Balcar 6400 Power Pack Just Blew up, Caught Fire

[Andre Noble]

You may have noticed my previous post regarding meter calibration...

It so happens I was just setting up my camera and strobes to conduct some expoure tests on transparency film using my Balcar 6400 and lights (cloudy day here in LA, hence the strobes) when the pack had a big explosion, and started an internal fire. (The metal case is still intact, and the fire extinguised itself.) It happened just after I turned on the power switch after having plugged two strobes and the synch cord in with power pack switch in the off position -as recommended.

For background, I bought it used at Calumet in supposedly "excellent" condition for $3,000 (supposedly 'demo' quality condition according to their rating system) back in June 2002 - but I did see throught the mesh of the ventillation holes in the side of the case that the capacitors inside were dated 'September 1996' -I wasn't too pleased about that because it was stored in Chicago, and hence was purchased it sight unseen but being reassured that the unit was 'next to new' over the phone.

Anyway, it was warrantied for one year - which has now expired, but I also may be able to claim the extended one year purchase insurance because I bought it via Visa Gold credit card - although I don't know if they will honor it because the pack was used. I amy try to work with Calumet first to see if they will be of help.

Need some advice on how to proceed either to Balcar, Calumet, or my CC company. The pack did not have any other insurance.

This pack is toast. From the look, sound, and smell of the explosion and resulting fire, I doubt it can be fixed back to reliable order.

I cannot bear the thought of being out of $3,000. I barely had a chance to use the thing. Need your help on any useful insight you can provide.

Thanks. Andre (213) 427 9894

[JohnnyV]

Packs are known to blow-up and there really is no one to blame. It's the capacitors that blow - the battery looking thing inside the packs. You might want to contact your credit card company first to see if the pack is covered - I don't know if it was purchased used is an issue or not.

The more a pack is used the less likelihood the pack will blow as the capacitors need to be exercised regularly as to not dry out. Could the pack have been stored for a while without use? My routine is to power up my packs and battery strobes once a month and just keep them on all day - don't even need to plug a head in or pop the strobe - this is called "Forming the Capacitor" and is the best way to keep the capacitors from not drying out for lack of use.

I doubt you need a new unit - just take it to a strobe repair shop for an estimate. My guess is about $300-$400 for repair.

[Andre Noble]

Jonny, thanks for that information. FYI, I would form the capacitors, at least every 3 months since I got it appx. 18 months ago. I think there may be ancillary damage in addition to the blown capacitor though, based on my observations of an internal fire and smoke in addition to the explosion. Weird thing was, I used it the other day, it was fine then.

[Capocheny]

Hi Andre,

I use a Starflash 3200 w/s unit with 2 U-Heads. I'm curious... did yours make an "electronic" smell after you fired it up?

Reason I'm asking is because mine sure did. As a result, I turned the thing off and sent it into a technician who said the capacitor needed replacing. I'm not sure of what he did to it but after paying CDN$600 the unit has worked like a mint.

You might contact Balcar but I doubt that they'll do much for you.

I wouldn't be all that happy with the situation either... hope you get it resolved either through Calumet or Visa.

Good luck.

[Andre Noble]

Henry, thanks for the info. I have already contacted Visa and started a claim. I will take my best shot with them.

FYI, there wasn't any smell until after the explosion.

[Capocheny]

Andre,

You won't believe this... my Balcar Starflash 3200 w/s "WAS" working up until 10 minutes ago (12:36 AM, Sunday, February 22nd, 04).

Once again, I smelled the "electronics" odor and the next thing that happened was that the unit produced a loud pop; a flash inside the power pack and, at that point, I turned the unit off. It's not that the freaking thing hasn't been used. As a matter of fact, it was used only last night.

Even though John says that this happens to most packs, there's got to be a better and more reliable way of "getting light" without fear of a problem in the middle of a shoot. This will be the second capacitor replacement for this unit in a little over a year. After I get it repaired (again)... I'll be thinking about a different pack or system.

I've known people who use Broncolors and/or Profoto units in their studios for years without encountering this problem. It can't be that this is more of an issue for Balcar strobes units, can it?

