Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi!

I have a sudden realization that my beloved AB800s won’t work for a shoot I’m planning to do in Paris in a few weeks

Can anyone confirm this? Do I just need a plug adapter?

Thanks!

If you are in the U.S. and your lights work fine, then you have 120V bees. No, they will not work in Europe with only a plug adapter. You will need to use a true magnetic transformer (not the little ones you use for your hair dryer, nor the "more than meets the eye" kind). Alternatively, you can use a VII plugged into the 240V mains, then plug your lights into it. You will not be able to use the model lamps for more than set up, as this will drain the VII faster than the VII can recharge.

Ok, thanks for the heads up

I did a quick search and there are various kinds of transformers... From 45W to 3000W, mostly seeing 200-300W. Seeing that the AB800 are 320Ws does that mean that the transformers have to do at least 320W as well? Sorry, electrical engineering was never my forte.

For example this was written in the description of one of the transformers: "200 Watt Step Down Transformer From 220V to 110V with EU Adapter"

Thanks for such a speedy reply!

Since you mention "Alien Bees", I'm guessing you're thinking of more then one ?

Given that the VB-II has a 300 watt inverter, and can power more then one AB, I'd say that if you got a 500W transformer you'd have it covered.

Also, tip......Take your (US) power-strip with you, that way you can use your existing AB power leads running from the power-strip, and you just need ONE power-point adapter to plug your power-strip into the transformer.

Like TS said, you need to ensure you get a TRANSFORMER type voltage converter, simple way to check is to hold it in one hand, if you can do this, you have the wrong product :) !!

The transformer should weigh somewhere in the region of 3Kg - 5 Kg (ummmm six-ish to 10-ish pounds), if it doesn't, it's a converter !!

They're reasonably cheap in the USA, quite expensive in the EU, but you have to figure the cost / inconvenience / hassle of taking a cheap USA-purchased on to the EU, Vs the extra cost of buying one there !!

If someone else is paying to ship your stuff :D ......................

Cheers,

AB.

ugh. this seems like it’s going to become a nightmare. I’d almost want to dish out and get an Einstein... but.. well.. they seem to have 220v issues (and backlogged to boot)... and of course their price just shot up 70usd not even a week ago. Damn. They’re sweet though.

I think the best thing to do is fall back on to a pair of Nikon SB-600 flashes and hope it’s enough... and start looking up some rental companies at worst

Why can’t the Alien Bees be universal voltage like.. well.. just about every electrical appliance has been for the last decade!?

Any further suggestions are welcome.

Thanks Alphabug for the clarifications though!

Here is a link that has international power information (toward the bottom) for the bees. I can't speaky wholy on the reasons the Bees are not universal voltage, but to add a transformer to them would add weight and cost, which is counter to our buisness model.

Good call AB on the power strip.

http://www.alienbees.com/nonus.html

thanks a ton, wish I’d seen that link before. I thought I’d looked everywhere

I’ll bring the AB800 ... and the 2 speed-lights as well just in case ;-)

btw, what if I invest in a Pure Sine wave inverter? Without the battery pack and such, that should work, no? Plug it in from the 220 outlet into the unit, and out comes 120v.. just like the V2, sans battery pack.

Hopefully would be lighter than a 4 kilo transformer too

You will still need the battery. The 240 charges the battery, the inverter pulls from the battery and outputs 110V. You can, however, invest in the inverter or the VII (leaving the battery at home, fully charged) and aquire a 12V battery overseas. You would want to use a sealed lead acid type, and a deep cycle if possible. Even a standard car battery would work.

Thanks for all the advice.

My contact has a 300w transformer so my AB800 should work fine.

Would it be too much of a stretch to put a 2nd unit on a 300w transformer? I rarely, if ever, use them at full power anyway

Thanks again,