Power Options

[kachina]

Need
I need portable power for an outdoor shoot of a large group. I need to power 3 White Lightning 1600s for about 15 minutes of shooting time. I won't be blazing away or using modeling lights so recycle time is not a huge issue

Potential Solution
Battery
Inverter

The whole package will run around $200 which is considerably less than a shipped Vagabond unit. Have any of you built and used anything like this before? If so, is it practical and reliable? Any suggestions other than two set-ups for redundancy?

Thanks,
Rusty

[kachina]

Another option: I have two APC Smart UPS 1000s. Can I just charge these and plug my strobes into them?

[KdLaneJr]

Interesting. As I recall, both the white lightning site and the AB site say that using power from other than their vagabonds is detrimental to the units. You've covered that with the pure sine wave inverter. As far as the Vector starting battery, I think that's inviting disaster.

Recycle time might not be a huge issue, but not providing enough power to the units can be.

What is the power rating (supply power) of the 1600s individually? Whatever it is, I wouldn't go below that.

If it's 6 amps at 120v then you're looking at 720 watts for one head. A 300 watt inverter won't come close.

Ken

[kachina]

Ken, thanks so much for the call. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Okay, I charged the APC Smart UPS 1000s, connected a single strobe (WL 1600x) to it cranked the 1600x up to maximum output (660 ws), cut the power, and pressed the test button as fast as I could about 30 times. There was no noticeable difference in recycle time from a regular AC connection. I still need to set up all three strobes and test. However, initial tests indicate that the UPS will work. Now, I need to hook the UPS up to my computer and turn off the beeping sound or simply remove the beeper. Please note that this is not a product recommendation - just a short-term solution for a single shoot.

Originally Posted by KdLaneJr

Interesting. As I recall, both the white lightning site and the AB site say that using power from other than their vagabonds is detrimental to the units. You've covered that with the pure sine wave inverter. As far as the Vector starting battery, I think that's inviting disaster.

Recycle time might not be a huge issue, but not providing enough power to the units can be.

What is the power rating (supply power) of the 1600s individually? Whatever it is, I wouldn't go below that.

If it's 6 amps at 120v then you're looking at 720 watts for one head. A 300 watt inverter won't come close.

Ken