The problem I am seeing is that the Nexus does not show watts going in or out. The watts tells you how well the panel is working or being positioned perpendicular to the sun. Watts out tells you how fast the batteries are being drained. The watts tells you how well the Nexus is running. Without the watts information, it's like a blind man crossing a busy intersection. The Nexus is a charging station more than a power station, pass through charging is needed before it can be called a power station. The videos are well done and gives pertinent information to the user without making any judgment calls on the Nexus usability.
The lack of pass through charging is a dealbreaker for me. That plus one or two 12v DC outputs on the Nexus and they would have my money. Perhaps they should consider a separate battery charger that could run off the solar power brick. Then we could have a battery outside charging while using the Nexus or some other tool with other batteries at the same time. Anyway, thanks for putting in the good work on testing this. Much appreciated!
Hi Nicholas yes I agree about the separate charger idea, hopefully they will come up with a new power station or the separate charger,t hanks for watching
I agree. It’s also super annoying that you have to utilize the cord from the existing transformer. Really? C’mon EGO! This is the frustrating part of technology…they spoon feed you rather than give you the entire package. These companies are greedy and don’t really give a crap about putting out great products with good business practices.
@@TechMadeEzy I got second unit for that purpose. this way I can charge and use the batteries and i can have my freezer and fridge running during blackout. They are never in the same room, lol.
I feel that Ego really needs to upgrade this to allow for up to 400w of solar panels. If you happen to have 4 10ah batteries in that, they wouldn’t be able to charge in a full day of sun which what’s available currently.
They suggested two panels to try next time. Renogy rng 100 delta ss, Grape solar gs* star 100 watt. Wish I knew That before. He was hard to understand.
Thanks for all your testing and provided information regarding using solar panels with the Nexus power station. As know, much depends on how much Sun the panel is getting so placement is very important. Not sure if anyone has tried using some type of device where the mounting for a solar panel would rotate with the Sun so would always received the maximum input doing the hours the Sun is available or if anyone has tried using circular solar panel which are kind of new product that could be mounted so curved from East to West where there would always be some part of the panel receiving Sun light when possible. Just some food for thought as you seem to enjoy experimenting and trying out new things then sharing the results which is very much appreciated. Thanks for the many reviews you do as helps with making good decisions when buying something new while at the same time saving money thanks to You!
thanks for a good video.1. ego needs pass thru, 2. faster charge supply is next, 3 how to use solar power after batteries are fully charged. I might try 4 250w panels tied to a 1000W inverter to use 2 ego's 210W regular charger to charge the batteries in an hour or 2 2batteries at a time I expect I could get 4 5A batteries charged in 2 - 4 hours. Then the solar can run daily up to 1000W for the remaining 5 hours of daylight.
Great information. I recently purchased the power station and have been researching the solar options. I also contacted EGO Support last eek regarding the WiFi issue, their explanation: The EGO will only connect to a 2.4GHz router, seems many of us have 5 GHz systems and the EGO can't connect to that. I'm okay with using Bluetooth. Thanks for the video.
Since the power station doesn’t have pass through capabilities, they should make a solar charger to work with the rapid charger instead. This way we can still hot swap the batteries while using our power station. BTW, always try to keep everything in the shade. Heat can ruin your electronics and your lithium batteries.
Thank you for the three videos, very appreciated! It is very easy to understand the tests and explanations, you're a gifted teacher. I just ordered my EGO and I think it's a good product. Now, for the solar part, I don't think that's something I would purchase. Daisy chaining solar panels, cables, panel charger, in my opinion, it doesn't show maturity. Maybe the solar charger and standard charger should be integrated and the fast charger should connect on a separate port. That way we don't have to keep track of cables or protect the solar charger from heat. Again, I appreciate the effort you put in all this, it actually helped me to understand why I don't want the solar part.
Ego needs a smaller, charging-only unit. This way you can run the Nexus with a load like keeping a freezer running etc., while you, separately, charge the next day's set of batteries. During the day, I run a Honda 2000i and run a deep freezer and some fans and charge the Nexus. At night I shut off the Honda (cause the sound attracts thieves and carbon monoxide attracts Death). I run the Nexus to handle the basic load at night (inside the house, no monoxide) to deal with food spoilage and fans. I use Luci solar lights for their purpose. I have AddTop solar chargers for phones. In long outage sourcing gas is a limiting factor over days and keeping a rotation on stabil preserved gas is a pain. A scaled-down solar charging-only unit would be a better match than the charge-or-use choice the consumer is faced with.
@@davesdiversions8078 judging by the math its over 100W I've just been rounding. 420wh x 2 = 840wh but we can assume there is likely some buffer charge, so lets say like 25% 315 or so, so 315 x 2 = 630wh at 100w charge, none of this is 100% factual just estimated. 6 hours 30 minutes. now if the buffer charge isn't there the generator is charging at over 100watts, its probably charging at like 120watts and I believe it takes about 30 watts to run the screen and fans from calculations people have done before so I suppose a 180w might be accurate but I doubt it charges at that speed probably closer to 100-125
@@crimmy0204 I checked the owners manual, it states "Input 120V ~, 60Hz 170W" using the standard (non-solar) standard, supplied charger. Next time I run my batteries down, I'll connect the Nexus to the Kill-A-Watt to gauge what it's really pulling. Thanks for the information.
Good job!! Cool you give us more with the 200w solar panel for a max 180w for the nexus (my question). A lot better than 100w for 180w... losing 80w all the time. Thank you too take two days to try this for us.
Thanks Y K that's why I grabbed the 200w Panel, I want to measure what it's actually giving me with a meter of some kind, I'm sure it's around 140 to 150 watts because panels are never 100% efficient, thanks for watching 👍🏻
@@TechMadeEzy I use a "IFLYRC 150A RC Watt Meter Analyzer High Precision with Backlight Digital LCD Screen for voltage (V) current (A) Power (W) Charge(Ah) and Energy (Wh) Measurement (150A)" off Amazon. $18. You do have to splice it in though. I have that Rich panel. 2 in fact. In aug this year, I got 182w off each panel.
Nice testing , I would definitely like to have seen testing both amp batteries with the same panel , I'm definitely interested in setting something like this up , thanks for the info
Thanks for the video. I think the station in general is just really cool . Love the display features. From ehat i can tell, most power stations will take a pretty long time to charge up fully from solar, psrticilatly when you are limited to 100-200 watts in total. My concern is the cost for the watt hours of storage and use is just too high. I am looking for at least 1500 of usable watt hours in a fully charged power station. You would need 4 7.5 amp hr batteries to get close to that.. cost of that type of full set up with solar charger and panels would likely push $2k.
If you don’t have Ego power tools, this power station doesn’t make sense because of what is available today. You can buy an Ecoflow Delta, Bluetti ac200, Goal Zero, etc which all have pass through capabilities and better solar charging. I like my Ego power station because I have a bunch of Ego power tools and batteries already. I also have 2 separate solar powerstation to charge it. So this makes sense to me. Plus I got my ego powerstation with 4 x 7.5ah batteries for $1000. This solar charger is limited by the unit itself, but it’s better than nothing... barely 😆
Thanks for the reviewm. Was looking to see just what to expect. While it may be a neat alternative it's not practical. 2x 7.5ah in 6h 10 minutes. Assuming everything scales linearly it would take approx. 12.5 hrs for four 7.5ah batteries. If using 4x 10ah batteries it would be approx. 15.6 hours. With the time it takes and no pass through charging it makes this solar option gimmicky at best.
Hi Robert I definitely want to do some more tests long-term with four batteries, I also want to get some kind of a tool where I can measure the wattage coming in from the different panels
Love the idea of it. Just disappointed that u cant use the power station for charging. So for long power outages its just not worth it for me. I bought a small cheap gas generator to recharge my ego batteries for long power outages. I use my fast charger and 2 regular ego chargers.
