Aszental wrote:
Paul, when are these going to make it to Australia?
Edit: Will this also work with the elinchrom quadra head?
None of Paul's battery-pack solutions will work with any of the Elinchrom Rangers - Quadra or regular. The Rangers use an integrated pack/battery system. ...On second thought, you probably could plug a ranger into the AC slot on a Vagabond and use it to recharge the Ranger's battery, but I suspect that would be rather inefficient.
Also, there was a statement about the 'very heavy quadra cable' a while back - the standard quadra cable is comparable (though heavier) to a universal power cable that is required to connect a battery or wall socket to a monolight. Still, it's a sign of awesome times when the weight of cabling is a consideration in regards to the total system weight. Go progress!
Aszental wrote:
Edit: Will this also work with the elinchrom quadra head?
I don't think you understand how the Quadra works . . . the head requires the power pack, you can't just plug it in to any power source So, short answer: no.
I ordered two last night, along with an extra battery for each.
These are going to be a great solution, along with AB800s and the PW Control TL modules for remotely controlling power. I did some testing to see how well PW Hyper Sync works with the AB800s and it was encouraging.
Naturally less effective light but still useful.
I picked up a couple of Genesis 300Bs to use outside, mainly because the battery is so convenient.
The AB800s with the MiniVag will be even smaller and lighter.
BTW, one thing the Genesis got right is a DC/AC selector switch. When on Battery power, the modeling light is disabled and I presume its 12v from the battery to the monolight. Clever solution.
Just out of curiosity, can the new battery pack power my laptop?
No, but bring your 1200watt microwave and a bag of buttered popcorn to the shoot and that should require only one battery
Seriously, read the wattage and voltage specs and determine if it can power for a very short period. Why not use the laptop battery for it's intended purpose.
foonji wrote:
Im in limbo, I don't want to purchase one to only find out it's no good for my non paul bluff cheap strobes... $399 AUD is a bit of a gamble for me...
There is always our 60 day absolute satisfaction guarantee, even down under. All that is at risk is mail cost back to Brisbane.
Just out of curiosity, can the new battery pack power my laptop?
It depends on the power draw. Mini can supply 120W continuous so if the laptop draws more than this Mini will shut down. An inexpensive "Simulated Sine Inverter" in the 300W range from an auto store might be a better solution for about $39.96 or so.
Performance of Vagabond Mini Lithium is quite similar to to original Vagabond 150, except about 1/4 the weight. In this regard, it's recycle time for large loads . . . . (Zeus or several monolights at full power) will be longer than V2. Recycle for up to 640WS is nearly as fast as V2. Most users that want to run more than two 640WS lights at Full power will use a Mini per light and this have fast recycles and way more battery life than running them from a common V2.
Four Minis running four 640WS lights will yield similar recycle times to a single V2, with about four times the battery capacity and lower weight. Of course, as power on the lights is reduced, cycle time becomes faster and battery life lengthens.
I find the new Mini Lithium packs a great deal. A bit over $500 shipped to my door in Canada for 2 packs, so I pre-ordered 2 to save on shipping.
I recently migrated from a 2 pack Quadra system to a combination of various Profoto AcuteB/Compact setups mainly due to durability. I currently use a re-built Vagabond 2 in a Pelican 1400 which neatly houses the inverter/charger, battery, cables and an exterior 2 outlet wall socket. With the Pelican dremelled out for the outlets, it is 100000 more durable than the fabric bag and shoulder strap that comes with the Vagabond 2 stock, and I don't need a powerbar for 2 heads..... but it still weighs ~19lbs.
With the new lithium packs, I can throw a pack on each of my Profoto monos and still have the V2 in the trunk as a backup.
"I miss the Quadra's, but not as much now thanks to Paul C Buff's newest toys!"
Beni wrote:
Don't suppose you have the figures on recycle time on a b800 at half power do you? 1 second is my magical figure.
640WS = 3 seconds, 320WS = 1.5 Second, 160WS (B800 at half power or AB400 at full) = 3/4 seconds and about 2000 flashes per charge.
The 2000 flashes will be reduced if the light remains powered, but unused, for long periods because the "idle time" (inverter and B800 turned on but not being fired) is about 16 hours, so each idle hour uses about 1/16 of the battery capacity. This is true with all battery systems.
taiyeungjai wrote:
Paul, I do have 1 question. Is there any compatibility issues with Profoto Compact/D1 Air systems?
Also, I understand the inverter takes a standard 12V sealed lead acid/AGM, is the Lithium cell compatible with the V2 inverter?
Can't answer with any authority about D1 . . . it depends on how well they designed their uP power supply. With a .9 second AC recycle time for 500WS it will drop the inverter voltage quite a but, so this could be a problem if they didn't consider this in the design of their uP power supply. If it's not well designed, it may crash.
Vagabond Mini can run from an SLA battery, but not nearly as efficiently as from its own Lithium. The inverter current is low enough to operate from most auto cigarette lighter sockets. Also, since the battery meter is designed for the 14.8V Lithium it will likely always show low or dead in indicating a 12V SLA battery.
As for V2 . . . it's inverter draws 60A from the battery and the Mini draws 20A, so Lithium battery is designed to produce 39A max.. So it can't be used with V2.
I could do a lithium pack for V2 but this would take complete redesign and higher capacity or different chemistry to get the 60A. There's a lot of cross engineering between the Mini inverter and it's Lithium battery. Lithiums must have well engineered "PCM" control circuitry built in to protect the cells from over charge, under charge and excess charge and discharge currents. So they are pretty much matched to the equipment they will operate.
Paul Buff wrote:
Can't answer with any authority about D1 . . . it depends on how well they designed their uP power supply. With a .9 second AC recycle time for 500WS it will drop the inverter voltage quite a but, so this could be a problem if they didn't consider this in the design of their uP power supply. If it's not well designed, it may crash.
Vagabond Mini can run from an SLA battery, but not nearly as efficiently as from its own Lithium. The inverter current is low enough to operate from most auto cigarette lighter sockets. Also, since the battery meter is designed for the 14.8V Lithium it will likely always show low or dead in indicating a 12V SLA battery.
As for V2 . . . it's inverter draws 60A from the battery and the Mini draws 20A, so Lithium battery is designed to produce 39A max.. So it can't be used with V2.
I could do a lithium pack for V2 but this would take complete redesign and higher capacity or different chemistry to get the 60A. There's a lot of cross engineering between the Mini inverter and it's Lithium battery. Lithiums must have well engineered "PCM" control circuitry built in to protect the cells from over charge, under charge and excess charge and discharge currents. So they are pretty much matched to the equipment they will operate....Show more →
So, short answer: no.