Photographer Needs Power Help (Goal Zero Setup or Dual Battery)
- Thread starter lhoy
- Start date
dwh
Tail-End Charlie
Yea, 99% of the time, MSW is fine. There's just that occasional gizmo that chokes on it. And no way to predict which one it'll be.
I have a Ryobi battery tool kit - no problem with the charger on MSW. Back in my working electrician days, I burned out a couple of Makita chargers on a job site before I found out that that particular model of charger couldn't handle MSW. I bought a newer model of Makita charger and it worked fine.
Here's from the Powerstream Inverter FAQ:
http://www.powerstream.com/inFAQ.htm
"Q: How do I know if I need a sine wave, or if I can live with a modified sine wave?
A: The following gadgets work well with a modified sine wave: electric blankets, computers, motor-driven appliances, toasters, coffee makers, most stereos, ink jet printers, refrigerators, TVs, VCRs, many microwave ovens, etc.
Appliances that are known to have problems with the modified sine wave are some digital clocks, some battery chargers, most light dimmers, some battery operated gadgets that recharge in an AC receptacle, some chargers for hand tools (Makita is known to have this problem in the past). In the case of hand tools, the problem chargers usually have a warning label stating that dangerous voltages are present at the battery terminals when charging. We would like to add to this FAQ any appliances that you have had trouble with, or had success with, using modified sine wave inverters. [emphasis added - in other words, even the manufacturers can't really predict what will and won't work with MSW - dwh]
Q: Why do I hear buzzing on my stereo when using a modified sine wave inverter?
A: Some inexpensive stereos use power supplies that cannot eliminate common-mode noise. These would require a sine wave inverter to operate noise-free. What you hear is some of the higher harmonics of the modified sine wave."
And to eliminate confusion...
Inverters either produce square wave or sine wave.
Modified square wave is where they add steps to the square wave to make it closer to a sine wave.
"Modified Sine Wave" is pure marketing BS - but unfortunately, it's BS that has caught on and is widely used.
But as I said, if it was a sine wave, they wouldn't have to modify it...
So anytime you see the words "modified sine wave" - it's actually a modified square wave.
Sine wave:
Square wave:
Modified square wave:
Most inverter generators have an inverter that produces sine wave.
A very few cheapo Chinese inverter generators have MSW inverters.
All synchronous (non-inverter) generators produce sine wave.
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
Have you considered the Paul Buff Vagabond units? I tried one for a bit and was really impressed with it - it had no problem powering up a couple of studio monolights, running small electronics, charging my phone...
It's a pure sine inverter with its own internal / swappable lithium battery pack, two outlets, and usb port. Would definitely charge phones, run laptop, charge camera batteries with no worries about sensitive electronics.
For photographers who might ever be interested in running REAL flashes away from the grid, definitely something to look at. When I plugged a single monolight into my home battery backup system (1000watt Xantrex pure sine inverter properly wired to four 6 volt deep cycle golf cart batteries), the inverter tripped instantly - so the little Vagabond unit has some internal design magic (bunch of caps?) going on that allows it to handle a massive and brief inrush of charging current I think.
http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php
I'm looking for another one and when I get my hands on another I'm going to try hooking it up to a larger power source like traditional 12v battery bank.
It's a pure sine inverter with its own internal / swappable lithium battery pack, two outlets, and usb port. Would definitely charge phones, run laptop, charge camera batteries with no worries about sensitive electronics.
For photographers who might ever be interested in running REAL flashes away from the grid, definitely something to look at. When I plugged a single monolight into my home battery backup system (1000watt Xantrex pure sine inverter properly wired to four 6 volt deep cycle golf cart batteries), the inverter tripped instantly - so the little Vagabond unit has some internal design magic (bunch of caps?) going on that allows it to handle a massive and brief inrush of charging current I think.
http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php
I'm looking for another one and when I get my hands on another I'm going to try hooking it up to a larger power source like traditional 12v battery bank.
MINO
Adventurer
How many w/s is your monolight? I run 2 of my Elinchrom 500w/s at full power off my 600w Samlex pure sine with the only issue being a slower refresh.
My Xantrex 2000w doesn't flinch with 3 at full pop.
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
That test was with a single AB800 - I was really suprised that my inverter tripped but I tried it a couple of times. Inverter works well otherwise, it runs 24/7 pretty much to use the excess watts that my solar puts out. And the AB800 works fine from the wall.
Tried hooking the flash up to a kill-a-watt but I think the spike that trips the inverter is too brief to show up on the watt meter of the kill-a-watt. Same goes for starting up my 1960's drill press, the inverter trips right out even though once the motor is running it's well below the inverter rating.
Tried hooking the flash up to a kill-a-watt but I think the spike that trips the inverter is too brief to show up on the watt meter of the kill-a-watt. Same goes for starting up my 1960's drill press, the inverter trips right out even though once the motor is running it's well below the inverter rating.
NEPolarbear
Observer
Try this.
http://www.paulcbuff.com/e640.php
Plus the battery that goes with it.
Much lighter than the Vagabond.
Have also used the battery to keep laptop charged while on location.
http://www.paulcbuff.com/e640.php
Plus the battery that goes with it.
Much lighter than the Vagabond.
Have also used the battery to keep laptop charged while on location.
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
^ great flash I had 4 of them with the VML, what battery are you speaking of ?
NEPolarbear
Observer
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
yah that's what I was recommending in post #19 here
NEPolarbear
Observer
WHOOOPS!
Ha!
Great set up for the money.
Ha!
Great set up for the money.
For $240, here's the specs on that battery:
14.8V 8.8AH LiCoxNiyMnzO2 lithium battery (130 Watt-hours)
I think this 10AH LiFePO4 is probably a better deal:
http://www.frys.com/product/6703015?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
14.8V 8.8AH LiCoxNiyMnzO2 lithium battery (130 Watt-hours)
I think this 10AH LiFePO4 is probably a better deal:
http://www.frys.com/product/6703015?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG