Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Would it be possible to add the ability to turn off (or dim) the Einstein LCD display in a future firmware release ? When using the Einsteins on portable power the LCD display reduces the battery life. For those of us who are using the CC the rear LCD will likely not be used at all. I'm not sure if the hardware allows for the LCD to be turned off. However, if it does, this would be a useful firmware feature.

And, changing the slave eye to be defaulted OFF (instead of ON even with CSXCVs connected) would be super. :)

Or having an option to 'hold down' function button (or any other series of key presses) for Factory Diagnostic Screen instead of having it cycle inline with Function press. It's kind of annoying to have it come up all the time when all one's just looking to do is scroll thru the settings.

Side note: It'd also be real nice if the CC had in-line tick marks on the power bars (to indicate the 1/2, 1/4, 1/16,etc.. power settings) making it visually easier to lock in a given power setting & keep the display consistent with the Einstein screen. ;)

And while we're making our firmware wish list, how about the ability to slow or completely shut off the fan when the modeling light is off? I worry about the fan draining the Vagabond Mini Lithium battery needlessly. The noise is also very intrusive at times.

Dave F.

The Einstein fan issue was discussed in another thread. They claim that the fan is needed when shooting, even without the modeling light. They also say the fan only uses the equivalent of 10 full 640ws pops/hour, which is pretty insignificant in terms of battery drain. The noise issue is something that users may just have to get used to.

Paul's actual post said:

"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."

Shooting without the modeling lamp and shooting with the modeling lamp will generate different themal profiles. It wasn't clear to me from that post why a lower fan speed wouldn't be acceptable when the modeling light is off and the Einstein's internal temperature is lower. Lower temperatures should allow lower fan speeds, lower noise, and reduced power consumption. The Einstein's always-on fan noise is quite pronounced. In any case, the stated 1.8 Watt current draw of the fan is pretty minimal and shouldn't present problems for VML users.

Dave F.

Well, since we've begun a Christmas wish list of firmware features, I vote for...

• Displaying the Einstein's LCD panel upside down ("flip vertical" in Photoshop-speak), so it will be correctly oriented when the light is hung from an overhead mount -- can be done through a menu selection on the light or on the CyberCommander; no accelerometer needed inside the Einstein to detect orientation
• Allowing us to make the ready beep a bit louder -- it's sometimes hard to hear when used outside with the modeling lights turned off

Beyond that, I'm perfectly happy with my three version 1 and three version 2 Einsteins. I look forward to returning the whole lot for six version three units, after which we will all live (and shoot) happily ever after. Remember: Microsoft never got anything right until version 3 (think Windows, Excel, and much more).

My guess would be that there is no physical thermostatic control available in the unit - so it would require a HW change to get this.