Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I bought a Vagabond II in August 2007, and it has been plugged in for charging whenever it's not in use. When I needed to use it last weekend, it kept beeping and couldn't power the strobe; however, the LED showed green.
I might have to buy another battery, but just wonder how long the battery should last if it has been well maintained as recommended? Thanks.

SLA batteries are typically good for 300 - 500 charge/discharge cycles. This can be rapidly reduced if they are allowed to sit for long in a discharged state. But it sounds like you have been careful with that.

But battery sulfation starts pretty immediately if the battery is run completely down, so even a few hours delay before recharging can begin the process. It is possible for the LED to be green with a charged-but-sulfated battery. But if so, the LED should go to red if it is so bad as to not fire a light.

Thank you for the quick response. I guess it has reached the maximum charge/discharge cycles. By the way, if it was unplugged for a very short shot, let's say about 10 half-powered fashes, and plugged back in for a recharge. Is that considered one cycle, too?

Paul, I really appreciate that this forum has been openned for technical questions, but I also miss the old forum that showcased wonderful photos from the users.

No. The 300-500 number refers to deep discharge and full recharge. Small discharges like you refer to are what a car battery is subjected to daily. Thus they last for years. But let a car battery run down (like running the starter on an old car until it won't crank anymore, and leave it in that state, it will sulfate rather quickly.

But it's still possible your battery is OK and the inverter has a problem.

What about using a deep cycle battery with the Vagabond II? Would there be a problem with insufficient surge current capacity? It would reduce (but not eliminate) the likelihood of sulfation anyway.

I think I'll order a new battery to find out if the problem is with the battery or the inverter since I don't know how to test it. Thanks, Paul.