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Yes, I agree that running them at half capacity or no more than 3/4 capacity is better and safer. Even though faster charging would be nice. I cannot say the exact temp mine was running at but it was warm to the touch. So I would guess between 100 and 110 degrees F. I watch a channel named John Daniels and he made a video about it. I will put the link in here for you if you want to watch it. But he says that these cheap converters are a fire risk at max load and they tend to fail early when ran that way. He recommended the Etaker 1000 for powering power stations in that video. It will take 12 volt and convert it up to 48 volts I think. Might be higher and it will be lower amps and I believe it has a fan built into it. th-cam.com/video/sSKt7qmVy7Y/w-d-xo.html

Also the newer bluetti units keep the amperage below 10 amps until you reach somewhere above 30 volts, then it will allow 10 amp charging. The newer ecoflows do the same with the xt60 cables and that is the best way to keep yours below the 15 amps. The orange ones with the special wiring I think are the xt60i ones that allow the 15 amps. If you got a 20 amp version you could test how hot it gets that way, but I would just say stay at 8 amps and be safe and save the money.

@@jw3843 Yes. Thanks. For my purpose (recharging the power station overnight while camping) the slower rate at 24v is fine. I basically just wanted to increase capacity in case I run into a string of days where solar isn't available and I'm away from shore power. I think the next variation for me would be to invest in another battery - either another 12.8v 230ah and run them in series to get 24v or just invest in a 24v lithium battery and go that route.

@@jw3843 I saw Daniels' video a week or so ago and his was the first I'd seen that implied a fire risk might be involved if the converter was taxed. I think he has good content and insights, but wish he would invest in a tripod and not bounce around so much. I find him hard to follow as a result. I think I'd probably go with that Etaker F1000 if I were to invest in a higher watt alternator charger. The others I'm aware of (Ecoflow 800w, Pecron and Bluetti 500w) wouldn't really offer much extra to me unless I needed an emergency charge or didn't have my power stations and batteries fully charged when I initially left on a camping trip and planned to drive for several hours. Currently, I also have a Redodo 14.6v 40a DC-DC plus MPPT charger, a Victron Smart Solar 100|50 MPPT, a cheap 20amp pwm solar charger and a Redodo 12v 40amp AC-DC charger so I have several charging options. I just need to plan things correctly when I leave on a trip.

I got the new one from my local Toyota dealer parts department, I ordered it online on the Toyota website from them and picked it up the next day.

Thanks, yes they are.

Yes it was. The video I watched to find out the instructions for putting it together had some comments about the dimmer switch failing. So that may be something that happens down the road.

For these size wire connectors, it works on both. This was 2/0 but in the video I mentioned having to use the 1/0 to make them tight. This wire crimper tool comes with sizes all the way down to 10 awg. I have used them on some smaller ones since this video. Not sure if I put it any videos. I would have to look at the crimper fittings it comes with to know if it goes below 10awg. It does come with one set for 1/8 inch. I would not use it on insulated o ring terminals. Those tend to be smaller and just need a regular wire crimping tool for them.

I do not know of any like this. I am sure there are types out there that can. But those might be battery monitors or something. I know that the solar charge controllers can handle it so they have to have something for it.

​@@jw3843thanks for your response

Thanks. First time I replaced one. Definitely like this model. I plan on keeping it as long as possible.

I can say I like the CNswipower inverter I have. For the price it is good and very quiet. The batteries are getting cheaper. Except some brands like battleborn. If I had waited, I could have saved about half of what I paid for my batteries. I got some mid-priced ones and at the time they all had low temp protection. Now you can get that on much cheaper batteries.

@@jw3843 yeah i hear yeah and thanks for sharing

Sounds like you should have plenty of power.

I just looked it up. Not rated for the same weight limit. This one is rated at 600 pounds, the one on Harbor Freight is rated at 250 pounds. Would be nice to see how much it can actually support. Thanks for watching.

@jw3843 I'm 355 n they've held my fat butt for years. Idk about 600 though

@@cottonpreppinpoor2709 That is really good. I might get one of those and try it.

Thanks, the chair is good. Thanks for watching.

Thunder bolts better and best are usually always better than their free or lower end. I'm really not surprised. Bauer and hercules batteries use name brand samsung cells. Dewalt and others use Chinese third party cell.

The yellows are a different chemistry altogether. I never get them unless they're free or nearly so, and only use them to keep the memory of an LED penlight I use twice a year.

They are CanadianSolar brand panels. I got them at Santan Solar. Two are 230 watt panels wired in parallel and the other two are 255 watt panels wired in series. The panels put out 36 volts VOC when not plugged into anything, around 28 to 32 volts when they are plugged into the power station per panel. The ones wired in series tend to give more power at around 50 volts up to 10 amps, the others give me less power at around 36 volts up to 15 amps which is limited by the pecron inputs. Parallel is better for shaded areas and series is better for no shade. But any brand panel with near those rating will work. Just make sure to not exceed the 95 volts maximum when wiring them in series. With these you can only safely do 2 panels in series.

Any idea where to buy a replacement sensor?

