DJI has become a world leader in drones and mobile camera technology. They have pushed the limits of size and weight of drones, gimbals, and microphones.

A major factor in the success of the all DJI products are the batteries. Without strong batteries the gimbals, drones and microphones are tough to use.

Out camping, on road trips, and making content, all these batteries need to be charged. With the Power 1000 and Power 500, DJI are now making the power station, an electrical home base if you will, to reset and charge everything back up.

Building on the success and technology of the Power 500 and 1000 launched in 2024, DJI just released the Power 1000 Mini. Same total 1008 wH capacity as the Power 1000 but in half the size.

DJI says the Power 1000 Mini ‘builds on more than 15 years of dedicated research and development in battery innovation.’

‘With more than 700 battery patents and more than 10 million users globally, DJI batteries have been validated through tens of billions of charging and discharging cycles for drones, cameras, gimbals, microphones, portable power stations, and beyond.’ I never think of DJI has a battery company as well but they have made more than a few.

The Power 1000 Mini is focused is on efficiently charging smaller items like drones, laptops, cameras, and phones. Those aren’t the only things it can power. Anything with AC, USB, or SDC cords or adapters up to the 1000 watt max will charge.

Let’s have a look at the rest of the specs and our testing results.

What’s in the box?

• POWER 1000 Mini power station
• Quick start guide
• Safety guidelines
• AC charge cable
• SDC car port cable
• SDC MC4 solar panel cable

Power 1000 Mini Specs

The Power 1000 Mini is a compact rectangle with a handle on one end and all the ports on the other. All the ports, screen, and light are on one end so you don’t have to go digging around the back to plug anything in.

The top is flat and the handle is flush with the top so it’s easy to pack around. The handle has a grippy material on it. It’s well-placed so it’s easy to pick up one-handed.

Ports and Output

The Power 1000 Mini has a good selection of ports.

• 2 USB-A
• 1 USB-C
• 1 retractable cable USB-C cable (3 feet)
• 4 AC (1 grounded)
• 1 SDC
• 1 AC input

The retractable 100 watt USB-C cord is super convenient for charging everything these days and I can’t lose it. A magnet keeps the end flush with the front panel. I love having the built in cable. Most of what I charge now is USB-C.

90% of my charging is for USB devices. Between phones, tablets, headlamps, camp lights, drone batteries, camera batteries, speakers, laptops, and headphones, theres a lot to charge. The 2 USB-A ports and 2 USB-C ports are always full when we’re getting ready for a trip and at the campsite. I would gladly take more USB ports if they could add them.

The 2 USB-C ports share 150 watts between them. Each can go up to 100 watts if the other isn’t used.

The SDC port stands for Software Defined Charger and can be used with a bunch of other DJI cables. For input to charge the station, cables for the car accessory port or MC4 connectors for solar panels. For output, it has a DC car accessory port and fast charge adapters for many of the DJI drone batteries. If you need multiple SDC ports, the Power 1000 might be better with an SDC and SDC lite port.

The 4 AC ports are good for bigger devices. There’s only 1 with 3 prongs that’s grounded so keep that in mind. I’m rarely on AC so the USB is heavily used. We’ll run a projector or hair dryer on the AC on occasion. If you can run DC through the USB ports it’s more efficient but sometimes it’s not possible.

Charging

There’s 5 ways to charge the Power 1000 Mini.

• AC – Fast charge
• AC – Regular charge
• Solar (through SDC port)
• Car (through SDC port)
• 100 W built-in retractable USB-C cable

The easiest and fastest is the fast charge through the AC port. 800 watts is the max speed on fast charge charging 80% in 58 minutes and 100% in 75 minutes.

Regular charge works well too. Fast charging usually reduces the life of batteries a little quicker so if you want max lifespan, I’d go with regular charging.

There is a car port to SDC adapter available that can charge up to 400 watts as well. DJI says about 160 minutes to charge. I didn’t have one of these adapters to test.

The MPPT module can take up to 400 watts from solar so that would take a couple hours. I will be testing this more when we get some decent sun. Our Pacific Northwest sun isn’t doing much right now.

Screen

The screen is clear and doesn’t take up much space on the main panel. It’s bright and easy to see.

It shows:

• current charge in percent and bar chart
• how many hours power left for what’s plugged in
• input in watts
• output in watts
• Wifi
• Ports that are currently drawing power

A single press on the power button turns the screen off. It is fairly bright so it’s nice to turn off when sleeping. It doesn’t say anywhere the power draw of the screen but obviously it’s something so turning the screen off would save a bit.

Light

The light at the bottom turns on with one click, and then dims or brightens by holding it. It flashes at the brightest and dimmest. A double press turns on the SOS mode.

UPS

If you’re working during a storm and need equipment to keep running, you can use the Mini as a UPS or uninterruptible power supply. In 0.01 seconds it can switch over from AC power to battery power. That’s enough to keep most electronics from turning off and your computer running.

App

The app can control most of the functions on the Power 1000 Mini. After connecting it with Bluetooth and then wifi, it can turn any of the ports on or off individually.

The light can be turned on and off in the app as well.

It’s easy to see how much ower is left and how many watts are going in or out.

For settings, you can set or see a few things

• see internal temperature
• set discharge or recharge limits
• enable a low battery alarm.
• auto-enable AC output when it turns on
• set to recharge fast or slow
• set screen timeout
• set device timeout
• set ac timeout
• set temp units

DJI regularly updates the firmware to fix any bugs or issues they may have found. I had an update pending on mine when I started it up. I connected it to wifi and 10 minutes later it was all updated and had restarted.

Compared to the Power 500 and Power 1000

The Power 100 Mini sits between the Power 1000 and the Power 500 in terms of number of ports, total capacity, and max output.

Video Review

Final Thoughts

DJI know batteries. They’ve only made millions of them for all their drones, gimbals, cameras, and vacuums. Making a home base, a power station, to recharge them all seems like the logical next step. DJI’s more efficient power usage and SDC connections give them an advantage over other power stations, especially if you own any other DJI products.

I find the port selection in a sweet spot of compact size but useful ports. I could always go for more USB ports but that would be at the cost of AC ports I’m sure.

The compact size, flat top, and big handle on the back make it easy to move around. Power stations can get very heavy very quickly. I don’t want to be hauling more than I need to at the end of a long day exploring and packing.

The max output is a bit lower than other power stations but you take a big hit on size to get it. There will be some that need the higher max output for tools or applies but for those that need a lot of juice for lower power devices like phones, cameras and drones, it’s perfect.

Highly recommended

$649 CAD – $479 USD

Discount Codes

$40 USD off at the DJI Store: DJIPOWERCA02 (unit and combos)

$10 CAD off Amazon.ca: DJIPOWER6 (unit only)

More photos from testing

I received a free product sample from DJI to test for this review. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I believe in. All opinions are my own.

The post Portable Power: DJI Power 1000 Mini Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The AC70 is a 22 pound power station that’s small enough to carry around but big enough to power your devices for a day or more.

We tested one recently to see how reliable, powerful, and easy to use it is. Can it output up to 2000 watts? Can it charge at 950 watts? Is the app any good?

Here are the results.

(If you are looking for other power stations, check our Power Station Buying Guide.)

Bluetti AC70 Specs

Inputs and Charging

The AC70 has 3 different methods of charging.

Turbo charging

First, the AC from the wall can pull up to 950 watts on Turbo mode and charge to 80% in 45 min and full in about 1.5 hours.

I get about 930 watts testing in turbo mode, a little bit less than the advertised 950 but close. The fan is on steady with this mode and it sounds a bit like a computer doing something intensive.

The fan is never on long when charging at 950 watts as it fills up the 768 Wh so quick.

Standard charging

From the factory, the AC70 is set to standard charging mode which should get about 440 watts in.

In testing it was getting 438 or 439 watts in, nearly the specified 440.

The fan was on but very quiet. It sounded a bit like the fridge when the compressor is running.

Silent/eco charging

Silent charging states about 270 watts which is close to what it gets in reality. I was getting about 267 or 268 watts most of the time.

The fan does run on silent mode but it’s extremely quiet. I couldn’t hear it unless I had my ear right next to the battery.

Charging Cord

The AC70 doesn’t have a big power brick like a lot of the other charging cords. Some other brands have moved to this kind of cord as well but not all. For storage, packing and replacement cost, it’s really nice to not have a huge power brick on the cord.

