Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

We are looking at installing 2 einstien 640ws, cameras and hard drives at a location 165 metres from power source (230vac)

Will the 200 milliseconds of 16 amps cause voltage drop problems for our hard drive

What is the einstien units current draw on standby between recycle and discharge

We are installing them inside outdoor boxes do we need forced ventilation/heating for the boxes

What type on environment are you in? My experience with electrical & electronic equipment is that unless the box is very well sealed you'll want to warm the interior of the box to avoid condensation (assuming you are going to be leaving them out overnight). Setting the modeling lamp to the lowest power may accomplish this although something on a timer would probably be better suited so that the box doesn't overheat during the day.

First, if the lights are running in the 220-240VAC range, the peak draw is 4A each, or 8A for the pair (twice the voltage at half the amperage is the same wattage). Depending on the amperage of the circuit, and the power requirement for the hard drive will also play a role in how well it play with the lights. As well, how fast and at what power you fire the flash can impact this as well.


When Einstein is "off", we define this as standby, as it is not fully off since some power is required for the CSXCV to listen for the On signal. However, given the context, I will interpret "standby" as on and waiting to fire. This is what we define as idle. Idle on 230VAC is about 1A, mostly due to the model lamp. With the model lamp turned off, that will be lower.


This will be determined by power and rate of fire, whether or not the model lamp is used, ambient temperature, and how well it is passively ventilated. I do not see a need to heat them in reasonable temperatures.