External Battery Pack For 580EX MkII

[Ray.Petri]

Can anyone supply me the connections and details of the external battery pack for the 580EX MkII please. Is the plug something easily obtainable?

I intend to put together an external supply unit to speed up the recycle times a bit - it seems so slow unless the AA cells are freshly charged.

Many thanks

[Dermit]

Check out the OPs link to a system and my response in this post...

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=522428

[Kevin034]

what you need is some 2700+mAh NiMh rechargable batteries. for an 8 hour wedding shoot, I use 1 set (with another set as backup). Over 1600+ shots.

[PacAce]

Can anyone supply me the connections and details of the external battery pack for the 580EX MkII please. Is the plug something easily obtainable?

I intend to put together an external supply unit to speed up the recycle times a bit - it seems so slow unless the AA cells are freshly charged.

Many thanks

Am I correct in assuming that what you are asking for is a pinout diagram or description of the high voltage port on the 580EX so that you can make your own external power pack?

[turbodude]

i want to know as well so i can make my own hi voltage battery packs.

[Lotto]

i want to know as well so i can make my own hi voltage battery packs.

I thought about that too. but the cost of the HV converter and cable probably will cost more than $150.:mad:

[Ray.Petri]

Am I correct in assuming that what you are asking for is a pinout diagram or description of the high voltage port on the 580EX so that you can make your own external power pack?

Hi PacAce - you are correct - I am not sure the external connection is high voltage - I am assuming it is for a low volt, high capacity battery supply input.

Regards

Ray

[Ray.Petri]

Further to clarify my earlier post - It is the connections and plug type for the accessory battery pack CP-E4 that I need. I was thinking of using a small sealed lead acid battery to see if it improved charge times and lasted longer - or - 2 sets of 4 AAs.

[Dermit]

Further to clarify my earlier post - It is the connections and plug type for the accessory battery pack CP-E4 that I need. I was thinking of using a small sealed lead acid battery to see if it improved charge times and lasted longer - or - 2 sets of 4 AAs.

The post i made with the link that will eventually get you to Al Jacobs... http://www.aljacobs.com/THE%20BLACK%20BOX.htm
will show you that this is exactly what Al has developped. His system does not speed cycle times, it just maintains cycle times like a fresh set of AAs will give you for a LOT of shots.

[Ray.Petri]

Dermit - Thanks - that's what I wanted to do - maintain the charge speed and refresh rate of a fresh set of batteries. But I need the connection pin-outs and a connector plug so that I can do it myself.

[Dermit]

Dermit - Thanks - that's what I wanted to do - maintain the charge speed and refresh rate of a fresh set of batteries. But I need the connection pin-outs and a connector plug so that I can do it myself.

Ah, can't help you with the pinouts but i can tell you that Al has you use Quantum cables to attach your flash to his batteries if that helps at all. The quantum cables fit into the battery compartment of the flash, then the other end is a DIN connector to the battery.

Here is a link to his cable section on his web site:

http://www.aljacobs.com/Batterycables.htm

[tim]

The port on the side of the 580 is a high voltage port, if you want to use a SLA battery you need a fake battery to get power in via the standard place AA batteries go.

You don't want to mess with high voltages yourself unless you're fairly expert, you could electrocute yourself or bust your flash. For the $150 a Canon CP-E4 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/498738-REG/Canon_1947B001_Compact_Battery_Pack_CP_E4.html/BI/2312/KBID/3114) costs i'd strongly suggest getting one of those. They work great, I have the almost identical CP-E3, recharge time with 8 AA NiMH cells drops from about 7s to about 2.5s.

[MT Stringer]

Ray, I can't help you with the 580EX request, but below is a link to my battery pack project.

The post i made with the link that will eventually get you to Al Jacobs... http://www.aljacobs.com/THE%20BLACK%20BOX.htm
will show you that this is exactly what Al has developped. His system does not speed cycle times, it just maintains cycle times like a fresh set of AAs will give you for a LOT of shots.

I have built a couple of these battery packs for my 540EZ's. Recycle time is about 3 seconds. I was hoping for something faster, but it was not to be.

