Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

If I purchase the vagabond inverter, CU120, from the hardware section of the products listings, would I be able to plug my second battery into it to have a second unit for use???

Yes, but it will not have the charger; only the inverter, strap and stand clip are included.

The raw CU120 will not have the proper battery input connections, housing, nor the AC outlets, battery gauge, etc., so it's not a plug and play solution.

Sooo, I guess I'm confused as to which answer above was correct?

Understandable. It comes down to what is meant by "spare battery". I assumed what was meant was a spare VML battery. I should not assume, and qualify my answer.

If the spare battery in question is a VML battery, then it can be plugged in directly to a CU120, albeit with the need to order a spare charger, or share one with the existing VML.

However, if the spare battery is an SLA (sealed lead acid type), then the connections are not provided.

Also, "CU120", internal to our company, means just the inverter electronics. However, we sell the finished inverter assembly (including housings, outlets, connections, etc.) as the "CU120" online. This could be part of the confusion. The part offered online will work plug and play.

Thanks, that's the information that I needed. Yes, I have a vagabond mini and an extra battery. It would be very handy to have a complete second in standby, or for another setup.

My mistake here. I confused our designation CU120 with the core inverter used in the VML system.

Technical Support is correct here . . . our designation "CU120" is, indeed, the complete VML, excluding battery and charger.

Thus, a user can purchase a 120V VML system complete with battery and charger ($239.95),
http://www.paulcbuff.com/vagabond.php and add, for example. a 230V CU120 for $129.95 http://www.paulcbuff.com/vagabondparts.php more and end up with both 120VAC and 230VAC VMLs by swapping the battery between them.

Sorry for the confusion.

Ive searched through the forums but have not found quite the answer im looking for. I hope this the correct thread to post a question.
I rarely take my studio strobes on location and when required, I likely have access to AC power. I have an opportunity for a small corporate night shoot which will be out in the field, away from a power source (kind of a Montana thing). I'd like to avoid renting a generator (noise) or purchasing a full battery type power supply ($) if at all possible. The Vagabond mini seems like a resonable solution for some one doing this type of work on a regular basis but i think if i had one, it would mostly gather dust.
Is there a reasonable (read-inexpensive) way to power one or two Einsteins from my car battery? I don't think it would be a long shoot (20-50 images) and I could minimize the use of the model lights.
I have a pair of Einsteins, 2 AB800 s and a AB400 . I assume one Einstein in a PLM v2 with the AB400 for fill would be the least power draining and I can occaisionaly run the car to keep the battery up if needed.
Thank you

It is not possible to run our lights (120VAC) directly from a car battery (12VDC), as they are two completely different types of power. An inverter would be required, but virtually all off the shelf inverters will not tolerate the amperage needed for recycling a light (even a B400) and would shut down. Additionally, virtually all off the shelf inverters are of a modified sine wave type. This type of inverter can damage the internals of our lights (as well as most other brands). You would need a pure sine wave inverter.

While we do not rent equipment, there are places that do rent photo equipment via mail order. I am not sure if any rent this type of device or not. However, you may want to consider the total costs of the rental and shipping charges vs. permanent ownership. The Vagabond Mini Lithium is ideal for the occasional user, as it does not require any maintenance like a lead acid battery, and they can be handy during times of power outages.

May I assume that the corrected "plug and play" post above indicates that the Cu120, sold as a separate component, would do the job? Would it run on 12v dc? Would a normal car battery stand up to 50 flash cycles (realize that's a pretty general qualification dependent on mha rating and battery condition)? What style are the input connections?
Thank you