Rollei E 36 RE power source and battery?

B&Wpositive · Jan 4, 2015

Should the Rollei E 36 RE flash unit power up when the ac charger is plugged in but there is no battery in the flash? Or does this constitute a malfunction?

Also, is this battery usable in the flash?
http://www.shopwiki.com/d/652623/68...-300mAh-Rechargeable-NiMH-Battery-55630310059

The original is rated for 500 mAh; this one is 300. This one has tabs. Also, I'm not sure if this one is the right size physically.

Thanks.

ic-racer · Jan 4, 2015

You need a battery. It won't power off the charger alone. Not sure if that one in your link will work, the original was about 4" tall. Maybe if you use a little spacer it might be worth a try. This one will work: http://mapleleafbattery.com/?product=exell-nh10-12v-nimh-rechargeable-battery-for-rollei-e36re-flash
Some more information here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

B&Wpositive · Jan 4, 2015

What about this...

I read (?) that the battery is the same as the Pentax Spotmatic motordrive/pistol grip...and they have a piece that accepts 8AA batteries. Not sure where to find that piece...or if it would work...?

B&Wpositive · Jan 4, 2015

And here are the specs for the battery I previously linked to, including size:

http://www.batteriesinaflash.com/pl...00h-3-pin-12v-300mah-nimh-battery-55630310059

Does it look like it's the right one?

I have an original battery but it's all corroded/leaking. It, too, is by Varta but is blue and 500mAh and lacks tabs. I would think the tabs on this other battery could be removed easily.

John Koehrer · Jan 5, 2015

If you're in the US, Batteries+ rebuilds battery packs(NiCad?)
About the tabs, you could easily leave them on, they're very thin. They're also welded in place and gonna be
a pain to remove without damaging the cells.

Trying to judge fit online is going to be a shot in the dark but since you have the original why not measure it?
300Mah will get you fewer flashes per charge too.

ic-racer · Jan 5, 2015

Not much to rebuild, it is just a stack of ten button cells that, I believe, are no longer available in the correct size and capacity. As you can see by the link in the original post that is about as close as one can get with the available button cells and it is not the correct size or capacity.

Not sure if that one in your link will work, the original was about 4" tall. Maybe if you use a little spacer it might be worth a try. This one will work: http://mapleleafbattery.com/?product...ei-e36re-flash
Some more information here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

AgX · Jan 5, 2015

The manual says that for mains-only operation the battery must be inserted.

Why?

ic-racer · Jan 6, 2015

AgX said:
The manual says that for mains-only operation the battery must be inserted.

Why?

The supplied charger is a low amperage 'trickle' charger and it can't supply the amperage to charge the flash capacitor. In the "Duplex" mode mentioned in the manual, the charger just keeps the battery from running down during use. If the battery is already dead it probably won't charge the flash capacitor.

15 years ago I did use my E36 with its original old, nearly-dead battery for my wedding. I had it plugged in and it actually did charge the flash capacitor but it took about a minute or more to charge between shots.

AgX · Jan 6, 2015

Thank you for your explanation.

However the manual also says to swicht the flash off when using it in mains-mode. Thus there likely will be no capacitator charging from the batteries.

ic-racer · Jan 6, 2015

AgX said:
Thank you for your explanation.

However the manual also says to swicht the flash off when using it in mains-mode. Thus there likely will be no capacitator charging from the batteries.

First off it is good to have a conversation about these flashes, I'm glad to know others like using them.

The manual I have is actually labeled "E34C" and I have had a number of similar Rollei flashes and none seem to be labeled on the outside, but they all look similar. So I suspect the one I had 15 years ago was the E34C. That one does not have a "Mains-only" operation only "Duplex." Looking closely at the "E36RE" manual, and the operational flashes I currently have, it looks like it will charge the flash capacitor when the switch is off as you pointed out. So I guess I can't answer the question as to why the battery needs to be in place in the E36RE. But when you take the battery out, the charge light on the charger goes out and charging (either battery or flash capacitor) does indeed stop.

Rollei E 36 RE power source and battery?

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