Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi,

I have recently purchased a set consisting in an X800 flash + Vagabond setup. Flash looks heavily used (I might buy another reflector, it's so beaten that I doubt any modifier will fit), but I did know about this condition. Vagabond was in great condition, according to seller description, but I'm having lots of problems here.

I charged Vagabond's battery before first usage, and was charged in half an hour (I supposed it was nearly full). Went outside, did a couple of tests shots with the X800 attached ... and had to stop. Converter was beeping like crazy after 20 flash shots aprox. CU was emiting a beep sound after each shot, I suppose this is an indicator of flash charge. Maybe I didn't ground it correctly? When I did touch the green cable, a beep was heard also.

Tried again, charged Vagabond and in half an hour was charged again, but I kept charging for one extra hour. Went outside again, but this time I did heavily ground it on the floor (half nail was under ground). Connected all cables, but when I did turn on the X800, CU started beeping like mad. I couldn't do any shot this time.

I think this is not an X800 fault, because having connected it to an outlet (via a 220v -> 120v transformer, I'm living in Spain), it works astonishingly well.

So this is the scenario. Anyone knows why this happen and how can it be solved? In addition I had to buy the electrical cable that goes from Vagabond to X800, seller did not include it. But it's the same cable I use to connect the X800 via an outlet, so I think it's unrelated to the problem.

Thanks!


PS: Sorry for my bad English, it's my 3rd language and lots of mistakes are present.

All indications are that it is a bad battery. This is a sealed lead acid battery that requires to be fully charged. If it is not kept fully charged, then it will sulfate, and that will cause it to not hold a charge. Also, it sounds as though you have an original Vagabond (in a blue bag). If this is the case, the age of the batttery may be such that will cause it to not hold a charge. A replacement battery should be all you need. However, you may also want to check the output voltage of the charger to be sure it is putting out enough voltage to charge the battery. The output should be 13.85VDC or higher.

P.S. Your English is quite good. I never would have guessed it was not your first language, and is far better than most English speakers posting on the internet.

Thanks for your prompt reply!

Yes, as you stated, I have an original Vagabond, all in the heavy blue bag.

So it might be battery fault? Hmm what a shame, I'll have to tell this to seller to see what can we do. Buying any 12V battery will be fine, right?

I did some measurements using a tester. As I'm not sure if voltages need to be extremely precise for a properly usage, I list the results to take a look if they are normal.

- Battery output: 12.3 VDC
- Charger output: 13.65 VDC
- CU output: 115.8 VAC

Another thing I noticed is, if I turn on CU without flash connected, it beeps for about 5 seconds. Then slows down beeping speed, and finally stops beeping, leaving a steady green light. If I attach an X800 and turn it on, CU beeps forever and does not charge the flash.

Please if you can confirm it's battery fault before proceeding to find a replacement, will be great.

Thanks!