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SB80DX - Dead Batteries when off??????

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Brent Burzycki

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Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
 
What kind of batteries do you own? Nickel Metal Hydride? How many miliamps?

Some batteries will lose their charge from sitting there but it seems like they are going bad exceptionally quickly. Are they old?

I shoot with two SB80's and havn't incountered that problem (Yet).

Al
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
Click to expand...
 
ib1yysguy said:
What kind of batteries do you own? Nickel Metal Hydride? How many
miliamps?

Some batteries will lose their charge from sitting there but it
seems like they are going bad exceptionally quickly. Are they old?

I shoot with two SB80's and havn't incountered that problem (Yet).

Al
Click to expand...
NiMH has a very bad characteristic of loosing its charge very fast, especially sitting in a piece of equipment.

Lithium, now that is a real battery.

--
JR
 
NIMH - and they are I am sure some no-name brand....

I will have to contuiue to check and see what the hell the deal is..
James Riley said:
ib1yysguy said:
What kind of batteries do you own? Nickel Metal Hydride? How many
miliamps?

Some batteries will lose their charge from sitting there but it
seems like they are going bad exceptionally quickly. Are they old?

I shoot with two SB80's and havn't incountered that problem (Yet).

Al
Click to expand...
NiMH has a very bad characteristic of loosing its charge very fast,
especially sitting in a piece of equipment.

Lithium, now that is a real battery.

--
JR
Click to expand...
--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
 
James,

I have 1800mAH MAHAs in mine, and I regularly use my flash. My batteries have not been charged for over a month.

However, it could be the brand of NiMH batteries. I don't use no-namers or generics.

In general, NiMH batteries work pretty well for flash units. It would be nice if we could see Li-Ion AA rechargeables though. I would be in heaven.

--
http://pub103.ezboard.com/bthedigitaldinguscommunity
http://d100.topcities.com/
http://e10club.topcities.com/
--
Please see my Profile for equipment I use
 
Brent,

I haven't had this problem at all. Do you have any other equipment that uses AA batteries? Use the NiMH batteries in the other device and see if the batteries drain so fast. Second, it could be a problem with the SB-80. I really don't think this is the case. You may have received some faulty NiMH batteries, or your charger could have fried your AA batteries. Or, maybe your batteries are getting old? I'm just getting at most of the possibilities, because I don't know much about the situation.

If you want, post here how old the batteries are, what brand of charger, etc.

--
http://pub103.ezboard.com/bthedigitaldinguscommunity
http://d100.topcities.com/
http://e10club.topcities.com/
--
Please see my Profile for equipment I use
 
What is the deal with lithium AA?

There seems to be only 3.6v, with a tab or something.

Couldn't they make rechargable 1.5v or 1.2v lithium AA?

Is it a product liability problem, in that somehow it will blow up if you use regular recharger to charge them? I am sure they would have provided a special charger, but we are such a bunch of idiots, that everything has to be idiot-proof. And then when we screwed up ourselves, we want to blame it on some one else and make them pay millions.

But lithium, they really last a long time.

--
JR
 
James Riley said:
What is the deal with lithium AA?

There seems to be only 3.6v, with a tab or something.

Couldn't they make rechargable 1.5v or 1.2v lithium AA?

Is it a product liability problem, in that somehow it will blow up
if you use regular recharger to charge them? I am sure they would
have provided a special charger, but we are such a bunch of idiots,
that everything has to be idiot-proof. And then when we screwed up
ourselves, we want to blame it on some one else and make them pay
millions.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's another case of the US Paradox. We sell guns with an instruction manual that is maybe two pages, but an instruction manual for a battery charger is ten pages, has better illustrations, and is due to some battery lobbyist. :)

On a more serious note this morning, I think it's actually a matter of no one willing to come out with this feature. I don't think it's a liability issue--it could be a cost issue. Battery companies could be maximizing their profits at this point because they know eventually rechargeable lithiums are coming. Why be the first one to kill profits when you just sit back and wait for someone else to initiate. Sad, but true.

