It also helps to have fewer conversion losses, as keeping the power DC means less loss to waste heat. Having a good USB-C port that can power laptops and tablets means there’s one fewer thing to pack. The only thing I found myself missing was USB-C PD. I had a good time, and the Explorer 500 could have done this for days. I did my usual “how far can I get on 4 watts” test, and managed to get all around North America (to be clear: the radio’s range is not affected by what power station I use - it’s based mostly on space weather). At no point did it ever put out less than 12 volts, and it didn’t produce any nasty RF emissions like some cheap electronics manufactured overseas do. I did my usual testing with amateur radio gear. Add a solar panel (my Explorer 500 came with one, but you can buy it with or without one), and you can get away with a lot more off-grid work. The extra 200 watt-hours of battery capacity means that it will run for longer on a charge, and be more useful during the day. I had no problem using it to charge an e-bike battery, power my laptop computers, run a compact fluorescent black light bulb I use to check animals for fungal infections, and many other small things. What the Explorer 500 is more useful for is long battery life at lower loads. Those borderline loads were just too much for it. The same was true for a small air conditioner that only pulls 450 watts. My desktop rendering and photo editing computer is definitely within the limits of the Explorer 500, but it couldn’t handle the initial load when the power button is first pressed, so it cut off. This proved fairly difficult for the 500, as there are few household appliances that max out in that range and the few that do demand a lot more power for the first few milliseconds. I usually like to test power stations with both low-power loads and things that push the unit to the limits. More Useful For Capacity Than Brute Strength The Explorer 500 charging my Snapcycle R1 e-Bike battery. So, the Explorer 500 was a welcome addition to the collection. But, for some of those jobs, the 1000 is just too big and heavy. For some jobs, the little 300 watt station isn’t strong or long-lasting enough. When you have stations good for roughly 300, 1000, and 1500 watts, there’s a big gap between 3. You’ll probably notice a big gap in capability in the above list. I was able to use it to microwave food, run the refrigerator, and even power a small air conditioner during a power outage. It’s very useful, and can power most household appliances (as long as you don’t need to use them for hours on end). You couldn’t hike with it unless you used a frame backpack and all you were carrying was it and a couple of solar panels, so someone else had better have things like food, water, and a tent. It’s big, it’s heavy, and it’s tough to move. He and his wife have gotten a lot of good out of it, which I’ll share more about in future articles.įinally, there’s the Explorer 1500. It’s great for doing more things when you’re away from the grid (or the grid is down), though. It can do a lot more than the Explorer 300, but it’s quite a big bigger and heavier. I ended up having my brother, who camps a lot, help me out with testing that one long-term. On the medium end, I have the Explorer 1000. It turns out, you can do a lot with just a little power. So, it’s not to big and it’s not too tough, but it’s got the right stuff if you are efficient with your electrical needs. I can reasonably keep it in a backpack with a small folding solar panel to carry almost anywhere and have some electrical power. It’s not a powerful station by any means (maximum 300 watts output, and almost 300 watt-hours), but its main advantage is that it’s small and light. On the small end, I have the Explorer 300. The Right Tool For The Jobīefore they sent me the Explorer 500, I had three Jackery power stations (they’re solar generators if you add a solar panel, so I use the term interchangeably).
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