But how does it hold up in actual heat, real-world setup, and windy field conditions? Let’s get to the testing.

Not looking for this one? Check out our other solar panel reviews.

Specs

Check price on the IBCPower Foldable 100 Solar Panel

Charging

There’s one 6 foot cord with an MC4 connection on it. This can be plug multiple panels into a battery. With the DJI Power 1000 Mini, you’ll need the SDC to MC4 adapter to hook up.

There aren’t any USB plugs on the panel itself which can be handy but if you’re plugged into a battery, that will already have ports.

The newer N-type TOPCon cells seem to do their job. Compared to other foldable solar panels I’ve got from the last few years, it beat out all of them. The difference was only a few watts compared to other recent panels. Compared to panels with PERC cells, the difference was 5 to 10 watts. Over time this really adds up.

The N-type cells are also more efficient in high heat and low light.

Size

Compared to bifold designs (2 flat panels that open like a book), the IBCPower folds up much smaller. Length and width are considerably smaller.

After folding, there are multiple layers and the stands on the side so it is thicker than the bifolds. Overall It’s smaller and lighter than other popular 100W bifold designs I’ve seen.

There are gaps between each of the small sections so you could hang it too. If you don’t need the stands, it’ll be a bit lighter and smaller to store.

Set up and Folding

Set up isn’t hard but is a little longer than bifold designs.

• Unclip stand and stand them up
• Undo velcro panel straps and put on stand
• Undo velcro on cord and plug into battery

Taking down is just the opposite.

Setting up the stands in between the first and second panels and third and fourth panels kept it more flat facing the sun.

The stiffer structure of bifold designs is a bit more sturdy in windy weather. Hanging the IBCPower is easy with all the openings through the panel. It would be a bit easier if had grommets or connection points around the edges.

Moving

Small adjustments on the panel is easy. If found grabbing the pivot point on the stands and the panel itself through the wholes made it easy to move.

Moving it longer distances was harder as you have to manage the stands as well. If going more than a couple feet, I’d just grab the whole thing and set it up again.

It doesn’t really adjust angle well. The stands like to be at 45 degrees and it’s hard to keep them any angle other than that.

Water Resistance

The IBCPower have slightly higher water resistance, at 1P67 , compared to most of the other bifolds.

IP65 (most others) is good for rain and splash resistance. You can still leave them outside and it won’t harm anything. Your batteries might not be able to sit out in the rain though but that’s another issue.

The IBCPower IP67 can full go underwater for 1 minute and 30 seconds. I don’t think you’ll be putting your solar panels in the water but even if it’s heavily raining, they’ll be fine.

Final Thoughts

The IBCPower 100W foldable solar panel are a good option if you are limited on space or want small and light. The efficient N-type TOPCon solar cells beat out the PERC-type cells in my testing, sometimes as much as 10 watts.

The external stands require a bit more time to set up than the integrated stands of the bifold designs but both required 2 hands to set up and move.

The IBCPower comes in at the same price as Zignes 100W 2 fold design that DJI also sells. The bifolds are a bit easier to set up but are heavier and larger to store.

The N-type TOPCon cells produce measureably more watts than PERC-type cells I tested. I was getting 10 more watts from the IBCPower in all kinds of light. If you are ok with 20 more seconds of setup, they efficency gain charging and storing is worth it.

Verdict: Recommended

$285.54 CAD / $209 USD

The post IBCPower 100W Foldable Solar Panel Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

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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  Bluetti AC70 Portable Power Station Review
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  The Litheli B600 Power Station has 9 ports and 2 built in portable power backs.
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  Jackery Explorer 240 Review: Portable Power Station

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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 Guide to Portable Power Stations for Camping 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.

The post EcoFlow Delta Mini Portable Power Station Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Portable power stations can also be charged by solar panels. When the sun is out, they generate ‘free’ power to charge up those power stations. The power stations then run fridges, cameras and computers when you’re out camping, living in the van or trying to deal with some sort of emergency power outage.

