2.5kw HMI from a 3000w Honda?

Shawn Philip Nelson

Shawn Philip Nelson

Veteran
Has anyone tried striking a 2.5kw Magnetic HMI from the EU3000is Honda genny?

According to the Honda specs that genny can do 25a max or 23a rated, and according to the LTM website (I recently purchased a used LTM 2.5kw Par) the light will draw 26amps at 120v. But this makes no sense! How the heck does 2500w (20.83 amps) draw 26 amps? An old gaff I talked to said he actually runs a 2.5kw off a 20amp industrial socket all the time, says it only draws 26amps at strike and that it's not enough to trip the breaker then you're down around 21-22 amps and fine.

Any experiences here?
 
I have not had to use this combination before, but it certainly would not be my first choice. Just moving the the genny far enough away from the set for audio issues, probably would result in a " Line drop" of power" in the first place. The EU line of Honda generators are truly great, but the power needed for striking would be substantial...Try it before renting...But I would opt for even more juice. If renting this genny, I wouldn't think the difference between a Honda Eu 3000 or the bigger brother , the EU6500, would be that much more in terms of cost.
The EU units can handle some HMI's, but true Crystal SYNC is the way to go.
I have experienced flicker with a Honda EU3000 with just a Joker Bug 400, but this is because we ran a stinger close to 350 feet to keep down the noise for a very quiet, thoughtful scene we were shooting.
TEST<TEST<TEST, before going out into the field, and let it run for half an hour or so, check your footage at the shutter speed, capture speed/shutter angle you intend to use, and play back footage to make sure it's flicker free. Good luck.
 
I'm now thinking of getting two EU2000i and using the parallel kit, they say that can handle 30amps which would be plenty.

But Crystal Sync? What's the smallest Crystal Sync genny you can buy? I don't think I can afford my own 600amp genny!
 
Crystal Sync is referring to a regulated frequency output from the generator (clean and stable sine wave unaffected by fluctuations in AC and variations in load). Usually this is accomplished by using an electronic governor to regulate the speed of a flywheel but all of Honda's EU series, including the ones you're looking at, use a newer inverter technology to accomplish the same thing. I don't have any experience which method works better in the field however.

If your HMI is using an electronic ballast, you generally don't need regulated output to eliminate flicker. On the other hand, if your HMI has a magnetic ballast, then you will need a generator such as the one filmat11 suggested to smooth out the output thus avoiding any dimming or flickering.

This is typically not an issue with tungsten lamps or flos with good ballasts.

Cheers,
 
Last edited:
Thanks for clarifying that LEO...Shanweous, everything he said is spot on.-Crystal sync frequency for this purpose would be 60 Hertz... Yes, the HMI's with electronic ballasts can run off almost any genny. You can still experience flicker if your stinger is too long, however. There are some rental houses in LA that can customize an EU series genny to be crystal sync'd.. I'll get a name and post it here after the Iowa Caucuses are over.. I'm slammed right now. Good luck.
 
I'd prefer to stay away from expensive customization, what's a 5000 to 7000w generator I can buy that is already crystal-synced? Or is it not that difficult to purchase and install and electric governor to give it that capability?
 
On a recent shoot I ran a 2500w HMI from a non-EU Honda 7500w genny and didn't have any flicker- this was a 24fps and a 180* shutter. Good advice on TESTING any setup you might have. The genny I used was from Picture this, so maybe you could talk them into letting you test it. Or else you could rent one from Gearhead or PG&L. The plus with a 7500 is that you can run the light, PLUS supplemental lights. I think we ran an extra 1600-2000 watts of lights on ours with no ill effects whatsoever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top