I’m a commercial user, I’m using the ego line, but charging is a problem. My area has lots of cloudy days, and we can’t just move the solar panel for full sun. Can you do a test with both panels connected together to get 300 or more watts, lay them flat on the grass and cloudy day. 5amp batteries ? As if you where a contractor with panels on the top of your trailer/truck.
@mike smith I would check out battle born batteries for a small power storage solution inside a covered trailer you could also store your OPE tools. Using solar on the roof you could store that energy into the batteries and use an inverter to plug in a battery charger and transfer the energy from the battle born into the ego batteries when ever you want. Or you can run 2 truck batteries in parallel under the hood and hook up an inverter to charge your batteries while the truck is running. Or buy a small fuel powered inverter generator you could crank up to just charge batteries no matter the weather conditions. I went with ALP 1000w generator, uses only propane fuel, is as quiet as a Honda and burns cleaner and cooler so youll be doing half as many oil changes than a gasoline generator, and you’ll have around 60 hours of runtime on a single 25lbs LP tank.
but a different charger.. like an Bluetti eb150 or 240, or and ecoflow Delta. You can use it to plug in multiple ego rapid chargers, while the solar generator is connected to the solar panels.
My previous statement, on the second video, still stands. I would never use 2 batteries at a time because the run time just wouldn’t be there. So I would need to charge 4 batteries not 2, which would double the charge time to what I predicted before. As I assumed, you would need 2 ego power stations to make this “usable” using only solar. 1 to power what ever you need to power during the day and one to charge 2 batteries for when your other 2 are ran down. Or what Ego should do is come out with a 2 or 4 bay charger that will plug directly into the ch1800 transformer maybe even have Bluetooth capability to alert you when your panel isn’t getting enough sun so you know to move the panel. That way you could actually use the power station and have the batteries charging at the same time.
Yup, thats why you need like an ecoflow river pro...$599...(best solar generator at the best price, that can handle the 500w dual ego charger) but will be able to use the dual ego charger. So you can charge your batteries on the side. Or you can go a little more money and go for the bluetti eb150.
This thing has some massive problems as others have commented (low wattage panels, no pass thru). I'm invested in the Ego Lawn Product ecosystem, so I did get one of these and after a year, got the solar charger and a 200 watt panel. I feel the real use for this is a grid-down scenario, I can charge up and at a minimum keep my fridges running. Maybe keep the wifi on. That'll work for me for now.
Good idea, it all comes down to wattage honestly. My home doesn’t have a sump pump but I’d say if it’s under 2000w then it will come down to run time, get 4 10ah batteries and that will improve run time but wow the cost is crazy
Very nice education video !! Question-if I need to use the unit, when you turn it on for use and the solar adapter is plugged in, will the unit disconnect from the solar charger. Or would you need tp physically need to unplug the solar adapter?
To bad greenworks do not have a power station I bought 40 80v batteries at 90% off at Lowes yellow tag sale I was going to use them to power a electric bike but they were so cheap I bought all the had left I believe they were 15 bucks each man I love those year end sales
@@TechMadeEzy I also bought from the same sale 90% the kobalt 80volt 2 stage snow blower for 34 buck new but tool only I heard there is a way to get the greenworks battery to work
Nice video. What is the analog gauge that is above "Time remaining to full charge" showing? It never moves while you are testing and stays around 1 1/2 bars.
Thanks for the review. I appreciate the time you invested for us. One observation... in your 1st test you were using a 200 watt panel to run a 180 watt power supply. You were running too much power into it. This is probably why your power supply got hot. I’d be curious to see how fast the two 7.5s would charge on a properly-sized panel, & how warm the power supply would get. Thanks again!
Hi Michael thank you and I spoke with EGO using a 200w panel is fine since all solar panels aren’t 100% efficient, I’m lucky if I got 140 or 150w. Thanks for watching stay in touch
If the watts from the solar panel is over 180 watts, the Nexus should block 🚫 or stop the watts from the solar panel. Over powering the solar panel is commonly done to maximize the charging of the batteries. The charging unit is like a traffic cop, only letting the proper current to reach the Nexus.
Have any of you guys checked with ego to see if a 200w panel can be safely used with their solar adapter? I am also curious why they are all out of stock. Is there an updated unit coming out soon?
I would like to see an install kit for the solar panel so it could be placed in an optimal location with indoor connectivity. This is too much work and maintenance to keep from ruining your transformer. Not only that but, what if you’re a renter…you’d have to keep guard of your equipment. Another company that falls short IMO.
Still watching but great video. Not too bad for the (2)7.5 batteries. It would be nice if it gave you voltage and watts rather than just time left to full charge. You seemed concerned with the temp of the solat charger temp. Why didn't you get a temp with an infared thermometer?
How MrPage yes they say to keep it out if the sun, I’m glad I got long cables. I don’t have the tool for the wattage and the bolts but that’s a good idea I’m gonna work on picking one up
I see you used a 200W panel but the specs on Ego's site states that it can only handle 180W is this because you didn't expect to get the full 100% efficiency out of that 200w panel?
Any chance you could do an instructional video on how to connect the Nexus to your wifi? There is very little info out there and EGO support is not even able to help!
Hi Jerry That hasn't worked in some time and I don't know why but when I call ego there's nothing they can do. I know you can use it on Bluetooth. If you have an old 2.4ghz router they say it should work, I tried and couldn't get it to work with an old router.
@@TechMadeEzy that is crazy! I contacted them in regards to the wifi several times. They recently sent me a replacement Nexus to solve the problem but here I am.....same issue!
@@TechMadeEzy They are under the impression that it should be working. Very confusing. I only started needing the wifi function to monitor my solar panel. If it wasn't for that, I would still be using Bluetooth.
What are the runtimes at different load percentages 20% 50% 90% on the 120Vac outlets with the different Amp hour batteries?? Runtime matters with respect to a gas generator.
I wish I could tell you that but at this point I've been testing charge times. Run time on batteries is all about loads charging via solar or ac outlet won't make a difference with that. Best would be 4 x 10ah batteries but very $ $ $
Howard, thanks for the Ego update. Did Robyn and Baba Boowie help you? Seriously, thanks for the info. I gotta get one of these for both my units. Please send Robin over to help me set it up! :)
Hey there, thanks so much for this fantastic informative video. The 200w solar panel you linked in the description goes to a 160w panel on Amazon. Is there a way to get an updated link? Thanks so much
James thanks for catching this, it looks like Rich Solar changed the description from 200w to 160w, not sure why. I will have to do some research. Here is the link if you still want to get it below, I also included another 200w option by a reputable company Renogy it's 200w and as you saw in my video all solar panels aren't 100% efficient so you will most likely get 140 / 150w from the panel which is safe for the solar panel since it can only handle 180w Original link Rich Solar 12v 160w solar Panel amzn.to/3lWnMN6 New option for 200w by Renogy amzn.to/2T9gcEw
Thanks Zap on Amazon, I hope you enjoyed the video my link is in the description if you're interested in using our Amazon link it helps our Channel and right now it is backordered
Because of buying ego products I built a 1200 watt solar array with 500amp hours of battleborn batteries 🔋 and I use the quick charger using 650 watts to charge the 7.5 amp hr battery in 30 mins.....and now I have it installed in my enclosed trailer with a mini split ac and fridge with running water 💦 fully mobile to go anywhere I want .......couldn’t wait for ego to make a solar connection so I made one my self 😎👍👍oh yea ....the ego generator will power the mini split no problem if needed for an hour or two depending on the draw and temp I’m using
Great video, thank you! I just received my solar charger and am deciding on what solar panel to get now. Any reason why EGO says that you can't use one that has a charge controller? Looking to get the Renogy 100w or 200w off grid ones but wanted to get the charger controller to be able to view solar power and wattage. I know that EGO says you don't need it because of the Nexus but any issues with having one?
Hi Brittany and thank you Charge controller is built into the ch1800 solar charger, check out my new video this device should help ruclips.net/video/oBGD9QvV7hE/видео.html
@@TechMadeEzy Thank you. Doesn't a charge controller on a solar panel also show you the wattage that you are receiving? Any issue if you use a solar panel with a charge controller for the Nexus?