The EcoFlow 110W Solar Panel

EcoFlow make portable power stations and solar panels. EcoFlow was born in the 2017 when a group of drone battery experts decided to take all their knowledge of lightweight and long-lasting batteries to build large portable power stations. They started in 2017 with the portable River series of batteries and added the larger Delta series soon after.

To power those all those portable power stations, they also sell 2 sizes of lightweight solar panels: the 110 watt solar panel and the 160 watt.

Both solar panels come with a nice carry case and unfold into 4 sections. The 4 panels of the 110 watt version can generate 27.5 watts each, while each of the 4 panels on the 160W can generate up to 40 watts.

In this review of the 110W Solar Panel from EcoFlow we’ll have a look at how well it charges, what connections it has, and how to stand it up with the case.

Specs

First a quick look at the specs.

• 110 watts
• 4 folding panels
• MC4 connections
• Waterproof
• 13 pounds (9 pounds for the panels)
• 32 mono-crystalline cells
• 22% efficiency
• 62.5 x 20.2 x 1.0 inches unfolded

Next up, what connections does the 110W have? Does it have connectors for everything or keep it simple with one?

Setting up the case

The EcoFlow 100W solar panel comes with a nice carry case. Right out of the box it looks and feels high quality and is comfortable to hold. Two handle straps are kept together with a nice velcro wrap. The velcro strap is soft and comfortable to hold.

One side of the case is made out of a stiff material and a water resistant zipper unzips around three sides of the case. I found putting the soft side of the case on the ground and unzipping the case all the way around was the easiest way to open things up.

Once the case is open, you can use the stiff side of the case as a kickstand to hold the whole panel up. Inside the top and bottom of the case are small carabiners that clip to the top and bottom of the panel. Just clipping the top holds the panel up most of the time. If it’s windy, clipping the bottom helped to hold everything up better.

Having just the top of the panel clipped to the case, I was able to move adjust the angle easily to the sun. Solar panels work best when they are perfectly 90 degrees to the sun so to get the most juice, you have to adjust them as the sun moves a bit. It’s early spring here when I’m testing this so the sun is a bit lower. It’s easy to move the panel where it needs to be.

Of course, just leaning the panel against the truck or some chairs works too. It’s nice to have the option to set up with the case but it does take a little longer than panels that just fold open with an attached kickstand. If you are constantly setting them up and taking it down, it will take a little longer.

One other benefit to the case I really like is storing all the cables inside it. There’s a bit of extra room and the 3 charging cables that come with the EcoFlow Delta Mini for charging easily fit inside. Otherwise, they have to go in some other bag.

Connections

The 110W panel keeps it simple and has 1 connection type. It uses the industry-standard MC4 connection built right into the panel. Out of a small lump on the right end of the panel (doesn’t matter which side of the panel is up) come the 2 MC4 cords, one positive and one negative.

The MC4 connection can basically adapt to anything. It can easily be connect to XT60, DC, Anderson or other connectors with cheap adapters from Amazon. It can connect to a EcoFlow Delta Mini, Jackery 1000 or GoalZero Yeti 1000X. MC4 has two connectors and can’t go backwards, the connectors are male and female and can only go one way into other devices.

If you want to charge up devices faster like a larger power bank, you can chain up to four solar panels together. This requires branch connectors to put two MC4 connections into 1 but they are easy to find.

One thing that could be improved on the 110W is where the cables connect to the panel. They come out of the front of the panel. I’d prefer they come out of the back so they don’t hang in front of panels blocking the sun. They’re thin and small but the cables would be tidier coming out the back. I usually store the battery and the rest of the cords behind the panel anyways.

Charging

The all important charging. Clearly, if a solar panel doesn’t charge well, there’s not much point.

EcoFlow’s 110W solar panel charges well.

With light spring sunshine I easily got 70 to 80 watts charging. I’m sure it will be even higher with strong summer sun. No solar panel gets 100% efficiency so even getting close to your max charging wattage is great.

