DIY Battery Pack for Flash

[meepokman]

Hi Guys,

as some of you might remember, my trusty Quantum 1+ battery pack decided to give up on me after more than 3 years of battering.

I called the authorized agent and was quoted S$80+ for the replacement of the battery cells. Being an electrical engineer by training, I believe there is a cheaper alternative. Thus the search for a DIY & cheaper alternative battery pack for my Nikon flashes begins. (It helps when my office is located at Sim Lim Towers :P )

Disclaimer: This is just a guide to how I built my battery pack. I will not be responsible for any damage done to your equipment by the DIY battery pack. (I am taking the same risk as well)

Part 1: Quantum 1+
Part 2: DIY Pack
Part 3: Building a DIY Pack
Part 4: Charging Your battery pack
Part 5: Using your DIY battery pack
Part 6: Comparison
Part 7: Field Test
Part 8: Contacts & Reference



Part 1: Quantum 1+

The Quantum is the popular professional choice for battery packs. They are reliable and sturdy. Unfortunately, the price is steep and the battery cells die after several years of use.



The Quantum 1+ uses 3 x 2V, 2.5AH Cyclon Sealed Lead Acid battery cells in series -> which effectively gives you a 6V 2.5AH power source. If you take apart your battery pack, you would see the 3 Cyclon SLAs in the configuration as shown below.



If you are facing a dying battery cell for your Q+1, you can (1) Call up the Singapore agent and get him to replace it for you or (2) go get the Cyclon batteries and replace it yourself.

For (1), it is hassle free and I believe the agent is pretty friendly. But it would cost you S$80+. For (2), some soldering skills are required. It is relatively easy to replace the cells and you can also save some costs (each cell would cost about S$18 each ~ total S$56).

At the end of the day, you would get back your trusty Q+1.

[meepokman]

Part 2: DIY Pack

alternatively, if cost is an issue (while weight isn't), you can build a battery pack from scratch.



WIth the help of one of the shop's owner, I managed to build a simple, sturdy & cost-effective DIY battery pack.

The picture above shows the new battery pack built to my customization.

It includes:

1. 6V 4.5AH Sealed Lead Acid
2. RCA jack
3. On/Off Switch
4. Outer Metal Casing

[meepokman]

Part 3: Building a DIY Pack

Building a DIY pack is simple. You could be coming from 2 directions : (1) You already have an existing battery pack and is looking for something to replace it or (2) you do not own any system previously at all.

(1) If you already own a system, you can salvage parts & pieces of the system (i.e. charger etc)

(2) If you are starting from ground zero, then you might need to purchase a charger to go along with your battery pack.

AS I already own a Q+1, the shop owner (Jeffrey) tested my charger and choose a SLA suited for my needs.



I won't go into details of the circuitry, but you can see how simple it is from the picture. Jeffrey connected the RCA jack to the switch, which is in turn connected to the battery. *as simple as the circuitry might be, you must take note of the polarity. Wrong polarity will damage your equipment*

[meepokman]

Part 4: Charging Your battery pack

Charging your battery is as simple as plugging in the wires :P

You can easily get SLA chargers off the rack (off the rack of Sim Lim Tower)

There are 2 generally 2 types of SLA chargers -> those with & without auto power shutoff.

You do not damage your SLAs by over-charging them. They only deterioate over time. Which means it is safe for you to leave the battery to charge over night.

Then why have the auto power shutoff?? -> to save money. Once the battery is full, the charger will still continue to pump power into the battery. Having a charger that has auto power shutoff will save you abit on the electric bill but the charger will also cost more than one without the feature.

For my case, I already have an existing Q+1 charger that has been verified by Jeffrey to be in working order. All Jeffrey did was to help me do some re-wiring and now I am able to charge my SLA via the original Q+1 circuit.



I connect my original Q+1 charger to the Q+1 circuit board. A wire (blue) was wired to connect to the DIY battery directly (to the terminals). The picture shows how my setup would look like when I charge my DIY battery.

WHy I want to route my electricity thru my original Q+1 is because an auto power shutoff was already built-in and I can monitor the charging process via the LEDs. It is not necessary, I am merely salvaging what I have left of the Q+1.

[jbma]

Hey cool stuff meepokman. Thanks for sharing. I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

[meepokman]

Part 5: Using your DIY battery pack

Using your DIY battery pack is as easy as the Q+1 -> just plug & play!!

Of course, you would need the necessary adapter for your flash. I already own a Quantum power cable for my nikon flashes.