Hi Brittany Solar panels don’t have charge controllers that’s why you need the ch1800 ego solar charger in order to use a solar panel to charge your batteries on the nexus.
Hmm not sure, the controller is built into the charger of course but don't know the tech they put into it. MPPT is the better one right Robert? That's what I'm learning so far.
For the price/size/weight you would hope so and if so, it should be able to be overpaneled so it can run at full charging power in less than perfect sun.
Here are 20, 30 or 50 foot cables 20 foot Solar MC4 extension cables amzn.to/3soRQm8 30 foot Solar MC4 extension cables amzn.to/3ssECVt 50 foot Solar MC4 extension cables amzn.to/3ssgx0I
Isn’t the charger rated for 180w? Did it work with the 200w panel because loss of efficiency? So the panel probably wasn’t running at its full rated wattage? Also the long cords you used could have loss some power on the way to the charger so it worked? I’m asking because I wanted to see if I could over panel my charger. Or if there’s ways to pump more than just 180w into the station. Thanks
Hi Micah 1st thanks for watching hope you stay in the channel Solar panels are never 100% Efficient from what I’ve learned, I confirmed with EGO also before doing the test. Next time I will use a tool I purchased that will show how much power I’m getting from the panel. I probably got 150 watts.
Great video One question is the “controller” Is it an inverter ? As you know solar panel takes photons and converts it to electrons , direct current . Normally one uses inverter to convert solar DC power to Ac power . Frustrating to swap back and forth would be nice to dump DC to Dc then when you draw off the batteries could convert to AC so your appliances etc can use this ?
Hi Tom, To my knowledge the solar panel charger does the conversion of the power from solar into the power station which then chargers the batteries and allows you to power devices up to 2000w, this all depends on what batteries you have as well ( 10ah, 7.5ah etc ) for your run time. Not sure if that’s what you wanted to know?
@@TechMadeEzy Thanks! Pretty sure something has inverter since the panels are DC and the power station you show gives out AC power, just not sure if the inverter is then new little "middleman" or in the big beefy power station. I have solar and it drives me crazy that I convert DC to AC with big inverter, then I take that AC and load into my Electric vehicle which I think is DC so that it has to convert back. Thinking of adding big home Battery but each time one swaps DC to Ac to DC to AC there is efficiency hit. Home run would be Solar to battery that is DC direct no inverter then convert once to AC to power our electronics. Currently we go back and forth !
The adapter for solar does the conversion into the power station, the original power adapter won't do the conversion it just gets plugged into a wall but this new solar adapter is just when I charge my batteries via solar. Its a slow charging solution but nice to have if you are out somewhere with no place to plug in.
Hi Jerry You can confirm with EGO Solar panels are never 100% efficient so you will never see the 200w on a 200w panel, maybe if we are luck 160w But you can also buy a tool to measure the incoming power before connecting it. I did talk with EGO before doing this. Hope this helslps, stay in touch
@@TechMadeEzy Thank you for the quick response and detailed videos. You are pretty much the only info on these at this time. Now, if you can get 4 total 10 amp battery's and test how long it will take to charge them with the 200 watt solar panel......$$$$:)
Be careful with the wires between the solar panel and the charge controller. I noticed you had them just tossed in the yard. They should be in constant parallel with each other from the panel to the charge controller. The reason is because of stray Eddy currents. When the wires aren’t in parallel, the Eddy currents are high and the wires can over heat. With the wires in parallel, the Eddy currents between the wires are canceled out and thus the wires will stay cool.
Hi Rolf, although I put this video together I followed EGOs guidelines, the max input I believe was around 160 watts and I was definitely under that. The solar charger is limited honestly. It can be helpful to some depending but it charges slow even when I used a 200w panel, I might have received 145 watts at most. Sorry I can't be more helpful on this.
Hi Anthony, It only chargers batteries. When you are charging the power station doesn’t support charging and using it at the same time, this is called pass through. Hopefully one day they can accomplish this with a new unit I hope 🤞🏼
What if you attached your solar panel to the roof of your shed ran the unit, and the wires into the shed. Can you leave it hooked up for a couple days?
Hey could u help me with a decision? Looking to buy 200 watt individual solar panel for my ego solar charger. Would u recommend Rich solar 200 watt panel or Grape solar 200 watt panel? Renogy is unavailable til mid January.
@@TechMadeEzy actually its not the watts that matter in parallel. Its Amps. Solar charger cant take more than 10 amps in parallel. And in series, its not even watts that matters, its Volts. It cant take more than 22 volts. Your 200 Rich, and do up to 24... So it will be interesting to see what happens if you got the panel to its max volts.
I have this ego generator and its nice since I already have the batteries from the mower and snow and leaf blowers. Not something I'd buy if I already didn't own the batteries. I didn't buy the solar plug since it's a bit underwhelming
Hi George, thanks for watching The EGO nexus doesn’t have that feature, but I just got a new tool I’ll be using with future solar charging tests. Probably around 130 to 140 is my guess.
@@TechMadeEzy That's what I'm doing today with a multi-meter and a 200 watt Renogy panel. I'm guessing between 150-160 here in Arizona on a hot day. I don't want to use the 100 watt panels since they take way too long to charge. Let me know what you get.
@@TechMadeEzy I tested a Renogy 200 watt Eclipse panel in the Arizona sun and it put out 247 watts. Then I switched over to a Renogy 100 watt Eclipse panel and it was doing 123 watts. I did this at 0930 with the sky clear and the temp at 95 degrees humidity 20%. What did EGO say about 200 watt panels? I get my CH1800 charger tomorrow.
Hi George, EGO has pre approved panels, you’ll need to see there notes on the charger on their website but a 200w panel should be fine since it never produces 200w. That was some crazy power you produced on the 100w wow Stay in touch let me know how it goes.
Rich Solar, works great no issues whatsoever here is our Affiliate link if you want to grab one, it helps the channel also and thanks for watching our videos 👍🏻 amzn.to/335hLs1
Jose It’s fine 😎 There really isn’t one answer it all comes down to what appliances you’re going to plug into this and especially what batteries do you have on the unit. 4 x 10ah batteries will give you the longest run time because that’s the highest ah they have with the most watt hours BUT again it’ll always come down to what you’re plugging into it. Keep in mind the power station is nice to have you can bring it indoors but it’s really not going to replace a gas generator if you’re out of power for days or longer. This unit could be very helpful for a day or so depending on what you’re plugging into it and the solar charging capability is nice but you can’t use it when you’re charging it doesn’t have pass-through charging capabilities. I will be doing more reviews on power stations So stay tune and I hope this answers your question
Warning. I used a 180 watt BougeRV solar panel. It fried my Nexus solar charger after it worked twice for some charging. Owned it for three days. They said no coverage under warranty. It's a $180.00 doorstop.
Yeah they're very hard to find right now you know I would tell you to check with maybe Ace Hardware go into one of the stores don't really look online, I think I've seen him on Amazon but I think they're like 300 and change, good luck let me know if you get one and if I see one I'll send you a link
What's your ROI? Can you do all the calculations out in terms of cost / KWH in your area and KWH/Day you can get off of the solar panel. I also think it would be more reasonable to have a stationary test because if you plan to use this again and again it doesn't seem reasonable to move the solar panel around your yard all day every day.
Brandon I don't know ROI my goal was to show people this product do some real testing and provide some information. This product is probably good for someone that is on the road in areas where they don't have power but they have maybe a double set of batteries one set they can charge and other set they can use.
Actually I think I could do it... 6 hours 10 minutes for 15AH we have 840Wh. In theory we could go for ~ 12 hours / day so I'll double that to 1.6 KWh / day Where I live power is 23 cents/KWH (Ugh) so that's about 37 cents a day. best case scenerio (which is not likley) you get 365 days for 135 / year. Let's cut that in half for the sake of argument (cloudy days winter sun etc) and get 67 / year. so If you already had the nexus and you just go for the solar that would be 150 (charger) + 200 (panel) + 38 (cables) = 388 which is an ROI of 5.7 years. Does all of that seem reasonable to you?
