7
flash charging current demand exceeds its continuous power rating. To accom-
plish this, the inverter maintains a sine wave output during current limiting, but
drops the AC voltage by whatever amount is required to keep the inverter safely
within its power handling capability. When recycling a single Paul C. Buff™ flash
unit, the voltage emitted by a 120VAC
Vagabond Mini™ Lithium
system
typically
drops to about 80VAC during the initial recycle period, then builds back up to
120VAC as the unit charges (typical for other brands of similar studio flash units
as well). If more than one flash unit is connected to a single
Vagabond Mini™
Lithium
system, the voltage will drop as low as 35VAC. Recycle time will become
correspondingly longer as the limited current is shared between the flash units.
Note:
Paul C. Buff™ lights are designed to tolerate this voltage drop (“brown
out”), as can most purely analog studio flash units, to varying degrees. However,
most manufacturers of digitally controlled flash units failed to anticipate operation
with current limited inverters and designed the microprocessor power supplies
to shut down at about 85VAC input. Thus, many such units will not tolerate
operation with small current limited inverters and will simply crash. This is par-
ticularly true when multiple units are attached to a single inverter.
2. The VMB8.8A Vagabond Mini™ Lithium Battery:
The 14.8V, 8.8AH lithium battery
arrives attached to the inverter, ready to charge. It provides 130 watt-hours of
energy and may be discharged to approximately 95% of its capacity before the
internal protection circuitry causes shut down. Recycle time of attached lights
remains constant from the first shot to the battery depletion point.
3. The VMC3A Vagabond Mini™ Lithium Universal Rapid Battery Charger (95-250VAC):
The battery charger is a rapid-charging device designed to recharge the battery
in approximately three hours from a fully discharged state. The charger is
connected to the system on the front panel inverter faceplate or connected
directly to a battery (a spare battery), then connected to a suitable AC power
source. See detailed charging instructions on pages 8 -11.
4. The VMSTRAP Removable Shoulder Strap:
Each system arrives with a convenient
shoulder strap that loops through strap holes on either side of the faceplate.
5. The Removable Light Stand Mounting Clamp:
A clamp arrives with each system
allowing it to be clamped to a light stand. The clamp attaches underneath the
unit with a 1/4-20 threaded screw. Turning the large black knob counter-clock-
wise opens the clamp to fit around the pole of your light stand. Turning the knob
clockwise tightens the clamp to hold the system in place tightly around the pole.
