I found posts like these helpful when I was looking for information on building my own battery packs. I realize that there have been a few posts on here about this subject and most of the information is covered already, so in that case just use my post as Inspiration to build your own!
Basics...
Who: Isaiah Downing
What: small portable power supplies for strobes
When: the present
Where: portable...i.e. anywhere, but mostly for location action sports photography
Why: I wanted/needed individual portable power supplies for each strobe...the smaller the better!
How: keep reading
This is something that I should have done a while ago before I left on my trip. I am 5 months into a year long road trip through North America. I had seen and thought about making my own Vagabond'esque power supply for my AB's but never got around to making it. It wasn't till I was at a location that I actually needed them. I was in/on South Padre Island, TX when the opportunity arose that I actually needed individual powerpacks. Since I would be using my AB's in the water there wasn't an option of running extension cords from my truck out to the AB800's.
I read the Tim Kemple blog about his light weight battery pack/inverter combo for alien bees. While I really liked the size of his battery I could not afford such a luxury. After buying the $100 battery you still needed a $30 charger...and in the end I would need two vagabond packs! I would imagine that I could get two $100 batteries and one $30 charger...but in all reality I would rather have two chargers, plug both batteries in at night and forget about it rather than waking up in 3 hours to switch out batteries.
I ordered the same Aims 180 watt pure sine wave inverters from The Inverter Store and had them sent to a local address where the owner knew I had a package coming. Remember, I am on the road and don't have a shipping address so the rest of the parts were sourced from (gasp) Wam-Lart! In lieu of the fancy batteries that Tim used I ended up getting some 9AH motorcycle batteries from the automotive section as well as the cheaper $20 slow style battery chargers. I got two of them. The batteries are the Wam-Lart made EverStart Maxx house brand. Luckily they had sealed Absorbed Glass Matt batteries in stock...not something that I was anticipating. They did have smaller 5AH batteries but I was worried that they wouldn't output enough power fast enough for the inverter. So the batteries ended up being $55 each after the core charge and the chargers $20. I also picked up 2 inline fuse holders and 2 insulated lunch bags that fit the combo like a glove.
So without further ado here is my setup...each pack was about $190 after taxes, shipping, etc.
Everything all bundled up.
Inverter on top
Battery in the bottom with inline fuse
Battery by itself disconnected
Battery/inverter combo
Inverter close up
Inverter markings
Here is what it looks like stacked up as if it were inside of the bag. The black block between the inverter and battery is a piece of styrofoam that came with the battery packaging. I wrapped gaffers tape around it and used it as insulation between the battery terminals and the inverter. It ended up being the perfect thickness to raise the inverter to the top of the bag.
When using the unit I leave the bag unzipped a little bit to let hot air escape from the inverter. So far so good. I had a little over 130-150 pops the first time out without any sign of slowing down. I am guessing that I can get around 350-400 full power shots out of the battery before it drops too low...that is just a guesstimate based on other people setups and battery sizes. I haven't weighed the unit yet but I am guessing between 7-10 pounds per pack.
Here is a pull away shot that shows the unit in action. Specs: AB800, PW's, Battery pack, 13' light stand, 20lbs of sandbags holding the light stand steady.
I will continue to use this setup until I can afford or need a more robust setup. For right now they are working well. Like I said I have a few more months of travel before I settle down. I will update my blog with more pictures and experiences as they present themselves to me. Good luck to anyone else following this setup!
FWIW, my v2 mini Vagabond with a 12aH/11V NiMH pack (just the pack is 3.3lbs), Deans connectors, mini fuse holder, and Pelican 1120 came out to about $230 and 5.5lbs.
Not sure you got the right kind of battery. Looks like you have a motorcycle battery? What you need are the deep cycle type batteries, as used for power wheelchairs etc. I buy mine for about thirty bucks at Batteries Plus stores. They are designed to be used until they are discharged and then fully recharged without damaging them. BTW, I have typically paid only $100 each for my five Vagabond I battery packs with 150w Samlek inverters. Do be careful using those things in water. Make sure it's grounded! I didn't see any grounding wire or GFIC on your deal at all!
Yeah putting it in water isn't something that I plan on doing very often. I have been using it for the past few weeks to shoot at hockey rinks that don't have outlets readily available.
I do kind of lust after the ultra compact battery units. I might make a third unit...if I do I think I will give a NiMH pack a try. Honestly I want to wait until a Li-ion pack is tested and reliable. Thanks for the compliment too!
