Helpful Posts Helpful Posts:  0
Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Swap to NiMH in old SunPak Autozoom 3000 External Flash

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Fairfax, Virginia (Washington D.C. Area)
    Posts
    68
    Real Name
    Dennis Soans

    Swap to NiMH in old SunPak Autozoom 3000 External Flash

    I have an old external flash - SunPak Autozoom 300 - that works quite well with my Nikon D5100 SLR. I am using an adapter on my hotshoe to protect the circuitry of my camera from the high voltage of this old flash unit.

    Coming to my question - the manual for the flash recommends 4 AA alkaline or NiCd batteries. So far I have used alkaline but would like to use NiMH rather than NiCD. Is there a downside to this - would this damage the circuity of the flash at all with extended use? I have tried it out and it appears to work just fine although the pulsing sound and flashing indicator lamp - when the capacitor is at full capacity - is more frequent/faster than with the alkaline.

  2. #2
    Vortex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    East Anglia, UK
    Posts
    31
    Real Name
    Paul

    Re: Swap to NiMH in old SunPak Autozoom 3000 External Flash

    Quote Originally Posted by DennisS View Post
    Coming to my question - the manual for the flash recommends 4 AA alkaline or NiCd batteries. So far I have used alkaline but would like to use NiMH rather than NiCD.
    If the flashgun was originally designed to use NiCd cells then using NiMH is perfectly OK. (I assume you are using individual NiMH cells that you charge with the correct type of charger).

    Is there a downside to this - would this damage the circuity of the flash at all with extended use?
    No...

    I have tried it out and it appears to work just fine although the pulsing sound and flashing indicator lamp - when the capacitor is at full capacity - is more frequent/faster than with the alkaline.
    The NiMH cells (or indeed NiCd) are able to deliver I higher discharge current, hence the more rapid pulsing of the indicator lamp. I see exactly the same effect on a really old Vivitar 283 that I run on NiMH cells; and that wasn't even designed to use NiCds...

  3. #3
    Kodiak's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Montréal, Canada and now Central Europe
    Posts
    1,240
    Real Name
    Edit is OK… always want to learn!

    Re: Swap to NiMH in old SunPak Autozoom 3000 External Flash

    To add to Paul's correct answers, when it comes to which electrochemical
    compound to use in flash units like it's the case, two parameters are crucial:

    • the low inner resistance of the compound —this assures the quick delivery
    of current when needed for fast recycling times, and

    • the voltage —to make sure that the internal circuitry of the flash will operate
    within the manufacturer's required (nominal) tension.
    Last edited by Colin Southern; 19th August 2014 at 11:00 AM.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Fairfax, Virginia (Washington D.C. Area)
    Posts
    68
    Real Name
    Dennis Soans

    Re: Swap to NiMH in old SunPak Autozoom 3000 External Flash

    Thank you Paul and Kodiak. That is a relief to know. Yes, I use the relevant charger for the NiMH batteries - a La Crosse BC1000 charger.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •