I totally understand the benefits of building your own power station. I chose to buy several pre-built power-stations instead. That gives me a backup to my backup to my main power. I like the portability of them rather than being tied down to the power inside my rig. I think it's all very subjective to your needs. There are pros and cons to everything. 🤷♀
😂 I think I’ll stick with my Ecoflow Delta 2… does all this and more. Very portable, very affordable, great warranty, etc. I appreciate your DIY attitude though! 👍
I've been building power stations since before they were called that, and I'm not sure I agree that building a system is always better. The upgradability of diy is nice but so is the functionality and price of prefab. Take for example the BLUETTI AC180, which is $460 for 1152 watt hours. That's about the same capacity as a 100ah 12v LFP battery. But it has a beautiful display showing power in and out, has an 1800 watt continuous/2700 watt peak pure sinewave inverter, has all the fusing and wiring, 500 watt MPPT charge controller, blazing fast AC charging, all the USB ports including USB-C power delivery. Looks 5000 times better than any DIY box I've seen, is much more portable, and is probably cheaper. For similar functionality you're going to need a $220 battery, a $150 charge controller, a $200 inverter, an AC charger, all the fuses and wiring, terminal blocks, the box, lots of other miscellany including the USB C power delivery stuff and AC outlets. It's crazy to say but I no longer think DIY can match the price, or it's at least going to be really close. The main advantage of DIY as I see it is that you can build it into any enclosure or area. But the price is about comparable or better for pre-rolled now.
My power station actually is the ac180. I got it for $600 I believe on Black Friday, it's cool that they are cheaper now. It's not really fair to compare something heavily discounted to full prices. My issue with the ac180 that the diy solved are 1) repairable by me with common easy to get parts 2) I can charge much faster with dc power 3) I'm not paying for features I don't need 4) Easy to expand. The way I expanded my power without spending a ton on the Bluetti expansion battery is to get a lithium battery, solar controller, and dc to dc. I built almost an entire diy system minus the inverter to expand the bluetti and having something I can rely on. The fit and finish on the bluetti is really nice though, and I can carry the whole thing around. They both have pros and cons. This video was mostly for new people that don't know what they are getting into with a power station. They both have their place.
@@IntoTheMystery13 I strongly disagree that we shouldn't be using discounted prices in our comparisons since these power stations are *always* on sale. And agreed that there are reasons to go the DIY route, especially that they can more easily be installed in some crevice and forgotten about. But portability does have its advantages. As far as speed of charging, the Bluetti AC180 claims a charge rate of 1440 watts when charging off AC, which is blazing fast. For the battery geeks out there, that's a 1.25C charge rate. I don't even know of a DIY charger that's that powerful, though I'm sure they exist. But it'll probably cost as much as the the AC180. As far as paying for features you don't need, I can't think of any on your average power station that are particularly superfluous? Maybe the 12v "cigarette lighter" socket, but those are pretty handy and not exactly an expensive add-on anyway. And the unit can be expanded with the various add on batteries, but agree that's not as easy (or probably as cheap) as adding more cells in a DIY install. But if you're using prefab 12v batteries it'll be relatively messy since now you have multiple BMS's and power meters and possibly solar chargers. Not a deal breaker of course, and both options are great, but I think it's interesting that power stations have finally gotten cheaper or at worst comparable to DIY. It's been a long slow progression. That said I still build systems from scratch, there's still lots of reasons to do it. But oddly enough price isn't a big one anymore.
I was really tempted by the stand alone power stations because most van build electrical systems looked way too complex. But, it seems to me that running any 12v appliance (even just your lights) requires the power stations DC inverter to be on, which means it's sucking up juice all night long, just in case you want to turn the light on for a minute to use the toilet.
Ive purchased (2)200Ah for a total of 5120 watt-hour batteries for $578.00. What all-in-one power station can you buy for that price for that amount of power? The all-in-one power stations have their place, and I have my share of them, but for the money, you can't beat the DIY solar setup. Just an aside, Lead Acid is good if you live in a freezing climate. Yes, you can buy heated batteries but the will cost you more.
U dont need t explain why ur selling ur ride. I figured it was due t space but u do u man. Keep rocking and i look forward t ur next rig and how u put it together. Good vibes brother
The best thing about lithium batteries is there fast charging capabilities, a single 100 ah lithium battery can be charged in about a hour and 15 minutes. That would be putting 50 ah back into the battery for example if you use about 50ah a day usage. So as long as you charge a hour and 15 minutes a day you have power. Since the charge time is so low you can charge using a Honda eu2200i generator or similar because its not annoying to charge for only a hour. Back in the day generators where loud and you had to charge lead acids like 7 hours and so they had a loud generator running for 7 hours a day ( this gave generators a bad reputation) where now quiet generator running a little over a hour a day . Technology has come a long way Honda + lithium charger + lithium battery Is king , never run out of power. Massive powr 24 hours a day. If you ever use xtra power for some reason just start rhe generator for a hour , even 3 am in the morning. Never run out of power unlike solar panels. Good to have bigger vehicle though so you dont have to carry the generator, just leave it in the van and start it make a hole in side of van and install a exhaust pipe going through the wall, also get custom fuel line installed from vehicle fuel tank to generator so you never have to fuel the generator, it drinks from the vans gas tank , nice!
