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Archive 2016 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location

  
 
nolaguy
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Good morning all,

Please share your experiences, opinions, advice, recommendations on 120 volt power supplies for location shoots.

My Elinchroms range from 250 WS to 1000 WS and I'd like your perspectives on everything from lower-end simple solutions to more robust units.

Thanks in advance

Chuck



Apr 22, 2016 at 08:02 AM
Conner999
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


We use older discontinued lead acid Dynalite XP1100s with our Profoto gear. Bought well used, put in new aftermarket batteries for almost nothing and suckers are utter beasts.

An Acute 1200 pack on slow recycle at full power will recycle in 3 sec on AC power - or in 4 sec on an XP1100.

They work seamlessly with our D1s, Acute packs, Compact 600s (which are huge power-sucks when recycling) w/o breaking a sweat. Recycling a D1 500 at full power is no different than on AC. Also deliver great power for constant us devices like laptops, etc.

Other than being heavy and obviously larger than LiO options (and sometimes having wonky charge indicators), we'd never sell them.



Apr 22, 2016 at 11:41 AM
Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=godox&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search= This new Godox is really sweet if you have the money or one of the Innovatronix models. http://www.innovatronix.com/index.php/products/item/262-photography-imaging-equipment


Apr 22, 2016 at 01:03 PM
Akpilot
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


No guarantees this will work but might be worth a try if you have one lying around at home.

I have a car jumpstart / inverter / air compressor that I keep on my car. It puts out 2 - 120v plugs plus a 12v cigarette lighter plug. I have no idea how many flashes you could get out of it but if you happen to have one give it a shot.



Apr 23, 2016 at 02:56 PM
Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Not a good idea unless it's a Pure Sine Wave Inverter, and with the right wattage rating, and one with stable power. A standard inverter will damage your digital strobes, and you really need one with at least 350 or 400 watts for multiple lights and decent recyleing times.


Apr 24, 2016 at 12:00 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Thanks for your responses, guys. I appreciate you taking the time.

I'm a little surprised not more folks had opinions. I'm wondering if it's super uncommon to use this sort of gear? Are most just using speedlights when there's no access to AC?



Apr 26, 2016 at 05:15 PM
Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


It's not that uncommon but maybe here. But I would say that most pros have gravitated toward the B1 or Quadra now. I have a portable AC power supply also that I use with my RX-600's. But unless I need two lights or higher power, I almost always use my Quadra now. It has plenty of power for most outdoor situations. Get yourself that new lithium Innovatronix. You'll love it.


Apr 26, 2016 at 11:42 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Thanks Gregg. I always appreciate your knowledge and insights.

C




Apr 27, 2016 at 01:12 AM
cgi_photo
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I use my Quadras - no need for me using the Style RXs outdoors :-)

For fog machine, wind machine I use a "Kipor IG770 Sinemaster Inverter Generator" (a inverter version in case I want to plug a notebook or ?? to the generator)

a friend of mine used a 2000 Watt generator (inverter) for 2 Elinchrom 250W BRXs a few years ago - but I haven't seen him since.

christian



Apr 27, 2016 at 03:06 AM
boomanbb
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I have successfully run two D-lite RX4s off of a single VML and was able to get the power levels up near full before they start balking. A single light works just fine. Check out this simple video I made some time back.



Ben



Apr 27, 2016 at 04:16 PM
Paulthelefty
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I saw a used Vagabond VII (the old lead acid one) in B&S for a decent price, they said it needed a new battery which you can pick up locally for about $50 IIRC. Mine works great for running a single AB400 all day or even a WL1600, although I have never tested the limits with the WL set up. It will run 2 lights pretty well, but how long I do not know.

Paul



Apr 29, 2016 at 02:51 PM
Elijah
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Vegabond mini is probably the best option, in my experience.


Apr 29, 2016 at 07:52 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Christian, Ben, Paul, Elijah, thanks for chiming in.

