Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I just received my two Einstein 640WS units today and notice that the fans run continuously when the power is ON, even when the unit is cold and the modeling lamp is OFF. I seem to recall reading one of Paul's test regimens where he was firing the Einstein every 10 seconds with the intervalometer mode of a PocketWizard and the fan did not start up until full power flash number 50 or so. Should the fan run continuously or only operate when the unit exceeds a certain temperature?

The test you are referring to was the fan in the Vagabond Mini. The Einstein fan runs continuously. We considered thermostatic control initially but decided the fan is needed whenever you are shooting or using the modeling lamp.

How adversely does the continuously running fan in the Einstein impact Vagabond Mini Lithium's endurance? What is the fan's current draw?

Dave F.

The fan is a 12V 150mA fan. This is a 1.8W draw. This equates to about 10 shots per hour from a 640Ws light. This is a similar draw to the Bees which also has a full time fan, as well as X-Series lights when the fan runs.