missy_kay Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Hello all!!<br>I was photographing a wedding last Saturday and I put fresh batteries into my 580ex flash. The batteries were lithium like 20$ digital batteries. I took about 5 pictures with flash and then they started introducing the bridal party. While taking pictures I noticed my flash was having some problems and wouldn't work. I quickly popped out the batteries and they burned my hand! Like 1st degree burns so hot that I dropped them on the floor because I couldn't hold them. I threw in another set of batteries from the same package in there and everything was 100% fine for the rest of the night.<br>I'm really confused now because I don't know what happened and why the batteries would have gotten so hot that they burned me. Does anyone know?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Did you have one or more of them in backwards? That's all it would take.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad_bilinski1 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>I had 4 fresh batteries in my pocket once, and they got really really hot too. I'm not sure why but its just another thing we have to look out for.<br> I hope your trigger finger didn't get burned to badly.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richsimmons Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>If you keep batteries in your pocket and they connect to a coin, they will get hot. Inside the flash, I'd say maybe you just got a bad set. They make millions, couple of bad ones will get through every once in a while. Matt's explanation is probably right though. Reversing the polarity will do this.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_popp1 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>If you reversed the polarity, the flash shouldn't have worked in the first five pictures you took. If you can confirm from the exif data that the flash fired, you can eliminate the possibility that you put the batteries in wrong.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>You can reverse the polarity on <em>one</em> of the batteries and still get some brief (very hot) life out of the set. I've seen this happen in other gear, too. <br /><br />Regardless, I'd skip the lithiums anyway, for regular work ($20? yikes). Just get some good quality NiMH batteries - like the Sanyo Eneloops - and a <em>good</em> per-cell charger like a LaCrosse or Maha, and you're in business. Get four sets of them. Rotate their use, and use the quality charger's abillity to individuall test and cycle the batteries to get the most from them.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_wilson1 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Wow, bet those were some hot pics! (Sorry couldn't resist) I used to use the re-chargeables in my Hasselblad D Flash and it was always good, but then I started to get annoyed with the whole charging and rotating thing, so I went to just buying whatever 12 pack alkalines were on sale at the Walgreens, Shop Rite or Radio Shack and chucked them as I was leaving the reception. Just considered them an expendable. I always had plenty if I needed them. Konrad, that's what we call a "hot pocket". Oh boy I better go before I get banned from here ;)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gardner Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Yep! Matt would be correct...one or more were backwards or one of them shorted. Take a 9volt and place a coin on top...but don't stand too close.</p> <p>Oh...and if one bursts open...the white stuff is acid...clean it fast and don't get any on or in your eyes.</p> <p>Dave</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Well I know for a fact that lithiums get ultra hot in the flash, no shorting or reverse polarity, if you are firing the flash at a good clip, at near or almost full output. So, bouncing flash (requires more output) and shooting fast will cause the batteries to be fire hot. I know, because I did it once. Last time I used lithiums in the flash--it was a 580EX too.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gardner Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Nadine,</p> <p>It was a shorted battery...only a shorted battery would get a hot to the touch as she described. It's the same with all batteries...i happen to know a little about batteries. Doesn't matter what type, nicad, lith ion, led acid...there all the same when they short. The heat is actually caused by current flow in excess.</p> <p>Dave</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Dave--I'm sure you're right--I am no scientist. All I know is that lithiums get hot super hot (hot to the touch) in my flash if I'm shooting at a good clip, at or near full output. My NiMH batteries have never done this. I keep lithiums in my bag as emergency batteries. The times that I've used them as emergency batteries, they have gotten hotter than other batteries. The one time I used them as emergency batteries at a wedding reception, bouncing and shooting fast, they got super hot. I don't think I put them in backwards either. But whatever the case... If I need to use them as emergency batteries in the same scenario, I'd do it, but for a very short time. I'd get my other batteries as soon as I could.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayt Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>Lithiums can short and explode, violently. Just ask those that use CR123 batteries in flashlights. There is supposed to be a protection circuit that will blow when the cells short circuit but it is not reliable for an internal short. Lithium batteries pack a lot of power and can give up that power very quickly. That is one of their advantages but also one of their weaknesses.</p> <p>I suspect that you had one battery reversed without realizing what you had done. That will tend to reverse charge the battery and that will cause all kinds of problems.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>I have had this happen with the energizer lithiums (silver and blue ones). I never use them for flash now. For some reason they get ulta hot when used rapidly. I have also heard of the reversed battery, but never experienced that myself.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_anderson9 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 The folks are right, if one was reversed you'd have all the batteries except one trying to charge the reversed one, which isn't good. <p> Did you throw away the lithiums? The Everedy AA lithiums used to have a thermal fuse to protect the battery from catching fire, that automatically reset itself. After the battery cools off, it can be used again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris-bochenek Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 <p>I dont know what it is but I at a shoot I had my sb-600 and set of AA batteries flash got hot and so did the batteries and they died just after 20-30 photos I took them out and the new ones worked great for the rest of the shoot.<br> I didn't think twice about it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsfbr Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>I think it was much more likely that one of the cells was bad than reversed. Fresh Lithiums are about 4V a piece. I don't know how many you use in that flash, but a bad one would start out at maybe 1 -1.5V and go down to 0 or possibly reverse a bit under high current drain. So, you would be close to 4V under what you were supposed to be in terms of total voltage. If the flash takes 4 cells in series, I could easily see it working for a few flashes at 3V - 4V down, and then struggle as the bad cell became reversed. That bad cell would be very, very hot.<br> On the other hand, a new but reversed cell would give a total voltage that was 8V down. And I have a hard time imagining the flash unit working at all under those circumstances. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ_butner___portland__or Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>Yes, if you shoot too rapidly, lithiums will overheat and temporarily shut down. As soon as they cool down, they're good as new. And, this added safety feature has probably prevented many a shooter from frying their flash units.</p> <p>Russ</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francie_baltazar Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 <p>I personally think Lithiums suck... they get hot every time in my Flashes - I have gone to rechargables that are fantastic and I can get off 100's of shots before having to change them with little or no heat up... they are Maha 2700 Recharge - you can get them at thomas distributing... love love love them... I love my canon but they have got to work on the battery issue with their flashes... 580EX is the worst for regular batteries... and liths will burn your hand when you take them out...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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