Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

New user. Trying to get information on the Vagabond power system. I borrowed a friends VPS for a filming event and liked it. I'm looking at purchasing one, but I have a few technical questions first. I use an XL 1 camera plus other attachments for the camera. I am hoping to avoid using power from the wall outlets and use this powering system. Will it support my camera plus 1-2 other attachments to the camera? I am curious to know the power life of the VPS, and how long it takes to get a full charge. I am basically wanting a brief overview of the use of my camera with this unit. Any advice is appreciated.

It should power the camera with no problems. We would need to know the power draw to estimate the run time (this info is available on the power plug of the wall adapter). Additionally, it would depend on the other "attachments". If one of these attachments is a 500W light, it will not serve you particularly well. If it is an LED light source, then maybe it will work.

Be more specific with the intended products, and thier power draw, and we will give you a better idea of performance.

Well, all I would need the VPS for is my Canon xl1 camera and the small monitor that I mount to the top of the camera. I would have to check on the volts of my camera but the monitor is a 12volt. I don't think the camera is much more than that but I would have to get specifics later.

Check the plug adapter, there should be an amperage rating (expressed as "A" or "mA"). This in conjunction with the voltage is what is required.

I looked at my plug adapter, and it is actually a charger for my batteries, but I can plug in the battery that goes from my camera into the plug adapter and it powers the camera. I believe that the amperage is 1.2A for Battery and 1.7A for VTR. It also says on there that the output is 16watts. The adapter I use is a Canon CA-910A compact power adapter. I had no problems when I used my friends power supply she got from Alienbees.com, but I wanted to make sure it would be beneficial and worth the investment before I purchase my own. Thank you for your help. Hopefully with the information provided you can let me know if this unit will be compatible with my equipment. I am hoping that the life of the unit will last for appx. 4 hours, maybe even 3. If not, I may need to search other options.

Why don't you borrow or rent your freinds Vagabond II for a day and make your assesment from there? I plugged in my 13inch LCD TV with a 1.5A and 50 watt rating into my VII one day when the power went out, and the VII held up OK for the 30mins I watched the news and weather.


RMS

On a full charge, by my calculations of your figures, you should expect about 7.5 hours.

Thank you I appreciate your help!