sunpack 555 and vivitar 285hv power

Right now I'm using regular AA's but would like something that last longer, gets better recycle time and would possibly produce more light. I can't afford the quantum packs or a blackbox right now.

Does anyone use these for their 555? How does it compare to regular AA's?

For the vivitar, I should probably get rechargeable NIMH AA's? Which ones?

If the weight is not a consideration and you need high capacity batteries, then sealed lead acid batteries are very good for the purpose. They're cheap too, but you need a lead acid charger for them though.

dirt lover wrote in post #5389935
Does anyone use these for their 555? How does it compare to regular AA's?

For the vivitar, I should probably get rechargeable NIMH AA's? Which ones?

for 555, the packs indicate that they are nicad packs. Not really sure how they would compare to Nimh cells. It will give you faster re-cycle times but not as long I would think.
I would suggest picking up a LSD Cells (ie. sanyo enelope, pre-charged). I picked up a pack from Costco for about 20 bucks which included charger, 4 AAA and 8 AA. They recycle faster (than nicad or alkies) ,last longer.

I would stay away from some of the 2500 mAh or 2650 mAh rated Nimh cells due to them loosing their charge too quickly when not used. And stick to known brands such as sanyo who makes the best cells as far as I know.

Regards.
Victor

Thanks for the help!

Aren't the quantum and black box battery's lead acid? What's the difference between those and regular lead acid batterys?

How would this work? http://www.parts-express.com …tl.cfm?partnumb​er=140-455

Those eneloops look really good. I should get some of those!

You might be able to run the 285HV on lead acid batteries (6 Volts), but you are going to have a hard time finding a suitable lead acid battery for the 9 Volts required by the Sunpak 555 without employing a lot of complicated electrical shenanigans..

Enjoy! Lon

Would that 12V lead acid battery work for them?

dirt lover wrote in post #5393109
Would that 12V lead acid battery work for them?

No, you'll kill your vivitars with 12v.

I've seen separate lead acid cells sold on the internet somewhere. If you just connect them in series you'll be able to use them, but how to charge them is another question.

Alternatively, you can just modify a standard car battery and use only half the cells that are in there at a time, but that again might present a charging problem.

dirt lover wrote in post #5392122
Aren't the quantum and black box battery's lead acid? What's the difference between those and regular lead acid batterys?

You have to be careful on making sure you get the proper voltage. I have a couple of Sunpack 544's and I looked in to Al Jacobs batteries but they have to be special builds for the voltage (9volt) needed and he quoted me $200 so I didnt buy any as I could not afford to get the 2 I would need to run both flashes from separate locations. I do use his tuxedo battery for my 550's and 580's and it is a great battery so when i can afford the others it will be worth it.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #5394680
No, you'll kill your vivitars with 12v.

I've seen separate lead acid cells sold on the internet somewhere. If you just connect them in series you'll be able to use them, but how to charge them is another question.

Alternatively, you can just modify a standard car battery and use only half the cells that are in there at a time, but that again might present a charging problem.

This is still a problem with the 555, that is looking for 9 Volts. Lead acid cells produce just a bit over 2 Volts.

So, even connecting individual lead acid cells in series to for a battery, you will end up with an anemic 8 Volts, or a bit too much 10 Volts.

Enjoy! Lon

Using an LM338 voltage regulator with variable resistor, will probably allow you to use a 12v SLA to power your flash. Not sure how much current the 555 draws but this regulator will give 5A with 7A peak, I have used this regulator a few times to power radios/TV's from a car battery & normally works fine. I plan to try this with my sunpak 3600's at some point but it is on my ever increasing "to do" list . There are normally simple circuits on the component data sheet.

I ordered some some Eneloops and the Kodak charger. I wonder how much longer they will last with my flashes compared to alkalines.