Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hello.
So i have had my 110v B800 & B400 along with a Vagabond II for a couple of years now here in the UK, and they're great.

I haven't used them too regularly but now the amount of shoots i have coming up is increasing and the duration of the shoots could very well be longer, plus i would love the option to use the modelling lamps... especially now as i can shoot video.

So i was wondering whether if i purchased the 110v mini vagabond, would it be able to charge from the UK 240v mains while i'm shooting with both lights so i don't have to worry about running out of power and also, would i be able to run both my modelling lamps off of it while it is plugged in to the mains??

thanks for your help
nabeel

It is possible to charge the 120VAC version Vagabond from 240VAC mains (actually, all versions of Vagabonds can be charged from 120 or 240VAC).

You can also run the lights from the Vagabonds while charging. However, what you are doing is charging the battery while depleteing the battery rather than simply converting energy. This means it is possible to discharge the battery faster than you charge it, but you will have to shoot pretty fast for a long period of time for that to happen with the lights you mention, especially if there is one per Vagabond.

As for running the model lamps, you will need to be very careful. First, they are not particularly bright even at full power for the purposes of video. Second, you would not want to run more than 120W on the VML (stock bulbs for AB are 150W), and even doing that will not yeild a very long run time, even if charging while doing so.