Quantum T2 - battery options?

[leo_tam1]

<p>So T2s are cheap now- but Quantum turbos are still expensive and I don't like having to deal with SLA battery maintenance <br>

What else can I power them with? Preferably NiMH or Li Ion</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>New Turbos are expensive but you can get a re-celled Turbo for around $135. Never had any maintenance issues -- just keep them charged. Don't have to run them down to empty before recharging like old NiCads.<br /><br />Not sure if they still make them but I have a Lumedyne battery that is their equivalent of a Turbo, even uses the same cables. When I bought it about 15 years ago it was about half the price of a Turbo.<br /><br />Both Quantum and Lumedyne will re-cell batteries with dead cells for around $100 or less, so it's possible to buy a used one that somebody thinks is dead and put it back to work.</p>

[leo_tam1]

<p>Thanks- also what cable is it? Quantum doesn't list it?</p>

[savagesax]

One of the tricks with the Quantum batteries is to charge them for about 6 hours the day before your job. They

should last about 5 plus years with heavy use, such as shooting weddings every weekend. If you leave the

charger on for a few days or more, this actually kills the batteries and you will have to replace them much

sooner, like once a year. They won't hold a charge if you overcharge them.

 

If you don't use the flash battery for several months the batteries will go dead. Don't worry about it. Simply recharge the batteries the day before you need it. Let the batteries die. Thats a good thing!

 

I think Quantum uses the same battery cable for all of their T series flash units. Call them to be sure. The shoe

mount flash may use a different cable. I can't remember.

 

The people at Quantum are pretty nice and usaully very professional. I've used their gear now for perhaps 15 to 20 years.

[Gary Naka]

<p>Bob<br>

The last time I read a SLA manual (PowerSonic SLA batteries), you do NOT want them to die, in fact you do not want the battery voltage to drop below a certain level, as that would damage the battery. SLAs do not like being driven down to a LOW level.</p>

<p>Leo,<br>

The only SLA maintenance is plugging the charger in once a month for a day (when not in use), or when you return from a shoot.</p>

<p>You would have to rebuild the Turbo to use a NiMH battery as the cell voltages are different; 2v for lead acid and I think 1.2v for NiMH. Even then you will be either over (7 cells) or under (6 cells) the 8v target.</p>

<p>I use both a Quantum Turbo and a Lumedyne pack. The old Lumedyne battery packs (at least mine) can be recelled using NiMH cells to get longer performance than the stock NiCd cells. But you then need to also use a smart NiMH charger rather than the dumb Lumedyne NiCd charger.</p>