Hi,
I know I'm a bit late to this thread, but thought my 2¢ worth might be helpful...
I experimented with a couple of PowerMate supplies - they held their voltage very well, but just didn't have the capacity I needed to run my setup all night.
After a lot of research, I got a Bluetti EB70 - 720WH - it is fantastic and runs my setup all night with 50% to spare.
It was so good I got a second one to use with my smaller rig, and as a backup for my larger one. They are not inexpensive - but hold up at 13v until they are almost completely flat.
Now I use my Powermate as a torch - a purpose it serves very well
Asking the question as to whether anyone has had experience using the type of lithium battery as shown in the attached image.
I like to go away caravanning and camping while prospecting for gold. Not only do I need power for camping but also to run a small water pump for my gold sluice. I would love to take my astro gear as well and looking at a versatile and easy to carry battery found these hard case style batteries on Ali Express.
I do have a battery in a battery box in my caravan but it is not practical to remove it to power the gold sluice and I would need to run a long extension lead from the caravan to the telescope site as we generally park under shade. Having a rugged (looking) waterproof battery with a solid carry handle and featuring a number of different outlets cigarette lighter, USB, Anderson etc seems like a much better idea.
Having said that it seems like a good idea does not mean of course that they equate to a good product, so asking around for anyone who may have used one.
They are described on AliExpress as trolling batteries but I have not found any local suppliers for them.
Last edited by Swagman105; 22-10-2024 at 04:51 PM.
Sorry Geoff I have no experience with that battery but experience with AliExpress and every time I've wanted to purchase LiFePo 4 batteries in individual units they stated shipping to Australia wasn't possible.
Perhaps check with the supplier before committing to the buy?
Other items with removable batteries (laser level) couldn't be shipped either but they would ship a unit with internal, non replaceable battery.
Sorry Geoff I have no experience with that battery but experience with AliExpress and every time I've wanted to purchase LiFePo 4 batteries in individual units they stated shipping to Australia wasn't possible.
Perhaps check with the supplier before committing to the buy?
Other items with removable batteries (laser level) couldn't be shipped either but they would ship a unit with internal, non replaceable battery.
Yes, I get the feeling that may be the case.
I actually emailed one of our well known Australian battery suppliers to ask if they had considered producing lithium batteries in such a format but received no response.
Some of the aliexpress sites offering them for sale say they have depots in the US and European countries from where they ship to customers within those zones but not Australia. Probably bulk shipped to those countries to avoid the international air and sea lithium battery shipping issues.
I do intend to follow up with further enquiries and maybe that might stimulate their thinking to establish a depot here. I know some aliexpress sites have done that with other products to help improve their competitiveness.
Mine's held down in a battery tray with a quick release tension strap. It has two screw terminals that I have bolted an Anderson plug to. That battery is easily removed to power other things portably(15kg). The battery and a 160W solar panel are both connected to a solar charge controller. The output from the charge controller goes to a distribution panel that sends power to a 40L car fridge, a 6m 50A lead with a cigarette lighter plug on the end. The distribution panel has extra cigarette lighter sockets, Anderson connectors, and a couple of USB A sockets. I have a 300W inverter to generate 240V AC if required.
It's not all in one neat little package like the unit you are asking about but it has plenty of power to cover all my camping and astronomy needs including fridge, plus charging of all cameras, laptop and devices. I used it on a 6 week trip last year and it never drained below about 70%. If I needed to recharge the laptop, I did that during the day if I could with excess current from the solar panel not going into the battery and fridge. In hot weather, the fridge running at 4C drains about 10-15% from the battery overnight. The battery recovers next day even on a cloudy day.
I too have the 120AH battery/box system from Kings that Joe mentions, and if you've got a few solar panels and maybe an inverter, it'll keep a lot of things running for a long time. It's a good unit.
Thanks Guys for your remarks
Perhaps I should have explained better that what I was interested in was not only something for general camping and astronomy but something highly portable and waterproof that one can carry in one hand down to a creek or dam for my gold sluice as well.
Maybe a case of me getting myself involved in too many hobbies for my own good.
I know it would be asking a lot for a battery but the aliexpress trolling hard case style would seem to tick all the boxes.
Closest I've seen would be a Bluetti or similar which seem to be very portable but very expensive for similar capacities and I would worry about their ruggedness and waterproofing.
Well, the battery box that the 120AH Kings battery comes in is fairly robust and would take a decent splash, but the lid is only held down with a couple of buckle straps and is not a particularly tight fit, so "waterproof" is probably out of the question. Having said that, you'd really need to give it a proper dunk to get the actual battery inside soaked. If I was you, I'd be tempted to get into Kings and check them out to see if they're fit for purpose - a lot easier to decide rather than trying your luck on Aliexpress. Good luck!