Solar charging

Solar charging always depends on what sun you’re getting. If you can get 500 watts in from your panels you can charge in about 3 hours.

DC charging

There’s also a DC port that can charge from a DC port in your car (cigarette lighter). It can take up to 500W at 12/24V from car port.

UPS Mode

The AC70 can be charged and charge at the same time. This is handy with it’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) mode as well.

In 20ms it can switch over from AC power to it’s own battery power. This is handy if it’s looking like the power is going to go out and you need to have a modem and computer running or heaters and pumps on fish tanks.

Outputs

There are 7 outlets total:

• 2 AC 12V/8.33A (1000W. 2000W “lifting power”)
• 2 USB-C 2x100W
• 2 USB-A 5 VDC/2.5A 12W total
• 1 12V/10A car outlet

How long will it charge a Macbook Pro?

Exactly how long things will charge on any battery will depends on how much power it’s using, if you are using it and if it’s AC or USB plugs. Converting the power to AC will take more energy and run the fan on the battery more so it will be less efficient.

Charging a Macbook Pro pulls between 60 and 90 watts using the AC plug. Batteries never get 100% efficiency but the AC70 gets around 90% (691 Wh) which is pretty good. With that a Macbook pro can charge for 10-12 hours.

How long will it charge an iPhone?

iPhones draw a lot less power than an Macbook Pro, only about 10 watts. That gives you about 70 hours charging an iPhone.

2000 watt lifting power

1 thing to note with the 2000 watt lifting power is the voltage drops when it goes that high. This is fine for hair dryers and heaters but shouldn’t be used for devices like computers or compressors.

The lifting option defaults to off but you can turn it on in the app any time.

Size and Shape

The AC70 is a boxy rectangle with vertical sides and a flat top. Measuring 12.4 across x 8.2 deep x 10.1 inches tall.

At 22.5 pounds it’s got some weight to it but it’s not too heavy to carry around or lift onto shelves. It weighs about the same amount as a large watermelon or kitchen mixer.

The top is flat with a handle on the back. The flat top makes it easy to pack around other things.

Bluetti App

There are 2 ways to use the Bluetti app, logged in and not. Logged in requires wifi or cell connection to the internet. Clearly these batteries are used outside of cell reception sometimes so they provide a direct mode to update settings without logging in.

Both ways to log in need the battery to be turned on and in within about 15-20 feet.

Logged in

The main screen shows the devices you have added and a bunch of other functions.

• Current weather
• adding a new device
• listing all devices
• Scanning for devices with bluetooth
• scan a qr code on a device to add it
• Calculator (show list of Bluetti products based on your power needs)
• LAAF battery donations in Africa
• How to videos
• Contact and Service information
• Bluetti Forum
• Bluetti Store (website)
• Account info

Clicking into the AC70 after adding it shows total power left, watts in and watts out.

The whole battery or just the AC and DC ports can be turned on and off.

At the bottom shows money saved if the power is using is from solar. It still shows money saved when power was just charged from your house which doesn’t actually save any money.

Under settings for the device are:

• user manuals
• a qr code to share the connection with other people
• carbon emission factor
• Homepage display to add one device the app homepage
• charging mode
• power lifting on/off
• Eco on/off and settings (setting AC and DC output and timeout)
• auto sleep
• firmware upgrade
• advanced settings (AC output frequency and grid self-adaptation)

What does the AC70 come with?

The AC70 comes with a few cables to get you started. You may want more depending on what you’re going to charge. I have too many USB cables laying around to count.

In the box:

• AC70 battery
• AC cable
• car charging cable
• XT60 solar panel cable

Cost

The AC70 is curently on sale for $499 CAD ($429 USD) on BluettiPower.com. It’s normally $999 CAD ($699 USD).

The sale price makes it $.65 CAD per Wh (or $.56/Wh USD)

A couple other places have it for sale and the prices seem to vary quite a bit so have a look around for sales:

• $799 CAD on Amazon
• $279 CAD on Newegg.ca
• $599 CAD on Bluetti

How to store the AC70?

Bluetti recommend charging to 80% every 3-6 months for the longest life. This is in line with all the other lithium batteries to make sure they have a bit of charge for storage.

They also say to fully cycle the battery every 3 months which means discharging and fulling charging.

Other batteries from Bluetti

AC60

The AC60 is very similar to the AC70 but with 403 Wh of storage and 600 watt max output.

It’s expandable to 2,015 Wh with expansion batteries.

More about the AC60 battery

AC180

The AC180 is a step up from the AC70 with 1,152 Wh of storage and 1,800 watts max output.

It has 4 AC and 5 USB outlets.

More about the AC180 battery

B80 Expansion Batteries

The AC70 is compatible with the B80 expansion battery to give you another 806 Wh.

More about the B80 Expansion battery.

Suggestions

I’ll cover everything I like from the AC70 (which is a lot) but there are a couple improvements I’d like to see.

USB-C input

With so many devices coming with the USC-C these days, we all have USB-C cords around. We’ll only be getting more of them. It’d be nice to be able to charge with it as well.

More USB ports

Again, everything charges with USB these days, when I pack up for camping, I’m charging 10 or more devices to get ready. Lights, tablets, cameras, drones and phones are all USB. I could easily use 8 or more USB ports at a time.

Power on with the app

This will probably take power to keep the bluetooth receiver on but it’d be nice to be access the battery with the app when it’s off. It would mean you could power it on without going to find it in the other room or back of the truck.

Conclusion

I don’t leave for adventures without at least one camera these days. Now with GPS, drones, phones, tablets and fridges to charge I have to have reliable power. Bluetti is a well-known name in an industry that’s being flooded with all kinds of batteries and cheap tech equipment.

While it could use a few more USB ports, the AC70 is durable, reliable, and easy to pack. It’s in the truck on every adventure lately. Turbo charging means you can be on your way faster.

With the winter storms in full swing in the pacific northwest, the AC70 and my other batteries are always charged. My power seems more stable than my friends and family so I’ve been constantly loaning out batteries so everyone can keep in touch. With fewer landlines, cell phones have become required emergency communication. Keeping Christmas trees lit isn’t required but it’s yet another use for these super handy power stations.

The post Bluetti AC70 Portable Power Station Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

How do you know which is the best?

How should we even compare them?

This article steps through all the jargon around portable power stations so you can get on with buying the best one for you. We’re not going to dig into all the electricity science here, just enough to compare new power stations.

(Skip to the Power Station Reviews)

What is a Portable Power Station?

Power Stations are basically just big batteries. They have AC outlets and USB ports on them to charge your devices. You can charge the battery itself from the wall, solar panels or a car charger.

There are many different sizes of power station. The smallest fit in your pocket to charge your phone or camera. The largest requires wheels and can run fridges, TVs and power tools around the house. As the size, weight and power capacity goes up, so does the price.

Let’s get into the features.

Power Station Features

Power Capacity in Watt-hours

The amount of energy stored in a power station is usually measured in watt-hours. On small power banks or batteries you might see it in milliamp-hours. Same idea. Watt-hours is more energy.

Power stations with AC outlets and not just USB ports usually start around 150 or 200 watt-hours and go up from there. The Yeti 200X has 187 watt-hours of power and weighs 5 pounds. It could charge your phone about 16 times or run a 25 watt portable fridge for 8 hours.

On the other end of the scale, is the Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro with 3024 watt-hours. It can charge your phone 252 times, has wheels and weighs about 63 pounds(it’s also $4000). It would be able to power a 25 watt portable fridge for 120 hours.

Power Rating in Watts

Think of watts as the speed the electricity can come out of the battery. The watt-hours is the total amount of electricity in the battery.

An iPhone draw 9 or 10 watts at a time. A big laptop that might draw 60 or 80 watts. Kitchen appliances or hair dryers can reach 1200 or 1500 watts.

If I had 200 watt-hours in a battery and wanted to charge something at 50 watts, I could use it for 4 hours.

200 watt-hours = 50 watts for 4 hours

I could also charge something at 10 watts for 20 hours.

200 watt-hours = 10 watts for 20 hours

Devices add up if you are charging at the same time. Charging 3 devices for 1 hour at 10 watts each will need 30 watt-hours.

3 devices x 10 watts x 1 hour = 30 watt-hours.

Wireless Charging Mat

Most devices need to be plugged in but some phones and headphones can be charged wirelessly now. They still need to be very close to the charging mat but at least it doesn’t need the wires.