Regards,

Chuck


Elijah, if I may, why would you consider Vagabond the best option?





Apr 29, 2016 at 10:45 PM
Elijah
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


nolaguy wrote:
Christian, Ben, Paul, Elijah, thanks for chiming in.

Regards,

Chuck

Elijah, if I may, why would you consider Vagabond the best option?



For me, it's all about portability. They are small, yet light and have two standard, 3-prong power outlets (for more than two units, a power strip may be used)
So basically you can use up to 4 strobes with just one Vegabond mini.
Also, it has a lot of juice! About 500 full power flashes per charge on a 500ws unit, if I remember correctly.

If it wasn't for Profoto B1, I'd still have my Einsteins/Vegabond mini units. But I now own a Profoto B1 system, you cannot beat that in terms of portability.



Apr 29, 2016 at 10:53 PM
nolaguy
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


Thanks for taking the time, Elijah. I appreciate it.

C



Apr 29, 2016 at 11:00 PM
JBPhotog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I bought an Innovatronix Explorer XT a few years back, needed one for a job in a baseball field. It powered my Speedotron 2400 w/s pack just fine. I also did a retrofit on all my BlackLine heads with a 3-way switch to turn off the fan, which is always on by default. This saves battery power and if one is not too trigger happy, the flash tubes don't over heat.


May 03, 2016 at 07:54 PM
rico
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I tripped over this Adorama-branded portable power supply, the Flashpoint PowerStation PS-800:



It weighs 15 lbs for the main unit plus one (detachable) battery module. Battery technology is LiFePO4 which is great for reduced mass, safe charging characteristics, and high energy. This model allows a 1400W surge, so any studio pack with a current-limited design is going to work. The Profoto D4, for example, needs just 700W in slow-charge mode.

Note the cooling fan, a sign of serious power engineering.

Ref: http://www.adorama.com/FPPPPS800K1.html



May 03, 2016 at 09:47 PM
rico
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


The lead-acid equivalent, in computer UPS form, looks like this:



Somewhat cheaper at $630, this unit has 900W peak power and weighs 40 lbs (half of it SLA batteries). This UPS can be recelled by the user with OEM batteries for $100. LiFePO4 has a longer service life, but the replacement market is really spotty.

Another nice thing about the UPS route is the selection of power and run times. The CyberPower product line called Smart App Online (stupid name) is headed by a 7kW unit that can power your house. This line has sine wave output without the very heavy transformer supplied by the APCC Smart line.

Ref: http://www.adorama.com/CYBOL1000L2U.html



May 03, 2016 at 10:52 PM
EliPhotog
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


I have 8 Elinchrom lights. I have used 6 on location with Battery Inverters with total success.

The unit I strongly recommend are the Paul C Buff VLX batteries. I have driven 3 Elinchroms at a total of 2,300 WS per battery with no problems. Batteries are rated to last 10 years. I believe they will support 3,000WS. They lasted the entire shoot of some 250 photos without noticing any performance issues of any kind. Probably used only 1/3 of battery capacity, if even that.

I have found outdoors, you really want to shade whatever battery/inverter you choose from the sun. Helps so the overheat function will not kick in and slow you down. I tested these units to the max before an actual shoot. In direct sunlight, they can overheat. They are fan cooled, so no worries. I shot at 2,250 WS with 3 units per battery as fast as possible in the sun. They shutdown to cool after 100 rapid fire shots. With some shade, no issue. I am sure that's true of whatever battery inverter you chose. I never shoot that fast, so it was worst case situation with no shade for the battery/inverter.

Love the VLXs. Well made, reliable.



May 04, 2016 at 11:49 AM
nolaguy
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · AC power supply for Elinchrom monos on location


JB, Rico, Eli, thanks a bunch for the continued input. I appreciate you taking the time.

Regards,

Chuck



May 04, 2016 at 07:15 PM
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