Why does my Metz 58 AF-1 show low battery and recycle very slowly with fresh batteries?
Asked 2/12/2015
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2 answers
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My Metz 58 AF-1, bought new in 2010, used to give normal recycle times of a few seconds and well over 100 flashes on a set of alkaline batteries. Over the last 6 months, recycle time has become much worse, eventually taking 1–3 minutes and getting slower during use. Now, even with freshly installed batteries, the flash immediately shows a low-battery icon and sometimes will not fire at all. What is the likely cause, and what should I check first?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
The very long recycle time indicates that at least one (if not all) of your batteries is bad/depleted. If you're using rechargeables, the chances are simply that they aren't holding charge well any more. That happens.
The easiest fix to try would be to get new batteries. If you like using rechargeables, I'd also recommend getting a "smart" recharger that lets you condition and test your batteries as well as charge them, so you'll know when to replace them.
If swapping batteries doesn't work, then it's possible there's an issue with the capacitor in the flash. I would not recommend attempting to fix this yourself, unless you have electronics skills and tools to discharge a capacitor (so you don't kill yourself; these things can still hold triple-digit voltages after the batteries have been taken out), and desolder/solder board components, and can source a suitable replacement part with enough capacitance.
Whether it's worth sending it to Metz for repair or purchasing a replacement is up to you.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Start with the simple causes: batteries and battery contacts.
A very long recycle time usually means the flash isn’t getting enough current. If you’ve been using rechargeables, they may no longer be holding charge well. Try a known-good new set of batteries first. A smart charger/tester can also help confirm whether rechargeables are weak.
If fresh batteries still trigger an immediate low-battery warning, inspect the battery contacts carefully. Dirty, corroded, loose, or poorly tensioned contacts can cause voltage drop under load, which can make the flash think the batteries are empty and cause extremely slow recycling.
If both the batteries and contacts check out, the flash likely has an internal fault in the charging or battery circuit. One answer notes that a capacitor issue is possible, but internal flash repairs are not a DIY job unless you’re trained—flash capacitors can retain dangerous high voltage even after batteries are removed.
So the order is: 1) test with known-good batteries, 2) clean/check battery contacts, 3) if the problem remains, have the flash serviced or repaired.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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