Better than a power station? Lighter, cheaper micro power system
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- Looking for a small power station? This might be a better option. Power Delivery 3.1 is a game changer because you can output up to 140w over USB-C. In this video, I build a micro power system based on the Anker 737 Power Bank that can be charged super fast from the wall, car, or solar - all in a 5 pound package that can go anywhere - even on a plane. It's way lighter and cheaper than a typical 200-300wh power station like the Ecoflow River 2 or Bluetti EB3A and is perfect for a bug out bag, camping, hiking, hunting, travel, power outages, and natural disaster prepping. @AnkerOfficial
Anker Prime has a new range of power banks they just announced:
www.anker.com/anker-prime
------------------------------------------
Purchase from Amazon:
Anker 737 power bank (goes on sale for $99 every few weeks)
amzn.to/3KriE0Z
EHO 140w wall charger
amzn.to/3YqVE84
UGREEN 69w car charger
amzn.to/3qkRtxK
Flexsolar 40w solar panel
amzn.to/3OGS9qI
Anker USB-C PD 3.1 cable
amzn.to/3rOHgdk
------------------------------------------
Lighter option: 10,000mAh + 15w solar
SunJack 15w solar panel + 10,000mAh power bank
amzn.to/45dCPHC
------------------------------------------
Ultralight option: 1 pound total (450h)!Not shown in the video but cool stuff!
Nitecore 10,000mAh ultralight power bank - 5.3oz (150g)
amzn.to/3DH9k53
Flexsolar 10w solar panel - 10.56oz (300g)
amzn.to/3rTvley
------------------------------------------
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:25 Anker 737 power bank
3:01 Eho 140w wall charger
3:52 Green 65w car charger
4:12 Solar chargers with PD
4:55 Flexsolar 40w panel
5:29 USB-C PD cables
5:55 Cost
6:05 vs. Small power stations
8:10 Wrap up
------------------------------------------
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
uppbeat.io/t/pryces/lateflights
License code: BXSWGJIOSCV5JYWJ - Наука
Giving you a like specifically for giving out accurate useful battery info, more people need to understand how to maintain their batteries.
i am a newbie in such things. is the correct way to protect our batteries by not charging them to full capacity too fast?
@@user-yl5xc8wf3o correct, with the exception of LFP or lithium iron phosphate batteries, it’s best not to charge them above 90%, the closer to 50% the better with diminishing returns. Stay between 20-80% is best for most people. C rate is the rate it charges, 1 c = 0-100% in 1 hour, 2 C = 30 minutes. (Not 100% accurate, but good enough for most people) Ideally keep below 1C unless cooling is good.
@@user-yl5xc8wf3o The point here is that fast charging is a double edge sword. If you don't *need* to, then don't. More heat is bad for the batteries
to be honest, i see powerstations as utility. I just leave it at the highest charging speed. What gives if the battery dies in 2 Jears, i can just replace it.
Thats not good for the enviroment, i know but still.
@@Green12hkiesiesk if not to do about the environment, most people just don’t want to spend money to replace batteries more than they have to. If making simple changes to charging behavior doubles the lifespan of your battery, that’s money in your pocket.
I already got the Anker 737 Power Bank and good USB-C cables and will buy the rest to take it with me hiking and bikepacking. Thanks for testing :) Greetings from Germany.
Sounds great!
Fantastic review! The detailed camera close-ups directly from the screen set this apart from most reviews, providing a unique and valuable perspective. I recently acquired the 737 for 90 euros through a warehouse deal, and it has been an unequivocally satisfying purchase without a moment of regret.
Nice, glad you like the video style
Just found this video and this is a great idea. I have been running almost this exact same setup for the last couple years, and I'll let you know what I've been doing just to give you another use case to consider. I like to use 18650 batteries, which can be found in just about everything that uses a lot of power. (laptops, power tools, hover boards, etc...) These batteries become the backbone for all devices that I use when out in nature. (flashlights, radios, battery packs) Battery packs! yes you can buy USB-C PD battery packs that support swappable 18650 batteries; I like the XTAR PB2S, but I'm sure there are others. Then I can charge these batteries directly, and once full, place them in the devices that need them. The benefit here is that I'm not using a power bank as a middle man to then charge something else, I'm using the power bank as the primary charger of the batteries that I need charged. I can then just swap the fully charged batteries with the depleted ones, and I'm good to go for another couple days/weeks depending on what they go in. This system has worked really well for me, and I hope this is valuable info for you as well. Thanks!
