Portable silent power
Grecell and Starlink
Travelling is our thing, from long-distance RV trips to short-distance van travel and week-long remote camping. While I can get away without the amenities, having a portable/solar-chargeable power source available has changed everything. I tested the GRECELL 2000w Portable Power Station in a variety of situations over the past month, and now wonder how I’ve survived so long without.
Amazon.com : GRECELL Portable Power Station 2000W, 1997Wh LiFePO4 Solar Generator with 2 PD100W, 6 2000W(4000W Peak) AC Outlets, Quiet UPS Backup Battery for Home Emergency CPAP Outdoor Camping Travel RV Van : Patio, Lawn & Garden <– Amazon Associate link…
The first test was Starlink….yes, connectivity is a must, particularly when trying to manage an online business. Starlink pulls about 75w of power on startup, and cruises between 30w-40w. The GRECELL monitoring screen clearly displays your input power (from either household 110 or solar), output draw from the various connection options, your battery charge percentage, and the estimated hours of remaining power. The estimated run time for powering Starlink was 16 hours without solar connected. More than acceptable for keeping an internet connection alive with plenty to spare for a laptop.
Grecell pulling 31w on Starlink with an 80w AcoPower solar panel connected.
Next up, San Felipe Mexico
The GRECELL was easy to pack in our Sprinter and there were no concerns with spills or fuel smells. Once we arrived at our palapas, the next BIG test: a hair dryer! Heather likes her amenities, and having an available portable power to dry her curls while camping remotely will be a huge bonus. Her home hair dryer pulls 1100w and the GRECELL handled it with ease. Estimated run time with that power draw was 84 minutes…arguably she’ll never need that long!
Grecell plus coffee maker….almost 1300w
The final tests were home power related. Lose power at the house? Our kitchen fridge (with ice maker) draws about 100w under cooling, and the GRECELL would handle that for 12 hours. Need a UPS for your wifi or computer connections? The GRECELL switches in under 10ms… I experienced no power interruptions with our fiber internet router plugged into the GRECELL and flipping the breaker. Desparate for that morning cup of joe? 1300w coffee maker for the win.
Recharge rate using your home 110 outlet is around 2 hours. Recharge with solar will obviously vary, but the GRECELL can handle up to 500w of solar. (My 80w panel certainly helped, but more would be better) And the GRECELL offers plenty of output connection options… six pure sine wave 110v outlets, USB-C, USB-A, 12v car outlet, XT-60, and more. Technical specs:
Things I loved? The 110 power inlet connection uses a cord common to many other mobile items I already own (like a fridge). The Anderson solar connection includes the adapter needed to connect to your solar panels (no charge controller needed either!) Six 110 outlets so plenty of items can be left plugged in simultaneously. USB and other standard mobile plugs were easily accessible and there were enough of them to charge all your devices. Things I didn’t like? I’d never heard of an XT-60 connection, so I needed to adapt that output to my commonly used Anderson plugs. Easy enough, but I’d have preferred an Anderson output built in. Minor gripe for something that’s now a necessary item when I travel.
The post Review: GRECELL Portable Power Station appeared first on IH8MUD.com.
Continue reading...
Grecell and Starlink
Travelling is our thing, from long-distance RV trips to short-distance van travel and week-long remote camping. While I can get away without the amenities, having a portable/solar-chargeable power source available has changed everything. I tested the GRECELL 2000w Portable Power Station in a variety of situations over the past month, and now wonder how I’ve survived so long without.
Amazon.com : GRECELL Portable Power Station 2000W, 1997Wh LiFePO4 Solar Generator with 2 PD100W, 6 2000W(4000W Peak) AC Outlets, Quiet UPS Backup Battery for Home Emergency CPAP Outdoor Camping Travel RV Van : Patio, Lawn & Garden <– Amazon Associate link…
The first test was Starlink….yes, connectivity is a must, particularly when trying to manage an online business. Starlink pulls about 75w of power on startup, and cruises between 30w-40w. The GRECELL monitoring screen clearly displays your input power (from either household 110 or solar), output draw from the various connection options, your battery charge percentage, and the estimated hours of remaining power. The estimated run time for powering Starlink was 16 hours without solar connected. More than acceptable for keeping an internet connection alive with plenty to spare for a laptop.
Grecell pulling 31w on Starlink with an 80w AcoPower solar panel connected.
Next up, San Felipe Mexico
Grecell plus coffee maker….almost 1300w
The final tests were home power related. Lose power at the house? Our kitchen fridge (with ice maker) draws about 100w under cooling, and the GRECELL would handle that for 12 hours. Need a UPS for your wifi or computer connections? The GRECELL switches in under 10ms… I experienced no power interruptions with our fiber internet router plugged into the GRECELL and flipping the breaker. Desparate for that morning cup of joe? 1300w coffee maker for the win.
Recharge rate using your home 110 outlet is around 2 hours. Recharge with solar will obviously vary, but the GRECELL can handle up to 500w of solar. (My 80w panel certainly helped, but more would be better) And the GRECELL offers plenty of output connection options… six pure sine wave 110v outlets, USB-C, USB-A, 12v car outlet, XT-60, and more. Technical specs:
| Capacity: | 1997Wh/2000W (Peak 4000W) |
| Battery Type: | LiFePO4 |
| AC Input: | 1100W Max. 100-120V~50/60Hz |
| Output waveform: | pure sine wave |
| Solar Input: | 11.5-50V / 500W Max |
| 6*AC Outputs: | 100-120V~50/60Hz |
| 2*DC5521 Outputs: | 12V/3A |
| 1*Car Port Output: | 12V/10A |
| 1*XT60 Output: | 12V/10A |
| 6*USB Outputs: | 2*PD3.0 100W Max, 2*QC3.0 18W Max, 2*5V/2.4A |
| LED Light: | Lighting/Strobe/SOS |
| Working Temperature: | 14°F-104°F |
| Dimensions: | 15.43 x 10.98 x 12.72 inches |
| Net Weight: | 48.5 lbs/22kg |
Things I loved? The 110 power inlet connection uses a cord common to many other mobile items I already own (like a fridge). The Anderson solar connection includes the adapter needed to connect to your solar panels (no charge controller needed either!) Six 110 outlets so plenty of items can be left plugged in simultaneously. USB and other standard mobile plugs were easily accessible and there were enough of them to charge all your devices. Things I didn’t like? I’d never heard of an XT-60 connection, so I needed to adapt that output to my commonly used Anderson plugs. Easy enough, but I’d have preferred an Anderson output built in. Minor gripe for something that’s now a necessary item when I travel.
The post Review: GRECELL Portable Power Station appeared first on IH8MUD.com.
Continue reading...