Need battery pack suggestions please!!!

dmward wrote in post #12407984
I would say 1000 flashes an hour, the flash unit would be the week link. Even at reduced power that's a lot of heat. It would also require several battery changes I suspect. My guess is the circuitry in the pack would tend to overheat as well under those conditions. There is a transformer in the pack to get the high voltage and they generate heat.

That kind of workload, a shot every 3.75 seconds on average seems well beyond what the 580EX and pack are intended for.

This is why I work with 2 flashes and sub them out once in a while... but it still doesn't change the fact that the flashes are in for a serious a$$-kicking. If you've ever seen someone on the side of a race course with a camera and flash this is what we are doing. The batteries get too hot to touch... but through 2 seasons my 580exII has stood up well. Sometimes the thermal controls in the flash "force" a cool down period... but it has not burned out. I also have an old 540EZ that I use (same plug for external battery power) and it has stood up to even more races... I just need a battery pack that can keep up with the flash

Get a Quantum. Change the CF on the 580 so the internal batteries only supply power to the electronics, not the flash tube.

The CFn is important to aid performance.
My experience is that the Quantum does not recycle the flash faster than an 8 AA cell pack.
The key is the amount of power that is output.

I use NiMH cells, 2700mA in the pack and 2000 mA in the flash. My recollection is that having all 12 batteries working to recycle the Speedlite results in marginally faster recycle times.
Even with that I prefer to have the cells in the Speedlite just used for Speedlite control with all charging current coming from the pack.

dmward wrote in post #12411818
The CFn is important to aid performance.
My experience is that the Quantum does not recycle the flash faster than an 8 AA cell pack.
The key is the amount of power that is output.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "The key is the amount of power that is output". Power output of the flash is independent of the power source.

The quantum has more storage capacity, it'll recharge the flash quite quickly and has a lot more power in its battery than the little AA packs. I prefer the AA packs because they're small, light, and cheap, and do what I need.

I have had a Pixel for a few weeks shot 2 night time races and it works flawlessly

tim wrote in post #12407288
Things are so cheap and peoples time is so expensive it's not worth the time to diagnose which individual components burned out and repair them. That'd cost way more than buying a new one.

If you need to do 4000 shots in 4 hours you should consider an industrial strength unit, like a Quantum.

True this, but when you buy a pack and put about not even 75 shots on it once or twice a week and it only works for two weeks from purchase then craps out, that's a different story. So maybe the Quantum isn't a bad choice after all, if you have to buy 4 pixel or Yongnuo cause they keep crapping out, you just the same as a quantum pack. Go figure right.

S.E.V. wrote in post #12417532
True this, but when you buy a pack and put about not even 75 shots on it once or twice a week and it only works for two weeks from purchase then craps out, that's a different story. So maybe the Quantum isn't a bad choice after all, if you have to buy 4 pixel or Yongnuo cause they keep crapping out, you just the same as a quantum pack. Go figure right.

Every brand has faulty units. Have it replaced.

tim wrote in post #12417618
Every brand has faulty units. Have it replaced.

I know that, I did and then second did the exact same thing in the exact same time period as the first one so I'm getting a refund and am gonna try the pixel pack.

SEV, how ironic, I was going to send you a message about the youngnu flash pack. I sent mine back not to long after receiving it because if I left the batteries in the pack, it would drain them dead after a couple days and was provided another unit. Now, I have the issue where the red light is on and after one shot it's off. I remove the tray and reinstall, the light is on and after one shot it's off again. I was looking to get the Canon's version because I am fed up with this unit. However, I did a search here and found another user that had the same problem and he found the fix (https://photography-on-the.net …hlight=flash+ba​ttery+pack).


I will try his fix, but if it doesn't work, I am looking into the Quantum pack (this one: http://www.quantuminst​ruments.com/index.php?​Itemid=169). If anyone here can speak on this unit, please do. Of course I perform do my research on its reliability. And of course I will return the unit to Lon.

How's the pixel pack?

Methodical wrote in post #12639099
SEV, how ironic, I was going to send you a message about the youngnu flash pack. I sent mine back not to long after receiving it because if I left the batteries in the pack, it would drain them dead after a couple days and was provided another unit. Now, I have the issue where the red light is on and after one shot it's off. I remove the tray and reinstall, the light is on and after one shot it's off again. I was looking to get the Canon's version because I am fed up with this unit. However, I did a search here and found another user that had the same problem and he found the fix (https://photography-on-the.net …hlight=flash+ba​ttery+pack).


I will try his fix, but if it doesn't work, I am looking into the Quantum pack (this one: http://www.quantuminst​ruments.com/index.php?​Itemid=169). If anyone here can speak on this unit, please do. Of course I perform do my research on its reliability. And of course I will return the unit to Lon.

How's the pixel pack?

Hope it works out for you man, I stuck with the $20.00 back up pack off ebay, shoot is the manufacturer and it has been rock solid so far for about 2 months now. Might pick up a PP in the future, but for now I'm sticking to my $20.00 pack. lmao.

Sevan

SEV where did you get your unit from?

The Quantum battery the link goes to does not reduce recycle time. it is a replacement for the 4 cells that fit into the flash. It does offer many more flashes since its a much larger battery in terms of electrical potential.

Methodical wrote in post #12640651
SEV where did you get your unit from?

http://cgi.ebay.com …ssPageName=STRK​:MERFB:IID

That looks to be similar to the YN pack.

dmward wrote in post #12642514
That looks to be similar to the YN pack.

The YN pack, Canon Pack, Pixel pack etc............... all look the same, there is hardly any difference in looks. It is like automotive coolant only three manufactures world wide and 80 brands with very little variation between brands.