These wireless mats usually put out about 10 to 15 watts when charging.

USB-A ports

USB has a bunch of different shaped ports and USB-A is the standard rectangle we’ve all had for ages.

One thing to watch out for with these is that they can be different wattages, and charge at different speeds. They can be anywhere from 2 watts up to 30 watts. 30 watts will charge your devices much faster if they support it.

USB-A can’t support the faster speeds to charge larger devices so if you have a laptop or something that needs Power Delivery, check the ports support it.

USB-C (input and output)

USB is slowly changing over to the newer and faster USB-C. It’s an oval shape instead of the old rectangle so it doesn’t matter which direction you plug it in (ever have to plug in a USB cord 3 times to get it to fit?).

USB-C has the capability go charge much faster than USB-A as well. Common speeds on power stations will be 60, 80 or 100 watts on the USB-C port.

Another interesting feature with USB-C is that it can go two directions. The same USB port can go into the power station to charge it and go out to your device. 60 watts or higher on these ports can power larger devices like laptops and big cameras.

AC ports

AC ports are just like your 110 volt AC plugs in your home. You can plug lights, fish tank pumps, coffee makers or portable projectors into these AC outlets just like at home.

Many AC ports are not grounded on power stations so check if you need that for appliances like fridges.

I always run out of USB ports so I usually plug in some adapters in to the AC outlet for more USB ports. These charging blocks often pull power even when they’re not charging anything so I unplug them when they’re not being used.

Check the spacing between AC outlets when buying a power station. Some are very close together and can’t fit two large power adapters at the same time.

Battery Management System (BMS)

Most power stations have some sort of battery management system. These manage the charging and temperature of the battery automatically. I wouldn’t buy one without it unless you are going to rig your own.

Screen

Power stations need to show you how much power is going in and how, and how much is left. The screen is often small, dimmable and may have a menu to change options on the battery.

Mobile App

Some power stations have a mobile app as well. This can be handy to see how much power is going in and out, set alerts, check the health of the battery and update firmware. It’s much easier to update the software in an app for a battery after it’s already built so manufacturers are doing this more and more.

Car Port

These are a DC port just like the cigarette lighter in your car. If you have a device that would plug in to the car, you could plug it into the power station instead. Many people plug the power station into the car, then all the devices into the power station. When the car is running, the power station charge. The devices charge from the power station in between.

Power Station Definitions

Watt-hours (Wh)

Capacity of the battery in a power station. Basically how big the bucket is for electricity to be stored. The more watt-hours, the more you can charge. Higher watt-hours also equals bigger, heavier power station.

Milliamp-hours (mAh)

Milliamp-hours are the same as watt hours but just a smaller unit, like metres and centimetres. Pocket-sized power banks for charging your phone are usually measured in mAh.

Watts

Speed or amount of charge for using electricity. Phones use about 10 watts when they charge. Laptops use about 70 to 80 watts to charge. Small appliances can use from 100 to over 2000 watts. Check the maximum peak or surge power on the power station before plugging in larger appliances.

Cost per watt/watt-hour

A useful number to compare power stations. Take the total cost of the power station and divide by the total watts or watt-hours. This isn’t the only feature of a power station but it lets you compare capacity or charge speed.

USB-A

Rectangle USB plugs. Older and usually slower.

USB-C

Oval USB plugs. Newer and usually faster.

MC4

An adapter for power cords that is often on solar panels. If you want to hook up to a solar panel, you’ll probably need an MC4 adapter to get from your panel to the DC on the power station. Many power stations and solar panels come with one.

DC

Direct current. Small, round plugs found on power stations and older electrical devices.

AC

Alternating current. Usually the same plug as the power outlets at your home.

Life Cycles

Every time you charge a battery it depletes the battery materials inside. These are often listed as 1000 cycles to 80% or something like that. That means 1000 full charges will reduce the total capacity down to 80% what the battery originally held. So if you started with 2000 watt-hours, then you’ll be down to a maximum of 1600 watt-hours after 1000 full charges.

Different types of batteries have different life cycles. Newer tech will have a much higher number of charges before getting down to 80% but will cost more.

Cooling Fan

Batteries get hot when they’re charging fast or it’s hot outside. Most power stations have fans inside that cool them down. The battery management system turns them on and off. Try and test the power station you want or watch videos to see how loud the fans are. The fans usually only turn on when it’s charging or you are using the AC outlets.

Power Delivery (PD)

Power Delivery is a specific type of USB-C connection that charge larger devices faster. Some devices require PD to charge. If you have one of these, make sure the power station you buy supports it.

Power Station Reviews

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  Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Battery Pack Review

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Power Station FAQ

How much does a Power Station cost?

Power stations can cost anywhere from $50 up to $5000 depending on the size.

How fast do they charge?

Power stations range in charging speed from 10 watts up to 2000 watts or more. Small or fast power stations can fully charge in 1 hour. Larger or slower stations can take 8 hours or more.

How big should I buy?

Make a list what you want to charge, how big the battery is on each and how many times you want to charge it. That should give you a total watt-hours you need.

If I wanted to charge the Dometic CFX3 45 powered cooler, it takes about 50 watts to cool down and then just 1 watt to keep it at that temperature.

What brands are good?

Ecoflow, Jackery, eMoose, Runhood, Bluetti, and GoalZero all make great power stations.

Can I fly with a Power Station?

Most airlines will let you fly with batteries 100 watt-hours or less in carry-on. For check lugged, check with the airline.

The post Portable Power Station (Battery) Buying Guide first appeared on Pack & Trail.

They’ve gotten better over recent years but they’ve mostly remained a big battery with USB and AC outlets.

You’ve probably never heard of Runhood Power before but in 2021 they debuted their first product: the RALLYE 600, a power station with a twist.

The 600 has removeable battery packs called ‘energy bars’ that can be added or removed whenever you need to charge. The main ‘host engine’ can hold 2 energy bars, each with 324 watt-hours (Wh) of energy. It can power any number of devices up to 600 watts. When one energy bar is drained you can slide another in. Rad.

I tested the RALLYE 600 Pro package with the host engine, 4 energy bars, AC engine, USB engine and SERI 100 solar panel.

Here’s the quick Pros and Cons if you are short on time.

How does the RALLYE 600 work?

The RALLYE 600 isn’t your typical battery.

The host engine is the main case, what would normally be the whole battery. It holds two 324 watt-hour energy bars for a total of 648 watt-hours. It can charge as many devices as you want up to 600 watts continuous but 1200 watts surge.

There are 4 different packages that come with different combination of parts.

• Pro
  • Host engine
  • 4 Energy Bars
  • AC Engine
  • USB Engine
  • Seri 100 Solar Panel
• Plus
  • Host engine
  • 4 Energy Bars
  • Seri 100 Solar Panel
• Max
  • Host engine
  • 4 Energy Bars
  • AC Engine
  • USB Engine
• Standard
  • Host engine
  • 2 Energy Bars
• Juice Pack ($399 USD)
  • 2 Energy Bars
• Energy Bar and Small Engines ($288 USD)
  • 1 Energy Bar
  • AC Engine
  • USB Engine
• Energy Bar ($219 USD)
  • 1 Energy Bar

The packages with the host engine comes with a nice accessory case for all the cords.

Host Engine

The Host Engine is basically a box with a handle. Two energy bars slide in one side. The other end has all the ports.

Output ports for charging your devices:

• 2 AC output (pure sine wave 110V 60Hz), total 600W (peak 1200W)
• 2 USB-C PD 100W (total 200W)
• 2 USB-A QC 3.0 28W (total 56W)
• 2 DC 12V 5A 60W (total 120W)
• 1 Car port (12V 10A 120W max)

Both USB-C ports will output 100 watts at the same time so that’s helpful for bigger USB devices like laptops.

Input ports:

• USB-C PW 100W (one of the output ports)
• 24V DC port (3 ways to charge)
  • 1*Solar panel 15V-23V 10A max, MPPT supported
  • 1*Adapter 180W
  • 1*Car charger 12V 10A 120W

You can charge the host engine through the USB-C and DC ports at the same time up to 250 watts max for a faster charge. It takes about 4 hours to charge 2 energy bars on AC, 6 hours on a car charger. All the ports can charge other devices while charging the host engine.

