|
Forums >
Photography Talk >
Digital monolights and generators
jbdesign wrote: The power conditioner sounds like the right approach to me. However, due to the current surges required by the digital strobes you may end up carrying around what amounts to a small Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) system! Feb 28 07 02:08 am Link You could put a UPS between the generator and light... Feb 28 07 02:20 am Link Just spoke with the tech people at the Honda USA headquarters. They've seen this issue before with other digital devices (even citing a digital clock!). In their wording, the inverter in the EU series cannot "read" the digital circuitry. According to them, nothing on the output of the generator will help. They recommended a different generator, such as an EM3800, which doesn't include an inverter. It handles a few more watts (3300 vice 3000) and amps (peak at 31 vice 25). It is a larger unit though, but has wheels and handles built in to allow it to move more easily (like a wheelbarrow). NOT something you'd try to put in your car trunk or high SUV - plan on a pickup or van for transporting the 200 lb beast. It's also louder -- 71db vice 58db. I'm going to try to test one within the next day or two. In the long run we may end up going to all analog AC/DC lights rather than mixing the analog and digital options. I'll miss my remote control! Feb 28 07 11:48 am Link This response just in from Bowens UK: Hello, Hard to believe that a major manufacturer doesn't expect professional photographers to ever work outdoors (unless you're satisfied with the slow recycle and short life of a battery charge)... Mar 02 07 12:43 pm Link I think I just saved MANY of you butt loads of cash by digging in deeper and finding out specs of a generator by getting a hold of the engineer of a certain model generator that is being sold at most COSTCO's across the nation. (generator model: Alton AT04105D - 3000 watts)  I explained to the engineer my profession and what I wanted to use the generator for and needed to know if it produced a CLEAN or PERFECT SINE WAVE. Guess what? Got an email back from him. Here is what he says: 1.) This gen produces a perfect sine wave current. 2.) The THD of this gen is â¤5%. BINGO! Guess for how much this puppy is? $250 Here is my contribution.  Apr 03 07 09:42 am Link michaelGIORDANO wrote: But he conveniently forgot to tell you the voltage deviation. How it is regulated. THD is hardly a relevant parameter if it's below a certain level. Apr 03 07 01:07 pm Link lll wrote: And you failed to explain the differences and what to look for. Care to explain? Apr 03 07 01:59 pm Link Looks pretty much like the Honda specs. If it works for you, that's great. But you don't mention whether or not you're using it to power digital or analog units...??? The issue appears to be in the digital circuitry's input requirements, and I presume the generator's ability to maintain a constant voltage (within the flash's tolerance) under wildly varying current drain (flash charge/recharge). Wm Apr 03 07 06:43 pm Link Ok, electrician here Getting clean power is usually expensive. A power conditioner with load balancing is $$$ and often big and heavy. I see two possible answers: 1. battery powered lights, recharging the batteries as needed with the generator. This has the advantage of only requiring the generator part of the time. 2. Buy different lights, that will work off a genset. You could always get a big truck-mounted diesel genset with a power conditioner that would run any lights you wanted, but that is six-figure territory. Apr 03 07 06:56 pm Link michaelGIORDANO wrote: Already did many times in past posts. Apr 03 07 07:11 pm Link I have the old Comet Power Packs CL-1250 (2 heads) and Norman 800 pack (1 fan cooled head). Basically I am sticking with analogs. These lights have never failed me.....till the capacitors got old so I have had them replaced by Photronics in Houston (reasonable). They have been all over with me. I am more of a location and available light shooter...but I am going through some style changes. Thanks for the contributions and input. I hope I helped those that could use a generator. I will be making a 3 walled cube out of gator board and one on top with acoustic foam glued to it on each panel/wall. The open side faces away from the shoot as my sound supressor. We used moving blankets on movie sets with 100 foot cords to do this. Again, thanks for the insight, hope this helps a lot of shooters. Apr 03 07 08:44 pm Link God love Norman packs - same engineer as built the ol' WWII tanks I think. ;-D Yes, the power packs seem to be much less susceptible to the problem cited, and (so far) the analog units haven't been a problem. I just don't want to go back to analogs, now that I've gotten used to the "luxury" of a remote control to adjust the digital monolights. Guess there will always be room for analog. Apr 03 07 08:55 pm Link Second Glance wrote: I am a bit of a purist....still have my old Pentax 67 and planning on getting another one. Apr 03 07 09:06 pm Link lll wrote: Sent them a message regarding this... Apr 04 07 09:03 am Link |
) 
