Some time back i posted about Jackery power banks . Has anyone had a look at them and thought about which one is best suited to around three days camping with a fridge and using 300w solar panels . I other words has someone done the legwork for me and could advise which to buy as they currently have some good discount on the last few hours of Amazon day
With that amount of solar, why do you need a powerbank? We all camp differently so I guess you'll have to work out your own personal power consumption Brian and align that to whatever battery amperage you need. Let us know what you've worked out
Have a look at the YouTube channel Big Van Small World. The chap who runs that channel, Mel I think, did a review on these a while back and compared a couple of manufacturers.
Yeah. I can see the benefit of a portable rechargeable battery in a box, but if you've got on board charging (solar/split/B2B/hook-up) I don't really see the value. They tend to come with small inverters that are pretty useless for anything but charging laptops and phones, which you can do off DC anyway. Better to build your own lithium power bank in a box like @pkrboo is doing. That way you can have a decent inverter and specify a battery based on what you actually need rather than one you are told you need
The trouble is , i dont understand electricity, watts amps etc , its all a foreign language to me , it took me three weeks of trying to get a fridge working in the van , untill i gave in and asked on here and the given solution was almost instant and accurate, wires too small and battery to weak . I only bought 300w solar panels after seeing daisy1973 at last techenders and just bought the best value one in the brand Daisy had but its capabilities and functionality is beyond me other than i tested it and it allows me to run a fridge when connected to a leisure battery and it also charges the battery . I watched a fair few youtube video about the Jackery units about a year back and fancied one , especialy as i have two campervan , their portability seemed a good option to me . i have ordered the one that shown as most popular with hundereds of 4.5 out of 5 stars mainly speaking about the excellent build quality , the Explorer 240, their basic model , i understand not a huge capacity looking at a chart of their various models , just to see if its any use to me, i understand that it is designed with their own solar panels in mind with a 8mm charging socket but adapter sockets can be bought for around 10 to twenty pounds , with two daughters one with a camper also and the other who goes camping alot i think it may well be of some use to one or the other of us as the season unfolds . the next model up goes up disproportionate in price in my mind
It was pkrboo that assisted me with the fridge problem and even suplied me with the correct sized wire to repair / make my fridge work. i spoke to him at the last techenders and saw the components he has got together to build his own powerbank , my knowledge would have been exhausted choosing the correct box to fit the gear into let alone the contents to go into it . i cannot see any thread of his build , maybe he hasnt got one for it but it would sure be interesting , however theres no way i could copy it, i understand that theres such power in these things that could easily kill , so i have decided to buy the entry level Jackery having established that the solar panel i have does come with adaptors to charge the Jackery without any further expence . Having searched for the Jackery solar panel 100w , i have found one rediculously cheap on ebay from a seller with only one previous sale but at around 60% the cost of elsewhere so ive also ordered one of them off him more of a consumer challenge expecting something to go wrong so good old credit card cover will come to assist , i am 90 percent sure i will need it , i will update . This is the ebay entry , I DO NOT RECOMEND YOU PURCHASE BASED ON ANY INFORMATION GLEAMED FROM ME https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394137050074
Matt's build is still a work in progress AFAIK. I think for you, you've done the right thing. It'll be a nice addition to the camping kit. Let us know how you get on with both solar set ups. For sure we'll see you if you're at TE in September. We'll miss Keith's Field this year.. Neil
Ok ok ok, I get the hint, I'll get on with it and maybe even do a build thread. Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
The Jackery came this morning , looked as i expected . Came 50 percent charged , on the warmest sunniest day of the year in my area , i connected my solar panels to it and it took exactly three hours to get to 100 percent charged then automatically stopped taking a charge . Dont need to put a controler between the panel and unit as it has one built in . Got a reading of 68w when connected but thats just a number to me . Now it will just sit in a box till i get to use it . I did wonder that if the tv is capable of being run by it and for how long, i may give it a go mid week ,or even my i mac as other than fridge freezer thats all we use electric for during the evening . Just as an experiment to see whats possible , i do understand though its only a small capacity though
The iMac can just run on the 12v using a c to c lead and uses very little power as opposed to going 240v down to 12v. We use our Mac this way and very efficient.
Yep I meant laptop - yeah you will need more power for desktop - how do you even fit the desktop in the van?
NO,. I meant just to test the units capabilities by using it around the house but i see the confusion , i didnt explain myself correctly .
I was getting space envy - to have a 27inch iMac you would need a desk to put it on and where go store ????- let me know how you get on with it I am now curious to the benefits of one of these gizmos
To quote myself here, but as i suspected , this deal smelt like a rat and indeed it was a rat , i tried to contact the seller on Thursday as delivery was expected on Friday , ebay messaging was unable to contact the seller, i then contcted ebay and advised them i couldnt contct the seller and within a couple of minutes i was advised a refund had now been authorised, no explination given just that the money i had paid (£50) would be refunded within 2 days , and also paypal credit contacted me to say the money would be refunded and no more payments taken from my account . what i have learnt though about Jackery , and this is only my opinion , i beleive that there are loads of people out there advertising them for sale at silly cheap prices , i see loads selling the 100w solar panel for £79 for example on Faceache market place , agaain this is obviously far too good a price to be a true and honest sale . Please be aware of these potential scammers and buy from reputable sales people , not as i tried with a dodgy ebay seller that has vanished into the ether, thankfully i used ebays own credit system so my money was probably always gonna be safe, now a debit card would have been a different story i am sure i would have lost out even with ebays promise of "get what you pay for or your money back" guarantee that actualy has a few get out clauses . please dont get scammed by these people,,,
There's alot of stuff....on Facebook marketplace, Scammers offering things delivered to your door, for daft prices.. People obviously fall for it...
Apart from scamming.. If its small enough to pick up and carry around even if it has lithium battery cells inside its probably too small to be useful.
