luck tends to run...they'll go dead at the worse possible moment! LOL! I guess what I'll probably just do is pick up a spare set of the Energizers and toss them in my camera bag until I actually know how long I can expect them to last and then decide if I want to go with rechargeables. Since I don't have anything else at all that uses CR2's, I just don't want to end up with a crap load of them sitting around like I do with AA's.

Anyways, I guess I answered my own question here...thanks.
Peace,
Jim

[evolved]

honestly.. your best bet is to ditch the cr2's all together and mod your trigger to take AA's. much longer battery life, and much cheaper to replace. My Cr2's lasted a few months before I started getting misfires. I've since replaced them with AA's and have never looked back.

[boyderic]

my batteries came dead as well. I even confirmed it with a voltmeter. dead dead dead. mine were wrapped in deceptive shrink-wrapped plastic. which it turns out is an excellent insulator. after I unwrapped them, they worked great. been using mine for about 6 months as well. I'll do the AA mod when they die. again.

[Walczak Photo]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm not going to worry about switching these things over to AA's...for the little that I use them, it's really not worth the effort. Should the usage come to that point, then I will just get a couple of pairs of rechargeable CR2's.

And just for the record, since they were still sitting downstairs in the box, I just double checked and there was/is NO shrink wrap on these batteries. I even used my pocket knife to scratch at the ends and both ends of both batteries are metal...there's no wrap or protective layer. Based on a few reactions here I gather this is a tad bit unusual, but there it is...mine weren't wrapped. And they are still dead. Sometimes sh*t happens.

Anyways, again thanks for the comments. As I said before, I'll just pick up a spare set and toss in my camera bag "just in case" and when these Energizers do finally die, I'll decide then if it's worth rechargeables.

Peace,
Jim

[rj.laroza]

haha no insults, just a common enough problem that people have had that they even wrote it in the trouble shooting part of the manual. sorry. sucks it didnt come in the proper pkging as well. good luck jim.

[evolved]

And just for the record, since they were still sitting downstairs in the box, I just double checked and there was/is NO shrink wrap on these batteries. I even used my pocket knife to scratch at the ends and both ends of both batteries are metal...there's no wrap or protective layer. Based on a few reactions here I gather this is a tad bit unusual, but there it is...mine weren't wrapped. And they are still dead. Sometimes sh*t happens.



depending on who you bought them from, some places that sell them, like mpex, test each one before it leaves the store, so the plastic wrap would be removed. If you bought them directly from Gadget infinity, chances are they'd still have the wrap on them.