Godox Ad 400 pro battery

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cargo

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Another Ad400 question.


I recently purchased a Ad 400pro. I am only a hobbyist so don't use the strobe to any great degree but do like to play and try and learn the lighting.


I also have an Ad200 which I have owned for quite some time the battery is amazing I seem to be able to use it for ages before charging. In fact It as never run out on me I just charge it before then.


The Ad400 seems very poor in that regard or maybe I am doing something wrong. I know it as the model light so that would drain power. I have hardly used that to be honest as I forget it's there as I've never used one before.


Is there a way I can test this so I can see if it as a fault ?


Hope someone can advise.


Thanks

Gaz
 
AD400Pro modeling LED is one of the brighter ones for a battery-powered head. Rated at 30W, it will run for around 75mins at full power, but only if the flash isn't used. With the flash also firing, that time could drop pretty quickly. If you don't have a spare battery to hand, then turn the modelling LED down if you don't need it super bright (or off). In theory, if you turn it down to 50% then it'll last twice as long.
 
@HoppyUK

Hi Richard.

Thanks for the reply.

I take on board what you are saying regarding the modeling light. I have never used it at full power. Just one press of the button which is lower power and literally on for less than 1 minute and often not used at all.

Would it do the strobe no harm to fully charge it and leave the model light on full power to test how long it takes to deplete the battery ?

Gaz
 
cargo said:
@HoppyUK

Hi Richard.

Thanks for the reply.

I take on board what you are saying regarding the modeling light. I have never used it at full power. Just one press of the button which is lower power and literally on for less than 1 minute and often not used at all.

Would it do the strobe no harm to fully charge it and leave the model light on full power to test how long it takes to deplete the battery ?

Gaz
Click to expand...

Should be fine. Just point the head up to make sure the the thermal cutout doesn't mess things up. That's what I did, and it lasted 75 minutes. It then takes 2 hours to fully recharge the battery which is why I got a spare. Bear in mind that the fan is also on max speed with the modelling LED on full, but cuts back to low speed with the LED turned down to 30%.
 
HoppyUK said:
Should be fine. Just point the head up to make sure the the thermal cutout doesn't mess things up. That's what I did, and it lasted 75 minutes. It then takes 2 hours to fully recharge the battery which is why I got a spare. Bear in mind that the fan is also on max speed with the modelling LED on full, but cuts back to low speed with the LED turned down to 30%.
Click to expand...

"Bear in mind that the fan is also on max speed with the modelling LED on full, but cuts back to low speed with the LED turned down to 30%."

That's according to the handbook, but I just tried it on my AD400Pro. From cold, the fan is off when the LED is below 20%, then cuts in at low speed above that. After it's been on a few minutes, the fan shifts to high speed. I'm guessing that's actually thermally controlled, as according to some informed forum posts the fan-cooled Godox units have proper thermo sensors instead of just flash counters for power/frequency to control heat.

I also checked LED brightness and it drops from full power to one stop less bright at 65% setting.
 
Ok Richard. Thanks for your help. I will set it to full power modelling when I get in later and see how long it runs. I need a way to check the battery is working as it should be before getting in touch with the supplier. It maybe me who is expecting to much.

I'll let you know how it goes.
 
cargo said:
Ok Richard. Thanks for your help. I will set it to full power modelling when I get in later and see how long it runs. I need a way to check the battery is working as it should be before getting in touch with the supplier. It maybe me who is expecting to much.

I'll let you know how it goes.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. There are some stories of duff Godox batteries, but they appear to be rare. The more common problem is people running the battery flat and then putting everything away for a while, then when they come to recharge it the battery has run so low that it won't take a charge. There are some workarounds to get them going again but not guaranteed.

These new Li-ion batteries are pretty wonderful (mine seem to last forever in normal use, with little or no modelling light) but they can be temperamental. The golden rules seem to be to part-charge them immediately when exhausted, store them with around 60-80% charge, and check them from time to time if they're put away. I have a note in my diary to do that, just in case, and I also fire off a few pops just to keep the capacitors in shape.
 
@HoppyUK

Morning Richard

I tested the strobe twice. Set to full power modling light. I'm getting about 70mins so i'm thinking all is well as this tallies with your findings.

Maybe I should keep a record of how many shots I take from a full charge plus how long I leave the flash before using again. This last week I maybe used it on a Tuesday evening and then on Thursday on both occassions maybe 60 shots at half power.

That said I can't recall wether it was at full charge before use.

Gaz
 
cargo said:
@HoppyUK

Morning Richard

I tested the strobe twice. Set to full power modling light. I'm getting about 70mins so i'm thinking all is well as this tallies with your findings.

Maybe I should keep a record of how many shots I take from a full charge plus how long I leave the flash before using again. This last week I maybe used it on a Tuesday evening and then on Thursday on both occassions maybe 60 shots at half power.

That said I can't recall wether it was at full charge before use.

Gaz
Click to expand...

"That said I can't recall wether it was at full charge before use."

Sounds like it probably wasn't. And the battery charge indicators are approximate, at best.

From your test, the battery sounds fine but the penalty for having a high power flash with good modelling LED is that it will eat through the battery if you push it. Just a fact of life really, but by the same token if you're aware of that and turn everything down a bit it will multiply the time/shots you'll get.

If you're concerned, get a spare battery or, if it's mainly for studio use with the LED on a lot and mains power to hand, get the AC power unit. BTW, it's possible to use the head with the battery charger plugged in, but a) this is not recommended by Godox though they don't say why (I don't think it's a danger, but more that it's bad for the battery, despite some other brands saying it's okay. Either way, I don't do it.) and b) when you're pressing on, the charger has no hope of keeping up so only marginal benefit.
 
mike weeks said:
Don’t store with battery attached, don’t leave battery attached to the charger
Mike
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike.

I have not used it since charging on Saturday. I am off work today so may use it later and keep a record of it. I'm not good at keeping records to be honest. I start off well then loose intrest.

Thanks for the tips.

Gaz
 
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