For those that do not own a power adapter, you can either (1) buy a quantum power cord (S$100++) or (2) you can build your own dummy batteries (which will definately be cheaper).

*I am unable to give a comprehensive guide as to how to build a dummy battery as I already own a power cord. I have attached an article as to how to build a dummy battery in the reference below*

[meepokman]

Part 6: Comparison

SO how does the DIY pack compare to the original Q+1?

1. Size & Weight



The DIY battery is definately bigger as the 4AH SLA battery is already bigger than the 3 Cyclons. The weight is also approximately 1.8x heavier.



I would personally forgo weight for reliability & speed. The last thing I want to happen to me during an assignment is for my battery to die on me.

2. Capacity

The Q+1 3 cyclons will give you 2.5AH, which is smaller than the DIY 4AH. What this translate to lay man terms is that the battery can allow you to take more pictures.

e.g. if a 2.5AH can allow you to take approx. 1000 flashes
then a 4AH can allow you to take approx. 1600 flashes

3. Capacity Monitoring

One of the things you have to forgo when you switch from a Q+1 to a DIY is the in-built battery capacity monitor. The Q+1 has a 4-LED monitor to tell you the amount of power left in the pack.

The DIY has none of this. You have to trust your experience.

A 2.5AH Q+1 has more than power to last me for 2 days of assignments. Thus I have absolutely no worry about power when I bring my more powerful 4AH DIY pack for assignments.

4. Safety OFF

The second feature one has to forgo is the automatic safety off feature of Quantum. You would have to manually switch the battery on/off via the switch.

5. Battery test

The third feature one has to for go is the battery test feature. The Q+1 will always test your battery whenever you power on. Frankly, I don't know what this feature does as it is still unable to inform me that my cells are dying. I had to find out thru the hard & painful way -> failure during an assignment

[nightwolf75]

hey, meepok!

ermmm.... anyway to modify this further for my sigma 500 DG ST flash?

[meepokman]

Part 7: Field Test

So far, I have been using it for over a month for 6 assignments.

I am pretty happy with the results. It is much heavier compared to the Q+1 but it works as well. Like I mentioned earlier, I would rather forgo weight for reliability. (its not like an extra kg would make a difference in your bag filled with 20+kg of equipment :P )

I am perfectly fine even though I no longer have the power monitor. Q+1 could already last me for 2 days of assignment (or more). The larger capacity of the DIY battery definately can last me more than that. So I have no worries and doesnt require me to keep checking my battery. So it gives me a piece of mind while I am on assignment (its not like I have alot of time to check my battery power :P )

A cheaper battery also means that I can change to a new battery after a few years, after the cell has died, without burning a hole in my pocket.

PRO:
Reliable
Sturdy
Cheap <S$80

CON:
Heavier
Less features

**
I am not trying to dis-credit Quantum here. It is afterall a product designed and built for professional equipments. I have used Quantum for many years and I totally trust it. If not for finance constraints, I would get another Quantum.

Some considerations for Quantum products:

(1) They have warranty for their products. Not only does it protect your new equipment, it also shows that they have confidence in the quality of their products.

(2) Advance circuitry designs that gives additonal features. It also has circuitry to protect your equipment from damage.

(3) They have years of experience designed battery packs for the professionals.

**

[meepokman]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 hey, meepok! ermmm.... anyway to modify this further for my sigma 500 DG ST flash?

can can

can be done....

you just need to know how many AA batteries you use.

Nikon flashes uses 4 AA batteries -> 6V thus I'm using a 6V SLA.

If your flash use 3 AA battery -> 4.5V then you need a 4.5V battery (SLAs only come in multiples of 2Vs).

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by meepokman can can can be done.... you just need to know how many AA batteries you use. Nikon flashes uses 4 AA batteries -> 6V thus I'm using a 6V SLA. If your flash use 3 AA battery -> 4.5V then you need a 4.5V battery (SLAs only come in multiples of 2Vs).

mine is 4 AA batts. i currently using the sanyo rechargable batts. but the recycle rate is quite slow and batts dun last very long...

ermm.... i thick skinned a bit. but any plans to do this for sale? i'll gladly pay. tried asking ruby yesterday evening on whether they have anything for sigma. no luck. the quantum batt pack is not available for sigma 500 DG ST flash yet.

[AJ23]

Just a question on your original 1+ battery pack, is the circuit board complicated? Can it be duplicated?