The advantage of buying from an Australian supplier (Such as Kings) is it comes with standard warranty as applies within Australia.
The reason I mention this is I've noticed numerous times in AliExpress feedback where items such as batteries and ultra/super-capacitors supplied frequently exhibit signs of being second hand, sold as new and often not fit for the purpose.
I buy a lot from AliExpress, a lot of varying stuff from electronics to photography to heaven knows what my son and I don't play with but I would be very particular of spending big money on batteries and such and would pay close attention to any previous feedback (were shipping to be allowed which some suppliers will organise it).
You pay a little more in Australia but the warranty for an expensive battery (for a cheap mongrel such as myself) is definitely worth it.
Agreed
Purchasing equivalent products from Australian suppliers even if a bit more expensive is preferable.
The problem is that there is no Australian made or supplied equivalent (I asked and didn't get a response), so I have no alternative to pursue enquires to Aliexpress.
I may seem picky but I am. I just don't like being offered less than ideal designs for products when better designs are available overseas.
That is a different issue to performance and in an instance like this I would consider buying a product, even if it performed slightly less than advertised, so long as its design fully fulfilled practical needs.
Closest I've seen would be a Bluetti or similar which seem to be very portable but very expensive for similar capacities and I would worry about their ruggedness and waterproofing.
Back in the beginning of this thread I was chasing around with enquiries about the Bluetti units, and ended up buying one - an EB55 https://www.bluettipower.com.au/prod...-power-station
I've found it very good overall. Powers the laptop, Skywatcher HEQ5 (or) iOptron CEM26, charges the mobile, and does other bits 'n' pieces here 'n' there, such as boiling a 12v kettle on cool evenings. Works well on low temperatures, on warm nights, and when covered with a light dew (although I haven't gotten it really wet for obvious reasons) and while it takes a bit to charge up when it's almost flat, it hold that charge for a long time.
My portable battery pack is a "Kings 24Ah Lithium Portable Power Pack". It has no trouble running my HEQ5 mount and cooled astro cam all night. The case it is housed in is solid and has a robust carry handle. They come on sale regularly at $200
Would you be able to give me an approx expectation on how many hours I'd be able to power a couple of scopes?
I couldn't give you an estime for two rigs, I've only ever run one mount from it at a time - most recently an iOptron CEM40. However at the same time I've powered my laptop, dew band, Zwo camera, etc., while also charging my mobile and in the cool of the late night, boiled a 12v kettle from it. After about a four to five hour run with all of that (obviously the kettle isn't going all the time) it had lost between 20% and 40% of it's total charge.
Depending on the rigs and the accessories, I would think that you should be able to get at least six hours out of an evening with two setups without any difficulty.
One minor warning - when the unit arrives from the factory, it's partly charged, and those 240v outlets can give you a 240v zap if you aren't careful!
While I don't yet have one I plan to eventually but the Bluetti EB70 has higher capacity (and likely more weight, I didn't check) for the same price as the EB55 at the moment.
OK, an extra 2.2Kg for the extra capacity and at times weight can be a very important factor if going portable.
EDIT: Sorry, the EB70 has been discontinued, the last time I saw them Hardly-Normal had them on special but Bluetti had them cheaper. I had no idea they'd been discontinued, I'd hoped to eventually get myself the 1,000 watt unit.
I couldn't give you an estime for two rigs, I've only ever run one mount from it at a time - most recently an iOptron CEM40. However at the same time I've powered my laptop, dew band, Zwo camera, etc., while also charging my mobile and in the cool of the late night, boiled a 12v kettle from it. After about a four to five hour run with all of that (obviously the kettle isn't going all the time) it had lost between 20% and 40% of it's total charge.
Depending on the rigs and the accessories, I would think that you should be able to get at least six hours out of an evening with two setups without any difficulty.
One minor warning - when the unit arrives from the factory, it's partly charged, and those 240v outlets can give you a 240v zap if you aren't careful!
Thanks for the warning and thanks for the info, it helps
I've been investingating further and I found this info from a Bluetti admin staff : EP generally represents large/home energy storage models, AC is the portable flagship model of BLUETTI, EB is the second-line model, and no products named with the EB will be released in the future. B is the prefix for battery packs.
Probably a good time to get a deal on an EB model.
AC models are rated with an extra 500 charging cycle, yet the inner batteries are made of same LiFePO4.
As it is a substantial increase from my initial budget, I'll give myself few more days before pulling the trigger. What you get for $300 aren't worth it, realistically you get better value from at least $500.