Might be an odd question - what flashlight/radio etc are you pairing with the 18650 batteries?
I really like the idea.
Todds reviews are top notch!!! Always articulate commentary, thank you
Wow, thanks!
Hey Todd! Just found your channel after a research coma about a portable power solution for my laptop when bicycle touring. Your videos are extremely helpful so far, and from a high level when it comes to detail and journalistic integrity. Thanks a lot!
Love your nerdy-ness (in massive good way). Was not looking for any of this, but good to know I can buy this. Thx mate!
I’ve had the 737 for probably close to a year now. It’s the best power bank I’ve used. I travel with it, an Anker GaN 100w charger, and a good usb c cable. With that I can keep my steam deck, MacBook and phone and headphones charged without issue.
Yeah, it’s fast charging and huge output makes it so much more useful than any power bank I’ve ever used. Being able to see what’s going on per port is huge because with PD, sometimes things don’t negotiate right and you need to work unplug and try again. With a blinking dot, you never know what’s going on.
@@todd.parkerhi,new subscriber here...
What's the best solar panel to fast charge the 737 ?
100w ?
Am not limited on space as its for my car camping system , I just don't want a heavy power station .. Will the aferiy 200w solar panel charge the 737 quickly ?
( I'm aware it's weather dependent but we will assume bright sunshine in this scenario ..
I look forward to your reply as you're very knowledgeable
Thanks ..
@@davidjacobs828 The 737 doesn’t have a solar charge controller built in so you need to find a panel that offers PD output via USB-C which will max out at 40-60w. I like Flexsolar and Sunjack folding panels
@@todd.parker
Thank you for the excellent advice.
Thanks Todd! Been looking at the 737 for awhile now, with plans to probably buy. Now you have given some great suggestions as to how to make it a real DC power station.
It’s a cool little unit! It’s on sale right now
This video couldn't😊 have been better. Thank you for taking the time. Long time Anker fan!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just got into power solutions and was beginning to think of something like this when I saw this video, thank you so much.
Thanks for the demo and info, I have a Anker 737, and could see additional potential with your video. Awesome. Have a great day
I’ve been looking into a similar solution although charge cycles would have to matter for me at some extra weight just because of the amount of recharging involved, awesome video!
Yeah, I hope they start offering LFP versions at some point. I picked up the Anker 548 but it’s pretty disappointing
@@todd.parker bummer! I was considering that one! Good to know though, is it just the lack of ac plug or other problems it sounds like? I will admit that the 737 looks sleek but I would recharge the crap out of it! Thanks Todd!
I am a huge fan of Anker products. I think they almost sell by themself.
Shame the company is so scummy.
Tip: you can press the 737 button twice to enable a special mode that preserves the battery (slower charging / output) 😊
That mode doesn't enable slower charging, it just disables the auto-shutdown for a few hours letting you charge devices like smartwatches
No, that's not what it is lol
@@TheStopwatchGod well that’s what I though because input / output is 50% when I do that 😄 thanks though, I had issues charging my apple watch overnight and now I know why !
That is trickle mode on my Anker Prime 250W for low power devices like earbuds
This is such a well researched and nicely presented video! Thanks for the info!
I've had my 737 for a year now. Next time my school sends us to camp, I'll look into doing this.
Would be perfect for that
I like the fact that the Eho have three optional charging port which you can alternate between each one. 😎💯💪🏾✊🏾
That video was spot on! I have been looking for a solution for USB renewable charging for my 60W laptop charger . You gave a pretty decent solution here. looking forward for your solar panels review, as I’m into one as well
Glad it was helpful
You would need bigger panel to keep the laptop recharged reliably. Solar panels could produce as little as 10% of nominal power during overcast day, and you will never get the stated power output.
Fantastic set up. This maybe exactly what I'm looking for for my travel kit.
Glad it was helpful!
Finally! a video that actually makes sense 👍
Thanks Todd, excellent as usual. Thanks for doing the research for me that will allow us to up what we can offer to PCT hikers. Not everything is about the latest high powered systems. Ultralight backpacking keeps getting bigger & it's very much about weight.
