Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi all,
Just want to say, so far I'm extremely happy with the purchase of the e640. I cannot remember the woman who helped me out over the phone with my order,I want to thank her, she was awesome to talk to and deal with,plus she had a fantastic voice. ;). I'm new to strobe light so forgive my ignorance if I ask stupid questions.

I'm wondering if it's possible to use modelling light with the Vag mini, and if so what level should the lights be set to?

Possible? Yes.

Recommended? Not so much.

The VML incorporates a 120W inverter, so the model lamps should not be any brighter than that, and even lower is better. Any higher, the VML will overheat and shut down. The brighter the model lamps, the shorter the battery will last.

While the included model lamp can be set to lower power, You may limit the tracking capabilities in doing so. We do carry a lower wattage model lamp (25W) for Vagabond usage. http://www.paulcbuff.com/modelinglamps.php Even though it is a low Wattage bulb, it will still reduce battery charge when running (about 4 hours by itself at full power). Turning the model lamp to be a recycle indicator will lengthen battery life and speed up recycle times.

Thanks for answer. With the modelling set to recycle,will that mean the lights will be at its lowest setting? I might have to play with that once I get home.

Let me explain in more detail.

First, the 120W VML inverter cannot operate the 250W Einstein™ modeling lamp at all. If you were to dim the modeling lamp to half power, it would still draw more than 120W because dimming a tungsten lamp makes it less efficient (physics).

Even if you dimmed it further, to say about 33% power it would draw 100W to 120W. If that were the case, all the inverter power would be used by the model lamp and there wouldn't be enugh power left to actually recycle the flash. (This scenario is true of all competitive inverters as well as ours.)

Regarding "Using the model lamp as recycle indicator" this function turns the model lamp off during the light's recycle, so the inverter would supply all its current to the task of recycling, then to the model lamp after recycle is complete.

But still, the 100W or so draw from the model lamp would deplete the 130Wh battery in about an hour, and preclude using more than one light per VML.

So the best solution is to use the special 25W modeling lamp, and set the "Recycle function" to turn the model lamp off during recycle, and back on when recycle is complete.

Until even higher efficiency LEDs evolve, battery inverters and modeling just don't play well together, from any manufacturer.

Many user just use a separate LED flashlight to see what they are doing when in the dark.

Awesome, I appreciate the the answers to my question Luap.