I Took Apart a Power Station | Anker 521
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ย. 2021
- I really enjoy taking things apart and figuring out how they work.
Anker 521 Portable Power Station: ankerfast.club/3bXiVad
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Please LIKE and subscribe if you haven’t. Much appreciated!!!
I have been tinkering all my life too! My father used to punish me for it, and he's an engineer! At least I can fix things when they break.
*Seems like a good solar **Generater.Systems** . I have not had to put it to the test yet in a situation without power but it has seemed to operate fine so far.*
If it has an inverter output and surge output that is bigger than the load wattage of your fridge, yes. This anker unit is not big enough to run a full size fridge.
Thank you and subscribed! Glad to see someone disassembled one of these and actually describing the guts.
Thanks! I’ve always loved taking things apart and figuring out how they work.
Worth noting that discharging to 0 doesn't actually do much of anything, even an "empty" Li-ion or LifePo4 cell still has a lot of energy left inside, that said however the LifePo4 cells which this uses are very safe and you're unlikely to cause a fire or anything dangerous aside from melting a wire/connector.
Thanks for the explanation. Agreed, the lifepo4 cells are safer. It doesn’t hurt though to discharge them though.
@@FrugalRepair Yeah, it certainly doesn't hurt, I just feel it should be pointed out as it doesn't suddenly make them safe from making a mistake like dropping a screwdriver on top of the terminals or like when I was working on my battery project I dropped some thin tab wire across a couple cells, which ended up being a good thing for me, because it melted instantly giving me the idea to use it as a fuse between parallel cells.
@@vgamesx1 I didn`t notice how he discharged it but power stations listing 2000 cycles typically have a BMS that limits the amount of total discharge to around 80%. Otherwise the battery life would drop to 1000 cycles for LiFePO4 cells I believe.
i absolutely love it! might get one soon it's probably very useful i do have a small power bank like this but the AC output is only 80w and it doesn't have any fast charging capabilities it's just your generic 5v 3a
Happy New Year!!! May 2022 be your best year yet.
Thanks! Happy new year to you too!
Very interesting video! I enjoy seeing the guts of these products to gain some insight on how they work. Subbed and thumbs up!
Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Wow, what a neat thing to see the inside! I am grateful also to see the back of the unit, as the product images from anker only show the front and hide the screws in the back.
Glad you liked it! I like taking things apart and trying to understand how they work.
Dc tinker...I do. 12v, 13.8v at +10 amps for transmitting FM , GMRS. power things on house, but have not plunged into a large solar deal yet ..afraid of getting attached ..ha!
I see multiple testpoints/headers with labels that look like I2C signals, between the BMS and the main board, and between the main board and the inverter PCB. It would be interesting to see what's being sent back and forth on those connections. If I had to guess, the BMS is monitoring electrical current in/out of the battery itself and communicating that to the main board, as it's a LiFePO4 pack and that would be the only way to track the battery charge level semi-accurately. The I2C connection on the inverter could be for selecting the 50/60hz frequency and monitoring AC current output so the main board can show it on the display.
Thank you for your efforts. I want to know which company battery they are using. It will be marked on cells with code
thx for the video! what kind of batteries were in there?
Nice to have a lithium iron phosphate battery. Wish more brands made the transition. But this thing is a high quality power station. Well worth the price
The vast majority that I see coming out now are almost all LFP chemistry.
Great video, I like it when it shows what are inside the unit. BTW, so it does not have MPPT or PWM Solar charge controller built-in, is that correct?
Thanks! It does have a solar charger and it is MPPT.
great video, it would be amazing if you would show how you made a Anderson connection
Thanks! I didn’t actually make an Anderson connection. It was an MC4 on the one end and I just clipped the positive and negative wires to the 12v adapter leads. This power station uses a DC7909 connection and I didn’t have one on hand.
@@FrugalRepair sorry should have said mc4 still love to know how to make one
Can I remove the faulty inverter in my 200w Renogy PP station and install a 12v to 48v step up converter to power my starlink dish?
Great video ✌️
Thanks!
th-cam.com/users/shortsAcy_kc3dVZc?feature=share
Is there a 230V UK outlet model instead of the 120V?