Oops, forgot about the comment below, thought I did that under my wife's acct when we watched it on her computer. (But I'm sure you don't mind another comment ;-)
Excellent video Todd. Thanks for the tips ;)
Excellent application
This is great insight, I love this perspective
Great audio! Great content! Bravo!
Much appreciated!
this one is quite practical and perfect for camping, thanks fyi !
Best ankor video on the net 👏
Thanks you have done something I have wanted to do for a while
What a great Video! Thanks Todd!
Glad you liked it!
Wow! I knew none of this. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
Best purchase I made in 2022
These products are improving every couple of months now 😊
They really are! I think there should be some good LFP options by the summer with PD 3.1 and a display to best the 737
Excellent concept 😎👍🏻
I like that you can keep this in your day pack for the electronics you use running errands and going to/at/from work plus longer commutes. You can then leave the larger power stations charging while away and save them for appliance devices you would keep at a home base like medical equipment, coolers or cooking gadgets.
Yep, exactly
Great video! I have the same battery, got them for $90 last year during Black Friday (Amazon). PD 3.1 is amazing. I have a 100w solar panel with USB C out that pairs well (but it is not very mobile). Thank you for this video - giving me some ideas!
My current setup is the Flexsolar 40w panel + Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K). Bought a hard case for the powerbank and a laptop case for the solar panel. I'm really loving it so far.
Funny. I was JUST looking up solar panels to charge my 737 on amazon! Can’t wait to see your solar panel video! Might just wait for the flex solar panel to go on sale.
Jinx. Yeah that 40w panel is the perfect companion
Great idea, great video
Solid power bank with a stylish display
Technical data
There are 6 batteries in series, each with 4000 mAh and a nominal voltage of 3.6V together 21.6V
This results in a power of 86.4 Wh
Fully charged at least 25.2V
This is also where the problem of efficiency begins. Anyone familiar with step-down, step-up, buck-boost converters knows that the highest efficiency is only achieved when the voltage difference between input and output is smaller.
___Testing___
___5V___
Power delivered: 62.4Wh
Fully charged (0-100%): 110.3Wh
Output efficiency: 72%
Charging efficiency: 78.3%
Note: At 5V the 737 charges with only max. 0.8A and that takes forever!!
___9V___
Power delivered: 66.2Wh
Fully charged (0-100%): 92.2Wh
Output efficiency: 76.6%
Efficiency loading: 93.7%
___20V____
Power delivered: 79.3Wh
Fully charged (0-100%): 92 Wh
Output efficiency: 91.8%
Efficiency loading: 93.9%
___Loading from an S23 Ultra___
Super fast charging 2.0 is shown but not working because the power bank doesn't support PD PPS like Anker 313 charger.
Therefore ALL Samsung and Pixel are charged with only a maximum of 9V 3A = 27W => 24W in practice, which is very disappointing given the high price of the Anker 737.
The power bank can fully charge the S23 Ultra 3x from 5% to 100% and then has 2% remaining capacity.
___Conclusion___
The Anker 737 is sleek and the display is nice, but the form factor is awkward.
The Ugreen fits better in a pocket or backpack.
When charging smartphones or tablets, efficiency suffers, 72-76% is not great.
As an application scenario, the is more suitable for laptops or devices with power delivery from 12V, 15V, 20V. At 20V, the 737 has just under 92% efficiency at rated capacity.
___Problem of the 737___
With a number of devices with Powerdelivery 12V,15V, 20V, the power bank simply switches off and the display shows:
⚠️ UVP - Under Voltage Protection
And switches off - so it is unusable.
The Ugreen had no problems there.
The way I see it, if you need to power a mini-fridge, a portable AC unit, go get a bigger power station. If you're just charging through USB-C, such as your phone, an iPad, or maybe a portable fan (the best portable fan I found is comes with 40,000mah storage), a power bank with a solar panel is good enough.
Thank you for sharing this
So I have had the 737 since it came out for travel. I charge mine with the anker 717. 5 mins at an AC outlet lets me recharge my phone from 0 to full, which is why I got it. If they had a 140W 10kmah battery, I'd get it to cut down the weight.
