Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

The PCB Vagabonds are so hard to get these days, specially for me that live outside US, that I am searching the right methods to juice my Einsteins.

Here are my options:

1. A pure sine wave inverter connected to my car.
Pros: Very dependable, lots of shots
Cons: As big as a car, can't go everywhere.

2. A pure sine wave generator.
Pros: Can go anywhere, Lots of shots
Cons: Noisy, smelly, maintenance

3. A pure sine wave inverter with battery pack.
Pros: Portable, quiet
Cons: Short duration, long recharging

What I am asking here, are opinions on field level experience, what method would be more convenient for YOU on a daily basis?

Also, how much rated would be this inverter to power up, 4 Einsteins + 2 AB400 and an ABR800?

I am a little confused because, some manufacturers would rate the Einstein at 1600 Watts per second, not 640, I am not sure to which I should rate, for the 640 or the 1600?
Because I am thinking in a 3000watts with 6000watts surge inverter, do I need this much?

Any considerations on buying my PURE SINE WAVE inverter to power these lights?

Cheers mates.

Power rating is far from the whole story. The wattage rating of the inverter will dictate how fast your recycle times are. The more wattage, the faster the recycling (up to the speed at which they recycle when connected to a mains outlet). Most inverters you buy are equipped with overload protection, which will shut off the inverter when it senses that sudden peak draw that occurs after a flash discharge. Theoretically, you could brute force your way above that by buying a really beefy inverter that can handle the load easily. We do not have any recomendations for the wattage needed, as that could likely change from model to model, however, it would need to be quite beefy. I have heard of 2000-3000W inverters still shutting down.

Our units limit current until the initial surge is satisfied, then the voltage rises to a normal level.

EDIT: TS beat me to the punch... but I'll add my 0.02 anyway....

Personally, I find #3 to be the most attractive option since it is easy to maintain, a relatively small package, and highly portable. That is why vagabonds and other battery packs are so popular. However, if you really want to power all six lights at once then you are probably going to want multiple sources (all depends on how big of an inverter you go with). For convenience (less stringing cords all over the place) and redundancy I would go with at least 2x #3. Also consider if you really need to power all those lights at once!

You definitely want a pure sine wave inverter. As for inverter rating, there are LOTS of threads on here, Flickr, etc about this. Search this forum for inverter rating and you'll find good posts from Tech Support and Luap including why you need a current-limiting inverter.

Don't get too hung up on 1600 vs. 640.... those won't help you spec the inverter. The 640 for Einstein is 640 watt-seconds. This is a measure of the light energy released, not a rating for electrical power (watts). To really spec your inverter you need to decide how many lights you will be using at any one time. The number of lights you need and how fast you want them to recycle will dictate how you size the inverter.

How about a combo of 1 and 3?

I have a 2nd battery in the trunk of my Accord.

During non-use, the battery is charged by the the alternator.
Having a second battery doesn't tax the car's main battery. All power is drained from the second battery.

When I can't bring a car, I use the quick disconnect terminals to bring the battery with me.

Things you need:

Quick disconnect terminals. I use the kind with wing nuts.
A battery box. Commonly used in racing.
A battery isolator. Isolates the second battery from the main, also makes the use of quick disconnects possible without also having to disconnect it from under the hood as well (unless you start the car). Either way, I DO have the wing nut terminals under the hood as well.

Installation was simple. Use common sense. Don't clamp a battery line to a fuel line, protect it, use grommets, etc.........

I had to drill a hole in the floor of my trunk. Use a weatherproof grommet. When no longer needed you can spot repair the hole by welding a piece of plate in place over the hole and painting over it.