--
http://pub103.ezboard.com/bthedigitaldinguscommunity
http://d100.topcities.com/
http://e10club.topcities.com/
--
Please see my Profile for equipment I use
 
Not in 2 days time.
James Riley said:
ib1yysguy said:
What kind of batteries do you own? Nickel Metal Hydride? How many
miliamps?

Some batteries will lose their charge from sitting there but it
seems like they are going bad exceptionally quickly. Are they old?

I shoot with two SB80's and havn't incountered that problem (Yet).

Al
Click to expand...
NiMH has a very bad characteristic of loosing its charge very fast,
especially sitting in a piece of equipment.

Lithium, now that is a real battery.

--
JR
Click to expand...
--
Tommy
 
I will when I get back from a show i am doing - I will test them for the next 3 days and see if i can figure out more..

Hopefully it will just be cheapo batteries
Jason Busch said:
Brent,

I haven't had this problem at all. Do you have any other equipment
that uses AA batteries? Use the NiMH batteries in the other device
and see if the batteries drain so fast. Second, it could be a
problem with the SB-80. I really don't think this is the case. You
may have received some faulty NiMH batteries, or your charger could
have fried your AA batteries. Or, maybe your batteries are getting
old? I'm just getting at most of the possibilities, because I don't
know much about the situation.

If you want, post here how old the batteries are, what brand of
charger, etc.

--
http://pub103.ezboard.com/bthedigitaldinguscommunity
http://d100.topcities.com/
http://e10club.topcities.com/
--
Please see my Profile for equipment I use
Click to expand...
--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
 
Jason Busch said:
Yeah, it's another case of the US Paradox. We sell guns with an
instruction manual that is maybe two pages, but an instruction
manual for a battery charger is ten pages, has better
illustrations, and is due to some battery lobbyist. :)

On a more serious note this morning, I think it's actually a matter
of no one willing to come out with this feature. I don't think it's
a liability issue--it could be a cost issue. Battery companies
could be maximizing their profits at this point because they know
eventually rechargeable lithiums are coming. Why be the first one
to kill profits when you just sit back and wait for someone else to
initiate. Sad, but true.
Click to expand...
You could be right. Where are the cheap innovative Taiwanese imports when you need one?

On a related question, I have often wonder why the environmental tree-hagging dog-kissing plastic-recycling wackos don't go after the disposable battery manufacturers? They are obviously the biggest unnecessary chemical, if not haz-mat, poluters in this country. Rechargable batteries are such a no-brainer and even-lower-cost solution, why ain't they jumping all over these bozos and telling people to use only rechargable batteries?

Are they big supporters of the Democratic Party? Has the Green Party been paid off too? Is Jane Fonda sleeping with the Chairman of Union Carbide?

--
JR
 
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.
Click to expand...
Are you sure it's off and not in standby? If anything shows on the LCD, the flash is in standby and using power.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide
author, Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guide to the Nikon D100
author, Complete Guide to the Nikon D1, D1h, & D1x
http://www.bythom.com
 
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
Click to expand...
--

I have left my 1800 MaHa rechargable cells in my flash for over a month and still took 40-50 images with it and it still worked. I dis the same with a SB28dx, still good for weeks.

Greg Gebhardt D1, D1x, CP5000, CP5700, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
 
I have the SB28 and it has the same problem. It will drainned out the power on the lithium battery (Energizer Titanium e2) in a couple of weeks causing battary leak.

There is a problem with the speedlight. A defect in Nikon worksmanship. A Ritzcamera owner told me the same thing too. Need to return to Nikon but it's 4 years old. So I guess some of the Nikon flash won't last for more than 4 years.
Greg Gebhardt said:
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
Click to expand...
--
I have left my 1800 MaHa rechargable cells in my flash for over a
month and still took 40-50 images with it and it still worked. I
dis the same with a SB28dx, still good for weeks.