I'm also an avid hunting/fishing/camping guy. My RV has solar for the house lithium batteries, but I also want to outfit my truck for solar power+inverter too. I could use the truck's "house" batteries to run all of that stuff. The point of contention I have, which is why I watched this video is the value of an all-in-one box like the power cubes you reference can be used to charge a jump box to start my truck if its primary battery fails. The 737 cannot do this feature. So while it absolutely has utility, it could have more utility in another form-factor. Thank you for posting and sharing your content and original opinions on the space!
That's cool. I just snagged a EB3A for $146 (refurb w 2yr warranty) & a Dokio 110w panel for $88 w Amazon coupon. Not a great panel but should suffice for my light camping needs. These Ankers you demo should be great for light camping, rec, business trips, etc. Nice review.
Wow I have all of those exact things besides the panel. I've thought about it for camping as well, but i just bought more banks since it's lighter than the panels. Both my home and car are all powered by solar, so technically all of my powerbanks are solar charged lol
Interesting concept. Brands and items can be rare to find here in the PHILIPPINES, but Anker does have stores in the malls here.
Excellent!
I already run the ugreen 145w battery and good cables along with the anker 747 and 737 gan chargers depending on the bag i am carrying. all i need from this list is the solar panel and car charger and i am good to go.
Great video, I was looking at power stations for emergency use, but a large power bank that can also be taken on a plane makes a lot more practical sense.
Do you think you will be testing the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W)?
I guess it's unrealistic at this size, but do you think any
recently got a similar setup, thanks in part to this vid. I wanted to something I carry for my batteries, and that is the Fenix ARE-D1. this tool can charge and discharge batteries making my flashlight battery charge other things in a pinch. nitecore 18650s are starting to have a type C charge port directly in the battery which gives you another "safety net" for a failure point.
I've worn out a charge port on more than one phone, so I've switched to magnetic chargers. another trinket ive found are silicone plugs for ports that arent being used much, like headphone jack, USB, and type C. just be mindful that these ports in larger devices may help slightly with airflow/cooling.
Excellent vid
After being stuck with no power camping i bought the anker 737 and after this video the flexsolar and 140 w type c cables lol i am set if the world ends lol
You can now survive anything (or at least keep your phone charged)
I'm pretty sure speed only affects battery longevity as far as it overheats the battery. It is very possible that they manage heat very well, not making it an issue.
thanks for the content)
I got the Apple 140w charger, apparently Apple’s only GaN charger. Recharges the 737 quickly.
I don’t use a solar panel, as you say, theyare too wimpy. I use it mainly on public transport. I also have a smaller Anker one with the percentage display.
Wow. Tnx!
I bought it at the $99 price too!
I got a 100W one. There were higher ones available but they were based on Li Po batteries. This one is atleast based on Li Ion cells. The purpose is to open the device and extend its cells capacity, as I am already going to have the 18650 based circuitry in it. (I apologise and hope this idea does not get you into trouble with the company sponsorship).
The most awaited plus point of these powerbanks is that they now get recharged at the same speed that of their discharge rate. Just using 100W PD wall charger or higher.
Just picked up the big blue solarpowa 30w to create a similar kind of setup but using Anker 548 and 733 instead. First trial will be camping next week! Looking forward to hearing your opinion on it he bigblue 👍
Looking forward to hearing how it goes! I like the Big Blue 30w panel a lot because of the kickstand and good construction. It ended up being quite a bit larger when folded than the 40w panel I showed so that’s why I went with that but it’s a good panel. Curious to hear your experience with the 548, I have one and there are some limitations like if you’re charging via USB-C if you mix the other USB-C and USB-A ports it limits the total output to 20w.
The Anker power bank is one of the best I’ve used. Charges a 16 inch MacBook Pro at full power, and it can also charge V-Mount Batteries that I use for work.
Yeah, it’s a beast. I can’t believe how quickly it charges my MacBook Pro 15” (tho not all the way. I’m sure the batteries won’t last very long but until then, I’m loving it
MacBook Pro 15" huh? I noticed you mentioned such a model in the video which confused me. There’s a MacBook pro 14" and an air 15" but not a pro 15, unless you are talking about an older model?
The anker 737 goes on sale on amazon on 70$ quite often.
