# portable lighting solution, new portable battery pack



## catwalk.hudson (Feb 18, 2011)

I currently have an Explorer XT SE and it never failed me since I started using it. I am planning to buy a new set of portable batteries for my new lights. I would like to try other brands but I decided to delay my purchase when I saw this on Rob Galbraith's site: 

Rob Galbraith DPI: Innovatronix unveils XT3, Mini portable power packs for studio flash

And this one is from Innovatronix website:

Innovatronix Incorporated | Explorer XT3 and Explorer Mini

Explorer mini looks very much alike with the Vagabond Mini, just my opinion though.


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## Village Idiot (Feb 19, 2011)

Just with an SLA battery. There's a guy on POTN that's going to be testing the new innovatronix gear and posting about it with photos. I'll link the thread when I'm not on my iPad.


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## Village Idiot (Feb 19, 2011)

New Products On The Way From Innovatronix - Canon Digital Photography Forums


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## Davor (Feb 19, 2011)

i wonder how long it would power a light for.


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## Village Idiot (Feb 19, 2011)

It's not how long, but how many shots. 400w/s light should get 1200 shots if the efficiency is the same as the xt se. They're trying to imorive use with multiple multi voltage strobes like the elinchrom d-lites, bxri series, and other similar lights. 

But what do I know?


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## catwalk.hudson (Mar 19, 2011)

Other details about the new products are said to be released mid or late this month. Still no updates on their website.

As for the Vagabond mini, continuous power is only at 120W, compared to Explorer 1200 (old model of Explorer) with 150W and Explorer XT SE with 350W. I hope the Explorer mini is an improved version with higher capacity, but who knows, I hope its worth the wait  And how about the XT3?


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## RockstarPhotography (Mar 19, 2011)

dam&^% you guys......i was ready to order a vagabond mini this week.


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## Cpt.Beyond (May 9, 2011)

I read somewhere that the power rating of the Explorer XT 3 willbe higher than 650 W. I'm thinking maybe it'll power around 50 percent more than the XT SE can , with the upgraded batteries (from 2x 12v 7 ah to 2x 12 v 9 ah). Beastly!


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## mwcfarms (May 9, 2011)

RockstarPhotography said:


> dam&^% you guys......i was ready to order a vagabond mini this week.


 
Good luck with that, I always find they are out of stock. If you find one in stock ever shoot me a pm k. I am looking for a portable power option for my studios rather than my flashes.


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## Village Idiot (May 10, 2011)

mwcfarms said:


> RockstarPhotography said:
> 
> 
> > dam&^% you guys......i was ready to order a vagabond mini this week.
> ...



Eh? Studios what?


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## tirediron (May 10, 2011)

Village Idiot said:


> mwcfarms said:
> 
> 
> > RockstarPhotography said:
> ...



I'm guessing she means her monolights.


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## Village Idiot (May 10, 2011)

tirediron said:


> Village Idiot said:
> 
> 
> > mwcfarms said:
> ...



Which are flashes.


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## catwalk.hudson (May 16, 2011)

I've read good reviews about Explorer battery packs. I am definitely looking forward to their new products!

Still SLA batteries for the Explorer XT3 right?


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## ghache (May 16, 2011)

really interesting. look like some good product for the price


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## Village Idiot (May 16, 2011)

catwalk.hudson said:


> I've read good reviews about Explorer battery packs. I am definitely looking forward to their new products!
> 
> Still SLA batteries for the Explorer XT3 right?



Yes.


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## catwalk.hudson (May 21, 2011)

I read that SLA's are practical replacement batteries compared to Lithium Ion. It's cheaper, price is around USD20-30 while Lithium is at USD90+. Also, SLA's are standard and almost available everywhere. I believe loose and spare lithium batteries are restricted to be carried on a plane. I am not sure though. 

Are the manufacturer of Explorer battery packs have plans to go with lithium batteries?


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## Village Idiot (May 23, 2011)

catwalk.hudson said:


> I read that SLA's are practical replacement batteries compared to Lithium Ion. It's cheaper, price is around USD20-30 while Lithium is at USD90+. Also, SLA's are standard and almost available everywhere. I believe loose and spare lithium batteries are restricted to be carried on a plane. I am not sure though.
> 
> Are the manufacturer of Explorer battery packs have plans to go with lithium batteries?



Maybe in the future. I believe Innovatronix was more worried about getting multiplt, multi voltage strobes to work with their batteries rather than changing the type of batteries that they used.

SLAs need to be on a constant charger and it's not good to totally discharge them. If you let an SLA sit long enough without being on a charger, it'll eventually be worthless. My Tronix Explorer stays plugged in behind my TV.


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## Cpt.Beyond (May 31, 2011)

Although they are heavier,  SLA batteries aren't as expensive as NIMH and LITHIUM at 20.00 each. I wonder if they could double as sandbags when strobes decide to become sails though.


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## Village Idiot (Jun 1, 2011)

Cpt.Beyond said:


> Although they are heavier, SLA batteries aren't as expensive as NIMH and LITHIUM at 20.00 each. I wonder if they could double as sandbags when strobes decide to become sails though.



I have an Explorer XT SE that I used to weight down a stand with a light with a beauty dish mounted to it while on a moving train. It was effective.


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## catwalk.hudson (Jun 9, 2011)

A video of the new Tronix Explorer mini, test with two Dlite 4 is now on youtube: 



I believe this is the 115V model only. I hope to read reviews about the product soon.


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