I have a question how do I fix my hisense roke tv when it keeps shutting off and on
Thanks for sharing I have one that charges but no output I was wondering what was inside to see for a fuse or something was inside
You don’t have AC nor DC output?
Thanks for sharing 👍
th-cam.com/users/shortsAcy_kc3dVZc?feature=share
So the cells are 4S, 12.8v nominal just like a commerically available battery pack
So since this thing charges at only 65 watts max, can i just feed in and splice some 10-12 gauge wire to the pack and run it in parallel with a 50ah 12.8v lifepo4 pack for almost a kilowatt hour?
I bet I can
3:23 I'm the same i love knowing how things work especially electronics and I've been since about 7-8 years ago I'm 16 almost 17 now and almost everyone I've met said that I'm very smart and they are indeed correct i know a lot for my age (mainly in electronics and tech) I've repaired/ modded/built a lot of electronics and circuits in my life and almost every day i learn something new i love doing this it's my passion ❤ and probably my favorite thing to do I've come so far that even i myself am impressed with the complex things i can build/repair and understand.
Just got a 521. When I turn on DC side, it makes a buzzing. Is that normal?
Hey great vid! 🙏🏼 A prepping question - if the batteries are all used up, would it be possible to connect different 12v battery to the board? Would be cool if that great package of inverter, usb c etc could still be used with a car battery or something like that. What do you think?
Sorry I missed your question. I suppose if the battery pack voltage is 12v then you could use another 12v as the source. Seems like a lot of work though versus just rigging up a DC cord to charge the whole unit from the other battery.
@@FrugalRepair Ok interesting. Yep, though i just figure if the batteries are all used up. Cheers m8!
Where's the solar charge controller? This has an MPPT charge controller I think? Is that the inductor at top right? And thanks for this video, I just bought one and was curious about its innards.
It’s part of the circuitry that handles the DC input from the back port. I didn’t study the DC input enough to say which individual components are involved. Hope you like yours. Thanks for watching!
Can we use anker 521 as a jump starter? What accessories are needed to do so?
Not directly to start the starter motor because you won’t be able to get the amps out of it. This would apply to most portable power stations. You can however, charge your battery with the 521. You would want a car port to alligator clip attachment. Or a regular charger and use the AC port. It wouldn’t be quick though to charge the battery.
I have a 521 from o2-19-24 which just stopped seeing any input to rear charge port. Charger shows 24v so it is OK. Must be a fuse somewhere that has blown. Contacted Anker Support today 5-5-24 & awaiting their response. I am experienced with electronics. If I open the case my warranty is void. Only charge option is USB-C. I have been very gentle with the rear charge port.
Liked circuit design of Crown LXi-1500. Replaced electrolytic coupling caps with polypropylene audio caps. Sounds astonishing almost rivaling my PrimaLuna tube amps.
I think I see a fuse bulge on the 2nd smaller T-connector on the left side. Appears to be heat shrink contained. I think this smaller connector clips onto the back charge port.
The battery management board also has a P+,C+ & P-,C- yellow plastic bulbous thing which could be a fuse container.
Hey man, I love your content, I have an HP 22er 1080p LED monitor, Today a vertical line suddenly appeared on the screen, can you please tell me how can I repair it? Thanks in advance.
Have you tried a sledgehammer?
Thanks for making this video. I'm a big battery guy and love this type of stuff. I'm surprised that they use the XT connectors. That's some nice hobby grade stuff. Also it's cool that they're using the lithium iron cells. These are more resilient to hot and cold temperatures, and are less prone to exploding when damaged.
I got one of these for Christmas and needed to make sure it was up to my level. For a second I thought it was just a mini lead acid battery, but I knew Anker wouldn't do that to me. 😊
That’s great! Hope you enjoy using it.
I was surprised by that connector too. XT60 for the cigarette lighter, which is overkill for a plug that can only handle 10 amps, but better than underkill!
Hello I am buying an Anker 521 it works but the screen is damaged, do you know if I could get a compatible screen to fit for this unit please
Many thanks
Jez
I don't know where you could get one, sorry! Ebay is the only place I know of but I doubt anyone is selling just a screen
Would something like this run a drill or an angle grinder ?
Do you know the wattage of those devices? I think it should be able to.