What do most of you folks do for light? Is a continuous lighting system any easier and less of a problem? Is tungsten lighting (with tungsten film) a common way to go?

Thanks

PS: Andre... I hope Visa can help you with your refund!

[Andre Noble]

Henry, sorry to hear about that. It's frustrating isn't it? I wonder how old your Balcar Starflash is in general? I wonder if the older capacitor blew, as you mentioned you replaced the other one recently.

I'm pretty deep into the Balcar system myself with two new costly Power Z heads, so I don't forsee really switching manufacturers yet.

[otzi]

I know how you feel. For various reasons I ended up using Elinchrom mono lights in my studio. I often felt the idea of all your watts in one basket just too much, having seen experiences like yours. I don't think there's much difference between one manufacturer and another although the chineese seem to offer more watts for the $ that surprisingly seem to work. Depending on your work, i.e. overhead ponds for cars etc. do indeed require power packs.

Now the caveat, two of my monos had a habit of 'popping' on a monthly basis. A luck of the draw i reckon. Cost a fortune just balancing whether to cast good money after bad on new units. In the end I moved to tungsten with mixed blessings. Studio was a small people one. Heat and running cost are the biggest downs against visable output and the ability to know instanly the shadow fall. Set up was speeded up considerably especially as the sets were vastly different shoot to shoot. I loved them and still do and they are reliable.

B&W is ok but colour balancing or using tung. film could prove tiresome.

[Capocheny]

Hi Andre,

I'm not exactly sure of the age of the Starflash unit but it was completely overhauled only about a year and some ago. At that time, the capacitor was replaced and so were the lamps.

One would think that a circuit could be designed such that the voltage be discharged through an alternate route rather than going through the capacitor if certain limits were exceeded. Afterall, it's not like these units are inexpensive in the first place.

Since this is my only unit, I wouldn't hesitate to make a change and go to some other pack like a Broncolor/Profoto. But, if they're subject to the same problem, it wouldn't make any sense to make the move. In that case, I'd just spring for repair of this pack.

Otzi, most of my work is table top oriented, and so, huge amounts of lighting aren't require in my case. In most situations, 3200 w/s is sufficient for the way I shoot. However, it's important that the temperature be minimized since I shoot mostly perishable items. Therefore, tungsten lighting may not be the ideal way to go. That's why I was considering flourescent. Lastly, in the majority of cases, I shoot color transparencies. B&W is a rarity for me.

Bloody frustrating, it is!

Thanks...

[Henry Ambrose]

Four monolights are better than a pack with four heads - or at least when one blows you have three to work with. I've always like that about monolights. But I think all flashes will break from time to time. Good luck getting your pack fixed.

[JohnnyV]

Sorry to hear about all the packs that are being blowed-up!

When I was assisting in NYC I saw many packs blow. Mostly Normans and Balcars. The thing was 95% of the photographers I worked with had Speedos, Dyna-Lites and Comets that hardly every blew...and the 5% that used Normans and Balcars were blowing-up all time. Had a Norman blow right next to my leg - a flame shot out - but was wearing jeans and did not get burned.

Based on my assisting experience I now use Comets. I'd have no problem recommending Dyna-Lites or Profoto either.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've heard stories of Normans blowing (perhaps because there are so many of them out there), but I've been fortunate not to have had that experience. If I did, though, I'd only be out around $350, which seems to be the going rate for a used P2000D these days.

[Ben Calwell]

About seven years ago, I bought a brand new Speedotron 2405 power pack and two 202 heads from Calumet. About the second or third week I had it., I turned it on to get ready for a table top shot. I popped it off once, and then waited for it to recycle. I waited and waited. Then I heard a sickening sizzle sound and then a hiss, followed by smoke. Blown capacitors. It was still under warranty, so Speedotron fixed it no charge. A corner got bent during shipping, though. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple of years. By not using it, have I ruined it?

[Christopher Nisperos]

Hi André,

Sorry about your problem. I understand your frustration.. it happened to me with a (much cheaper) studio flash unit when I shot weddings as a teenager. I hope you get it resolved soon. A blown capacitor might happen with any brand, given certain conditions. But some brands seem to go off more than others.

