Harry Forsythe wrote:
I have access to about 10 of them at work.....and wanna know how many
times I've used them....zip-zero.....I am a reflector type guy (if it warrants it)
one of the funny things I noticed about it is the "spike"....when you are using it you need to ground the unit....I don't know anyone who uses the spike.....

it funny you say that because in the product description is says:

The PSI900 inverter used in Vagabond II has been redesigned to improve performance and reliability and will now include an automatic GFIC circuit to eliminate the need to ground the system physically for safety. The price and discount structure for past Vagabond 150/300 customers will remain the same. The new inverter is designated PSI900GF

But yet it comes with a grounding spike and in the instruction manual its says to ground the unit?  Think that might be a typo?

ChrisBlaze wrote:

Harry Forsythe wrote:
I have access to about 10 of them at work.....and wanna know how many
times I've used them....zip-zero.....I am a reflector type guy (if it warrants it)
one of the funny things I noticed about it is the "spike"....when you are using it you need to ground the unit....I don't know anyone who uses the spike.....

it funny you say that because in the product description is says:


But yet it comes with a grounding spike and in the instruction manual its says to ground the unit?  Think that might be a typo?

The included grounding spike is a typo?  LOL

ChrisBlaze wrote:

Harry Forsythe wrote:
I have access to about 10 of them at work.....and wanna know how many
times I've used them....zip-zero.....I am a reflector type guy (if it warrants it)
one of the funny things I noticed about it is the "spike"....when you are using it you need to ground the unit....I don't know anyone who uses the spike.....

it funny you say that because in the product description is says:


But yet it comes with a grounding spike and in the instruction manual its says to ground the unit?  Think that might be a typo?

They came out with an updated version of the Vagabond II recently.

Harry Forsythe wrote:
I have access to about 10 of them at work.....and wanna know how many
times I've used them....zip-zero.....I am a reflector type guy (if it warrants it)
one of the funny things I noticed about it is the "spike"....when you are using it you need to ground the unit....I don't know anyone who uses the spike.....

how do you ground the unit?

( ANT ) Mgaphoto wrote:

how do you ground the unit?

There is a grounding wire you plug into the unit and it has an alligator clip on the other end. You're supposed to attach this clip to a ground. This can be a fence, metal piping, or a rod you stick into the ground.

ChrisBlaze wrote:
so it does have to be grounded?

Not to function, no. It's a safety mechanism.

I haven't used my Vagabond yet, though. It's sitting on my kitchen floor. haha.

W.G. Rowland wrote:
Has worked well for me.. Heavy SOB.. And haven't stress tested it yet..

wg.. do you use it with alien bees or other lighting? I sent them an email because I dont have alien bees but I am not sure if it will work with other companies power supplies, no response back.

( ANT ) Mgaphoto wrote:

wg.. do you use it with alien bees or other lighting? I sent them an email because I dont have alien bees but I am not sure if it will work with other companies power supplies, no response back.

from their site:

We should again point out that Vagabond II is designed specifically for powering Paul C. Buff, Inc. products and that we cannot make any claim for suitability with products from other manufacturers, nor can we accept any liability for any damage that might be caused to such equipment. We will, however, warranty the Vagabond II itself as well as any Paul C. Buff, Inc. equipment it powers.

Xeris wrote:
I've used mine with the Alien Bees Ring Flash for a total of about 800 shots so far without any problems. I bought a separate GFIC cable at Home Depot and I have not been fried..... yet!

The reason Im asking is because I want to carry mine around remotely using the pack.

ChrisBlaze wrote:

( ANT ) Mgaphoto wrote:
wg.. do you use it with alien bees or other lighting? I sent them an email because I dont have alien bees but I am not sure if it will work with other companies power supplies, no response back.

from their site:

cool.. but I figure some people out there may have tried it with other gear. so with any inverter you must ground it to metal? also does it matter if you shoot in the sand? I mainly shoot at the beach so I was curious about that... I thought if I had one I would just place something under it for protection.

ChrisBlaze wrote:

The reason Im asking is because I want to carry mine around remotely using the pack.

If you plan on carrying this thing, get a better strap.  Lots more padding.
It isn't the lightest portable power on the planet.

Theta Image wrote:

Not to function, no. It's a safety mechanism.

I haven't used my Vagabond yet, though. It's sitting on my kitchen floor. haha.

The safety issue is a CYA for Paul and Company !

ChrisBlaze wrote:
If so how do you like it?

I have and I got it right here with me.  I like it.

Harry Forsythe wrote:
I have access to about 10 of them at work.....and wanna know how many
times I've used them....zip-zero.....I am a reflector type guy (if it warrants it)
one of the funny things I noticed about it is the "spike"....when you are using it you need to ground the unit....I don't know anyone who uses the spike.....

The old version has Spike.  The newer one has no spike but you still has to ground them (not via spike though).

Xeris wrote:
I've used mine with the Alien Bees Ring Flash for a total of about 800 shots so far without any problems. I bought a separate GFIC cable at Home Depot and I have not been fried..... yet!

I talked to the company, and they advised me simply take a piece of aluminum foil, put it in the alligator clip attached by cable to the unit, and put the foil and clip UNDER the battery.   They said that this should ground it properly.