I appreciate all that you said in your video, however, at today's power station prices it just doesn't make sense to go the DIY route. For example: the Ecoflow Delta 3 has a LiFePO4 battery (4000 cycles to 80%), 1800w inverter, fast AC charging from 0 to 100% in less than an hour, takes up to 1000w of solar input, has multiple outputs(120vac, DC 12v cigarette, USB-A, USB-C, and PD), has a very informative built-in status display, has Bluetooth app control, all packaged in an IP65 rated case (dust and splash protection) -- for just $649. I don't think you can buy comparable components (battery, inverter, high amp ac-dc charger, solar charge controller, DC output ports) at anything close that price.
Great points! Power stations are great until they break, and often come with features that I don't need. You cannot compare sale prices to full price. They definitely have their place though. I bought my bluetti on Black Friday for a steal, but it left me stranded for weeks, and I paid for all kinds of features that I don't need.
Cheap one from Walmart. It's not perfect, but gets the job done. Here is a link: www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-26-Adjustable-Height-Personal-Folding-Table-Black/39131547?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1600&from=/search
@@IntoTheMystery13 "A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid." i hope that helps
@@AskIveSolar i'm just a bit shocked why it didn't happen sooner. words have meanings, you know? first we call a phone an android, now this. what's next?
I totally understand the benefits of building your own power station. I chose to buy several pre-built power-stations instead. That gives me a backup to my backup to my main power. I like the portability of them rather than being tied down to the power inside my rig. I think it's all very subjective to your needs. There are pros and cons to everything. 🤷♀
Oh wow that's an interesting idea. I've never considered that until now. Especially if you get them on sale I can see that being a good way to go.
Looks like a really great little setup. Perfect timing too as I just so happen to be looking into getting some sort of power setup going. Thanks dude!
Glad I could help
😂 I think I’ll stick with my Ecoflow Delta 2… does all this and more. Very portable, very affordable, great warranty, etc. I appreciate your DIY attitude though! 👍
I think you watch the the video before commenting
I've been building power stations since before they were called that, and I'm not sure I agree that building a system is always better. The upgradability of diy is nice but so is the functionality and price of prefab. Take for example the BLUETTI AC180, which is $460 for 1152 watt hours. That's about the same capacity as a 100ah 12v LFP battery. But it has a beautiful display showing power in and out, has an 1800 watt continuous/2700 watt peak pure sinewave inverter, has all the fusing and wiring, 500 watt MPPT charge controller, blazing fast AC charging, all the USB ports including USB-C power delivery. Looks 5000 times better than any DIY box I've seen, is much more portable, and is probably cheaper. For similar functionality you're going to need a $220 battery, a $150 charge controller, a $200 inverter, an AC charger, all the fuses and wiring, terminal blocks, the box, lots of other miscellany including the USB C power delivery stuff and AC outlets. It's crazy to say but I no longer think DIY can match the price, or it's at least going to be really close. The main advantage of DIY as I see it is that you can build it into any enclosure or area. But the price is about comparable or better for pre-rolled now.
My power station actually is the ac180. I got it for $600 I believe on Black Friday, it's cool that they are cheaper now. It's not really fair to compare something heavily discounted to full prices. My issue with the ac180 that the diy solved are 1) repairable by me with common easy to get parts 2) I can charge much faster with dc power 3) I'm not paying for features I don't need 4) Easy to expand. The way I expanded my power without spending a ton on the Bluetti expansion battery is to get a lithium battery, solar controller, and dc to dc. I built almost an entire diy system minus the inverter to expand the bluetti and having something I can rely on. The fit and finish on the bluetti is really nice though, and I can carry the whole thing around. They both have pros and cons. This video was mostly for new people that don't know what they are getting into with a power station. They both have their place.
Thank you. You said everything I was thinking… I’m sure it’s ‘fun’ to build your own but the power stations are just so affordable now.
@@IntoTheMystery13 I strongly disagree that we shouldn't be using discounted prices in our comparisons since these power stations are *always* on sale. And agreed that there are reasons to go the DIY route, especially that they can more easily be installed in some crevice and forgotten about. But portability does have its advantages. As far as speed of charging, the Bluetti AC180 claims a charge rate of 1440 watts when charging off AC, which is blazing fast. For the battery geeks out there, that's a 1.25C charge rate. I don't even know of a DIY charger that's that powerful, though I'm sure they exist. But it'll probably cost as much as the the AC180. As far as paying for features you don't need, I can't think of any on your average power station that are particularly superfluous? Maybe the 12v "cigarette lighter" socket, but those are pretty handy and not exactly an expensive add-on anyway. And the unit can be expanded with the various add on batteries, but agree that's not as easy (or probably as cheap) as adding more cells in a DIY install. But if you're using prefab 12v batteries it'll be relatively messy since now you have multiple BMS's and power meters and possibly solar chargers. Not a deal breaker of course, and both options are great, but I think it's interesting that power stations have finally gotten cheaper or at worst comparable to DIY. It's been a long slow progression. That said I still build systems from scratch, there's still lots of reasons to do it. But oddly enough price isn't a big one anymore.
