Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I just picked up a couple of Vagabond 1's as part of a package I purchased. They hadn't been used in years, so I'm sure the batteries are shot.

I'm pretty sure this is the case, but I assume I could use any 12V SLA battery with them, though I would obviously want to try to get something at leas the same AH rating so they give me enough shots. Also, it would clearly be ideal, though not necessary, to get something about the same physical dimensions so it fit in the carry bag.

Also, I assume I could also use any 12V trickle charger with whatever SLA battery I pick up, correct? I realize that I won't have the convenient power connectors the V1 comes with, but I'd have to spend $111 (including shipping) for each unit to get a new battery and charger directly from PCB and I don't know if it's worth it considering how old these things are. I know I can pick up a decent SLA battery relatively cheap locally, and I have a number of 12V chargers laying around that I could presumably use to keep costs down. Any chance PCB would be willing to sell me just a couple of sets of the connectors? :)

That brings up another obvious question - are these units (the inverters, I guess, since that's about all that's left) still reliable, or was there something specific about them that caused them to be replaced by the Vagabond II's? I obviously understand the reasoning for going from the VII to the Vagabond Mini Lithium, but I'm not aware of the reason the original Vagabond was phased out.

Any help would be appreciated!

Yes, any 12V SLA will work. As you said the form factor will be helpful in that it will fit in the bag. The Ah rating will affect the number of shots. The OEM battery is 15A. You do not want to go below 11Ah, as it can damage the battery. Regular 12VDC chargers should work (like those for auto/marine use), however, making a blanket statement would be risky.

We cannot sell the connectors, but they are Anderson Power Pole connectors, and are fairly readily available. I have seen them on Amazon as well as Digi Key.

VII was a smaller, less expensive unit that provided more power with one inverter, and (the form factor) could accept a larger capcity battery.