I think if you own the batteries and you own the power station the solar adapter is a good option for many people it's not perfect. I don't like the limit of 180 Watts input it would be great if you could have 500 watts of solar panel power going into the charging the batteries quickly
I know, it’s crazy. I couldn’t find one then I just placed an order on Amazon and all of a sudden they sent me an email with a new estimate and I got it in 2 weeks; if you want use our link in the description that’ll also support our channel: No matter what good luck stay in touch let me know if you get one.
Might pick one up for emergency situations, but this solution from ego is far from practical, and almost every other solar generator on the market does a better job than this one so I hate rewarding the company for a solution executed this poorly.
Electric lawnmowers! 🤮 Thanks for the review on the solar charge for the EGO. Also not a fan of everything being “smart” don’t like these companies spying on me and then selling our personal data! Data collection is the name of the game for global power in this century.
Charging the power station with solar is too slow because the input watt is small. If they could increase watts to 500 or more, you wouldn’t have to waste so much time repositioning the panels for direct sunlight. This has been a failure for EGO. The long awaited solar charging the batteries is a waste of time. Invest in a decent solar generator and use the rapid charger to charge the 7.5 batter in a hour or less.
@footmantheman I agree this isn’t a very practical application. Hopefully they will realize they need a separate charger that will accept the plug for the ch1800 and that will allow you to charge on one device and use the power source simultaneously. The one beautiful thing about the ego is the ability to hot swap the batteries. In other units if the battery craps out, and usually the battery is the first thing to go, the inverter is just one giant paper weight. If an ego battery isn’t working correctly just swap it with a different battery.
This is way too slow to charge two batteries lol. They need to either update the firmware to support faster charging or a completely new mppt power station that supports at least 500watts.
It’s not as simple as a firmware update. This unit comes with a 170w charger. So the electronics,wires, etc. inside supports a 170w charger. They should make a solar charger to charge their rapid charger instead. That way you are able to take advantage of the hot swapping of their batteries while the power station is in use.
@@ilingwang1168 I know the MPPT controller is designed for a certain charge limit. However, even when charging with AC it takes an eternity to charge 4 batteries on the power station. I'm not sure if it's a firmware, hardware, or low wattage adapter limitation. Regardless, 6 hours is too long to charge just two batteries! You are better off just using the included charger with the Ego tools or fast charger with select tools.
@@AustinTechAuthority you are right about it’s slow charging. Then compound that by not having pass through charging. I don’t think ego solar charger is mppt. It’s pwm because of it’s limitations on the voltage range of the solar panels that you are able to use. They are limited to how this powerstation is designed. It is designed for the included 170w charger. I don’t know if they can even put a bigger charger on it, because of wiring, electronics, etc. that already exist in this powerstation. It may risk failure or damaging the powerstation. A better solution, besides redesigning a new powerstation, is to have a more powerful solar charger to charge their rapid charger instead. That way we can take advantage of hot swapping the batteries while our powerstation is in use. I like my station because I own their power tools, I got a deal on my unit and I have a separate solar system that charge a separate ego charger while in use so I can hot swap my batteries.
The problem I am seeing is that the Nexus does not show watts going in or out. The watts tells you how well the panel is working or being positioned perpendicular to the sun. Watts out tells you how fast the batteries are being drained. The watts tells you how well the Nexus is running. Without the watts information, it's like a blind man crossing a busy intersection. The Nexus is a charging station more than a power station, pass through charging is needed before it can be called a power station. The videos are well done and gives pertinent information to the user without making any judgment calls on the Nexus usability.
Steve thanks for watching, use the EGO app that will give you some wattage data
I really appreciate the tests you do with Ego. Great job buddy!!!! This is exactly what I expected.
Thanks Total
The lack of pass through charging is a dealbreaker for me. That plus one or two 12v DC outputs on the Nexus and they would have my money. Perhaps they should consider a separate battery charger that could run off the solar power brick. Then we could have a battery outside charging while using the Nexus or some other tool with other batteries at the same time. Anyway, thanks for putting in the good work on testing this. Much appreciated!
Hi Nicholas yes I agree about the separate charger idea, hopefully they will come up with a new power station or the separate charger,t hanks for watching
I agree. It’s also super annoying that you have to utilize the cord from the existing transformer. Really? C’mon EGO!
This is the frustrating part of technology…they spoon feed you rather than give you the entire package. These companies are greedy and don’t really give a crap about putting out great products with good business practices.
@@TechMadeEzy I got second unit for that purpose. this way I can charge and use the batteries and i can have my freezer and fridge running during blackout. They are never in the same room, lol.
Cool
I feel that Ego really needs to upgrade this to allow for up to 400w of solar panels. If you happen to have 4 10ah batteries in that, they wouldn’t be able to charge in a full day of sun which what’s available currently.
Agreed 100% I would love that actually would like to see 500w
I wonder if my 250 watt panel would work
Hope this helps
Needs to be 10a up to 22v can’t be more
They suggested two panels to try next time. Renogy rng 100 delta ss, Grape solar gs* star 100 watt. Wish I knew That before. He was hard to understand.
Thanks for all your testing and provided information regarding using solar panels with the Nexus power station. As know, much depends on how much Sun the panel is getting so placement is very important. Not sure if anyone has tried using some type of device where the mounting for a solar panel would rotate with the Sun so would always received the maximum input doing the hours the Sun is available or if anyone has tried using circular solar panel which are kind of new product that could be mounted so curved from East to West where there would always be some part of the panel receiving Sun light when possible. Just some food for thought as you seem to enjoy experimenting and trying out new things then sharing the results which is very much appreciated. Thanks for the many reviews you do as helps with making good decisions when buying something new while at the same time saving money thanks to You!
Thanks Jerry appreciate it, yeah still new to me but exciting. Appreciate the feedback 👍🏼
thanks for a good video.1. ego needs pass thru, 2. faster charge supply is next, 3 how to use solar power after batteries are fully charged. I might try 4 250w panels tied to a 1000W inverter to use 2 ego's 210W regular charger to charge the batteries in an hour or 2 2batteries at a time I expect I could get 4 5A batteries charged in 2 - 4 hours. Then the solar can run daily up to 1000W for the remaining 5 hours of daylight.
Great information. I recently purchased the power station and have been researching the solar options. I also contacted EGO Support last eek regarding the WiFi issue, their explanation: The EGO will only connect to a 2.4GHz router, seems many of us have 5 GHz systems and the EGO can't connect to that. I'm okay with using Bluetooth. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Dave yeah I did my best it was all a new experience to me
@@TechMadeEzy I enjoyed the video, I was just kidding around. I also Liked, and Subscribed. Take care.
Always appreciate feedback no matter what and thank you Dave I hope the content is good and potentially entertaining as well.
Since the power station doesn’t have pass through capabilities, they should make a solar charger to work with the rapid charger instead. This way we can still hot swap the batteries while using our power station. BTW, always try to keep everything in the shade. Heat can ruin your electronics and your lithium batteries.
Yes agree, good news is the weather here was around 40ish
Thank you for the three videos, very appreciated! It is very easy to understand the tests and explanations, you're a gifted teacher. I just ordered my EGO and I think it's a good product. Now, for the solar part, I don't think that's something I would purchase. Daisy chaining solar panels, cables, panel charger, in my opinion, it doesn't show maturity. Maybe the solar charger and standard charger should be integrated and the fast charger should connect on a separate port. That way we don't have to keep track of cables or protect the solar charger from heat. Again, I appreciate the effort you put in all this, it actually helped me to understand why I don't want the solar part.
Thanks Eugen hope you stay with us on the channel, if you have any questions we'll always try to help
Awesome Test!!! Just love love love how you did your testing.
