Dead Battery Woes
Jul 23, 2016 12:24:10 #
CPR wrote:
I'm cheap so would take the unit apart, rinse it out with warm soapy water and then mix up some water with baking soda and pour that on. Look for any bubbles and use a soft brush on those spots. Rinse it out very well and air dry. Use a pencil eraser on the battery contacts and check for eroded through connections.
Sounds like a joke but I used this on a $600 2-way radio that had received a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. Once dry the unit worked fine for years after.
Sounds like a joke but I used this on a $600 2-way radio that had received a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. Once dry the unit worked fine for years after.
Two things to remember.
1 Capacitors are made to hold a charge and a flash has a big-time charge. If you're not careful that charge could zap you pretty good!
2 Some flashes are very difficult to put back together.
Other than those two things to consider, I fully for what you say.
Jul 23, 2016 12:31:46 #
Take some aluminum foil and crinkle it up and rub that over the contacts, dont ask me why but sometimes this works better than sand paper.
Jul 23, 2016 12:58:30 #
I have (had) a Nikon SB 800 flash. I let my sister use the flash. She had it for awhile. When I got it back , the same thing had happened to it. The leakage has probably gotten onto the circuit boards. Sorry to say, probably time for a new flash. Good luck either way!!
Jul 23, 2016 14:18:59 #
Aside from not storing the batteries inside anything electronic that is not going to be used a while I have also found a BIG difference between brands. In my experience, Duracell batteries leak like sieves while Evereadys do not. Not a scientific test, just an observation. When I do get a "great" deal on Duracells, I make sure to remove them after every use. Also, in my flash units I prefer high quality rechargeables which I have had even less problems with. Best of luck.
Jul 23, 2016 14:40:17 #
Marvin 80
Loc: San Diego
The best way to clean contacts is to swab them (Absorbant Cotton) a solution of Backing Soda, then dry the contacts out when clean.
Jul 23, 2016 15:14:53 #
Generally, repairing is as expensive as replacement. The only permanent solution is to develop a work flow to always remove the batteries after a shoot. I have a small sticker on the back of my flash units: "Batteries?" It works both ways, to remind you to put tghem in before you start and to take them out when you finish. It keeps you from looking stupid when you compose a shot and the flash doesn't fire because there are no batteries aboard. Yes, I know, the ready light should warn you, but.......
Jul 23, 2016 17:25:31 #
CPR wrote:
I'm cheap so would take the unit apart, rinse it out with warm soapy water and then mix up some water with baking soda and pour that on. Look for any bubbles and use a soft brush on those spots. Rinse it out very well and air dry. Use a pencil eraser on the battery contacts and check for eroded through connections.
Sounds like a joke but I used this on a $600 2-way radio that had received a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. Once dry the unit worked fine for years after.
Sounds like a joke but I used this on a $600 2-way radio that had received a cup of coffee with sugar and milk. Once dry the unit worked fine for years after.
That's the best way to do it, but from the original post, I assumed he tried to do it without taking anything apart. Just like vinegar, the Baking Soda/water mix has to be cleaned out too when finished and being a paste would be even harder to clean out; it's almost as bad to have an Oxidizer mixture left on the batteries and in the 'innards' of electronics as an acid.
Jul 23, 2016 19:16:28 #
JCam wrote:
That's the best way to do it, but from the original post, I assumed he tried to do it without taking anything apart. Just like vinegar, the Baking Soda/water mix has to be cleaned out too when finished and being a paste would be even harder to clean out; it's almost as bad to have an Oxidizer mixture left on the batteries and in the 'innards' of electronics as an acid.
Why not just get a can of electrical contact cleaner and spray it down, let it evaporate and be done with it. Used it for years in the motor shop where I retired from, works great on contacters, dc motors, electronic boards, and servo encoders. Plus it's not electrically conductive. You can get it at any electrical supply house for $2-$4 a can.