Right above all the ports is a small light. One click turns it on low, a second click goes to a high brightness. Third is an SOS light pattern.

A small screen above all the ports shows the current charge and watts in and out. You can increase or decrease the brightness on the screen if you want.

Energy Bars

The key to this whole power system is the Energy Bars. They are 324 watt-hour battery packs that slide in and out of the host engine. They have a small connection on the end that plugs into each engine and transfers power.

To compare these massive batteries to smaller pocket-sized batteries, the 324 watt-hours convert to about 90,000 mAh. An iPhone 14 battery is 3279 mAh so these Energy Bars can charge over 27 times from completely dead (If it stays off. They consume more power when they’re turned on an charging).

Rather than having to charge the whole host engine, youc an just charge each energy bar. There’s a solar adapter to plug straight into 2 energy bars and charge them. Or you can charge an energy bar with the USB engine on it. They are smaller to store or hide from the side if it’s just 1 or 2 energy bars too.

Of course, you can still charge 2 energy bars inside the whole host engine as well.

USB and AC Engines

The host engine has the most ports and highest power rating from all the engine but it’s also much larger than just an energy bar. If you want to just charge something smaller, one energy bar can do it with the help of the AC or USB engines.

They are just a black cap that fits onto the end of the energy bars and provides either 1 AC port in the case of the AC engine or 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports with the USB engine.

There are 4 ports on the USB engine: 2 USB-C 100W ports, and 2 USB-A QC 3.0 28 watt USB-A ports. One of the USB-C ports is bi-directional so it can charge the energy bar or charge your devices. Using all 4 ports there’s a limit of 256 watts.

The AC engine is one AC plug. It has a limit of 80 watts which is low for an AC outlet but it’s nice for charging small devices.

Charging Energy Bars

To charge up the whole system, there are a couple different ways to do it.

The easiest way is to put two energy bars into the host engine and plug it in. It will charge up the energy bars inside.

The other way is to charge the energy bars directly from USB-C with the USB engine or plug the solar adapter directly into the energy bars.

When the batteries are low in the host engine, there’s a quiet beep.

The host engine works with only one energy bar so you can be charging one or 2 energy bars outside with solar and using the host engine inside.

Many batteries in one

The main draw of the RALLYE 600 is the modular system.

You can swap out batteries that are dead and plug them into a solar panel outside while the host engine is still running.

The USB and AC engine give you other options to charge or use the energy bars than just the main host engine.

If any of the batteries wear out you can buy a new energy bar without having to buy a whole new unit.

Seri 100 solar Panel

The 18V, 5.5A Seri100 solar panel comes in the RALLY Pro and Plus packages but you can buy it separately for $393 CAD ($289 USD). It’s got an IPX6 waterproofing rating so a bit of rain won’t hurt it.

Most 100 watt solar panels are 2 panels that fold out but the Seri100 is actually 6 smaller panels. It packs down into a small package 36 x 36 x 6 cm (14.2 x 14.2 x 2.3 in). Unfolded it’s quite long at 230 x 36 x .5 cm (90 x 14.2 x .2 in). Each panel has a little kickstand on the back to tilt it toward the side. Grommets run down both sides so it’s easy to hang horizontally or vertically.

The panel comes with an MC4 connector. The RALLYE host engine comes with an MC4 to DC connection. 2 panels can be chained for 200 watt charging.

In my testing, I was getting 70 to 80 watts from spring sun in the Pacific Northwest. Pretty standard for around here.

There is also an adapter (Solar Charger SC200) to go from DC directly to the energy bars. Charging the smaller energy bars lets you use the host engine somewhere else and it’s easier to keep the smaller bars out of the sun.

Full Specs

• Lithium-ion (NMC) energy bars
• 648 watt-hours max in host engine
• 600 watts (1200 watts max)
• 1000 charges to 80%
• Rubber battery covers cover battery ports
• Weight
  • Power station without batteries – 9 pounds, 8.2 pounds?
  • Power station with 2 batteries – 16.8 pounds? 15.8 pounds?
  • One energy bar – 1.7 kg (3.8 pounds)
  • USB engine
  • AC engine
• Charge Times
  • AC 3.5 hours
  • Solar 8 hours
  • Car outlet 5.5 hours
  • USB-C 3.5 hours
  • AC + USB-C 2.5 hours
• 33 x 17.3 x 22.4 cm (13 x 6.8 x 8.8 in)
• $1642 CAD ($1199 USD) for PRO package (Host engine, 4 energy bars, USB engine, AC Engine, Sere100 solar panel) – on sale right now

Comparison

In the table below, I compare the RALLYE600 host engine and 2 energy bars to a bunch of other popular power stations around 600 watt-hours.

The Runhood has the largest capacity of the bunch and is the only one with removable batteries so is slightly heavier and more expensive.

RALLYE 1200 Power Station

If 600 watts isn’t enough, the RALLYE 1200 coming out soon. It’s currently here on Kickstarter until June 12. If you’ve been following along, you’ll already guess that it’s a 1200 watt version of the RALLYE 600.

The host engine on the 1200 is slightly larger with 3 AC outlets, 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A outlets. It can hold two 324 watt energy bars just like the 600 but the max power output is 1200 watts.

Verdict on the RALLYE 600

Though a little more expensive than regular power stations, the RALLYE 600 gives you far more options.

If you plan to use two energy bars and never remove them to charge, or use with the small engines, then maybe it’s not worth it for the extra weight and cost of a modular system.

But if you do want to use the energy bars as they’re own battery or want to swap out batteries as you use them, then the Runhood is the only option this size on the market right now.

I love the flexibility of it. I can use the whole host engine or just an energy bar when I need to go smaller. It’d be nice if the max output was a little higher at only 600 watts but the 1200 is coming out soon so that’s going to be exactly what people with larger appliances need. For myself, I usually need to charge laptops, drones, phones and tablets. The 600 can do that without blinking. If I’m going lighter, all I need is one of the energy bars with the USB engine.

Runhood RALLYE 600 FAQ

How many watt-hours are the energy bars?

324 Wh

Can you charge the battery itself and devices at the same time?

Yes.

Can you charge the battery with AC and USB-C 100W at the same time?

Yes.

Does it work with only 1 energy bar installed?

Yes.

Can you replace an energy bar while it’s running?

Yes.

Are the AC outlets grounded?

No.

What battery type are the RALLYE energy bars?

NMC batteries, 1000 cycles to 80%

More Photos

The post Runhood RALLYE 600 Power Station first appeared on Pack & Trail.

emoose (yes, it’s not capitalized) is changing that with their GIGA X1500. With a massive 1502 watt-hours capacity and 2400 watt rating, it’s got more juice to go around than most of the small power stations. That 1502 watt-hours only weighs 31.9 pounds as well. So easier to carry.

If you need more power the X1500 has a Duo mode that pairs 2 together giving you 3004 watt-hours at 4800 watts. Sweet.

I got to put one of these brand new batteries through our testing before the IndieGogo went up May 9. Here’s my thoughts.

Specs

Summary of the X1500 features and specs:

• 1502 watt-hours capacity
• 2400 watts total output
• 12 output ports (details below)
• 2 input ports (details below)
• 1800 watt C-19 input for AC, 600W XT-60 input for solar panels
• 4 x 3 inch touchscreen display
• 5 year warranty
• 9.5 inch x 16.8 inch x 8.5 inch
• 32 pounds

The box comes with the X1500 battery battery, AC cord, MC4 cord for solar panels and car port charger.

The case has a flat top and a handle on each end for easy carrying. I found carrying with 1 hand worked sometimes but for walking longer distances holding both handles worked better. I find the handles on the ends more convenient for carrying than a top handle. And having a flat top works better for packing in the car or on shelves.

Output Ports

The X1500 comes with a good set of ports. USB-C is the new oval USB port. USB-A is the old rectangle.

• 3 AC ports
• 2 USB-C PD3.0 100W ports
• 2 USB-C 18W ports
• 2 USB-A 18W ports
• 2 DC (DC 5524, 13.3V/8A) ports
• 1 car socket (13.3V, 10A)

I was stoked to see 4 USB-C ports. Many power stations are coming with only 1 USB-C port these days but most electronics are coming with a USB-C charging cord. Larger electronics like laptops can charge from USB-C up to 100 watts so this battery can charge 2 Macbook Pro laptops straight from USB-C, no power block required. Nice.