Walt Jedziniak wrote:

I talked to the company, and they advised me simply take a piece of aluminum foil, put it in the alligator clip attached by cable to the unit, and put the foil and clip UNDER the battery.   They said that this should ground it properly.

really?

Class Act Photography wrote:

?

( ANT ) Mgaphoto wrote:
I wrote them about using this with my Profoto Acute 1200R pack.. this was the response:

"Can't say for sure, it really depends on the design of the unit..
Theoretically it should work but we cannot be 100% positive since we
have
not tested the Vagabond with all systems.

The Vagabond is a 12VDC to 120VAC power supply for operating our 120VAC
flash units. It can power most other analog controlled flash units but
some
digitally controlled units will not tolerate the characteristic
"voltage sag
during recycle" of inverter type supplies like Vagabond. We don't
attempt to
determine which other flash units will or won't function properly.
Vagabond
is all self-contained and cannot power another battery pack. It can,
however, be used with a car battery for very extended shooting.

This being said, we can't warranty your other equipment under these
conditions because we didn't manufacture it.

We do offer a 60 day guarantee on everything you order from the Bees so
if
you want to purchase one and try it out you have 60 days to decide if
it
will work for you or not."

Yep, thats basically right.

I use Elinchroms which are all digitally controlled (the D-Lites and RX).  If you hook up two of these at the same time to a Vagabond, they will error out on recycle.  They just don't get the juice consistently enough I guess, and they will shut down.

One light is fine. 

The AB's themselves must be much more tolerant to unpredictable draw rates.

Avicdar - Toronto wrote:

Yep, thats basically right.

I use Elinchroms which are all digitally controlled (the D-Lites and RX).  If you hook up two of these at the same time to a Vagabond, they will error out on recycle.  They just don't get the juice consistently enough I guess, and they will shut down.

One light is fine. 

The AB's themselves must be much more tolerant to unpredictable draw rates.

My acute 1200 isnt digital... does this mean I could use it then? Im so lost on this shit lol or would I be better off with the inverter mentioned above?

Also.. are there issues using one of these in the sand? I don't mean burrying the stupid thing but I thought I could put like a towel down or something.

markcomp wrote:
I have one and have used it sucessfully with a ringlight and two b800's.  I have used it grounded and ungrounded though I would not reccomend using it ungrounded.

HA HA the disclaimer. its funny i get shocked by my camera all the time even with my other strobes when they have the grounding cords in the wall... hmmm no drinling water and shooting at the same time for me LOL.

Avicdar - Toronto wrote:
...

I use Elinchroms which are all digitally controlled (the D-Lites and RX).  If you hook up two of these at the same time to a Vagabond, they will error out on recycle.  They just don't get the juice consistently enough I guess, and they will shut down.

One light is fine. 

The AB's themselves must be much more tolerant to unpredictable draw rates.

Strobes tend to use very little power except for the few seconds while they are recharging.  If we were designing strobes for portable use, we would design them to recharge slowly, and to take turns, so that only one of them recharges at a time.

In the real world we need to be able to deal with the strobes we have.


The straightforward way of dealing with this is to get an inverter/battery that can easily handle the peak load. 

The problem with this approach is that such a system tends to be expensive (inverter) and heavy (battery).

You an reduce the cost of the inverter by using one that produces a 'modified sine wave' output.   The issue here is that many strobes (such as the Alien Bees) will be damaged by this sort of power.


Another way of dealing with peak loads, is to use an inverter that keeps a true sine wave output, but reduces voltage.  The issue here is that some strobes are sensitive to input voltage, and won't work properly.


The Vagabond units work by reducing voltage under high load.  Alien Bees are designed to notice the lowered voltage, and to reduce their power consumption by recharging more slowly.  This combination of features makes the Vagabond/Alien Bee combination practical and economical.

If you want to use other lights with the Vagabond, you need to make sure that the lights are tolerant of reduced voltage, or their peak current draw is low.

If you want to use Alien Bees with other inverters, you need to make sure the inverter will keep a pure sine wave output (lower voltage is OK) even under peak load.

It turns out that isn't a trivial task as the Alien Bee web site doesn't quite give you enough information.  There is no mention of how low a voltage the Alien Bees will tolerate, and there is no mention of Vagabond output voltage under various loads.  All they really promise is that the Vagabond works with their lights.


Bottom Line: The Vagabond II is a good unit.  The design choices in this product are clearly skewed to the needs of someone who uses Alien Bees lights.  If you want to use the Vagabond II for other applications these choices might be a disadvantage.

The company does offer an unconditional money-back guarantee.  You can always order a Vagabond II, try it with your lights, and see if it works.  If it doesn't work, return it.

4C 41 42 wrote:
I always wonder about people who feel the need to end every sentence or paragraph with "LOL".

LOL - me too!  I usually use it in the beginning....

JiminChico wrote:
I think the ground spike is to discharge any static electricity.

According to Paul Buff, owner of the company that makes the Vagabond, the ground spike is a safety issue for any inverter that doesn't have a GFCI.

In normal use, the ground stake probably isn't necessary.  If there is an equipment malfunction, it could save your life.

Given how the US legal system works, and being a US company, Mr. Buff believes that he has to tell people to ground the unit.   Unoficially he believes that it is reasonable not to ground the unit.


he new Vagabond II system (scheduled to ship in November) has an integrated GFCI for protection, and no ground is needed.