Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

hi guys!
one of my einstein keep blowing fuse but only when attached to wall outlet or power strip.
one of my others einstein only blew fuse once.
never blew a fuse on the vagabond 2.
my strobes are V2.

back in the day i had the same issue with one other brand of flash (Balcar) and i was fixed by going from rapid fuse to sloblow fuse.
do you think this could be done on the einstein to reduce fuse failure on dirty power outlet / cheap power strip.

the fuse alway blow when i turn the unit on, it will display the E640 logo and then shut off immediately.

is there any way to avoid carrying 10 spare fuse or is there some procedure to assume power source is clean enough?

any input would be very appreciated as i am going on a major assignment at the end of the week and i cant afford burning one of my light before that.

Is this with any outlet, or just one in particular?

not any outlet ... just when i'm shooting on an assignment such as a fair or on a contest...
or in older house... (i forgot to say that i am based in France and use 220V)

The original fuse is a slow blow fuse. If you have replaced them with a fast(er) blow fuse, then it very much can continue to blow. Additionally, surges in power or regional high line voltage can cause this. We have heard of reports of up to 275V before in areas that were nominally 220-240VAC. Improperly or sub-optimally wired AC outlets could have that same potential.

Were there any other characteristics that accompanied the blown fuses (rapid firing)?