The 18 watt ports charge iPads and phones faster (if they support it) compared to the 2.5 to 5 watts of standard USB ports.

I would have liked to see a wireless charging mat on top. That said, wireless charging mats are a fairly specific need and not everyone can use them and you can’t store things on top of the battery when it’s in use as well so maybe that’s a benefit. The Litheli B600 battery has a wireless charging mat on top but then you can’t put anything metal on top while the ports are charging.

The ports have a rubber cover on them to keep dirt and moisture out. My only gripe about this cover is having to lift it every time you want to plug something in. Most other batteries are just open with no cover on the ports.

The AC outlets are 110 volts just like your house. The car socket is just like the DC port in your car, great for plugging in tire air pumps or travel fridges.

Input Ports

To charge the X1500 there are 2 input ports: the AC port (C-19) and solar port (XT-60).

The AC port can charge up to 1800 watts in. The solar port can take up to 600 watts in from daisy-chained solar panels.

What can it charge?

The X1500 can charge anything that you can plug into USB-C, USB-A, DC, or AC ports up to 2400 watts. That’s just about anything in your house except for large appliances like standard fridges and ovens. You can plug in TVs, baby monitors, fans, air conditioners, iPhones, laptops, fish tanks or CPAP machines.

You can charge any number of things up to 2400 watts at once. That’s like the maximum output. Anything with heat like hair dryers draws a lot of power like 1000 or 1500 watts.Check out the kitchen appliance test below to see what power some popular appliances use.

The capacity is 1500 watt-hours which means you can charge something that draws 100 watts for 15 hours. Or something that draws 10 watts for 150 hours.

My iPhone 13 mini draws 10 watts when it’s charging. emoose says the the X1500 can charge an iPhone 14 63 times. That certainly lasts longer than any of my camping trips. The trick is to get the battery to last the camping trip or power outage with multiple devices plugged in.

As a first test, I tried some kitchen appliances. I have never taken these camping but who says you can’t?

Running all these appliances at once is probably rare. The X1500 can easy do any of them at one time. Definitely makes you appreciate how much is plugged into your house at once!

How fast can it recharge?

Fast charging is handy for batteries when you forgot to charge it up or you’re at a friends house and the power is out at yours. Some batteries can take over 10 hours to fully charge up.

emoose says the the X1500 can charge up 80% in 50 minutes. Does it actually get that?

Yes, actually it does. It can do 80% in 50 minutes and 100% in 1 hour and 10. After fully discharging and charging up the emoose, it’s been consistently charging wildly fast at up to 1700 watts in. That gives it a fast charge time of just over an hour for the whole battery.

The fan does come on while it’s charging this fast at just over 50 decibels so you can certainly hear it. With the app you can disable the Turbo BOOST fast charging. I wasn’t able to test this, having having the app.

With 300 watts of solar, you can recharge in about 3 hours. I could get 30 watts input charging from my car as well.

What does the app do?

An app is available from emoose that connects to the X1500. I haven’t used the app yet as it was out while I was testing

With the app you can:

• Connect to your phone with bluetooth and your wifi for updates
• track current charge
• track wattage going in and out
• Turn Turbo Boost for outgoing AC on/off
• Turn Healthy/Power Turbo mode for charging on/off
• Change the color and brightness of the light

For any firmware updates, the app lets you hook the battery to wifi and download what you need.

Duo Mode

With Duo Mode you can plugin 2 of the X1500’s together and get a huge output of 4800 watts and 3004 watt-hours of charge. For the most part they operate just like one large unit but I haven’t tested this feature as I only had the one unit to test.

EPS Mode

The X1500 also has an Emergency Power Supply Mode which passes through power from AC to the battery outlets. If the power goes out, the battery switches over to battery power in 20ms. This isn’t enough for a full desktop computer to be still be running but plenty for a laptop, lights or any other equipment that can be without power for 20 ms.

emoose Alternatives

emoose isn’t the only power station on the market but is the only with this combination of power and ports. No other power station this size has 2 100 watt USB-C ports.

The 1500 Wh power stations from Bluetti, Jackery, AllPowers and BioLite 1500 are compared below.

Ecoflow, Litheli, Anker and Runhood also have large power stations but none that are exactly 1500 Wh.

The X1200 from emoose is similar to the X1500 but is 1167 watt-hours.

Recommendation

The emoose GIGA X1500 power station gets a 2 big thumbs up from me: Highly recommended.

The 4 USB-C ports and insanely fast charging are the best parts of the this power station.

Everything else worked well and I had absolutely no issues with it. Without testing the app, I can’t comment on what works well there but from the look of everything else, they’ve done a lot of testing and it will be solid like the rest of the functions.

The weight is close to some of the power stations of this capacity but getting all these features for cheaper is a great deal. $500 off the price for the Indiegogo campaign is going to be a steal!

More Photos

The post emoose GIGA X1500 Power Station Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Litheli have been making electric tools for years now and are just breaking into the power station market with a very innovative twist.

The B600 is a new Power Hub from Litheli with 9 total ports, a good mix of USB, AC, DC and car outlets. The flat top is a wireless charging mat. A sturdy handle sticks out the side of the top.

We took the B600 for a test drive to see how it works around the house and out in the woods. Is it a good buy? Does it work well? Let’s see!

Specs

Some of the important details.

• 9 ports
• BMS to prevent overvoltage or short circuits
• 594 watt-hours
• 600W rated power, 1200W peak
• 500 cycles to 80% capacity
• 13.23 pounds
• charges from solar, AC or vehicles
• 2 4000 mAh U-batteries
• $499 USD

Ports

The whole point of a power hub is to to have a bunch of ports to plug everything in. The combination on the B600 is a nice mix with a little bit of everything.

Seeing how most things are USB these days my test is always how many USB ports can be on there and specifically how many USB-C ports.

It would be nice to see more USB-C on there. Everything is going USB-C and it can be more powerful than the older rectangle USB-A ports. It has the one 100W fast charging USB-C built right in.

If you are ok with adding a couple adapters, you can add more USB-C adapters to the AC and car outputs as well and take it up to at least 4.

Portable U-Batteries

The most unique part of the Litheli B600 is the portable U-batteries that charge in the side. One little push and you have a 4000 mAh battery to throw in your pocket to charge your phone or other small devices.

Litheli already has a couple vacuums that are powered by this little U-batteries and they will be coming out with tons more accessories soon. I love a good ecosystem and this is going to be a really cool feature to see more of.

One of the U-batteries comes with a USB-A port, and one comes with a USB-C port that’s PD compatible

Just slide the U-battery back into the B600 to charge it up again.

Cables

The B600 comes with a few cables to charge from different sources. An AC charger with a USB-C port, a car charger and solar panel charger.

Hooked up to the car charger I get about 83 watts in.

B300

A smaller version of the B600 called the B300. It’s got less total power and fewer ports but is lighter, more portable, and still has the 2 portable U4 batteries.

B300 Specs:

• 300 Wh
• 300 watt rated power (600 watt peak)
• Can fully charge in 2.5 hours
• 2 portable 4000 mAh U-battery (U4)
• 7 pounds

B300 Ports:

• 2 USB-A output (5V-2.4A, 12W max)
• 1 USB-C PD input/output (5V-3A/9V-3A/12V-3A/15V-3A/20V-5A, 100W max)
• 1 AC output (110V, 60Hz)
• 1 Vehicle charging output (12V-10A, 120W max)
• 1 15W Wireless charger
• 1 DC7909 input (solar)

Conclusion

Should you get a Litheli B600? We think so.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

The Litheli B600 is a very portable, easy to use power station. All the ports work as advertised and can be be used as USB ports with an adapter.

The U-batteries are very handy and something we bring everywhere anyways. Now they just plug in the side and charge there. The coming ecosystem of U-batteries from Litheli is a very exciting new change to the power station and battery industry.

FAQ

How heavy is the B600?

13.23 pounds

Does it come with the small batteries?

The B600 comes with 2 U-batteries with 4000 mAh of power each. They can be used with all the U4 tools.

What ports does it have?

9 ports total.

• 2 AC outlets 600 watt rated power, 1200w peak
• 2 USB-A outlets – 12 watt peak, 5V – 2.4 A
• 1 USB-C outlet – 100W peak, 20V – 5A
• 1 car output 136W peak, 13.6V-10A
• 2 DC5521 output 136W peak, 13.6V-10A
• 1 wireless charger 15W peak

How easy to carry?

