I wrote the other week about coming up with an alternate portable power solution using a computer UPS. Over the last weekend I was able to successfully test and evaluate the effectiveness of this custom solution and below are the results.
I had an engagement shoot that was to take place after sunset as well as in the graffiti covered tunnel at Krog street. Both could put my monolight to good use so I took it along with me.
a shot that shows the power supply and the monolight used for the engagement shoot last weekend
Performance
First I must mention that the lack of pure-sine wave output had no impact on my system. The system did not fry and the output was exactly what I expected.
I shot anywhere from 1/4 power up to full power and had zero problem with the recycle time. Times never went longer than the 1.5 seconds that occur even when plugged into the wall.
I took around 310 shots at an average of 60% capacity and still used less than half of the overall charge on the UPS. I believe that I can get over 700 shots on a single charge.
As for the custom bag, it also worked like a champ. the straps and handles made transporting it easy and the flap allowed quick and easy access to the plugs.
Summary
All in all, this setup is going to be awesome to use down the road. The great output and excellent portability were more than I could have asked for and allowed me to get the quality of shots I truly wanted to get.
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There are 3 comments
Hi Adam,
I was going to buy the Vagabond II Portable Power System for $300, so glad I come across your blog. I love the ideal you use the APC 1500VA UPS with LCD. You can see how much power you have and cost half the price. Awesome! Thanks for the information.
