Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hey Tech support,
I purchased some 220V Alien Bees last year and now relocating to Japan for a while.
Power in Japan is 100V - 50/60 Hz.
Would like to know what options I have in using them over there?
i.e. 1. No option. I’d be better off leaving them at home.
2. A decent sparky (electrician) should be able to covert them to the correct power for Japan.
3. Can I use a Vagabond mini that will charge from 100v and power 230v ABs?
Or any other suggestions you may have.
Cheers
Cheakypeet

I would recommend option 3. 120V ABs will work in Japan but the 100V will make recycle considerably longer and make the modeling lamp dimmer. If you use Vagabond Mini, I recommend using 40W 220V modeling lamps and setting the bees to dim when recycling.

If you leave the charger in place while using the lights with 40W lamps as above, the charger will just about keep up with your usage, and you should get about 3 1/2 second recycle time with one WL1600 per VML or with two B1600s at half power per VML.

Could a variac be used?

Sure. We use variacs all the time in testing. They will audibly buzz during recycle though, but that doesn't affect operation.

That's good to know. I have one I use on a vintage guitar amp, just recently wondered if I could use them when I travel overseas.