DIY Battery pack

[snappysi]

So i have received my new studio lights and have been looking around at diy optiopns for portable power. Being that the lightas are digital i need a pure sine wave inverter, but how exactly do i work out the size of said inverter ? Lights are 300w, do i look at the peak power, and go from there ??

Any help would be appreciated ...

Simon.

[JM Tran]

back before I invested in proprietary power packs for strobes like Bowens and Broncolor and Elinchrom, I would hire pure sine wave inverters or generators from Kennards Hire which has a peak power output that would be at least double my maximum light ouput for both heads. So back then say I was using 2 Bowens Gemini 500ws head for a combined total of 1000ws if used symmetrically together at once - the power pack would be around 2000ws - so I dont strain it too much as the strobes recycle for another shot. a good bang for your buck right now would be the Innovatronix Explorer Mini 1200ws, or the Explorer XT SE 2400ws - its not too big or heavy and can be carried in a satchel bag. Some places like ############## sell its.

[ollie]

this is what i use https://paulcbuff.com.au/cms/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=176&category_id=41&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

[BLWNHR]

Would something like a UPS be a satisfactory source of power? They are commonly used in the computer industry to provide constant power during failures and provide surge protection. They are quite reasonably priced compared to "photographic" power supplies and I would assume the power is of a good quality being it is used for delicate electronics in the form of computers. I've always found PC Case Gear great to deal with. (http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15_1120)

[snappysi]

Hi Adam, whilst i am not certain, i dont think ups are a pure sine wave signal, a must for digital strobes, i also would doubt that they would last long enough. i could be wrong on both counts though.

Simon.

[BLWNHR]

APC do a range of pure sine wave UPS's. This link (http://www.apc.com/products/family/?id=165) gives you an indication of how long the UPS will last, you select your load from the pull-down menu above the green arrow.

The 450VA (http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SC450RMI1U&total_watts=50) version is around $400
The 750VA (http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA750I&total_watts=50) around $500
The 1000VA (http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SMT1000RMI2U&total_watts=50) around $600

The 1000VA model does way nearly 30kg, but you could leave it in the back of the car and run extension cords maybe (depending on location). It is rack-mount so it could be very easily mounted in a trolley to move it around.

[soulman]

A UPS is not really the right tool for this job - they're designed to be connected to the mains, not run as stand alone power supplies.

Good quality inverters all have a surge rating that is far above their continuous output. Something a bit over the maximum input required by all the lights you expect to use at once should be fine. It doesn't hurt to run them near their maximum and they're most efficient there anyway. The battery pack has to be up to the task as well though and you may need a bigger inverter to get the power you need for longer sessions.

Edit: Looked at some of the links & realised this was about the inverters in portable power supplies, not separate inverters.