Nice👍
i love PD
If this option is the default for performance can you list a higher capacity with similar performance and a lesser one for those of us who don't understand all the specs? I'd love to know a lighter version and a higher one. I still might pick this one up as I already gave that same panel but I love options. Thanks for this awesome video!
I build my own PowerStation. It only has 22Ah of capacity, but a regular wall socket and some USB-PD sockets.
Btw, Jackery recently released the Explorer 100 Plus, it is a 99Wh LFP powerbank with 2 USB-C and 1 USB-A ports. It also appears to come with an adapter for solar charging
Ooh, thanks for the heads up. I'll reach out to Jackery to see if I can give that a test.
Did you have a great portable microphone or did you do a perfect ADR?
Hi, very intersting setup. Can you show, how solar panel charge anker with different power depending from sun light? In my expirience with over powerbank some of them have upstairs voltage current charge, and solar panel can produce 25w, but powerbank can just get 8w and from 30w
Great Video, something told me to sell my EB3a, this might be the reason
Thanks! Yeah, the EB3A is the most out of balance unit with a huge, power hungry inverter and tiny battery. Recipe for disappointment. Still a nice unit but I've been wanting to tell people there are other options out there now that are probably way better for USB-only portable power.
@@todd.parker I just wish there was lifepo4 power banks out there, small ones.
@@Moes_Prep_and_Tech This Anker has LFP and is $50 off right now. I just got it and it’s only half as powerful as the 737 (60w) but it’s a pretty good unit. Anker Power Bank, 60,000mAh LiFePO4 Portable Charger 60W with Smart Digital Display, Retractable Auto Lighting and SOS Mode, (PowerCore Reserve 192Wh) for Laptop, Travle, and Outdoor Camping a.co/d/gt0lOCZ
Great idea and excellent video production quality and presentation! I have built similar setup to your backpacking variant last year and I agree that small power banks aren't as practical. I actually have BlueTTI power stack, 8kWh capacity and 2.3kW of solar, for off-grid, but I used Flexsolar 20W and Belkin 20Ah power bank for hiking and light usage in car. I would use Flexsolar 40W or even bigger panel specifically for usage in car, except now I can just take AC200max which gives me weeks of autonomy, depending on loads, and then recharge it with large solar array when I am back. Because my portable off-grid I don't have usage for mid-range setup, but in principle it is an excellent idea!
Cool. There's a place for smaller, lighter kits even if you have a bigger power station.
Great to see so many products on the market now when it was all a strange black art a few years back. Anyway, I like everything you told us - but just to chuck a spanner in the works - what would you suggest for also powering my e-bike?
An e-bike tends to have a pretty big battery around 750-1,000wh so you're in standard power station territory there like the Ecoflow Delta 2.
dang i wish i saw tis before i bought my jackery a week ago. At least i got it on sale for 160$ (the entry level explorer 300). while it is a lot bulkier i dont have solar ATM so it will be nice to have 80,000 Mha equivilant for charging our phones, camera batteries and other accessories while at primitive camp sites. Should last us a few days i hope.
great
What an awesome setup!!! Thank you for the video! Have you considered using anker powerhouse 100 which has an ac outlet!???
Thanks! My point with this video is AC output is sort of a waste on smaller units since you'll get super short runtimes and adds cost. I like the idea of USB only power stations that use PD for high power output and quick charging.
You got a point there! I was looking for something small and portable for a Mac mini :) Thank you for the answer!
Have the USB solar panels been tested on the power stations, I wash because my 24w Anker solar panel will not charge my Anker 521 which would of been useful for alittle charge especially when the power went out.
Have you looked at the Anker 537?
My eb3a was 180 and a 120w cloth weatherproof foldable briefcase Solar was 120 for total of 300. I also get about 230 plus watts out of eb3a before time to recharge..
Why would I buy an anker 24000mah pack for hundred dollars? That puts out 74 watts or so then try to charge it slowly with a 40 watt panel?
need to find power banks with ppt and xt60
I have almost the exact same system. Had a large power station and the battery failed 2 months after the warranty expired.
I now have several powerpacks of the 737 type and size. As you say fast, light and not so expensive when they go wrong.
Yep, exactly. It's great to have something so small that can recharge and discharge so quickly.