I'll admit to being biased. I've owned Profoto for years—and, from time-to-time, worked for them. I've never had a problem with my gear, except when I dropped a monolight. I replaced the pyrex protector and modeling lamp and it still works great. Profoto tests their equipment so much before it leaves the factory, sometimes I jokingly say that it's already "used" when you buy it new! I also like the fact that their zoom-style reflectors fit their tungsten heads as well as their flash heads.

The saying goes, "If you throw dirt, you lose ground", so I don't want to bad-mouth any other brand. However, I used to work for one of the above-mentioned bomb-makers, therefore my choice of sticking with Profoto is all the more poignant. But I agree with you that it's very hard to switchover once you're into a certain system. Some photographers simply lease their equipment. That settles alot of problems and has certains tax and update advantages.

If you repair your pack, consider adding one or two monolights to your arsenal as back-up equipment. If you replace —no matter WHICH brand you buy— reliability and rentability of packs, heads, reflectors, etc. should be a consideration.

Best of luck.

Good luck.

[JohnnyV]

Ben>About seven years ago, I bought a brand new Speedotron 2405 power pack...It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple of years. By not using it, have I ruined it?

I don't think it's ruined, you just need to use it gently at the beginning. The best thing to do is switch to slow recycle and power it up for three or four hours everyday for a week or so. Make sure you are at home and keep an eye on it incase it blows. Don't plug a head into it and/or pop it during this time but after about a week or so plug a head in and pop it a few times and use each of the connectors on the pack...make sure to turn the power off each time you plug/unplug the head. Then once a month power it up for a few hours...no need to pop it either.

John V.

[Capocheny]

John,

Any thoughts on Broncolor, Speedotrons (Brown/Blacklines) or Profotos? Do most of these units have a "power" dumping or dampening system on them? It's incredible to think that they wouldn't but, obviously, some of the older systems may not.

This is akin to a pressure cooker without an automatic pressure release.

Thanks

[JohnnyV]

Henry,

Most if not all modern packs are self-dumping (self-bleeding). One thing to avoid - but some photographers and assistants think is correct - it to "power dump". That's popping the strobe and a millisecond later switch the power off. I guess the thinking is to stop the charge to the condensers for safe storage. If you would like to see your pack in the shop a lot keep on doing this as packs do not need this and cutting off power while the condensers are charging places much wear and tear on the inner workings of the packs. Just turn off the power and pop the strobe, some packs will fire, some will not, and don't worry about whether or not there is a pressure cooker ready to exploded. Most packs are self-bleeding and no power will remain. I've had some old Dyna-Lites - D series - that will hold a charge for days if not manually bled...but that's old technology.

[Capocheny]

Hi John,

Thanks for the note... I'll keep your advice in mind but I don't usually power dump anyway. As the Starflash is a bit of an older model... this may be the reason for the blown capacitors. However, it was only replaced last year and I'm really surprised it's blown again so soon. I was under the impression that capacitors usually lasted for quite a few years...

Again, thanks for the advice.

Cheers

[Ellis Vener]

Have simply called Calumet and told them what happened? I haven't had it happen with my Balcar packs so far, but I've had it happen with Normans, Elinchrom monolights (just stopped working but there was a bad triac) , Comet, and Speedotron.

[Andre Noble]

Calumet hasn't answered my emails. I live in L.A. and am on my way to drop the pack off with them in person.

I know you've had good luck with your Balcar packs so far, and I recall you liked yours. That's at least encouraging.

[Andre Noble]

PS, just came back from Calumet. They too recommended Profoto. Manager said last week he sent another Balcar power pack to Bensenville for repair along with customer's description of problem as simply "Loudest explosion ever heard."

He wrote my repair order simply, "Smoke, fire."

[Andre Noble]

Happy Ending:

The pack was covered by an extended warranty protection claim through Vsa, whose card I purchased it with. Calumet was VERY helpful throughout.

Repair bill was about $600. Calumet L.A. sent it to Flash Worksfor the repair, who have done a good job even though it took 3 months!