The side handle makes it very easy to carry as well as use the flat top for storing things.

Can it charge and charge other things at the same time?

Yes. It can be charging and charge other things.

Is the flat top better than a handle?

I like the flat top. It’s easier to pack around and store.

How many different things can it run?

Depends on the total wattage. It can charge up to 600 watts continuous.

How loud is the fan?

Up to 55dB

Other Photos

The post Innovative Charging: Litheli B600 Power Hub Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Who hasn’t used an extra power bank travelling or a long day out of the house to charge our phone.

EcoFlow, a company started in 2017 using expertise from drone batteries, makes large portable batteries for emergency use around the house, or portable use at the campsite or cabin.

Recently EcoFlow released the Delta Mini, a smaller version of their popular, and powerful, Delta power stations.

What is the Delta Mini power station?

The Delta Mini is the smallest and most portable power station in the Delta line still packing 882 watt-hours of power. On the other side, the largest station in the River line is the River Pro with 720 watt-hours.

The shape of the Delta line is more rectangular with the ports on the end compared to all the ports on the front of most power stations. This configuration actually works very well with the battery behind the seats of cars. It’s difficult to plug anything into the front when it’s shoved up against a car seat, but with the ports on either end like the Delta, they are all accessible.

The Mini really packs a punch for a small battery with charging quickly and powering high-wattage devices. The X-Boost and X-Stream features really make this battery seem much larger than it actually is. Check out the Output and Charging sections for more info.

What can you use the Delta Mini for?

You can use the Delta Mini to power just about anything you can plug in. It easily powers cameras, drones, laptops, and phones. We’ll get into more specs down below, but with the 1400 watt output (1800 watts with X-Boost on) it can power small hair dryers and heaters, power tools, overland fridges and computers. It could even power a 400 watt air conditioner for 2 hours.

Ok, let’s get into the details. What’s in this review?

• Specs
• What’s in the box
• Outputs
• Screen
• Charging
• App
• Alternatives
• Conclusion

Specs

• 882 Wh capacity
• 24 pounds
• 1400W output
• 1800W output with X-Boost on
• NCM Li-ion battery
• $1299 CAD

What’s in the box?

A few things come in the box:

• Delta Mini Power Station
• DC 5521 to 5525 cable
• MC4 cable solar charging cable
• AC charging cable
• Car charging cable

I like that it comes with the car charger. Many power stations don’t and it’s something that you have to buy separate.

Case and Outputs

The case is longer and narrower than most power stations with the handles on the sides. I prefer the center handles for one-hand carries but picking up with the end handles is easy and it’s not bad to carry around at 24 pounds.

The flat surface on the top is like a plate and is a great place to hold phones or drones as they charge.

The rectangular shape fits well behind the seats of cars. You still have access to either end to plug things in but it doesn’t take up as much space as a more square power station.

Output Ports

For outputs, there are 12 total with the AC, USB and DC.

The output ports are:

• 2 USB-A (5V DC, 2.4A, 12W max per port)
• 1 USB-A Fast Charge (5V, 2.4A/9V, 2A/12V, 1.5A, 18W Max)
• 1 USB-C (5/9/12/15/20V, 5A, 100W max)
• 5 AC outlets (house plugs) – 1400W total (Surge 2100W), 120V AC 60Hz, Pure Sine Wave
• 1 Car Power output (12.6V, 10A, 126W max)
• 2 DC

I love the USB-C port on it. I wish that was on every large power station now. With large items like laptops coming with USB-C cords now and requiring 60, 70 or 80 watts, you can ditch the big power brick and just use the USB-C cord.

The 3 USB ports are nice but I want more. With all my devices charging before a trip, I can have 10 or 12 USB things plugged in charging. There’s always the option of adding adapters to the AC outlets for more USB ports.

For the AC outlets, it’s nice to have 5. They are very close together so 5 large power bricks won’t fit together. Short extension cords would let you use all of them at the same time. I don’t think small power bars would break anything, to get more plugs, but don’t quote me on that. If you overload all the outlets with more than 1400 watts the battery just turns off.

The 1400 watt output is great for lots of small devices or a couple larger ones. With a surge of 2100 watts it can handle larger items starting up.

It’s not going to run large heaters for long or at all but it can do small hair dryers and heaters. With the X-Boost mode on you can do larger items up to 1800 watts that don’t require strict voltage like heaters. EcoFlow recommends only using 1 outlet with X-Boost on. X-Boost is on automatically but can be disabled in the app.

For testing, I ran a 1675 watt hair dryer out of one of the AC outlets. It ran for a couple minutes with no problems. The battery stayed on the whole time. I was watching the app at the same time and it didn’t turn X-Boost on but I’m not sure if it shows in the app when it turns on automatically.

Screen

The screen on the Delta Mini is clear and easy to see.

It shows the battery level in a big ring in the center and the remaining charge time at your current draw on the left. On the right is input and output.

Along the top are some warning indicators that come on if it’s too hot or cold. Along the bottom it shows you the ports currently using power like the AC output or USB-C port.

The screen is very bright, a bit too much for a dark tent, but you can reduce the screen timeout down to 10 seconds from the default 5 minutes if you want.

Charging

With the Delta mini we have 3 different options for charging:

• AC input port (900 watts max with X-Stream enabled) – 1.6 hours with X-Stream on
• Solar Input (300 watts 11-75V DC 10A max) – 4-7 hours with 2x 160 watt panels
• Car charger input (12V/24V DC 8A) – 9.5 hours

Car port charging

Not much to say about the car port charging. It comes with the car charging cable as many power stations don’t include it. It’s about 9.5 hours to charge fully in the car.

Solar Charging

The solar charging cable is an MC4 on the solar panel end and I’m still trying to find the exact specs of the battery end of the cable. The solar panel cable just connects straight to any solar panel with the positive and negative cables of an MC4 plug and then plugs into the battery.

The solar charging is capped at 300 watts from solar panels. You can use 2 160 watt panels or 1 400 watt panel. I didn’t have a 400 watt panel to test with but the specs say it’s slightly faster to charge from a single 400 watt panel. 3.75 – 7.5 hours with 2 160 watt panels or 3-6 hours using 1 400 watt panels.

AC charging

The AC charging is where the Delta Mini is more impressive than any other battery I’ve tested.

With the the X-Stream option turned on, that fast charges the battery. That means 96 minutes from 0 to 100% of 882 watts. That’s 900 watts input. Crazy fast for charging.

The faster you charge a battery, the more it wears it down. I wouldn’t want to use the X-Stream option all the time but it’s a really nice feature to have in emergencies or you just need to top up the battery before leaving on a trip. I will be charging at normal speeds as much as possible.

One last note on the charging is that it can keep a charge for over a year. I haven’t had an entire year of the battery sitting to test this but it’s nice to know that even if we forget to the top it up, there should still be some charge there if we need the battery in 6 months.

EcoFlow App

EcoFlow has an iPhone and Android app to help control the batteries. You can connect with wifi if you’re at home or wifi directly to the battery if you’re out of the house, like the campsite.

The app lets you control multiple batteries if you have them and shows temperature, total percent remaining and estimated time left. It also shows total watts coming in and going out. You can enable and disable the AC and DC ports as well as X-Boost on the AC ports.

In the options menu, you can adjust the min and max charge levels, the AC charge speed between 300W and 900W, the car input amperage between 4, 6 and 8 and if the unit beeps when you press a button. The beep is good feedback when it’s across the house somewhere, but I prefer it silent.

You can also set the idle timeout for the whole unit, AC outlets and just the screen. Lastly it lets you update the firmware through the app with one click. I updated the firmware from 0.1.0.0 to 0.4.2.3. I haven’t been able to find the notes on the features in the firmware versions but it’s working wells so far.

Connecting using wifi was really quick. I added the Mini in the app and it asked me to hold the IoT button on the device. It directed me to connect directly to the battery using wifi and then go back to the app. After putting in my wifi username and password it was connected.

When connecting, you get the choice to connect the battery to the wifi or a ‘no internet’ option where the phone just stays connected straight to the battery. This is good for a campsite but requires the phone to stay on the battery wifi the whole time. The app supports bluetooth connection but unfortunately there is no bluetooth to connect on the the Delta Mini.

In the house as long as the battery is in the house it stays connected to the wifi, I can just hop on the app any time to check the battery status.

