[reivax]

Hello everyone,

I finally went ahead and purchased the Flashpoint 1220M Monolight that was on sale. I received it the other day and I was really impressed with the amount of power it has. I didn't purchase a battery pack because I wasn't sure if I'd need one. I still don't know if I'll need one, but I figure I should try to find out about them in case I ever do decide to buy one. I tried doing my research but had no luck understanding what I was looking for.

I guess my questions are:

1) Are battery packs universal? I noticed a lot of them seem to be for specific models, but I'm not sure if they're just made that way for branding purposes or if you need different battery packs for different brands of monolights.
2) If they are universal, what would be a good battery pack I could use with different strobes (multiple brands like Flashpoint M Mount, Alien Bees, etc.) at once (more than one plugged in)?

As always, thank you for all of your help!

[Obin Robinson]

Wow I feel as if I am reading my doppelganger because I purchased my first moonlight this past weekend as well and I didn't get a battery pack either! I did a lot of research into this matter and for my purposes I am going to build my own battery pack using these instructions:
Super Easy DIY Rechargeable Battery Power Pack For Event Photographers - DIY Photography

What I like about using my own inverter is that I can add more battery power or use a 12V-USB power accessory to power ancillary devices.

obin

[Digitalis]

Are battery packs universal? I noticed a lot of them seem to be for specific models,

You answered you own question there. No, a lot of battery packs aren't universal. There are a lot of proprietary interfaces that manufacturers use to lock customers into their system.

I'd suggest getting something like the Godox LP800X power inverter which I have personally used to power my Elinchrom 1200ws flash heads for on-location work.

[reivax]

Wow I feel as if I am reading my doppelganger because I purchased my first moonlight this past weekend as well and I didn't get a battery pack either! I did a lot of research into this matter and for my purposes I am going to build my own battery pack using these instructions:
Super Easy DIY Rechargeable Battery Power Pack For Event Photographers - DIY Photography

What I like about using my own inverter is that I can add more battery power or use a 12V-USB power accessory to power ancillary devices.

obin

That looks really cool. Do you have the ability to plug in more than one monolight at once? Would it be ok to ask which are the parts you ordered for yours? The link you posted recommended not using this for more powerful strobes. Do you know what I would need to buy to be able to charge more powerful strobes? Thanks!

---------- Post added 12-12-16 at 06:36 AM ----------

You answered you own question there. No, a lot of battery packs aren't universal. There are a lot of proprietary interfaces that manufacturers use to lock customers into their system.

I'd suggest getting something like the Godox LP800X power inverter which I have personally used to power my Elinchrom 1200ws flash heads for on-location work.

That looks really nice, but also really expensive. If I go that route, I'll need to save up for a while. But thank you for your response. It really did help a lot.

One of these are on Santa's List

Vagabond Mini

Vagabond Extreme

[reivax]

Does anyone know if this would work? https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Installation-Automotive-according-standards/...G0HFJ2SX1QNXX7

[Obin Robinson]

That looks really cool. Do you have the ability to plug in more than one monolight at once? Would it be ok to ask which are the parts you ordered for yours? The link you posted recommended not using this for more powerful strobes. Do you know what I would need to buy to be able to charge more powerful strobes? Thanks![COLOR="Silver"]

I haven't bought the inverter yet but I do have the battery. This is the one I use to power my telescopes in the field:
Amazon.com: Tempest TH1234W 12V 9Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery - This is an AJC Brand174; Replacement: Health & Personal Care

My telescope equipment runs off of 12V but I have been looking at this inverter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWL4N7Q?psc=1

The reviews are pretty good and that one has two outlets. For more powerful strobes you'd need an inverter with more wattage like this one. If you wanted to go for overkill then this one will power a very large light setup. It's good enough to run saws, air compressors, and refrigerators so I think it's more than adequate for some monolights.

obin

[Digitalis]

It's good enough to run saws, air compressors, and refrigerators so I think it's more than adequate for some monolights.

I wouldn't be so sure of that, power saws, air compressors and refrigerators are reasonably constant draw appliances: Studio flash heads require short bursts of extremely high current, ever wonder why batteries get hot when you take them out of a flash?

[Obin Robinson]

Good point! Apparently this is the best one to use for monolights:
Amazon.com: Samlex America PST-30S-12A 300 Watt Inverter: Car Electronics

Here is a

You Tube

You Tube

.

Here is a video on

You Tube

You Tube

.

Note that there are some details in the comments which should be heeded. Don't try to overpower the inverter with tons of lights.

The safest option of course is using the Paul C Buff inverter:
http://www.paulcbuff.com/vm120.php

obin