Thanks Carlos 👍🏻
Ego needs a smaller, charging-only unit. This way you can run the Nexus with a load like keeping a freezer running etc., while you, separately, charge the next day's set of batteries. During the day, I run a Honda 2000i and run a deep freezer and some fans and charge the Nexus. At night I shut off the Honda (cause the sound attracts thieves and carbon monoxide attracts Death). I run the Nexus to handle the basic load at night (inside the house, no monoxide) to deal with food spoilage and fans. I use Luci solar lights for their purpose. I have AddTop solar chargers for phones. In long outage sourcing gas is a limiting factor over days and keeping a rotation on stabil preserved gas is a pain. A scaled-down solar charging-only unit would be a better match than the charge-or-use choice the consumer is faced with.
Thanks JSK
Happy with it, I have 2 100w panels
An interesting test might be to use the Renogy 3 TO 1 SOLAR BRANCH CONNECTORS MMMF+FFFM PAIR so you could connect both panels to the charger.
wont charge any faster the nexus generator is limited to like 100W charge.
@@crimmy0204 Weird. EGO promotes the Solar Charger Input Power: 180W max?
@@davesdiversions8078 judging by the math its over 100W I've just been rounding. 420wh x 2 = 840wh but we can assume there is likely some buffer charge, so lets say like 25% 315 or so, so 315 x 2 = 630wh at 100w charge, none of this is 100% factual just estimated. 6 hours 30 minutes. now if the buffer charge isn't there the generator is charging at over 100watts, its probably charging at like 120watts and I believe it takes about 30 watts to run the screen and fans from calculations people have done before so I suppose a 180w might be accurate but I doubt it charges at that speed probably closer to 100-125
@@crimmy0204 I checked the owners manual, it states "Input 120V ~, 60Hz 170W" using the standard (non-solar) standard, supplied charger. Next time I run my batteries down, I'll connect the Nexus to the Kill-A-Watt to gauge what it's really pulling. Thanks for the information.
Hi Dave yeah can't connect the 200w and 100w it would go over the 180w max the charger handles. The 200w Panel was probably giving me 140 to 150w
Good job!! Cool you give us more with the 200w solar panel for a max 180w for the nexus (my question). A lot better than 100w for 180w... losing 80w all the time. Thank you too take two days to try this for us.
Thanks Y K that's why I grabbed the 200w Panel, I want to measure what it's actually giving me with a meter of some kind, I'm sure it's around 140 to 150 watts because panels are never 100% efficient, thanks for watching 👍🏻
@@TechMadeEzy I use a "IFLYRC 150A RC Watt Meter Analyzer High Precision with Backlight Digital LCD Screen for voltage (V) current (A) Power (W) Charge(Ah) and Energy (Wh) Measurement (150A)" off Amazon. $18. You do have to splice it in though. I have that Rich panel. 2 in fact. In aug this year, I got 182w off each panel.
Thanks Chris, So I would have to slice the cable of the solar panel? Couldn’t I just insert it into the end?
@@TechMadeEzy no way too on an mc4 connection. You could put mc4 connection on both ends of the meter wires. I will do that adventually.
What if I connect mc4 extension cables, cut the ends and check that way ?
Nice testing , I would definitely like to have seen testing both amp batteries with the same panel , I'm definitely interested in setting something like this up , thanks for the info
Thanks Brian just switching it up, I will think of some other tests, any ideas?
I just love your channel☺️ Good solid info
Awww thanks so much Crystal, sure miss ya and I hope you and your family are happy and healthy
I think I'd love to put a solar panel on top of my jeep and have this charge while I drive to go camping/overlanding.
Thanks!
Interesting, I guess as long as you have solid sun you should get some type of charge. Let me know how it goes, good luck 👍🏻
Neat kit but a much better solution would be a PowerStation that charges faster from solar itself. And one with pas through charging.
I would mount it to a drafting table on wheels to get the most out of the sun and to store it when not in use.
Thats a great idea Matthew, the drafting table angles correct? So just add wheels
Yes you can reposition in at will.
I’m working on a solar panel mount so thanks for the idea
@@TechMadeEzy alright I’d like to see what you come up with sounds interesting.
Great job!!
Thanks for the video. I think the station in general is just really cool . Love the display features.
From ehat i can tell, most power stations will take a pretty long time to charge up fully from solar, psrticilatly when you are limited to 100-200 watts in total.
My concern is the cost for the watt hours of storage and use is just too high. I am looking for at least 1500 of usable watt hours in a fully charged power station. You would need 4 7.5 amp hr batteries to get close to that.. cost of that type of full set up with solar charger and panels would likely push $2k.
Thank you
If you don’t have Ego power tools, this power station doesn’t make sense because of what is available today. You can buy an Ecoflow Delta, Bluetti ac200, Goal Zero, etc which all have pass through capabilities and better solar charging. I like my Ego power station because I have a bunch of Ego power tools and batteries already. I also have 2 separate solar powerstation to charge it. So this makes sense to me. Plus I got my ego powerstation with 4 x 7.5ah batteries for $1000. This solar charger is limited by the unit itself, but it’s better than nothing... barely 😆
@@ilingwang1168 where did you get it for a $1000? I wouldgo for that, espe ially with 4 7.5 batteries
Thanks for the reviewm. Was looking to see just what to expect. While it may be a neat alternative it's not practical. 2x 7.5ah in 6h 10 minutes. Assuming everything scales linearly it would take approx. 12.5 hrs for four 7.5ah batteries. If using 4x 10ah batteries it would be approx. 15.6 hours. With the time it takes and no pass through charging it makes this solar option gimmicky at best.
Hi Robert I definitely want to do some more tests long-term with four batteries, I also want to get some kind of a tool where I can measure the wattage coming in from the different panels
Love the idea of it. Just disappointed that u cant use the power station for charging. So for long power outages its just not worth it for me. I bought a small cheap gas generator to recharge my ego batteries for long power outages. I use my fast charger and 2 regular ego chargers.
Yeah that would be perfect if it could thanks Nathan
High of 60... looks outside... 81 is good weather
Also 6 hours is pretty pretty preeeeetty good!
I thought it went well Elias thanks for watching
How about a test with the 10.0 volt batteries?
I wish I could afford them, at $450 each ouch
I’m a commercial user, I’m using the ego line, but charging is a problem. My area has lots of cloudy days, and we can’t just move the solar panel for full sun. Can you do a test with both panels connected together to get 300 or more watts, lay them flat on the grass and cloudy day. 5amp batteries ? As if you where a contractor with panels on the top of your trailer/truck.
Thanks for watching Mike, sorry but you can't connect a 200w and 100w the ego charger supports upto 180w
@mike smith
I would check out battle born batteries for a small power storage solution inside a covered trailer you could also store your OPE tools. Using solar on the roof you could store that energy into the batteries and use an inverter to plug in a battery charger and transfer the energy from the battle born into the ego batteries when ever you want. Or you can run 2 truck batteries in parallel under the hood and hook up an inverter to charge your batteries while the truck is running. Or buy a small fuel powered inverter generator you could crank up to just charge batteries no matter the weather conditions. I went with ALP 1000w generator, uses only propane fuel, is as quiet as a Honda and burns cleaner and cooler so youll be doing half as many oil changes than a gasoline generator, and you’ll have around 60 hours of runtime on a single 25lbs LP tank.
Yup wow they are great batteries but I can't afford them for now. I will get them one day
but a different charger.. like an Bluetti eb150 or 240, or and ecoflow Delta. You can use it to plug in multiple ego rapid chargers, while the solar generator is connected to the solar panels.
My previous statement, on the second video, still stands. I would never use 2 batteries at a time because the run time just wouldn’t be there. So I would need to charge 4 batteries not 2, which would double the charge time to what I predicted before. As I assumed, you would need 2 ego power stations to make this “usable” using only solar. 1 to power what ever you need to power during the day and one to charge 2 batteries for when your other 2 are ran down. Or what Ego should do is come out with a 2 or 4 bay charger that will plug directly into the ch1800 transformer maybe even have Bluetooth capability to alert you when your panel isn’t getting enough sun so you know to move the panel. That way you could actually use the power station and have the batteries charging at the same time.
