Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

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Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:40 pm

Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:31 pm
Posts: 2

Hi everyone! This is my first post here in this forum but I've been using Paul C. Buff products for a few years now. I am currently having a problem with my Vagabond Mini where I turn the unit on and get an amber then green light which lasts for about .5 - 1 second combined then nothing, no lights on the unit at all. I plug my phone into the USB charger port and there is no power going to the phone.

When I remove the 30 amp fuse and power the unit on, the three LED's [3/4+, 1/2, and 1/4] all light up and stay on (like they used to when I first received the unit). I plug my phone into the USB charging port and still no power out.

Is it possible the fuse is somehow shorting out my Vagabond Mini? The fuse is in-tact and is NOT blown. I love the product but have not been able to use it for some time now.

Thank you for any help in advance!




Last edited by kIncillio on Fri Dec 23, 2016 5:08 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:51 pm

Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:31 pm
Posts: 2

If there is a thread posted on this topic can i please get the link/links. Thanks again!




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Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:41 am

Site Admin
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:43 am
Posts: 5266

The fuse is not shorting anything out. What is happening is there is a failure caused by the load introduced by the inverter. With the fuse removed, the inverter does not work, and is therefore not causing a load (the battery gauge bypasses the fuse). Unfortunately, by this alone we cannot tell if there is a battery failure or an onverter failure causing this to happen.

Ideally, if you can beg or borrow another VMINI, and swap batteries, you shold be able to determine which is the bad component by seeing what the problem follows (inverter or battery).

Short of not having a second unit, you can remove the battery and plug the charger into the inverter and switch it on. After about 30 seconds, all lights should stabilize (inverter and charger). If so, then the inverter is likely OK, and the battery is bad. If the lights blink and quiver, then the inverter is likely bad, and the battery is likely to be OK. (please not the use of "likely").

Please note, total battery life is expected to be around 3-4 years, maybe less if used heavily. Also, exposure to water will render the battery unusable.

If you send the entire unit in, we can determine and correct the fault(s), or you can try replacing the battery if you think it may be the culprit.




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