Nice back drop. I could stare at it for hours. Miss the woods of Oregon. Live in Vegas now.
It was a great spot. It’s funny that I’ve been craving getting to the desert for a couple years now.
appreciate the info thank you
You bet, glad I could help!
I was really tempted by the stand alone power stations because most van build electrical systems looked way too complex. But, it seems to me that running any 12v appliance (even just your lights) requires the power stations DC inverter to be on, which means it's sucking up juice all night long, just in case you want to turn the light on for a minute to use the toilet.
I don’t think turning dc on uses any power other than the light indicator, at least on my bluetti.
@@IntoTheMystery13 not sure about the bluetti but the pecron e3600 has a parasitic load of 15 watts
Ive purchased (2)200Ah for a total of 5120 watt-hour batteries for $578.00. What all-in-one power station can you buy for that price for that amount of power? The all-in-one power stations have their place, and I have my share of them, but for the money, you can't beat the DIY solar setup. Just an aside, Lead Acid is good if you live in a freezing climate. Yes, you can buy heated batteries but the will cost you more.
U dont need t explain why ur selling ur ride. I figured it was due t space but u do u man. Keep rocking and i look forward t ur next rig and how u put it together. Good vibes brother
It helps to get other people’s feedback. I have a lot of smart and experienced people watching my channel.
Niiice
I was going to purchase that but went with the Gobi heated blanket
It’s nice so far
Enjoy it and stay warm!
The best thing about lithium batteries is there fast charging capabilities, a single 100 ah lithium battery can be charged in about a hour and 15 minutes.
That would be putting 50 ah back into the battery for example if you use about 50ah a day usage.
So as long as you charge a hour and 15 minutes a day you have power.
Since the charge time is so low you can charge using a Honda eu2200i generator or similar because its not annoying to charge for only a hour.
Back in the day generators where loud and you had to charge lead acids like 7 hours and so they had a loud generator running for 7 hours a day ( this gave generators a bad reputation) where now quiet generator running a little over a hour a day .
Technology has come a long way
Honda + lithium charger + lithium battery
Is king , never run out of power.
Massive powr 24 hours a day.
If you ever use xtra power for some reason just start rhe generator for a hour , even 3 am in the morning.
Never run out of power unlike solar panels.
Good to have bigger vehicle though so you dont have to carry the generator, just leave it in the van and start it make a hole in side of van and install a exhaust pipe going through the wall, also get custom fuel line installed from vehicle fuel tank to generator so you never have to fuel the generator, it drinks from the vans gas tank , nice!
Fantastic point, and well said!
I appreciate all that you said in your video, however, at today's power station prices it just doesn't make sense to go the DIY route.
For example: the Ecoflow Delta 3 has a LiFePO4 battery (4000 cycles to 80%), 1800w inverter, fast AC charging from 0 to 100% in less than an hour, takes up to 1000w of solar input, has multiple outputs(120vac, DC 12v cigarette, USB-A, USB-C, and PD), has a very informative built-in status display, has Bluetooth app control, all packaged in an IP65 rated case (dust and splash protection) -- for just $649.
I don't think you can buy comparable components (battery, inverter, high amp ac-dc charger, solar charge controller, DC output ports) at anything close that price.
Great points! Power stations are great until they break, and often come with features that I don't need. You cannot compare sale prices to full price. They definitely have their place though. I bought my bluetti on Black Friday for a steal, but it left me stranded for weeks, and I paid for all kinds of features that I don't need.
You can also expand your custom built system with low cost batteries instead of paying almost the cost of another solar generator.
What table are you using ?
I need one bad
Cheap one from Walmart. It's not perfect, but gets the job done. Here is a link: www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-26-Adjustable-Height-Personal-Folding-Table-Black/39131547?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1600&from=/search
👍
🌞🌞🌞🌞
You were better when you were out on the road
I agree, working on that.
we're calling batteries "power station"?! i see it's a thing, but who started it, why, and when? terrible
I’m calling power stations power stations. It’s a better name than solar generator. They don’t generate anything.
@@IntoTheMystery13 "A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid."
i hope that helps
Oh man. I can't believe we're now about to have people possibly arguing about whether they are power stations or not
@@AskIveSolar i'm just a bit shocked why it didn't happen sooner. words have meanings, you know? first we call a phone an android, now this. what's next?
anyone that would give up a 4runner is a moron. ...can't make the payments? ...
The space is the issue.
Calling someone a moron for making choices that are right for themselves is very snickerdoodlely 😇
@@jrraven3230 Is that a synonym for moronic?
Express van
Gosh, what a snickerdoodlelyer