Good feedback, I might schedule some additional tests in the future a 4 battery one is a good idea
Yup, thats why you need like an ecoflow river pro...$599...(best solar generator at the best price, that can handle the 500w dual ego charger) but will be able to use the dual ego charger. So you can charge your batteries on the side. Or you can go a little more money and go for the bluetti eb150.
This thing has some massive problems as others have commented (low wattage panels, no pass thru). I'm invested in the Ego Lawn Product ecosystem, so I did get one of these and after a year, got the solar charger and a 200 watt panel. I feel the real use for this is a grid-down scenario, I can charge up and at a minimum keep my fridges running. Maybe keep the wifi on. That'll work for me for now.
What else would I like to see? I’d like to know if the power station will run a sump pump. Could you do a video of that?
Good idea, it all comes down to wattage honestly. My home doesn’t have a sump pump but I’d say if it’s under 2000w then it will come down to run time, get 4 10ah batteries and that will improve run time but wow the cost is crazy
Very nice education video !! Question-if I need to use the unit, when you turn it on for use and the solar adapter is plugged in, will the unit disconnect from the solar charger. Or would you need tp physically need to unplug the solar adapter?
No pass through at all, it either charges or you can use it as a power station but not both at the same time. That would be awesome
To bad greenworks do not have a power station I bought 40 80v batteries at 90% off at Lowes yellow tag sale I was going to use them to power a electric bike but they were so cheap I bought all the had left I believe they were 15 bucks each man I love those year end sales
Wow that is a great deal R Deh, thanks for watching also
@@TechMadeEzy I also bought from the same sale 90% the kobalt 80volt 2 stage snow blower for 34 buck new but tool only I heard there is a way to get the greenworks battery to work
@@TechMadeEzy i always watch your vids love the content , i just wish more of the world will adopt this over gas but people are hard to change
Thank you very much R Deh
Great video. Could you do run time test on Ryobi power station. Or do you think it's not as good as the Ego power station.
Good idea and I think they are both made pretty well from my 1st impression
Nice video. What is the analog gauge that is above "Time remaining to full charge" showing? It never moves while you are testing and stays around 1 1/2 bars.
Hi Mark, On the app you mean ?
@@TechMadeEzy Yes, on the phone app.
That's when you are using it and it can handle up to 2000 watts so it will show watt usage
Thanks for the review. I appreciate the time you invested for us. One observation... in your 1st test you were using a 200 watt panel to run a 180 watt power supply. You were running too much power into it. This is probably why your power supply got hot. I’d be curious to see how fast the two 7.5s would charge on a properly-sized panel, & how warm the power supply would get.
Thanks again!
Hi Michael thank you and I spoke with EGO using a 200w panel is fine since all solar panels aren’t 100% efficient, I’m lucky if I got 140 or 150w. Thanks for watching stay in touch
If the watts from the solar panel is over 180 watts, the Nexus should block 🚫 or stop the watts from the solar panel. Over powering the solar panel is commonly done to maximize the charging of the batteries. The charging unit is like a traffic cop, only letting the proper current to reach the Nexus.
I just don’t know if that charger has that capability, I would check with EGO before trying just to be safe
Have any of you guys checked with ego to see if a 200w panel can be safely used with their solar adapter? I am also curious why they are all out of stock. Is there an updated unit coming out soon?
Yes hard to find, see the EGO website under FAQ they made some recommendations on panels, 200w panels won't produce 200w so don't worry
I would like to see an install kit for the solar panel so it could be placed in an optimal location with indoor connectivity. This is too much work and maintenance to keep from ruining your transformer. Not only that but, what if you’re a renter…you’d have to keep guard of your equipment.
Another company that falls short IMO.
You can by running longer solar cables
Still watching but great video. Not too bad for the (2)7.5 batteries. It would be nice if it gave you voltage and watts rather than just time left to full charge. You seemed concerned with the temp of the solat charger temp. Why didn't you get a temp with an infared thermometer?
How MrPage yes they say to keep it out if the sun, I’m glad I got long cables. I don’t have the tool for the wattage and the bolts but that’s a good idea I’m gonna work on picking one up
@@TechMadeEzy I meant I wish that the EGO told you the charge volts and watts.
I see you used a 200W panel but the specs on Ego's site states that it can only handle 180W is this because you didn't expect to get the full 100% efficiency out of that 200w panel?
Hi Craig Yes panels aren't 100% efficient, thanks for watching Craig appreciate it
Any chance you could do an instructional video on how to connect the Nexus to your wifi? There is very little info out there and EGO support is not even able to help!
Hi Jerry
That hasn't worked in some time and I don't know why but when I call ego there's nothing they can do. I know you can use it on Bluetooth. If you have an old 2.4ghz router they say it should work, I tried and couldn't get it to work with an old router.
@@TechMadeEzy that is crazy! I contacted them in regards to the wifi several times. They recently sent me a replacement Nexus to solve the problem but here I am.....same issue!
I don't understand why they aren't clear on this. It's nice to send you a new unit but if wifi won't work, not sure why they do that.
@@TechMadeEzy They are under the impression that it should be working. Very confusing. I only started needing the wifi function to monitor my solar panel. If it wasn't for that, I would still be using Bluetooth.
I understand, shame wifi hasn't worked.
You mentioned that they know about the problem hooking to wifi, but when I called they did not know a thing
Interesting. Isn't that how it always is....
I'm assuming you own one and you are get3the same error I showed.
@@TechMadeEzy It just say oops it failed
Yes same one every gets until they activate it or something via the app
What are the runtimes at different load percentages 20% 50% 90% on the 120Vac outlets with the different
Amp hour batteries?? Runtime matters with respect to a gas generator.
I wish I could tell you that but at this point I've been testing charge times. Run time on batteries is all about loads charging via solar or ac outlet won't make a difference with that. Best would be 4 x 10ah batteries but very $ $ $
Howard, thanks for the Ego update. Did Robyn and Baba Boowie help you? Seriously, thanks for the info. I gotta get one of these for both my units. Please send Robin over to help me set it up! :)
Robin send you her love 👍🏻lol thanks Jim appreciate it
Hey there, thanks so much for this fantastic informative video. The 200w solar panel you linked in the description goes to a 160w panel on Amazon. Is there a way to get an updated link? Thanks so much
James thanks for catching that let me work on that, brb
James thanks for catching this, it looks like Rich Solar changed the description from 200w to 160w, not sure why. I will have to do some research.
Here is the link if you still want to get it below, I also included another 200w option by a reputable company Renogy it's 200w and as you saw in my video all solar panels aren't 100% efficient so you will most likely get 140 / 150w from the panel which is safe for the solar panel since it can only handle 180w
Original link
Rich Solar 12v 160w solar Panel
amzn.to/3lWnMN6
New option for
200w by Renogy
amzn.to/2T9gcEw
@@TechMadeEzy Thank you so much!! I am subscribing to keep updated on what you put out in the future. Have a great week.
Thanks James looking forward to having you with us on the channel
Could you do a test with the turbo charger 700w vs fast charger 550w. On paper it's faster, but for real??? (with 7.5 battery or 10.0.)
I will keep that in mind YK good idea
Where did you buy the solar charger? Great informative video 👍
Thanks Zap on Amazon, I hope you enjoyed the video my link is in the description if you're interested in using our Amazon link it helps our Channel and right now it is backordered
I don’t want this for charging batteries. I have the rapid chargers for that. I bought mine for power outages.