This setup is exactly what I’ve been exploring recently! Researched power banks specifications, PD, interfaces and then started researching charging back up via solar! I think it’s a viable option for an individual power solution without A/C!
Also, with a charging (USB-C PD 3.x) should 100W solar panel? Aside from cost, I imagine better charge time. Thoughts?
Glad this was helpful. Not many 100w panels offer USB PD and they are pretty big for a power bank that’s 100wh. Some panels offer DC output that’s around 12v and that could be used with a PD cigarette adapter so that worth looking into
Todd, thank you for the video!
What backpack do you use?
I was showing my Aer travel pack but it’s not exactly a bug out bag style pack
Thank you Todd!
@@todd.parker
Great review Todd!! I'm using Anker 737 now. Do you this is there any reason to switch to the newer Anker Prime 250w?
I'm not sure since I don't have one yet (waiting for them to go on sale). They look good but I feel like there might be a few odd constraints with the new prime banks but maybe that's more for the smaller ones? Hoping to pick one up soon. I don't think Anker will send me anything now :)
Anker now do the 27650
@Todd Parker
Here is one thing many people don’t understand about power banks.
Fast charging and discharging capability degrades the battery very very quickly.
I bought a previous version of top of the line Anker power bank being happy that it will quickly change my iPad and 13 MacBook on the go.
I haven’t actually used it very much for that purpose. I mostly charged it quickly with a 65w charger.
1.5 years later I noticed a decline in performance. I did an actual test and realized that the power bank holds only about 30% of its rated capacity. You can never expect 100% but 30% of the rated capacity is excessive after seldom use for 1.5 years.
Fast charging and discharging power banks degrade very very quickly.
The anker power bank at the time of purchase cost me around 140$
I bought a 26,800mah power bank on Amazon for around 30$. Weighs 15.2 Oz.
Three usb outputs, one usb c output and one lighting charging input.
I think for camping, safety bag, etc this is a much better solution.
Holds charge for a very long time.
So when you dropping the solar testing result video for those awesome little panels!?
I had to wait a bit to get some panels from one of the companies so I'll be testing these in September...
@@todd.parker sweet! Looking forward to that video
Its reasuring that I went through the same pain researching solar panals and came to the same result! It says its really durable, I didnt think it would be THIS durable. My only complaint, well not even really that, i cant run my macbook directly off of it. My guess is that the mac is expecting 65w and this can only supply 40 max, when it tries it seems to trip a limiter in the panel causing it to reset continually.
Yeah, it’s usually better to charge a power bank if you can.
So did I miss it? How long does it take to charge it? I’ve already tested it with a 20k battery bank and it took pretty much the whole day to charge
It's similar to power bank
Still won't run a cpap though and my eb3a does for 2 nights with a 12v adapter no problems without charging at all. Add solar and its near endless. The inverter can go nonstop while the sun is up. This micro setup is great if all you need it to charge a phone, but honestly you could probably pick just the solar or battery for that and not both saving more money and weight.
Right. As I said if you need AC, buy a small power station but if you’re 100% usb this is great
Can i plug my fridge with this ? 😅
Do you think that more devices will eventually take advantage of the USB-C PD standard?? Right now we either have little USB-A loads or 120VAC loads, but other than some computers/tablets/phones nothing else that i've seen. Maybe a bigger fan? A work light? A TV?
Definitely. I think USB-C PD will become the standard for smaller devices like electronics, fans and lights for portable applications. It can already support 140w at 5-24v but the next version supports 28V, 36V, and 48V fixed voltages enable up to 140W, 180W and 240W power levels. Really, anything that has a power brick today like a monitor, printer, internet router, etc. is a good candidate for PD. www.usb.org/usb-charger-pd
Wish they would add 1/4-20 threads to these things to mount to things.
That could be cool
I am in the process of looking for the best solarpanel - powerbank combo for backpacking. I recently bought the 737 and I really love the detailed display and the fast charging. I do not like the weight though. Finding a good solar panel proves to be much harder though. The last one that I tried was the SunnyBag 21W, but they are all quite heavy. Aren't there lighter materials for the backing of the panels available that offer the same stiffness? I am looking forward to your panel video.