32 monocrystalline cells with 22% efficiency on the 110W panel seem to work well.

Running only 1 panel will get you 70 to 80 watts so that’s going to charge the EcoFlow batteries in a certain time:

• River 3-6 hours
• River Max 6-12 hours
• River Pro 9-18 hours
• Delta 14-28 hours
• Delta Mini 10-20 hours

If you want, you can chain up to 4 of them together and charge the larger battery packs faster. Each of the battery packs have a max solar input wattage so something like the Delta Mini can only take 300 watts from the solar input at a time.

I was testing with the MC4 to XT60 cable into the Delta Mini battery. The MC4 connections only go 1 way into the connector cables.

160 watt version

EcoFlow also have a 160 watt version of the solar panel. It’s the same with build and materials but just slightly taller with a few more solar cells. Instead of 20.2 inches tall like the 110 watt version, the 160 watt version is 26.8 inches tall.

Because of the additional cells in the larger panels it can generate up to 160 watts instead of 110 like the smaller panel. The panels will never get the output from the name or specs since that’s from perfect conditions but the good panels can get close.

Conclusion

Verdict: Recommended

Rating: 8/10

Overall the quality and performance of the EcoFlow 110W solar panel is very good. It can easily get 70 or 80 watts in light sunshine.

The case does take a minute to set up but it helps to stand the up the panel as well as protect the panels when you’re moving around. Other panels that don’t come with cases can get damaged if you’re moving around a lot.

The post Charging power stations with the EcoFlow 110W Solar Panel first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The SolarPower One solar panel comes in a set of one or 2 or a combo with the HomePower One. They connect to a battery with an 8mm DC connection. If you have 2 you can connect them together with the included 8mm to Anderson Y cable.

This is a review of the SolarPower One solar panel from Generark.

Specs and Details

• monocyrstalline solar cells
• 23% cell efficiency
• 100 watt output each
• 8mm DC connection on 3 metre (9 foot) cord
• USB-A port (5V/2.4A)
• USB-C port (5V/3A)
• Included 8mm to Anderson Y cable
• IPX 5 water resistant
• Short circuit protection
• Over-power protection
• Surge protection
• 9.1 pounds
• $299 USD each

What’s in the box?

The SolarPower One comes with the foldable solar panel, a built-in 8mm DC plug on a 3 metre cord (not removable) and an 8mm to Anderson Y cable to connect 2 panels to a power station.

The panel is foldable and has 2 large handles that magnet together at the end. It’s easy to carry on its own. If you have 2 in your hand and something else in your other hand it gets a bit cumbersome.

On the back of one of the sections is a zippered pouch. Inside is the DC cable, USB ports and 8mm DC to Anderson Y cable.

How fast do they charge?

The 8mm DC connection should be able to output up to 100 watts in direct sunlight. I’ve only been testing in the fall and winter with this panel but have been getting anywhere from 10 to 60 watts in the October and November sun from each panel.

What connections does the SolarPower One have?

The main connection to charge power stations is the 8mm DC plug on a 3 metre long cable. It also has one USB-C and one USB-A ports mounted right on the back of the panel. You can charge phones, lights and speakers straight from the panel. If you’re small USB batteries don’t have a DC port then you can charge directly off these ports too. Some solar panels don’t have built in USB ports so this is a nice option.

How much do they weigh?

Each of the SolarPanel One panels weighs just over 9 pounds. They’re easy to carry around and set up on their own. It’s easy to carry them from the car to the sunny spot in the campsite. They’re going to be too big to take backpacking though. A small foldable one or just a battery will be better for long distance hiking.

Verdict: Generark SolarPower One 100W Solar Panel

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9/10

The monocrystalline cells in the Generark SolarPower One are efficient and fairly lightweight. The strong handles make the panel easy to carry and set up. They magnet together and hold well.

Having USB-C and USB-A ports right on the panel makes it easy to charge up smaller devices like phones and tablets and also small batteries. If you have a larger battery compatible with the 8mm DC then it’s just a straight plug into power station.

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