For charging small devices just checking the screen isn’t a problem. I do really like smart home devices that I can control from a distance. I was surprised to see that the app let me connect when my phone wasn’t on the same network as the battery. Out of the house on the cell network I could still open the app and see the battery and it’s current stats.

I can see the app being useful if something critical was plugged in there and you had to keep checking how much battery was left. Most of the time, I just check the screen when plugging in devices.

Unlinking a battery from the app is easy with a button in settings.

Alternatives

EcoFlow has a couple alternatives that are close to the Delta Mini. The Delta is the same style but a bit larger. The River Pro is the largest and most capable of the slightly smaller River line.

Above the Mini, the Delta gets a capacity increase to 1260 Wh and with that output, surge, and AC and solar input increase. It also goes up a bit in weight and price. 30 pounds is still portable but does make it a bit more to carry around.

The River Pro on the lower side is smaller, lighter and less expensive but has lower outputs and capacity as well.

Both the Delta and the River Pro are excellent units but just different specs than the Delta Mini.

Conclusion

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Rating: 9/10

The EcoFlow Delta Mini portable power station is an excellent power station offering the features and output power of its bigger siblings in the Delta series but the portability similar to the smaller River series. Having 882 Wh of power to use up to 1400 watts (or 1800 with X-Boost) can power large devices around the house or the campsite. Many power stations pack a ton of power but can only charge small devices.

The 900 watt AC to charge the batter in less than 1.5 hours is very impressive. I don’t like to run this all the time but in an emergency or when you’re tight on time, charging this fast is so helpful. I don’t know of any other power stations that charge this fast aside from the other EcoFlow Delta

At just 24 pounds it’s easy to carry around the house or the campsite. I don’t use extension cords any more if it’s just a temporary job around the house. I just use the EcoFlow Mini.

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If the power goes out for days or there’s a bad earthquake, you might have all you need to be comfortable while the situation gets sorted.

The sleeping bags, water filters, fuel and stoves, freeze-dried food, battery powered lights, and portable power stations you use camping are also exactly what you need to make it through an emergency. Power station-maker Generark wants you to do both with the HomePower One.

The Generark HomePower One Battery is a 1000 watt-hour portable power station great for camping or getting through emergencies at home.

Let’s walk through all it’s features, pros and cons, and if this might be a good power station for you in this post.

HomePower One Specs and Details

• 1002 Wh (278,480 mAh)
• 1000 continuous, 2000 surge power
• Lithium Ion NMC battery
• 23.37 pounds
• recharge from AC outlet, solar panel or car port
• 8mm DC input port (12V-30V) – 200W max
• Anderson input port (12-30V) – 200W max
• Output ports: car port (12V/10A), 2x USB-C PD 18W, 1x USB-A (5V/2.4A), 1x USB-A quick charge 3.0, 3x pure sine wave AC outlets (110V, 60hz)
• $999 USD

Output Ports

The best part of the HomePower One is all the output ports including USB-C. Despite the proliferation of USB-C devices these days, many battery companies don’t include a USB-C port.

The output ports include:

• car port (12V/10A)
• 2x USB-C PD 18W
• 1x USB-A (5V/2.4A)
• 1x USB-A quick charge 3.0
• 3x pure sine wave AC outlets (110V, 60hz)

Let’s talk about each of these ports but you probably already know if you need them or not.

The car port is just like the cigarette lighter in your car so if you have something that works with that like a portable fridge, then you can just plug into the battery instead. A common set up is plugging the battery into the car port and then plugging everything into the battery. Everything charges off the battery and the battery will store the rest.

The 18 watt USB-C ports are an excellent addition. Most things are coming as USB-C these days and 18 watts will charge larger items faster.

It’s still not enough to charge a bigger laptop well. Those chargers output between 60 and 85 watts but you could limp along with it if you really needed. Anything smaller than a large laptop will charge well on these 18 watt ports.

USB-A ports (regular rectangular USB ports) are still used for many devices and if you have anything purchased in the last few years, it’s likely still USB-A. If your phone or device can use the Quick Charge 3.0 port it will charge faster. If not it just charges at the same speed.

The 3 AC outlets are the same as in your home. The pure sine wave inverter outputs nice smooth power that any electronics can use. The cheaper modified sine wave inverters don’t work for as many devices because of the rougher power output. It’s nice to see the HomePower One has the more compatible pure sine wave inverter.

A fan comes on when using the AC outlets to cool down the electronics inside. Apparently the DC to AC inverter needs some cooling. It will go on and off as you use those ports. I didn’t find the fan very loud and just blends into the background noise of the house. In a busy home, I could barely hear it. In a quiet campsite, it’s more noticeable but still not an issue for me.

The AC ports have a max 1000 watt output. The small screen shows you the battery charge and what your input and output is so you’ll know if you’re getting close to the max output. Power usage can spike up to 2000 watts but if the continuous usage is over 1000 watts the battery shuts off. It doesn’t break anything but you’ll need to unplug something and turn the ports on again. Blenders, TVs and hair dryers can all easily run on the HomePower One. 1000 watts isn’t much for heaters and cooktops so check the wattage on those if you want to use one.

Input Ports

The HomePower One battery has 2 different input ports: one 8mm DC input and an Anderson-type port.

The 8mm DC input is the best for a single solar panel with an 8mm DC connection. Just plug the panel in and it starts charging. The SolarPower One panel from Generark uses the 8mm plug. Jackery solar panels do as well.

The Anderson port works well if you have a Y cable to combine 2 solar panels into one plug. The SolarPower One panels come with an 8mm to Anderson cable combining two 8mm plugs into one Anderson plug. Any 8mm DC cable can plug into the Y cable.

I was disappointed to see the 8mm and Anderson port can’t be used at the same time to use three panels. Charging is limited to one 200 watt panel through the 8mm port or two 100 watt panels through the Anderson port.

How do you charge the HomePower One?

Charging the HomePower One is so easy. Plug it into the wall, the car or solar panel and let it charge. It will automatically charge up to 100% and shut off.

The AC power block is included in the box and has a large black power block like a laptop charger. This plugs into the 8mm input on the HomePower. The power block can get quite hot during charging so be careful what this is sitting on.

A car charger is also included in the box in a small zippered black bag with the the AC charger. If you’re on a road trip or overlanding, plugging the battery into the car and then charging devices on the battery works well.

The battery hardware itself will last the longest if you keep the charge level above 20% at all times and mostly charged when it’s stored. The charge should last up to a year when it’s sitting which is great for emergencies. Generark recommends charging up every 6 months so it stays above 20% and you always have a decent charge if you need it.

What solar panels connect to the HomePower One?

The HomePower One can be charged with any solar panels up to 200 watts that can plug into the 8mm DC or Anderson ports.

Generark’s SolarPower One panel comes with an 8mm DC plug on a 3 meter cable and works well with the HomePower One. Plug in and let it charge. The SolarPower One also has USB-C and USB-A ports directly on the panel.

Jackery’s SolarSaga 100W solar panel also comes with an 8mm DC plug and works the same.

Many other panels have plug adapters and can plug into the 8mm or Anderson ports.

Final Thoughts: Generark HomePower One Battery Power Station

Rating: 9/10

Verdict: Highly Recommended for car campers and those prepping for emergencies

The HomePower One power station is a solid choice if you’re looking for a good power station for car camping, overlanding or emergencies at home. It’s a bit more expensive than some competitors but in line with others. The ports and control panel are very easy to use: just plug in, turn on the outlets and you’re done. There’s no babysitting any of the charging, input or output.

I love having a giant battery for working with a camera and laptop on the road and car camping which is where I use my batteries mostly. Charging all my lights, cameras, drones and phone is easy with all the ports. Knowing I have a bunch of batteries charged up and ready to go in case of emergency also makes it easier to sleep at night.

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Jackery know how to do batteries well and have a bunch of different sizes in durable lightweight power stations. The Jackery Explorer 500 is just one in a line of 10 different sizes of portable power stations.

With over 500 watt-hours of power and 7 different ports to charge from, it’ll keep all your devices charged up for days.

The Explorer 500 isn’t perfect but it’s close. Let’s dig into what’s awesome and what could use improvement.