New as in not used, yes. All the thunderbolts were bought within a week of this video from a local store and out of the package, they all have a 5 year shelf life date on them. The duracell is a battery from a pack probably bought around 2 years ago but not used, the date on it was march 2030, and they are supposed to last 10 years on the shelf, so probably made in 2020.

Epic comment. Don't give up your day job.

It's ETL listed; ETL (now part of Intertek) is a competitor to UL, and ETL listing is equally valid in the US (both are OSHA Nationally Recognized Test Laboratories). Sure, the build quality isn't great; it's from Harbor Freight. But while I'm not an expert in product safety, I don't see anything obviously unsafe in the video.

@@thomasquetchenbach4053 My first thoughts were also that saying it conforms with UL 1363 is not enough! But a check on Intertek and ETL Listing states that ETL IS recognized in the US. However, with MANY years experience with European, UL and CSA approvals, UL has a tendency to get foreign approvals discreditted and ignored by the majority, so that they forcus only on UL approvals! But that is the industrial market. Retail could be less stringent aka don't give a shit! Regarding safety, I do question the uninsulted solid wires used between outlets inside the housing! The actual creepage & clearance distances between those parallel wires is a question mark in my eyes, but the huge lumps of solder at the barrier strip terminals - without any insulating sleeves - is a big no-no for me! The 'barrier' ridges between the faston tabs are not high enough to provide real insulated separation between the soldered tabs. So that IS a fire risk to me! What gets me is these large retail companies appear to have zero quality control, and simply accept anything they can get for cheap from China! I am reminded of the extension cords with male plugs on each end - so-called 'suicide cords'!

It's better than the standard of the rest of his wiring.

so I assume you are an electrician, and can explain why that would be unsafe.. there is basically no difference in that and how your house is wired. if you mean there is no surge protection. sure there isn't but you wouldn't generally have that in your average house. it's rated for 15 amps which is all an average wall outlet is rated for anyway. the wire inside seems properly sized for that application if you mean that all the wires are exposed inside that's also true but you are a dumbass if you open it while its plugged in and you deserve to get shocked. and the oxidation probably isn't a problem. there is also probably a circuit breaker in the switch so there is not anything more or less unsafe about this one then one you buy that was made in the USA it's six outlets in parallel with a switch. what does being made in china have to do with it?

@@ballardtech827 - what is wrong with made in china? If you can't answer that, you are part of the problem. Go out in '24 and vote for Obiden....again. btw -- where did I say this was unsafe?

“If you mean there is no surge protection. sure there isn’t but you wouldn’t generally have that in your average house.” You live in a match stick house covered in tin foil? 😂

@@anavan7 - ....you don't get it either do ya. It still surprises me how many sheep there are in this country.

@@anavan7 sure if your house was built in the united states in the last 15 years or so you probably have AFI and GFI breakers but most of us still have electrical systems from before that.. but still surge protection isn't required in most jurisdictions. And most people who are paying me to wire their house don't want to spend the extra on a whole house surge protection device. I've been an electrician for over 20 years i do actually have experience with this. you voted for trump and think the election was stolen and they are all coming over the border to have their way with our women and take our jobs

Thank you. One of those bus bars I got from BigBattery.com and the other I got from BatteryEvo.com. Almost the same price. I did get some emails from both companies recently saying that batteryevo was saying they made products for BigBattery, but also got emails from bigbattery saying batterevo is a chinese ripoff company lying about doing any kind of business with bigbattery. So, who knows. Either way they seem like good bus bars with copper nuts and washers. I think brass bolts. May the solar be with you also.

I will check tomorrow. I know the inverter takes a small philips head screw driver, I have not tried opening the main unit yet.

@@jw3843 I have a keen interest in the screws that secure the power bank case; there are a total of 8 of them. In my attempt to inspect them using an endoscope, the results were inconclusive. None of the Allen key screwdriver bits I experimented with appeared to match the screw heads, which hints at the possibility of them being a non-conventional or non-standard type. I think they don't want it to be opened by anyone.! Thank you sir!

@@satan2260 Most likely they are either the security star head bits or a special Allen head bit. My electronics repair kit does not have any bits long enough to reach them. I will have to find and try my Allen heads tomorrow. But just looking at them with a flashlight I would guess they are around 20H size security star bit. I will have to see if I have any screw heads that can actually reach them.

@@jw3843 I already tried with a metric and imperial Allen set, but none of them are compatible! I will buy a 20H size security star maybe it fits! If you discover the myth, please let me know! Thank you for your help!

@@satan2260 I found out what fits. A T8 or T9 star bit. Both fit and seem tight but I think T9 is probably the better size for it. I got one of the screws out with that. Needs to be long and thin to reach it like the Allan wrenches, 2.5 to 3 inches should work, I would buy a 3 inch one to be safe. I have one set of screwdriver bits that would work. I got it years ago, I think if you have a precision star bit in that size it will work provided it is long enough to reach the screws. The star bits for my drill are too big to fit in the hole. Mine is a craftsman precision multitool with multiple, very thin and long screwdriver ends.

Most days it gets to 100%. I do not really get good sun until about noon, and by 6 pm it is usually full. With the storms I have had to charge it from the grid a few more times. But around 7 or 8 times so far this year.