I believe the max charge is limited to 180w into the battery
Yes
Because of buying ego products I built a 1200 watt solar array with 500amp hours of battleborn batteries 🔋 and I use the quick charger using 650 watts to charge the 7.5 amp hr battery in 30 mins.....and now I have it installed in my enclosed trailer with a mini split ac and fridge with running water 💦 fully mobile to go anywhere I want .......couldn’t wait for ego to make a solar connection so I made one my self 😎👍👍oh yea ....the ego generator will power the mini split no problem if needed for an hour or two depending on the draw and temp I’m using
Sweet thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Great video, thank you! I just received my solar charger and am deciding on what solar panel to get now. Any reason why EGO says that you can't use one that has a charge controller? Looking to get the Renogy 100w or 200w off grid ones but wanted to get the charger controller to be able to view solar power and wattage. I know that EGO says you don't need it because of the Nexus but any issues with having one?
Hi Brittany and thank you
Charge controller is built into the ch1800 solar charger, check out my new video this device should help
ruclips.net/video/oBGD9QvV7hE/видео.html
@@TechMadeEzy Thank you. Doesn't a charge controller on a solar panel also show you the wattage that you are receiving? Any issue if you use a solar panel with a charge controller for the Nexus?
Hi Brittany
Solar panels don’t have charge controllers that’s why you need the ch1800 ego solar charger in order to use a solar panel to charge your batteries on the nexus.
I am just curious if that solar charge controller, is an MPPT controller???
Hmm not sure, the controller is built into the charger of course but don't know the tech they put into it. MPPT is the better one right Robert? That's what I'm learning so far.
based upon how fast it recovers from clouds, I would say its mppt.
For the price/size/weight you would hope so and if so, it should be able to be overpaneled so it can run at full charging power in less than perfect sun.
Where did you buy the extension cord for the solar panel to the box
Hi Adam Amazon and our link should be on the description if you can support our channel and use our link if not don’t worry at all 👍🏼
@@TechMadeEzy no link for the extension cord
Here are 20, 30 or 50 foot cables
20 foot Solar MC4 extension cables
amzn.to/3soRQm8
30 foot Solar MC4 extension cables
amzn.to/3ssECVt
50 foot Solar MC4 extension cables
amzn.to/3ssgx0I
Isn’t the charger rated for 180w? Did it work with the 200w panel because loss of efficiency? So the panel probably wasn’t running at its full rated wattage? Also the long cords you used could have loss some power on the way to the charger so it worked? I’m asking because I wanted to see if I could over panel my charger. Or if there’s ways to pump more than just 180w into the station. Thanks
Hi Micah 1st thanks for watching hope you stay in the channel
Solar panels are never 100% Efficient from what I’ve learned, I confirmed with EGO also before doing the test. Next time I will use a tool I purchased that will show how much power I’m getting from the panel. I probably got 150 watts.
@@TechMadeEzy Got it. Did EGO say it was ok? Lets say theoretically if the panels did pull 200 watts would that kill the charger?
I cannot speak for EGO officially but the test went fine.
Not sure if more power would work or not. You might have to call Ego on that one.
@@TechMadeEzy Sounds good. Thanks for the quick response!
My pleasure Micah
Great video
One question is the “controller”
Is it an inverter ? As you know solar panel takes photons and converts it to electrons , direct current . Normally one uses inverter to convert solar DC power to Ac power . Frustrating to swap back and forth would be nice to dump DC to Dc then when you draw off the batteries could convert to AC so your appliances etc can use this ?
Hi Tom, To my knowledge the solar panel charger does the conversion of the power from solar into the power station which then chargers the batteries and allows you to power devices up to 2000w, this all depends on what batteries you have as well ( 10ah, 7.5ah etc ) for your run time. Not sure if that’s what you wanted to know?
@@TechMadeEzy Thanks! Pretty sure something has inverter since the panels are DC and the power station you show gives out AC power, just not sure if the inverter is then new little "middleman" or in the big beefy power station. I have solar and it drives me crazy that I convert DC to AC with big inverter, then I take that AC and load into my Electric vehicle which I think is DC so that it has to convert back. Thinking of adding big home Battery but each time one swaps DC to Ac to DC to AC there is efficiency hit. Home run would be Solar to battery that is DC direct no inverter then convert once to AC to power our electronics. Currently we go back and forth !
The adapter for solar does the conversion into the power station, the original power adapter won't do the conversion it just gets plugged into a wall but this new solar adapter is just when I charge my batteries via solar. Its a slow charging solution but nice to have if you are out somewhere with no place to plug in.
Thanks for the review. On Ego's website, they say it is only compatible with up to 180 watt solar panel. You used a 200 watt panel.....is that ok?
Hi Jerry You can confirm with EGO
Solar panels are never 100% efficient so you will never see the 200w on a 200w panel, maybe if we are luck 160w
But you can also buy a tool to measure the incoming power before connecting it. I did talk with EGO before doing this. Hope this helslps, stay in touch
@@TechMadeEzy Thank you for the quick response and detailed videos. You are pretty much the only info on these at this time. Now, if you can get 4 total 10 amp battery's and test how long it will take to charge them with the 200 watt solar panel......$$$$:)
Thanks so much Jerry and I wish u could afford a 2nd 10ah 😔
Why doesn't the Guage on the phone move with the charging progress?
Hi good question
The Gauge moves as the batteries get charged. The gauge isn't for input wattage or anything.
Be careful with the wires between the solar panel and the charge controller. I noticed you had them just tossed in the yard. They should be in constant parallel with each other from the panel to the charge controller.
The reason is because of stray Eddy currents. When the wires aren’t in parallel, the Eddy currents are high and the wires can over heat.
With the wires in parallel, the Eddy currents between the wires are canceled out and thus the wires will stay cool.
Ok thanks Robert wasn’t aware of that.
@@TechMadeEzy probably pretty safe at the 10 amps your getting.
Can you test multiple 100 watt panels in parallel to increase the amps and speed the charging?
Hi Rolf, although I put this video together I followed EGOs guidelines, the max input I believe was around 160 watts and I was definitely under that. The solar charger is limited honestly. It can be helpful to some depending but it charges slow even when I used a 200w panel, I might have received 145 watts at most. Sorry I can't be more helpful on this.
Can you power the rapid charger with a solar panel?
Hi Anthony, It only chargers batteries. When you are charging the power station doesn’t support charging and using it at the same time, this is called pass through. Hopefully one day they can accomplish this with a new unit I hope 🤞🏼
What if you attached your solar panel to the roof of your shed ran the unit, and the wires into the shed. Can you leave it hooked up for a couple days?
I probably could Ray
can you mix different types of ego batteries together and charge it?
You ask the same question earlier on another video yes you can. I’ve done that myself. Thanks for watching.
Instead of a box maybe an umbrella will allow more air flow.
Good idea thank you
Another question - have you tried to charge EGO Power from vehicle outlet or using inverter? My car outlet rated at 400 watts. 10 amps
No I don’t have that in my vehicle
Hey could u help me with a decision? Looking to buy 200 watt individual solar panel for my ego solar charger. Would u recommend Rich solar 200 watt panel or Grape solar 200 watt panel? Renogy is unavailable til mid January.
I answered your other post then I gave you our link as well I hope that helps
Hi. Can you hook up multiple matching panels
Hi Charles Yes up to 2 in parallel just don’t go over the 180w
egopowerplus.com/nexus-solar-panel-charger-ch1800/
@@TechMadeEzy actually its not the watts that matter in parallel. Its Amps. Solar charger cant take more than 10 amps in parallel. And in series, its not even watts that matters, its Volts. It cant take more than 22 volts. Your 200 Rich, and do up to 24... So it will be interesting to see what happens if you got the panel to its max volts.
I have this ego generator and its nice since I already have the batteries from the mower and snow and leaf blowers. Not something I'd buy if I already didn't own the batteries. I didn't buy the solar plug since it's a bit underwhelming
Hopefully they'll have some new products coming out I really hope they come up with an update especially improving solar thanks for watching Jason
What’s the price difference of the two solar panels?
Hi Mach, 100w is around $100 or so, 200w around $189 not bad
How many watts were you generating with the 200 watt panel?
Hi George, thanks for watching
The EGO nexus doesn’t have that feature, but I just got a new tool I’ll be using with future solar charging tests. Probably around 130 to 140 is my guess.
