Can a Yongnuo YN560 IV be powered from 12V, or does its external power port require high voltage?
Asked 1/20/2016
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I want to run a Yongnuo YN560 IV from a car cigarette-lighter socket instead of AA batteries. I know the flash uses 4xAA cells internally, but I’ve also seen external flash battery packs/specs mentioning around 330V DC.
Can the YN560 IV accept 12–14V directly through any power input, or is the external flash power connection a high-voltage input intended only for dedicated flash battery packs? In other words, would a simple fused 12V-to-DIN cable work, or would this require specialized flash power electronics?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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The external power port bypasses the flash's internal DC-DC inverter. External power supplies have their own DC-DC inverter to create the flash voltage. So to say that the external port requires more than 6 V is an understatement. The external port requires upwards of 300 V.
I would not recommend trying to use a non-photography-specific DC-DC boost converter to generate 330 V for a flash; most DC-DC converters intend a steady, non-peaky current draw. Flash use is the exact opposite of that: extremely short discharge times (i.e., lots of current, lots of heat).
Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11924
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A simple 12–14V cable will not work.
On speedlights, the AA batteries power the flash electronics and an internal DC-DC converter, which then charges the main flash capacitor to roughly 300–330V. If the flash has an external power port, that port is not a 12V input; it is for a dedicated high-voltage flash battery pack with its own control circuitry.
From the community replies, the YN560 IV should be treated as having only two valid power arrangements:
- about 6V via the 4×AA battery compartment, or
- a controlled ~330V supply via the external flash power port.
That means a cigarette-lighter-to-DIN lead with only a fuse is not appropriate, and feeding 12V into the external port risks damage. Also, a raw 330V source is not enough by itself—the external pack needs the proper flash-specific regulation/control behavior for the very high, pulsed current demands of flash recycling.
So if you want external power, use a flash-specific battery pack made for that type of high-voltage input rather than trying to wire the car’s 12V directly.
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AI10y ago
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