PLUG AND PLAY LITHIUM- Basics

[cynanne]

What is meant by plug and play? Would a Jackery Battery be an example of this? What is the major disadvantage other than price? Do they always take a long time to charge? Sorry for the ignorance. I am just learning and it seems like some people think certain brands are superior (like bluetti, ecoflow). I am curious to know what the difference is between these brands and what are the major advantages/disadvantages.

 

[JohnnyM]

I'm not an electronics expert at all, but I think these gizmos are the greatest thing since sliced bread. As far as I know, the only  downside to power stations is their price tag, relative to the cost of a do-it-yourself solar setup.

I have two Honda (Jackery) 290 watt power stations, and they take care of everything in my van, including laptop, lots of lights, fans, and my electric blanket. Things that you have to invert to 110v tend to use more of your watts, so use 12v stuff whenever you can, and then recharge the next day. If you're traveling, just plug them in to your cigarette lighters while you drive, and if you're parked somewhere you can use some portable solar panels to charge them back up. I have a 100w folding panel and a 60w folding panel and they deliver plenty of recharge power on a nice day. 

As far as brand names go, I think all the ones you've mentioned are equally good, so you shop and compare, as they say. One of my solar panels, the 100w one, is a no-name Chinese super low price Jackery clone and it works just fine.

Johnny

 

[barleyguy]

I've currently got an Inergy Kodiak as well as many of the smaller battery packs around 100 Watt Hours, and a lot of technical knowledge

The "plug and play" battery packs are great in a lot of ways. They prevent having to engineer a system yourself, which can be approachable but have a lot of small details that it's possible to get wrong. There are disadvantages are well though. So here's a list:

Pros:
- Plug and play. Has a battery, charge controller, inverter, and all the connections in one box
- Portable. Take it out of your Van/RV and use it on a picnic table, for example
- Has metering so you can tell what's going on
- Warranty. The warranty is all with the same company, and they can't blame another component if you try to get something fixed.

Cons:
- BIG con is limited charge rate. The Jackerys for example, have a maximum charge rate of 100 to 200 watts depending on the model. In real use, this could mean many hours of charge time, or multiple days on short winter days
- Cost. It's generally a lot cheaper to build it yourself
- Limited inverter size. You probably can't run a microwave, hair drier, or cooktop for example.
- Not expandable (depending on the model). If you build your own system, you can start small and add more later.

 

[PODebbie]

I have a small 220 watt solar generator. It is great for charging phones, lights, mp3 and my small fans. It would not be able to charge a fridge. A con that Bob Wells mentioned was that if something went wrong and you had to ship it back to the company, you lose your entire system for a longer period than if you ordered the failing part for a put together system. I've heard that the portables are great for weekend warriors.

 

[nature lover]

I am leaning toward such a unit for several reasons. the biggest one being my distrust of old vehicles I want to have everything easily transferable to the next vehicle. The second reason is that I can't seem to learn even the basics of wiring and electricity - plugs and outlets to receive them is my limit. I need refer for meds so I will need a large one but that's the way I am leaning.