peter_j2 Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 <p>While waiting for Paul C. Buff to return my email inquiry from yesterday, I will ask here.<br /><br />Will the Paul C. Buff Vagabond II's charger be able to recharge a Lithium-ion battery? Their B20A stock battery is a 20Ah, 12 V Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) unit. An aftermarket Lithium-Ion (LiFePo4) battery which is smaller in dimensions is also a 20 Ah, 12 V unit at approximately 4 times the price more.<br /><br />For a comparison in technologies, I have the Profoto Acute B2 600 AirS/R and their 1.0 A charger is able to recharge their 5.0 Ah, 13.2 Volt LiFePo4 battery as it is also able to recharge their original 5.0 Ah, 12 V SLA battery.<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_m Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 <p>charging lithium is very different from charging lead. I'm going to guess that if PCB *doesn't* offer a LiFe battery then their charger wont properly do it either to say nothing of the lack of cell balancing which is always a good ting. I would STRONGLY urge you to NOT 'just try it'. It's a great way to burn your house down.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_j2 Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 <p>Thanks, Howard.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_m Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 <p>PCB does seem to offer the VLX series and associated charger which *may* be usable.</p> <p>USING A CHARGER OTHER THAN SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED FOR THE PARTICULAR BATTERY. Lithium Ion battery chargers provide a specific charging voltage and microprocessor current and voltage control. They are fundamentally different than chargers for SLA, NiCd, NiMH, or other rechargeable batteries. Chargers for LiNiMnCoO2 (NMC) batteries (VML) and LiFePO4 batteries (VLX) are not interchangeable, and require different charging voltages.<br /><br /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_j2 Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 <p>Yes. I went a little deeper into PCB's website and read the same warning here:<br /><br />https://www.paulcbuff.com/lithium-warning.php<br> <br />Obviously, PCB's battery charging technology is not as advanced as Profoto's.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_m Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 <p>I dont know about that but they do offer a LiFe battery setup; you just dont own that one ;)<br> I am surprised they dont offer a mod/upgrade.<br> Plus, ProFoto is what, 3-4x more expensive? </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_j2 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 <p>PCB confirmed that the Vagabond II is not compatible with Lithium-ion batteries.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now