Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

My Vagabond II is getting tired. I'm not getting as many pops out of it as I used to and it is starting to cut my on-location shoots short.

I was thinking about getting a new system like Lithium Mini or trying to build a DIY version of the Vagabond, but then I thought to myself "Wait a minute, I already have $300 invested in my current system - $200 of which is the inverter which still works perfectly well - so why not just buy a new battery?"

I'd consider the $70 replacement battery a steal if it brings my Vagabond back to its full potential.

But then I got to thinking ... what if I could have more?! Could I just buy a bigger battery to use with my inverter and get more pops?

I know what you are thinking - it'd be heavier and wouldn't fit in the orange case. I don't care. It is more important to me that my battery doesn't die when I'm on location. I wouldn't mind lugging and planting a car battery if it'll last twice as long.

So here is my question: What kinds of batteries can you use with the standard Vagabond II inverter?

It must be 12VDC nominal voltage. The original battery was 20Ah, so as you increase or decrease that number your run time will increase or decrease correspondingly. I would suggest a deep cycle marine battery and one that is sealed lead acid. Deep cycles are desinged to be discharged and regharged over and over, where as an auto battery is typically only discharged on starting the car. Gel and other type batteries may not be able to handle the heat from heavy usage of the VII.