Hey guys. So I just bought a pack with the A head off of ebay, used it tonight to shoot some surf stuff from the rocks. I had the pack in a backpack with my assistant holding the light on a monopod. But heres where the trouble started, whenever you lift the pack without holding the bottom, the unit will show an error message and shut off. This became quite annoying because whenever he lifted the bag to readjust, it would shut off. I was quite a distance away and were syncing with pocket wizards. I wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem and how you would suggest I fix it. When the pack is set down it works fine, but when you pick it up the connection must come loose and then it shuts off. Any advice would be awesome. Don't know if I should return it or send it to elinchrom or fix it myself. Thanks!
What's likely happening is that with time, for one reason or another, the battery isn't locking in securely. When unsupported, it's "falling out" under its own weight. There are couple cheats you can try to employ:
A. You can try gently (gently!) bending out the locking tabs on the battery cartridge.
B. You can secure the battery from underneath using a cinch strap, bungee cord, gaffer's tape... whatever's handy.
If that doesn't cut, then yeah, you'd want to get it in to Elinchrom. At that point it could be as simple as needing a new battery shell (relatively cheap, but expensive if it isn't the problem), or there could be some other internal problem caused by the extra stress when hanging.
As a previous Ranger owner, the above suggestion is a great place to start. Be careful w the electronics on these things, because mine had a bad diode in the charger it ate the memory module in the pack, cost me $750 to repair a $1200 power pack.
Hey guys! Thanks for the advice. I contacted the seller and they refunded me for the purchase of a new battery I got on ebay for only $175. I tested the original battery in my buddy's pack but the same problem persists. I took a look and the battery does have some sag around the casing and the bottom plate is loose. I'll just use this as my spare on locations and only if the pack is on the ground. Thanks!
