CP-E4 battery packs for 580ex (issues)

urbanaries

Just bought two CP-E4s. Charged up a group of 8 NiMH 2800 mAh AAs, installed correctly (triple checked) in battery pack. Attached to both flashes and neither worked. I tried both battery packs with both flashes and can't get them to turn on. I guess I could try a different set of batteries....something just seems strange.

Is there some sort of switch not defined in the instructions? Do the flashes need 4 batteries in them, too? I tried that of course but it's impossible to tell whether the flashes are truly connected to the BPs or just the standard batteries.

Help!

thanks
Lynne

pathfinder

Lynn, I use the previous CP-E3, and the flash does indeed need four batteries in it as well. No switch on the battery pack, just plug it in the flash loaded with new batteries, turn in on and Rock on!

I love using the battery pack, the recycle time drops almost to just a couple seconds.

urbanaries

Thanks so much, PF!!!!!! Look forward to putting them to good use today at a wedding.

pathfinder wrote:

Lynn, I use the previous CP-E3, and the flash does indeed need four batteries in it as well. No switch on the battery pack, just plug it in the flash loaded with new batteries, turn in on and Rock on!

I love using the battery pack, the recycle time drops almost to just a couple seconds.

pathfinder

How did things go at the wedding with your new snappier flash systems.

Do you like the new battery packs? Would you go back to working without them?

I'll bet not, but we'll await your answers eagerly

urbanaries

pathfinder wrote:

How did things go at the wedding with your new snappier flash systems.

Do you like the new battery packs? Would you go back to working without them?

I'll bet not, but we'll await your answers eagerly

Hey, PF!

I've been hesitant to make a judgment as I wasn't totally sure I did everything right when I used the packs at the reception. I missed a few shots in a series (eg, only 2 of 3 flashes fired during the bouquet toss; but I haven't tested it rigorously enough to be sure it wasn't an ST-E2 line of sight issue vs. the power. Any thoughts?

Scott_Quier

urbanaries wrote:

Hey, PF!

I've been hesitant to make a judgment as I wasn't totally sure I did everything right when I used the packs at the reception. I missed a few shots in a series (eg, only 2 of 3 flashes fired during the bouquet toss; but I haven't tested it rigorously enough to be sure it wasn't an ST-E2 line of sight issue vs. the power. Any thoughts?

Lynne,

Looking at the bouquet toss you posted in your wedding forum thread, I would be very inclinded to say you had a power/re-cycle issue there. It appears, you chewed up a lot of power with that first shot. Another point you make that leads me away from thinking you had a line-of-sight issue is that you got flash on #1 and #3 of the 3-shot series. I don't think you could move fast enough to get the first and last and not the second to fire.

urbanaries

Scott_Quier wrote:

Lynne,

Looking at the bouquet toss you posted in your wedding forum thread, I would be very inclinded to say you had a power/re-cycle issue there. It appears, you chewed up a lot of power with that first shot. Another point you make that leads me away from thinking you had a line-of-sight issue is that you got flash on #1 and #3 of the 3-shot series. I don't think you could move fast enough to get the first and last and not the second to fire.

'

Confirms what I was thinking as well.....thanks Scott!