Specs

• 518 watt-hour (24Ah, 21.6V)
• built-in MPPT charge controller and Battery Management System
• 13.3 pounds
• 5.5 hours to charge
• Small flashlight on one end
• 11.8 (L) x 7.6 (W) x 9.2 (D) inches
• $499 USD

Ports and Outputs

The Explorer 500 has 7 output ports and one input:

• 1 AC outlet (110V, 500W continuous, 1000W surge) with pure sine wave inverter
• 3 USB-A ports
• 1 DC car port
• 2 DC ports
• 8mm DC input port (for charging)

There are a good number of ports on the Explorer 500 but I would like to definitely see a USB-C ports and maybe a second AC outlet on a power station this size. USB-C ports are becoming so popular. It’s nice to be able to charge laptops, cameras and other things that need a higher wattage without having to use the AC cable. There are car chargers available with 18 to 30 watt USB-C ports on them so if you have one of those it’s like having USB-C on the Jackery.

What’s in the box?

The setup in the box is simple. The battery is obviously in the case and a wall charger.

The Explorer 500 also comes with with a car charger and a small carry case that fits both the car charger and the wall charger. Some brands sell the car charger separately so this is a nice included option.

How many things can it charge?

With all the ports full, you can charge 7 things at once if you have each of the ports full. Of course you could use a small extension cord to power additional things as well or plug in other things into a computer USB hub that’s plugged in. As long as the load of all the items doesn’t exceed the 500W limit, you can plug in all sorts of things.

2 of the ports are DC ports that can be tough to find plugs or adapters for so they may not count much to the ports you use a lot. I use the USB-C constantly, the AC for bigger items and the DC on occasion if I’ve got a car adapter for something.

What’s the biggest thing it can charge?

The Explorer 500 can charge anything up to it’s 500 watt continuous limit. It can surge or peak up to 1000 watt but if the continuous draw is over 500 watts it may shut off.

A few examples of how long it will last for:

• 60W TV 7.5 hours
• 60W portable fridge 9 hours
• 4.5 full charges on a 13″ Macbook Pro
• 25 charges of 10W camera
• 53 charges on an iPhone 8

If you pair this with a solar panel and some decent sunlight, you could be using it every day for weeks or months to charge electronics or a portable fridge.

How fast does it charge?

The Explorer 500 charges in about 5.5 hours through the wall outlet or the included car outlet.

If it’s plugged into the SolarSaga 100 in full sunlight, you can get about 7.5 hours to charge to 80% or 9.5 hours for a full charge.

What can it be charged with?

The Explorer 500 can be charged be charged with the included wall charger or car chargers. It can can also be charged from any compatible solar panel like the Jackery SolarSaga 100.

What solar panels can charge the Explorer 500?

The Jackery SolarSaga 100 solar panel is a great pair with the Explorer 500. When it’s in full sunlight it can charge the Explorer fully in about 9.5 hours with its 23% efficiency and 100 watt output. The input charging port on the Explorer 500 is a standard 8mm DC connection so any panel that connects with those will work.

The SolarSaga 60W also works for charging the Explorer 500, just a bit slower than the 100 watt.

Can you use the Explorer 500 for emergencies?

The Explorer is an excellent battery for emergencies. It’s portable and can easily be moved. It can be used for power to charge all your essential devices like radios or phones. If you have a solar panel as well, you can easily charge with the sun for as long as you’re out of power.

Jackery recommends you store it mostly charged and topping it up every 3-6 months. That works well for emergencies as you’ll have a mostly charged battery in case the power goes out or you have to get out of the house quickly.

Is the Explorer 500 loud?

Electric batteries are silent most of the time. As soon as they have an AC outlet, the electronics inside need to be cooled. A small fan will come on and keep things cool. The fan isn’t loud but it’s audible. It will come on and off as things heat up. When I’m using a Macbook Pro indoors which draws about 50 watts, runs the fan on about 50% of the time.

What’s an MPPT Controller?

The Explorer 500 has a built-in MPPT controller which stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking. This regulates the voltage coming in from the panels to the battery to maximize the charge to the battery. With the older PWM controller types your solar panel voltage has to be matched with the battery voltage. With an MPPT controller, the controller handles the conversion so you can use a wider range of panels.

What’s Pure Sine Wave Inverter?

To convert the direct current (DC) from the battery to alternating current (AC) we need to charge, we need a sine wave inverter. There are 2 kinds of sine wave inverter: modified sine wave and pure sine wave. The cheaper modified sine wave inverters have a harsher wave form and don’t work with many electronics. Pure sine wave inverters are more expensive but work with all electronics so you can plug in appliances, lights and digital devices with no issues into the Explorer 500 since it has a pure sine wave inverter.

What’s a BMS?

The Explorer 500 has a BMS or Battery Management System. It keeps track of the usage and stats no the battery to make sure it’s being charged and discharged properly. It’s basically a little computer and sensors inside the battery that keeps the running well and not catching on fire.

Do we recommend the Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station?

We highly recommend the Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station. For its size, it’s one of the best on the market.

I’d like to see another AC outlet and USB-C ports on it if those aren’t an absolute requirement for you, then this lightweight, durable battery costs less than similar batteries with a great option for solar panels.

The post Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

This is not a tiny battery pack that fits in your pocket and charges your phone once. This is a bigger power station that you can take with you on road trips, camping or have for emergencies at home that can charge your phone more than 20 times.

This Jackery Explorer 240 review will cover the specs of the battery pack, how many charges you can get from it, it’s pros and cons and whether you should buy it.

Specs

• 240 watt hour battery lithium-ion battery pack
• 1 AC outlet, 200W (400W peak)
• 2 USB-A ports
• 1 DC car port with pure sine wave converter
• Wall charger
• Smooth solid handle
• Built-in MPPT controller
• Battery Management System has Over Voltage Protection and Short Circuit Protection
• 3.1 kilograms (6.6 pounds)
• Charges up completely in 6.5-7 hours.
• $259.99 CAD, $199.99 USD
• 160, 240, 500, 300 and 1000 available.

Charges

Most small phone USB batteries might be 3000, 5000 or 7000 mAh and charge your phone a couple times.

An iPhone 8 has a 1821 mAh battery. When it’s completely dead and is turned off it will require 1821 mAh to charge up to full.

If it’s running then it’s using battery at the same time you charge it, usually at a slower rate.

It’s got a lot of juice to charge.

• iPhone 8: 24 charges
• 40w Electric blanket for 10 hours
• 13 inch laptop 3.5 times.
• 60W TV for 3 hours

The Explorer 240 has a 240 watt hour battery which is equivalent to about 64000 mAh. That’s a few more charges than your average pocket or purse battery.

Pros

The Explorer 240 has a lot going for it:

• Small
• Lightweight
• Powerful
• Easy to use
• Comes with car charger
• Solid handle to pick up and go

The 240 is very easy to use. Plug it it in when you need a charge from the included wall charger. Then plug in your stuff to the AC or USB outlets when you need a charge.

I do forget to the turn the outlets on sometimes and then nothing charges. But with USB cords being as flakey as they are these days, I usually wait to see if my phone or camera is actually charging before leaving. Cords can break or sometimes just don’t charge until you unplug them and plug them back in.

I don’t have any solar panels at the moment to test with (and it’s the middle of winter) but Jackery’s solar panels just plug into the input so that’d be easy to do as well.

Cons

My only gripe is that it doesn’t have any USB-C ports. The Explorer 240 has been out for a few years now so I don’t fault Jackery for not including any but I’m certainly hoping the next iteration includes them. USB-C popularity has skyrocketed in the last few years and anything USB will likely use the connection.

USB-C not only is a more universal connection but can offer faster charge. Older USB cables can charge from 2.5 to 4.5 watts. USB-C (assuming both ends are compatible) can charge up to 100 watts. This is plenty for laptops and other bigger devices. USB-C has already powered Macbook laptops for the last few years.

I’m looking forward to this being added in the future.

Conclusion

Should you buy a Jackery Explorer 240 portable power station?

If you have any small electronics at home, go on road trips, living in the van, camping or want to prep for emergencies, you should have a smaller portable power station like this. Yes there are larger power stations that can power your house for days at a time, but they’re massive and hard to move around. At only 6.6 pounds the 240 is easy to pick up and take wherever you want in the house or campsite.

If you need something slightly larger, Jackery does have an Explorer 500 version that’s slightly larger with 500 watt hours of power.

The Jackery Explorer 240 won’t fit in your pocket. But it’s perfect for the basecamp-style situations at home, in the van or the campsite.

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