[meepokman]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 mine is 4 AA batts. i currently using the sanyo rechargable batts. but the recycle rate is quite slow and batts dun last very long... ermm.... i thick skinned a bit. but any plans to do this for sale? i'll gladly pay. tried asking ruby yesterday evening on whether they have anything for sigma. no luck. the quantum batt pack is not available for sigma 500 DG ST flash yet.

huh? Why no quantum pack is available for sigma flash?
Is it because there is no power cable for the flash at the moment?

As far as I know, this battery pack will work for all flash that operates on 6V. The only problem you might face is the battery chamber.

My SB-26 & 800's uses 4 AA aligned in a straight line. Quantum manufactures power cables that just slots into the chamber. The original battery chamber cannot be closed in this case (SB-800's chamber cover is removable.)

If your battery chamber is of some wierd shape, then probably the only way is to use dummy batteries.

damn...you guys are either damn fast or im too loh soh / slow... i haven post finish leh :P

Nightwolf, later i will post the contact of Jeffrey. Anyone who is interested can look for him at Sim Lim Tower or give him a call. He can help you customize your battery pack. *I am in no way affliated with him. I cannot gurantee that he will give you the best price but he is an extremely helpful and friendly person. Once you are agreeable to the price, he can help you build one -> you can just go pick it up from him*

[meepokman]

Originally Posted by AJ23 Just a question on your original 1+ battery pack, is the circuit board complicated? Can it be duplicated?

AJ,

the board is pretty complicated. And I believe it uses an original chip thus I don't think the possibility of duplicating is high.

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by meepokman huh? Why no quantum pack is available for sigma flash? Is it because there is no power cable for the flash at the moment? As far as I know, this battery pack will work for all flash that operates on 6V. The only problem you might face is the battery chamber. My SB-26 & 800's uses 4 AA aligned in a straight line. Quantum manufactures power cables that just slots into the chamber. The original battery chamber cannot be closed in this case (SB-800's chamber cover is removable.) If your battery chamber is of some wierd shape, then probably the only way is to use dummy batteries. damn...you guys are either damn fast or im too loh soh / slow... i haven post finish leh :P Nightwolf, later i will post the contact of Jeffrey. Anyone who is interested can look for him at Sim Lim Tower or give him a call. He can help you customize your battery pack. *I am in no way affliated with him. I cannot gurantee that he will give you the best price but he is an extremely helpful and friendly person. Once you are agreeable to the price, he can help you build one -> you can just go pick it up from him*

*BLEAH*.... i was talking to the lady staff at ruby. she flipped thru her entire quantum stock book and can't find a match. she said most probably the flash too new for quantum to reverse engineer it.

my AAs are aligned in a square format. no external power cord like the 550EX or ur nikon flash. darn... does dat mean i'm screwed? i hope ur contact, jeffrey, can work his magic??

[meepokman]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 *BLEAH*.... i was talking to the lady staff at ruby. she flipped thru her entire quantum stock book and can't find a match. she said most probably the flash too new for quantum to reverse engineer it. my AAs are aligned in a square format. no external power cord like the 550EX or ur nikon flash. darn... does dat mean i'm screwed? i hope ur contact, jeffrey, can work his magic??

hehe...

you are not screwed... your additional cost & trouble will come in the form of your power cord. You will have to build one yourself (dummy battery).

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by meepokman hehe... you are not screwed... your additional cost & trouble will come in the form of your power cord. You will have to build one yourself (dummy battery).

damn.... knew i shld have studied harder to become an engineer...


meepok - if u got any news from ur fren jeffery abt building one for a sigma 500 DG ST flash, could u pl let me know?

[Sausage]

What is the cost involved for building one of these?

[meepokman]

Part 8: Contacts & Reference

For Quantum agent:

Yip Chieng 68447791


For D-sized 2V 2.5AH Cyclon Battery

#02-70 Sim Lim Square, tel: 63376548
http://www.tnrtechnical.com/anonsho...HVLQ7MHG8WB8DUE


For customizing your DIY battery pack:
Jeffrey Tan
Hoon San Electronic
#02-05 Sim Lim Tower (NOT SQUARE!)
62946418
*say YC intro


If you just wanna come look for me to chit-chat (provided i'm free :P )
YC aka meepokman
#B1-33 Sim Lim Tower


Building your dummy battery (courtesy of Kahheng)

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

[meepokman]

Originally Posted by Sausage What is the cost involved for building one of these?

silly me to have left out the cost :P

how much it cost will depend what battery you shoose and the additional features (switch, RCA jack, casing etc ) you have....

total cost will also depend if you need to get a charger...

building the battery itself will cost less than S$80.

For more accurate estimate, give jeffrey a call.

*but please hor... people also making aliving... :P