It is an AGM motorcycle battery. When I did the research it seemed that most AGM batteries ARE deep cycle. Now that you point it out though I can't remember if it was for sure deep cycle or not. The little bit of googling I did said that a majority of AGM batteries are deep cycle but that does not guarantee that I have one. Hopefully I will get enough use out of them before the warranty is up to determine if they are deep cycle or not. No there is not any GFCI or grounding wire as of now there is only an inline fuse. I don't plan on using them in water very often.
Two23 wrote:
Not sure you got the right kind of battery. Looks like you have a motorcycle battery? What you need are the deep cycle type batteries, as used for power wheelchairs etc. I buy mine for about thirty bucks at Batteries Plus stores. They are designed to be used until they are discharged and then fully recharged without damaging them.
Before one can fully discharge a SLA battery, the inverter would have shut down long ago (<10V).
@OP: A 5Ah SLA would be enough for the inverter, if I remember correctly, the fuse inside the 180W is a 15A fuse; the average current draw for flash to recycle is relatively low. Li-Ion may not be a good fit for AIMS's inverters, since the max. voltage of a 4S1P Li-Ion pack is 16.8V, it is over the max. input voltage of the 180W model. Samlex's inverters has a higher input voltage rating. Also, a high power Li-Ion/Li-Po pack is very dangerous if mishandled, unless you have it installed nicely in a hard enclosure. You can take a look at LiFePO4 cells instead, which is much safer than Li-Ion/Li-Po cells, plus the fact that LiFePO4 cells has a stable voltage (3.2-3.3V under load, 3.8V max. right after charging), which is a perfect match for 12V application. Here're some pics of my LiFePO4 pack: http://tinyurl.com/yjjfjnz
bacilonur wrote:
FWIW, my v2 mini Vagabond with a 12aH/11V NiMH pack (just the pack is 3.3lbs), Deans connectors, mini fuse holder, and Pelican 1120 came out to about $230 and 5.5lbs.
You've using a hard foam filled Pelican case!? I'd presumed this would be a bad idea due to the heat insulating effect of the foam. Installing a power plug in the side of a Pelican case would be brilliant.
You're doing it though, how is the heat working out?
shoebox9 wrote:
You've using a hard foam filled Pelican case!? I'd presumed this would be a bad idea due to the heat insulating effect of the foam. Installing a power plug in the side of a Pelican case would be brilliant.
You're doing it though, how is the heat working out?
No foam, just velcro. The battery is held upside down so it's got to strips all around it, while the inverter just has a strip on the side to hold it in place when you're plugging in the cord on the outside. It's nice and snug and I wouldn't hesitate to drive a small vehicle over mine, even after cutting a hole for the plug.
I had plans of mounting a small 30-40mm fan inside, but the space is pretty tight and I honestly don't think I need it. When I did my straight firing test, shooting 180 frames with an AB800 in around 13-15 minutes, the battery was barely warm. The inverter's fan kicked in but the air wasn't hot. I shoot around 100 frames an hour, so I don't think it's even come on in a real shoot. I'd intended it to be a cheap Quadra (400ws or less) equivalent, not to run 600ws+, and it performs just as I'd intended.
I'll probably drill out a hole on the other side for the fan to escape (which I designed to be on the top of the case when hanging from a stand for optimal thermal conditions) in the summer, but it's cold enough right now to not have to worry about that.
400d wrote:
Li-Ion may not be a good fit for AIMS's inverters, since the max. voltage of a 4S1P Li-Ion pack is 16.8V, it is over the max. input voltage of the 180W model.
One of the problems with using lithium battery would be that it might be difficult to take on a plane with you. Airlines really, really seem to hate them.
If you make your pack looks real nice and tight (no messy wires here and there), they probably won't care too much for check-in. Of course, if you are flying for a paid assignment, have your client paid for expedited shipping service (UPS/FedEx/DHL).
Yes: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/20026
I am sure those TSA "geniuses" won't be able to tell the difference between NiCd/NiMH/Lithium batteries if the pack is unlabeled or within allowed capacity (like they would know how to convert Ah to Wh? )..With that said, the best route is still sending the pack via expedited shipping service in advance. Rules are rules--we are at the mercy of the TSA employees.
)..With that said, the best route is still sending the pack via expedited shipping service in advance. Rules are rules--we are at the mercy of the TSA employees.