@@TechMadeEzy That's what I'm doing today with a multi-meter and a 200 watt Renogy panel. I'm guessing between 150-160 here in Arizona on a hot day. I don't want to use the 100 watt panels since they take way too long to charge. Let me know what you get.
I have some more power station videos coming up that I’ll be doing solar charging on keep an eye and thanks for watching have a great day
@@TechMadeEzy I tested a Renogy 200 watt Eclipse panel in the Arizona sun and it put out 247 watts. Then I switched over to a Renogy 100 watt Eclipse panel and it was doing 123 watts. I did this at 0930 with the sky clear and the temp at 95 degrees humidity 20%. What did EGO say about 200 watt panels? I get my CH1800 charger tomorrow.
Hi George, EGO has pre approved panels, you’ll need to see there notes on the charger on their website but a 200w panel should be fine since it never produces 200w. That was some crazy power you produced on the 100w wow
Stay in touch let me know how it goes.
When they fix this so it can be used at the same time it charges, and more panels to charge faster.
Hey what brand 200 watt panel did u use?
Rich Solar, works great no issues whatsoever here is our Affiliate link if you want to grab one, it helps the channel also and thanks for watching our videos 👍🏻
amzn.to/335hLs1
I was wondering maybe I missed it in the video, but how long can this thing last.
Hi Jose, sorry just clarifying, what do you mean how long will this thing last? How many years will it work?
@@TechMadeEzy oh sorry, what I mean is if you use it in a emergency. Will it last a day or how long you know, until you get power back?
Jose It’s fine 😎
There really isn’t one answer it all comes down to what appliances you’re going to plug into this and especially what batteries do you have on the unit. 4 x 10ah batteries will give you the longest run time because that’s the highest ah they have with the most watt hours BUT again it’ll always come down to what you’re plugging into it.
Keep in mind the power station is nice to have you can bring it indoors but it’s really not going to replace a gas generator if you’re out of power for days or longer.
This unit could be very helpful for a day or so depending on what you’re plugging into it and the solar charging capability is nice but you can’t use it when you’re charging it doesn’t have pass-through charging capabilities.
I will be doing more reviews on power stations So stay tune and I hope this answers your question
@@TechMadeEzy thanks bro, I'm doing research to see and your videos and this answer helps. God bless.
My pleasure I don't know everything but I love doing research and learning new things and sharing if you have any questions let me know
What cable you use and can we get longer and where?
Hi the cable link is in the description for a 30 foot I believe there is a 50 foot also, message me back if you need help
Warning. I used a 180 watt BougeRV solar panel. It fried my Nexus solar charger after it worked twice for some charging. Owned it for three days. They said no coverage under warranty. It's a $180.00 doorstop.
Why did they say no coverage? Did you go over the specs besides wattage?
Hey looking to buy ego solar charger. Cant find one anywhere. Do u have an extra one that u would sell me?🤷♂️
Yeah they're very hard to find right now you know I would tell you to check with maybe Ace Hardware go into one of the stores don't really look online, I think I've seen him on Amazon but I think they're like 300 and change, good luck let me know if you get one and if I see one I'll send you a link
@@TechMadeEzy ok thanks. Looked locally and called a bunch of online dealers yesterday and no luck
Hopefully that will change sorry Nathan
Hopefully that will change sorry Nathan
What's your ROI? Can you do all the calculations out in terms of cost / KWH in your area and KWH/Day you can get off of the solar panel. I also think it would be more reasonable to have a stationary test because if you plan to use this again and again it doesn't seem reasonable to move the solar panel around your yard all day every day.
Brandon I don't know ROI my goal was to show people this product do some real testing and provide some information.
This product is probably good for someone that is on the road in areas where they don't have power but they have maybe a double set of batteries one set they can charge and other set they can use.
Actually I think I could do it... 6 hours 10 minutes for 15AH we have 840Wh. In theory we could go for ~ 12 hours / day so I'll double that to 1.6 KWh / day Where I live power is 23 cents/KWH (Ugh) so that's about 37 cents a day. best case scenerio (which is not likley) you get 365 days for 135 / year. Let's cut that in half for the sake of argument (cloudy days winter sun etc) and get 67 / year. so If you already had the nexus and you just go for the solar that would be 150 (charger) + 200 (panel) + 38 (cables) = 388 which is an ROI of 5.7 years. Does all of that seem reasonable to you?
I think if you own the batteries and you own the power station the solar adapter is a good option for many people it's not perfect.
I don't like the limit of 180 Watts input it would be great if you could have 500 watts of solar panel power going into the charging the batteries quickly
@@TechMadeEzy that's a good point. It's good where there is no grid option.
Not perfect but nice to have
I want to buy one now lol.
I know, it’s crazy. I couldn’t find one then I just placed an order on Amazon and all of a sudden they sent me an email with a new estimate and I got it in 2 weeks; if you want use our link in the description that’ll also support our channel:
No matter what good luck stay in touch let me know if you get one.
@@TechMadeEzy
Ok
I like
Might pick one up for emergency situations, but this solution from ego is far from practical, and almost every other solar generator on the market does a better job than this one so I hate rewarding the company for a solution executed this poorly.
Good to have especially if you are already invested
Electric lawnmowers!
🤮
Thanks for the review on the solar charge for the EGO.
Also not a fan of everything being “smart” don’t like these companies spying on me and then selling our personal data!
Data collection is the name of the game for global power in this century.
Not bad
Thanks Darren
Charging the power station with solar is too slow because the input watt is small. If they could increase watts to 500 or more, you wouldn’t have to waste so much time repositioning the panels for direct sunlight.
This has been a failure for EGO. The long awaited solar charging the batteries is a waste of time. Invest in a decent solar generator and use the rapid charger to charge the 7.5 batter in a hour or less.
I'm pretty sure they will come out with a newer power station at some point but I agree
@footmantheman
I agree this isn’t a very practical application. Hopefully they will realize they need a separate charger that will accept the plug for the ch1800 and that will allow you to charge on one device and use the power source simultaneously. The one beautiful thing about the ego is the ability to hot swap the batteries. In other units if the battery craps out, and usually the battery is the first thing to go, the inverter is just one giant paper weight. If an ego battery isn’t working correctly just swap it with a different battery.
This is way too slow to charge two batteries lol. They need to either update the firmware to support faster charging or a completely new mppt power station that supports at least 500watts.
I wish , thanks for watching AustinTech
It’s not as simple as a firmware update. This unit comes with a 170w charger. So the electronics,wires, etc. inside supports a 170w charger. They should make a solar charger to charge their rapid charger instead. That way you are able to take advantage of the hot swapping of their batteries while the power station is in use.
@@ilingwang1168 I know the MPPT controller is designed for a certain charge limit. However, even when charging with AC it takes an eternity to charge 4 batteries on the power station. I'm not sure if it's a firmware, hardware, or low wattage adapter limitation. Regardless, 6 hours is too long to charge just two batteries! You are better off just using the included charger with the Ego tools or fast charger with select tools.
@@AustinTechAuthority you are right about it’s slow charging. Then compound that by not having pass through charging. I don’t think ego solar charger is mppt. It’s pwm because of it’s limitations on the voltage range of the solar panels that you are able to use. They are limited to how this powerstation is designed. It is designed for the included 170w charger. I don’t know if they can even put a bigger charger on it, because of wiring, electronics, etc. that already exist in this powerstation. It may risk failure or damaging the powerstation. A better solution, besides redesigning a new powerstation, is to have a more powerful solar charger to charge their rapid charger instead. That way we can take advantage of hot swapping the batteries while our powerstation is in use. I like my station because I own their power tools, I got a deal on my unit and I have a separate solar system that charge a separate ego charger while in use so I can hot swap my batteries.
I am very disappointed i YOU CAN NOT USE THE EGO NEXUS WHILE CHARGING ! and I would never buy !
Waste of time. 3 part!!! GET OFF THE LINE