Jul 23, 2016 19:57:54 #
Full-time photographer here but at one time I had another business specializing in repair and modification of professional electronic flash equipment- many years of experience. It's best not to mess with electronic flash gear unless you are an experienced technician. If you survived Viet Nam, like I did, and came back to the world in one piece- it would be ludicrous to kill yourself by electrocution or even suffer burns, nerve damage or a nasty shock! Even a small portable unit can harbor lethal voltages, especially if you add water to the mix. A shock received across both hands and arms can act like a cardiac defibrillator and do in your ticker! A residual charge can remain in the capacitors even after the unit is turned off. Even if you get the thing working and there is a residual fault or an intermittent short circuit, you can inadvertently direct excessive trigger voltage into your digital camera and destroy all of the electronics in the system- not good!
If the unit is a current and expensive model such as a name brand Speedlight, it may pay to have it serviced at the authorized service facility, however, if it is an older or low-priced unit, the cost of repair may exceed the value of the flash.
Battery innards can be extremely corrosive and destructive to electronic circuitry and the damaged caused is usually way beyond the cleaning potential, even of specialized solvents that are formulated for electronic components. Chances are that the battery gunk has eaten through a vital circuit board or component.
Call me a spendthrift if you like but I dispose of all alkaline type battery after each job or if there is any juice left in them, I just use them in TV remotes and other light duty appliances. I never store them, long term, with or in my equipment- even the expensive name brands and the rechargeables- better safe that sorry!
Sorry for your mishap! Thank you for your service!
Ed
If the unit is a current and expensive model such as a name brand Speedlight, it may pay to have it serviced at the authorized service facility, however, if it is an older or low-priced unit, the cost of repair may exceed the value of the flash.
Battery innards can be extremely corrosive and destructive to electronic circuitry and the damaged caused is usually way beyond the cleaning potential, even of specialized solvents that are formulated for electronic components. Chances are that the battery gunk has eaten through a vital circuit board or component.
Call me a spendthrift if you like but I dispose of all alkaline type battery after each job or if there is any juice left in them, I just use them in TV remotes and other light duty appliances. I never store them, long term, with or in my equipment- even the expensive name brands and the rechargeables- better safe that sorry!
Sorry for your mishap! Thank you for your service!
Ed
Jul 23, 2016 20:33:05 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
rdgreenwood wrote:
Grrrrr.... I schlepped a flash all over Vietnam for over a year and never had a problem. Now Pennsylvania's climate does me in. Thanx for the feedback. I don't want to see any of you rifling my trash.
It is not necessarily the climate however that does play a hand in it. It is the batteries, some keep better than others. I have always taken out my batteries. However, once I sent my flash into ever ready because the batteries ruined my flash, they sent me a check for about 1/2 the cost of a new flash. This does not always work but if you have the time to send it in with a long sob story you might be surprised at the result.
Jul 23, 2016 22:59:06 #
If you are willing to tinker...the stuff that leaks from the batteries is acidic in nature, so you can try neutralizing it with a paste made from a small amount of water and bicarbonate of soda. Apply the paste to the affected areas. If the stuff seeped down on the circuit board, that will need to be cleaned also. You can then spray everything with contact cleaner to rinse off the residue. You may be able to rehabilitate the unit if you're lucky. If you put batteries in it after all this and try to get it to work, be very careful of the capacitor - it can give you a very hefty jolt! Good luck.
Jul 23, 2016 23:36:29 #
Jakebrake wrote:
I make it a habit not to leave batteries in my flash's. It takes under a minute to put/remove during a photo shoot.
Ditto. I NEVER leave batteries in my flashes. Like Jake said, it only takes a few seconds to pop them out and since I use rechargeables, I have to remove them anyway.
Jul 24, 2016 00:03:17 #
My thanks to everyone who was nice enough to make a suggestion. I've decided to dispose of the flash, a Nikon SB800, and work with my SB600. The problem was undoubtedly a product of my lack of concern for the piece of equipment, given that I so rarely use a flash. So it goes...
Jul 25, 2016 11:13:14 #
I've found that when this happens that sometimes (the last 2 for me) the acid ate through the wire on the battery connection.
I was able to get the unit apart and solder the wire back on and up it came.
I was able to get the unit apart and solder the wire back on and up it came.
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