I was going to add a section on a backpacking setup but I think your best bet is this ultralight option I have in the description because it's 1 pound (450g) total.
Nitecore 10,000mAh ultralight power bank - 5.3oz (150g)
amzn.to/3DH9k53
Flexsolar 10w solar panel - 10.56oz (300g)
amzn.to/3rTvley
In my tests, I didn't get more power from the 15 vs. 10w panels I tested because they are limited by the USB output of 10w so the only advantage of the 15w panel is it will give you that 10w on cloudier days and earlier/later in the day compared to the 10w panel because there is extra power. If 10,000mah is too little capacity, just get a second power bank. I think this is about as good as you can get if you want somethinglightweight but actually useful.
@todd.parker I suspect that my panels are limited by the USB as well but I have to do more tests. Sadly I need more then 10 W because I need to power a camera in addition to my phone and little things.
A 20W panel with usb-c and power delivery at 400g would be my dream 😌
@@Knitschi656 From what I've seen, panels below 30w don't support PD so you're basically limited to ~10w. All the panels I'm testing are ETFE and pretty minimal (no fabric cases and extra stuff) so I don't see how you'd get down to 400g. I tested a Bigblue 30w panel that gave me around 18-19w over PD but was pretty bulky and weighs 1,088g (amzn.to/3s2ijvf). The Flexsolar 40w was only 177g heavier at 1,265g but output 27-28w so that's why I went with it. If you find something lighter with better output, please let know!
@@todd.parker Thanks for the info and crushing my dreams 🙂
I’ve finally found my people 😂 thanks both
Does Anker not make a 140W wall charger? I have one that is 100W, so being a huge fan of Anker, I may go with their wall charger. Looking at getting a setup like this to keep in my 511 LV10 Sling pack.
I have "travel packs" like this setup for myself, my wife, and my son. They are in Maxpedition pouches and include the wall chargers, Anker wall chargers, Anker battery packs and multiple cables, but this would also charge my tablet as well as my laptop, so it may be time to upgrade!
Doesn't look like it but there are some good options are there. This one is one sale: amzn.to/4bJyz6E
Excellent presentation!
Thanks so much!
Wondering if you have tried any of those power banks you see on Amazon with built in solar panels? A lot of 30-40k ones, and whilst I assume they charge slower because less coverage, they have a bigger capacity and smaller footprint so could be good for camping.
I show that in the video and I think they are all junk. Most exaggerate their capacity- all those 30-50,000mah units are closer to 25,0000mah max. The panels are less than 1w each so it will take a week of good sun at a minimum to fill. I want to recharge easily in 3-4 hours for that to be useful
@@todd.parker ah, must have missed that.
Good to know, I put out an alert on the Anker one and now I wait until it goes under £100
@@Lazerscythe 737 is $99 right now, link in description
@@todd.parker Not in my region it isn't, but as you say, sales are regular, so I shan't need to wait long.
my ecoflow river 2 loses so much power by just being on, (left it on over night hoping it would charge by solar in the morning.) it wasted all the battery during the night, as unlike their older models it stays on as long as sonal panel is plugged, even in the middle of night
i never had this problem with regular powerbanks when i charge them with usb solar panel, or they wont lose half capacity if i accidentally leave them on. and looking at youtube im not the only one who experienced this with ecoflow, bluetti etc
If you had to choose a PowerBank with a Car Jump Start capacity, would suggest any you like? Since, one is carrying a powerbank, why not choose one with more capability. Thanks.
Good question. I really like this GOOLOO GT4000 jump starter. It can charge USB-C devices at 100w PD and can recharge just as fast. It also has a good display to show you what's going on for input and output. It's on sale for 42% off right now too. amzn.to/3w76aqO
Many thanks@@todd.parker
Just a question, hoping to get an answer, especially in the current state of the world we're in right now. How important are these power sources in this day and age? Speaking from someone who is considering maybe starting a business with these types of products
As I see it, every single person should have some way to keep their phones, smartwatch and a rechargable flashlight/headlamp in case of an emergency - storms, wildfires, grid outage - at a bare minimum so I think this is very important. You may also want to get a larger power station to backup parts of your home or use when camping but when SHIF and you need to evacuate and may be on the road or in a shelter, you can't bring something so large.
Its a simple pewerbank?