Here's my project. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=441726&highlight=battery+pack)

[silvex]

Ray, I can't help you with the 580EX request, but below is a link to my battery pack project.



I have built a couple of these battery packs for my 540EZ's. Recycle time is about 3 seconds. I was hoping for something faster, but it was not to be.

Here's my project. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=441726&highlight=battery+pack)

How does it compare to using canon's external battery pack ?

[silvex]

what you need is some 2700+mAh NiMh rechargable batteries. for an 8 hour wedding shoot, I use 1 set (with another set as backup). Over 1600+ shots.

I use the duracell 2650 and they go and go. I have never measure them into how many flashes I get. The recycle time is pretty good.

[Ray.Petri]

Tim wrote - The port on the side of the 580 is a high voltage port, if you want to use a SLA battery you need a fake battery to get power in via the standard place AA batteries go.

Hi Tim - I didn't realize the port on the side of the 580EX MkII was a high voltage port. What sort of voltages are we talking about? I didn't see any reference to this in the handbook.

Are we now saying that the output of the CP-E4 is high, and not low battery voltage as I had believed?

Thanks.

[Ray.Petri]

Hi again lads

Just searched the Canon web site and this was the sum total of the lack of info available.

New battery pack
Developed with working professional photographers in mind, the new external compact battery pack CP–E3 improves flash recycle times significantly and increases to approximately 432 the number of firings before batteries need to be replaced[2]. The pack takes optional rapid-change magazines that can be loaded with eight AA-size batteries prior to a shoot to ensure fast, smooth transitions from one battery set to the next – important in critical shooting situations or to keep up momentum in studio environments. The CP–E3 battery pack is also compatible with the Speedlite 550EX, MR-14EX and MT-24EX.

Not even updated to the CP-E4 - or perhaps it is so well hidden I couldn't find it - Why the hell can't Canon make thier web site more searchable?

[tim]

Hi Tim - I didn't realize the port on the side of the 580EX MkII was a high voltage port. What sort of voltages are we talking about? I didn't see any reference to this in the handbook.

Are we now saying that the output of the CP-E4 is high, and not low battery voltage as I had believed?

Yes it's a high voltage port, and the CP-E3/CP-E4 has circuitry to multiply the voltage. You don't wanna mess with that. I have no idea of the specs, I just bought the Canon pack so I don't need to worry about it.

[Ray.Petri]

Tim - thanks for that confirmation - I might eventually consider the canon battery pack - although I don't know why they don't give a better description of it on their site.

[tim]

The battery pack is well worth it IMHO, especially for a pro. Great value too.

[MT Stringer]

How does it compare to using canon's external battery pack ?

I have no idea, but it is too expensive for my blood, especially when I would need 2 of them.

MIke

[Ray.Petri]

OK Guys

Thanks for all the replies - I will put it in my 'things to buy in future' list.

Regards

[wilvoeka]

It takes 300+ Volts to charge the 580s capacitor. So if you just have four batteries in the flash, or are using the battery compartment with a Black Box you still have to wait for the ciruits in the flash to convert the voltage up to 300+.

When you use a the High Voltage port the flash circuits are by passed beause the battery pack is doing the conversion, so the recycle times are reduced.

You can buy the High Voltage cables from several different makers for about $30, but that still leaes you with designing a safe and reliable way to get the voltage up to 300+.

[Ray.Petri]

Thanks Wilvoeka

It now begins to make sense.

Regards

Ray

[Mark]

It takes 300+ Volts to charge the 580s capacitor. So if you just have four batteries in the flash, or are using the battery compartment with a Black Box you still have to wait for the ciruits in the flash to convert the voltage up to 300+.

When you use a the High Voltage port the flash circuits are by passed beause the battery pack is doing the conversion, so the recycle times are reduced.

You can buy the High Voltage cables from several different makers for about $30, but that still leaes you with designing a safe and reliable way to get the voltage up to 300+.

Personally I wouldn't even try that, but would consider buying a CP-E4 and moding it for batteries that are nicer than AAs....