Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi, I have a VII powersource that I got in April 2010. I have faithfully charged it immediately after each use and top it off when not in use. The last couple of shoots I got about 10 pops out of it, then it failed to even power the flash unit (not only would it not flash, the head just died, fan went off, power switch wouldn't even light up) When I ran an extension cord in a panic, everthing worked fine. Same happened again today. Is this normal? Can these batteries be repaired if so, and is it worth it, or if I have to re-order should I switch to mini. I have a few shoots in the next week, but I can use an extension cord, but need to decide if I send it in for repair or write if off asap. Thanks. PS head is AB 1600ws

The VII is basically a sealed lead acid battery (like your car has), and a pure sine wave inverter. If the fan and lights worked, the flash would also fire. Most likely, the SLA battery has become exhauseted and a simple replacement will likely fix the problem. We sell the batteries here: http://www.paulcbuff.com/b20a.php and is easily replaced. However, if you would like to send the whole unit in for a check up, we will gladly inspect it for you and install the battery if you choose to purchase one.

Sent for a new battery. Charged it for a couple of weeks and took it out to test the day before a shoot. Got 22 shots at half power, then it died, just like before.

First, Are you ensuring your model lamp is turned off? Beyond that, a few possibilities exist: a bad battery (even though it is new, it is still possible), a loose connection in the red/black wires connecting the battery to the inverter, low output on the charge circuit.

The battery can be usually be tested (and charged) at auto parts stores. They may even be able to test the output voltage of the charger in the inverter (the voltage at the connections for the red/black cables with the inverter plugged in and no battery should be 13.8VDC). If the charger is bad, and they can charge the battery for you there, then you should be good for at least one cycle of the battery (then it will need to be charged again somehow).

If you want to test the function of the inverter, it can be connected to a car, motorcycle, or lawn mower battery with the auxilliary cables provided (the ones with the jumper cable type clamps).

Also, make sure you are getting a red light next to the charger. If the red light does not come on, then the charge cable may have a fault. This cable can be found on a variety of devices around the house for testing.

Can you hear the fan on the VII? If not, especially just before it shuts down, then it may be over heating. With the unit turn on after it has been left to cool?

Long term, it sounds like the unit may need to come in for a check up. In any case, a new battery would have been necessary.

IT sounds like overheating is the likely culprit. I can hear the fan, but after I let the unit alone for 5 minutes or so, it will turn back on. Also, it tends to keep shooting until I turn it off (to move to another location or whatever) even for just a few seconds, then the light won't turn back on again until I let it sit for 5 or more minutes. I never run the model light ever, I can hear the fan almost constantly. Why would it overheat after only 20 shots at half power. It never used to do that. I have checked all cables and fuses, and the battery indicator lights appear to show that it charges fine. After running a long day of test, turning the unit off for 5-10 minutes, I pulled about 180 shots from it. Though still not practical in assignment. I also pulled the unit out of the bag so the fan could get better circulation and found I could shot almost twice as long before it wouldn't turn on.
What do you think can be done about the rapid overheating?

For immediate usage, you can try using an alternative bag with better airflow, if that is giving you better performance. Be very careful of the cables and that they do not touch anything metal or otherwise get damged. For a more long term fix, you can send the unit in for repair.

IF I send the unit back in, do I have to ship the battery back. After paying for the new battery, plus the $40+ dollars it would costs to ship that weight, plus repair costs, I would be better off just getting a different unit.

Also, it beeps every other flash, even on the first ones. Don't know if that helps.

One last thing before I send it back, which will probably be at the end of wedding season. When I charge it, the red light comes on where I plug in the charger and there is a high-pitched, though not loud sound. I seem to remember this sound always. When I disconnect from charging the next day, I get only the green light....for a while. The next day I look at it, still disconnected from charger for a full day after charging for 12 hours, I get a flashing red light.

ALso, fan comes on immediately. Every other flash I get a beep, then it appears the fan speed slows, then revs back up. Though I don't notice a difference in exposure whether I fire it in a few seconds or wait 10.

Finally, what can I do on my end to troubleshoot. I would like to know exactly what is wrong before I send it back. I'm not clear on what you meant about measuring output at 13.8v. Could you elaborate. THanks

When you first charge it, you should get the red LED, and the squeal is normal for your Vagabond. With the red LED coming on that rapidly tells me the battery is either bad, or did not get fully charged due to a fault in the charging system. Alternatively, the power switch was not turned off during this time.




If the fan is coming on immediately, then it is sensing heat. This could be an erroneous reading, or the charge process has the battery or internal workings hot, or the VII is stored in a hot environment before use (garage or car trunk in an already hot climate). The fan will slow down and speed up as the lights are fired. Recycling the lights is very power intensive for a fraction of to a few seconds, depending on what the power settings are and the number and type of lights. The VII is designed to lower voltage under load instead of shutting down like most inverters. This lower voltage will cause the fans to slow.

The power of the lights is not directly linked to the VII. All the energy used by the flash is stored in the flash head in the capacitors. The VII's role is to fill those caps. A low output can lead to longer recycle times, but once recycled, the light will still emit the same amount of lights. If the recycle time is longer, and you fire the light before it is recycled, then a lower output is possible. A B1600 should fully recycle in about 2 seconds at full.

The beep typically indicates low voltage from the battery, again, probably due to a bad charge or bad battery.



You will need a multimeter, if you do not have one. You will also need to exercize caution, especially when dealing with the AC current aspects of this. The VII has an integrated charger. The cord that plugs into the top panel applies 120VAC, which then passes through circuitry and comes out the back side red and black cables as 13.8VDC, which is the proper voltage to charge the 12VDC battery. With the battery removed, and the charge cord inserted, you should be able to measure this voltage with a multimeter. The probes would touch either the cables (red-to-red and black-to-black) or the terminals in the back of the inverter, depending on how you remove the battery.

The battery itself needs to be tested under load. Most people do not have a load tester, so a trip to an auto parts store or battery store will be necessary. The battery needs to be fully charged (depending on the problem, they may need to apply additional charge to the battery, this may take a while depending on the charge, they can let you know better than I can once the batery is hooked up). Once the charge is complete, they can appply a load and see what the condition of the battery is.

Also, inspect the cables and terminals to see if there are any obvious signs of corrosion or breakage. Inspect the battery for swelling, cracks or corrosion.



Having as much of the unit as possible is best, however, if the battery checks out OK, you may not need to send it in. You should contact us just before sending it so we can determine what needs to come in. Also, if the battery is not getting charged, and does not have a full charge on it, then it can become sulfated. By simply having the unit connected to charge may not be charging the battery as it needs to (thus the problems). The longer you wait, the more damage will occur to the battery. If you have an external 12V charger, like one for a motorcycle or lawn mower, then you may want to use that for charging the battery by connecting it directly to the battery, and not using the charging system in the VII until it comes in.