Help! SB-900 overheating?

[singjenn]

Hey y'all! I have been meaning to ask this for sometime now, but I keep forgetting.

(This happens at every wedding, but I'm using my latest wedding as an example) A couple weeks ago I was photographing a wedding. It was orginally supposed to be outside, but it was 95 so they moved it inside.

I usually take several photos every minute but don't normally use burst mode when I use my flash.
I mainly use Energizer rechargable batteries but if I forget to charge them I buy regular energizer batteries.

About half way through the ceremony my flash started beeping at me. If any of you have this flash, you proably know what it sounds like. It's not horribly loud, but that's not the issue. The issue is that it's telling me my flash is getting too hot. If I switch batteries, it still beeps. I can turn the beeps off, but once it's hot, I can't use it. Duracell batteris don't work well so I know it's not a battery issue. I would just assume that for the amount the flash cost, that you could use it for more than 15 minutes at a time without it over heating.

Maybe I am using the wrong mode or something? It happens to me every time I use it and I can't figure out whats causing it. Any ideas? Thanks y'all!

 

[photo_chick]

Some flashes will run better with alkaline or lithium batteries. Have you tried that? Are you using the flash as an AF assist beam?

 

[traylorc]

I have read a few reviews from folks who own the SB-900 who complained about the unit overheating. I'm not sure if this is a systemic issue or isolated to a few units.

 

[GrillMouster]

Flash bursts generate a lot of heat, and you're not supposed to fire too many flashes within a short amount of time without allowing the unit time to recover. The SB-900 was equipped with a temperature sensor and by default it has enabled a safety feature that prevents the flash from firing if it gets too hot. This prevents you from blowing the flash unit, a problem that many pros have experienced with models prior to the SB-900. The good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that you can disable that safety feature and pop flashes continuously until it melts. Read the manual. You're shooting weddings?