July 23rd, 2010
Nikon SB-900 Overheating Explanation & Solution (Part 1)
How To Photograph Fireworks, by / found by Andy.
PART ONE OF FOUR This video discusses into depth to explain the causes of Nikon’s flagship speedlight of SB-900 to overheat due to human errors. Enjoy! Music: Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane
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Uh huh.
You got the results on the 580EX II; the results is very different on the SB-900.
The tests in the video proved very clearly that fresh primary AA alkalines have the fastest recycling time because of its higher voltage of 1.5V compared to rechargeable batteries’ lower voltage of 1.2V.
When primary batteries are about to go bad, the recycling times will be slower and longer.
huh? no. the alkaline vs NiMh “point” you made doesn’t make any sense – NiMh batteries have a much lower internal resistance and can thus be used in high amperage applications with more success. I used to be heavily involved with RC cars – try using Alkaline batteries with those small motors – you will lose all of your torque and acceleration. I did a test and my flash recycles from 1/1 in 5.5 seconds with fresh alkalines (Energizer) and 1.9 seconds with 2500 MaH Energizer NiMH AA .
It is because the 580EX II is a midget compared to the SB-900.
Strange, my 580 EX II seems to recharge quicker on Ni-Mh batteries compared to alkaline.
Hi lilkiwiguy,
Well for a puter nucklehead im breathing on my fingernails and shining them on my sweat top !!
I did the SB900 firmware upgrade , not only that I also upgraded my D3 …pride comes before a fall I thought, but no, everything still works!! Phew!
The only hold up was I had to download “stuffit” expansion software to extract the file for the SB900.
The D3 was self extracting.
You were right it is a piece of cake really and if I can manage it anybody can.
Thanks again for brill vids.
Thanks, I will do that, I have learned tons from your videos that I wouldn’t have grasped from RTFM .
Okay, if you are that concerned, please watch our How to Update Your Camera’s Firmware Tutorial video because updating SB-900 firmware are very identical.
I remember from your vid that the new firmware doesn’t have anything to do with the thermal cut out but solves the overexposure bug ( I wont call it a “problem” ‘cos it doesn”t happen on every shot ) but I have noticed it happening and wondered why so it would be nice to get the new fix for it.
What stupid things could someone do to mess the download up ? ‘cos if there is something stupid to mess it up I’m the one who’ll probably do it .
Piece of cake, just follow the instructions on Nikon’s website.
But, 5.0.2 does not solve SB-900 overheating “issue”.
Has anyone tried to download the 5.0.2 firmware from the Nikon website for the SB900 ?
Was it / is it easy to do ?
The thermal shut off is designed to turn off itself (preventing you to use the flash) to allow it to cool off before you can use it again. It is not for the flash tube alone, it is for the circuits that carry the electricity from the batteries. Turning it off is very risky because it could result in malfunction to the SB-900.
Rent the Quantum Turbo FIRST to see if you like it or not.
You would need CKE (non-coiled) or PM-CKE (coiled) cable to hook up the SB-900 to Quantum Turbo 2×2 / SC.
Thanks again for clearing this up , you have a skullfull of knowledge.
I was confused ‘cos someone else (who thought they knew something) said that the thermal sensor was in the flash head and he was thinking of putting aluminium foil on the top ‘cos it overheats more on a hot sunny day !!!!!!.
A load of old b****cks .
You have now just cleared this and that should be the end of that discussion.
Im of to buy a 2×2 quantum. HeHe !
Thanks.
Either way, SD-8A / SD-9 (using Duracell Copper Top Alkalines) or Quantum Turbo 2×2 / SC, works like charm for us.
No, the flash lamp doesn’t overheat because it is not designed to do that, it’s the current that goes through the flash from the batteries with low voltages (1.2V for example). Current uses energy, energy moves fast, fast requires pressure, pressure have the tendency of getting hot, hot results in, of course, overheating.
We just cleared this. A very basic physics problem.
Weddedblitz,
Do you still get the sb900 overheating with your quantum turbo ?
If overheating still occurs then a quantum or Duracell 1.5v isnt the answer to overheating, only to recycle times…..???
1.2v batteries may get hotter but its the temp at the flash head that causes the flash to shut down .
Im even more confused now.
Well Lilkiwiguy is spot on with this problem.
I bought a SD9 battery pack for my SB900 last july and filled both with high capacity 2850mha rechargeable batteries,12 in total.
The flash continued to overheat and turn off in some situations.
just three days before seeing these videos (20th Jan ) I did a wedding where doves were released by the bride, so D3, 9fps, F6.3, ISO 1250, 800th sec to freeze the doves bodies fired off eight shots and the flash overheated ! 1.2 volts is not enough.
Yes, that is correct. higher mAh have absolutely nothing to do with recycling times; it is simply battery’s capacity (life). The higher mAh your batteries have, the longer it lasts. The lower mAh your batteries have, the shorter it lasts.
Recycling times have everything to do with voltage speed (1.2V and 1.5V). 1.5V have stronger current than 1.2V, which results in faster recycling times. 1.2V are pushing it, which becomes hot then SB-900 gets hot then, finally, it overheats.
After watching all four videos Im totally convinced you are correct about rechargeables, but just one pointless question…. Even if one uses 2850mah rechargeables is it the 1.2volts that is the problem, just not enough voltage? Im expecting the answer to be yes.
I worded it wrong sorry, of course i use Duracell as well which powers the internal “computer” but you can flash all day with a quantum turbo compact . As for overheating I turned the pesky temp bleep off. Great vid series!
Uhm, you only watched Part 1 of 4. Quantum Turbo is mentioned in Part 4. So, start watching all parts.
Sod little batteries, get a Quantum pack. Problem solved.
Thanks for the tip, very helpfull!!!
Piece of cake, crank the ISO up at least two stops, buy a Nikon SD-8A or SD-9 battery pack (or Quantum Turbo 2×2 battery pack), and don’t shoot at low apertures (keep it F/4.0 or higher). The SB-900 will last all day with all of these suggestions on single charge of batteries.
But that it’s just ridiculous, I have set myself as flash wants. I’m doing a wedding then I can’t “heavily” fire my flash using rechargeable batteries because it wil overheat, I’m supposed to use primary batteries or my flash will turn off. I’m no from the US, and here in my country alkaline batteries such as Duracell Copperheads are not cheap.
Then enlight me, how i’m supposed to work if have to “obbey” the flash unit needs?
You need to watch the video AGAIN; we already did that and it proves rechargeable batteries fail to keep it up with the recycling times.
For every test in all four videos, the rechargeable battery is fresh and fully recharged, so are the alkalines.
Again, in this video, it clearly states you can use rechargeable batteries in non-heavy shooting situations.
By the way, you did it on a SB-800, not SB-900, the results are very different.
To Likiwiguy87:
Rechargeables have faster rec time compared to alkies. Try using a fully charged 2500mah and do the same test again. This time insert the duracell first, then dump it at full power, and try the rechargeables right after. I bet you the rechargeable will bet the alkies hand down. I did this test with my sb-800 years ago.
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