Greg Gebhardt D1, D1x, CP5000, CP5700, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
Click to expand...
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/nikonslr
Only take your pictures with a SLR please.... !
 
Hey -Thom,

When we wer eusing it we were using it off camera..as a second flash triggered by the on camera flash. When It is in the remote mode it goes into standby - but I was sure to turn it off - Could leaving it in this remote mode (but with the power off) draw it down...I hope not - because if it does - then the OFF button is not really an off button.
Thom Hogan said:
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.
Click to expand...
Are you sure it's off and not in standby? If anything shows on the
LCD, the flash is in standby and using power.

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide
author, Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guide to the Nikon D100
author, Complete Guide to the Nikon D1, D1h, & D1x
http://www.bythom.com
Click to expand...
--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
 
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
Click to expand...
I had simular problem with my sb 80dx for a while I was thinking it is the batteries which I was changing one after another, so I swich to my old sb 28, then next time it was working fine for a while and then it goes againit looked to me like it couldin't recharge so replace the batteries and it still didin't fire property I got like 2 out of like 20 shoots well expose. So I took the same batteries and innsert it the old sb 28 and gues what ? I still got about 300 shoots out of it. Then I knew it is not the batteries and one day didi't even turn it on so I took it back to the please where I got it from. As is for now I'm stell weatting for it.
This was my case by the way the speedlight was only 4 mounths old.

http://www.katanaphoto.com
 
nikonslr said:
There is a problem with the speedlight. A defect in Nikon
worksmanship. A Ritzcamera owner told me the same thing too. Need
to return to Nikon but it's 4 years old. So I guess some of the
Nikon flash won't last for more than 4 years.
Greg Gebhardt said:
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.

--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
Click to expand...
--
I have left my 1800 MaHa rechargable cells in my flash for over a
month and still took 40-50 images with it and it still worked. I
dis the same with a SB28dx, still good for weeks.

Greg Gebhardt D1, D1x, CP5000, CP5700, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
Click to expand...
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/nikonslr
Only take your pictures with a SLR please.... !
Click to expand...
--

Nikon should be able to repair the voltage leak. The cost will be high and may not be worth it, but look what a new 28 or 80dx costs!

Greg Gebhardt D1, D1x, CP5000, CP5700, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
 
Derek Kataniak said:
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I've had the same problem with my SB80DX too. The first set of Duracell batteries (bought in the US) worked fine for a good long while. The next set of cheapies (bought in Colombia) died two days after their first use. The next set of Duracells worked fine and then apparently died the next time I tried to use the flash (about six days later) but after I took them out and then put them back in a different order they worked fine! I thought that I had been leaving the flash on in the bag and was very careful to make sure it was turned off. This might be a problem with some of the units rather than with the batteries. Suggestions welcome!

Alastair
 
So what is a good set of rechargables?

In the US?
Alastair Turton said:
Derek Kataniak said:
Brent Burzycki said:
Is anyone with this flash having an issue leaving it with batteries
in it for a day or two not being used in your camera bag..

It has happened to me twice now...newly recharged batteries in the
flash - into the bag - two days later - try to fire the flash and
its dead..

And no - I am not leaving it on - I already checked that.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I've had the same problem with my SB80DX too. The first set of
Duracell batteries (bought in the US) worked fine for a good long
while. The next set of cheapies (bought in Colombia) died two days
after their first use. The next set of Duracells worked fine and
then apparently died the next time I tried to use the flash (about
six days later) but after I took them out and then put them back in
a different order they worked fine! I thought that I had been
leaving the flash on in the bag and was very careful to make sure
it was turned off. This might be a problem with some of the units
rather than with the batteries. Suggestions welcome!

Alastair
Click to expand...
--
Brent Burzycki
http://www.blackdiamondproductions.net
D100 - 24-120mm etc etc
 
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