I still think that building it yourself is the cheapest and best solutions
(if you are at least lightly skilled with light soldering iron for tin
soldering).
Get a number of NiCd batteries (or NiMh, but NiCads are slightly better for
flashes), strong charger (I use one made for RC models charging - it can
output about 3 Ah !!! That's super-fast charging, with inteligent shut-off
to protect batteries. Slightly slower chargers are much less expensive). My
flash uses 6 AA batteries, I made my packs 7 cells (so the voltage of
NiCd/Mh matches the voltage of 6 regular alkalines, rechargables have lower
voltage). I used old cells from recycled notebooks (I got them for a
smile), but 3.5Ah or 5Ah cells are not that expensive now. I have 3.5Ah
battery pack, which lasts significantly longer than similar offers from
Quantum, can be recharged VERY quickly if needed (1.5 -2 hours at most),
and cost me not much, the price was roughly same as a Quantum pack (used)
would, but the quantum one would have about 1/2 to 1/3 capacity ! For
comparsion, 3.5Ah NiCads have about 3-5x more flashes in them than 6 AA
alkalines, and the flash recycling is many times faster.
You can check with a local RC modelling group or find one on net or find
their discussion group on net to get help I think.
Frantisek
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