What tool to remove the screws? What type
I thought I said it in the video but if it’s not Phillips head, it’s a torx screw head, T5 or T8, is my memory.
i wanted to see the batteries :D
You mean the individual cells? If interested, I did another teardown where I showed the cells.
I liked to take things apart as a kid
Cool, what have you been tinkering with lately?
@@FrugalRepair currently finishing my second video about a real minecraft minecart on real tracks. I expected these power supplies to be full of 18650 cells, cool to know what it actually is!
@@JoelCreates I'm pretty sure those cells used have a nominal voltage of 3.2v whereas your regular lithium ion 18650's are 3.7v so you'll need more cells to achieve a similar total voltage.
Is the battery replaceable?
Not normally, no. Someone with experience could technically solder the leads off and solder a new one on. I’m assuming it would have to be the same type of battery pack. But it wouldn’t be a normal thing one would do. Plus, they are lifepo4 cells, and will last an really long time, like 10-20 years+ long. It’s rated for 3000 cycles to around 80% capacity.
@@FrugalRepairwhat kind of batteries are in here though?
The battery isn't actually drained to zero . It has a low voltage cut off via a bms . Still 12v
obviously 🤷🏻
Anker 521 pure sine wawe ?
how much power will 800 square feet of solar panel produce
That depends on many factors. What is the angle, azimuth, location, wattage and size of panels, etc
put it in a parking car in summer and only connect to a dash cam, is that safe?
It should regulate itself and turn on the fan if it detects the temp is too high. You might want to double check that to be sure. I don’t know what temps you are expecting.
thanks. parking outside in summer, car room may reach 122F - 140F.
Please dismantle the Anker 535 as well if you can I would be interested to compare! Thanks. Great channel
Thanks! I could do that but it would likely look very similar. There’s more lfp battery cells and the AC inverter is upgraded. Is there something in particular you are curious to see?
@@FrugalRepair I thought the battery setup in Anker 535 might be different and not enclosed as I have one and can see the cells. I agree it would be broadly similar so not worth it on reflection. Thankyou
Thanks. Maybe I will have a reason to take it apart. Also, I see you found the new channel I started. =) Thanks for watching there too!
Positive Comment
I saw the models and thought it would be 26650 lifepo cells, 4000mah
Not the best density for the price, but it helps the longevity.
But I couldn't find concrete info anywhere to confirm
Also wondering what exact cells are in here.
My 521 has failed to charge from any input to the rear panel charge input. They have responded to me 3 times & I have politely supplied requested info. I have a repair ticket# with no directions on how to move resolution. I am loosing faith in Anker. Their USB-C port is only way (SLOOOWW) to put any charge into the batteries. Consider some other charger not by Anker.
how loud is the fan?
I didn't measure with a decibel meter but I personally don't think it's loud at all.
@@FrugalRepair do you know, how it compares to the bluetti eb55/eb70? they are pretty loud
I don’t have those models to compare to. Sorry!
140 watts is almost max for those outlets lol
When it comes to phone and laptop battery's try not to let them get to 0% charge up at 5\10% or you can damage your battery's and reduce there lifespan.
That’s a good idea in general. The LFP batteries are pretty resilient though.
th-cam.com/users/shortsAcy_kc3dVZc?feature=share
It is highly doubtful that the could supply the power needed to turn on a camping fridge's compressor.
You mean my fridge I was showing in the video? It has no problem running it.
@@FrugalRepair it can handle the compressor surge... what is the units surge maximum?
The compressors on these types of portable refrigerators are low wattage, and they typically have a normal and an eco mode. The run around 70w normal and like 40w in eco mode. I’m not sure about surge wattage, I’ve not seen any noticeable surge on these portable fridges.
Compressors usually use inductive motors that need a surge of power to start. My 3.5 cu ft chest freezer uses about 60 watts when it's on. But, it takes a 600 watt surge to start. Saws are also inductive motors.
@@raymondjames5035 I'll have to look into the DC surge voltage more but I know the 521 and other small battery units I have used on different portable fridges have not had any issues.
200watts is merely under 2 amps
This product has failed me more than once on two different units.
Do you mind sharing what the failure was? Did you get a warranty replacement and then it failed in the same way again?
@@FrugalRepair I dont know the technical terms... but the battery would say 100% with but when plugged in theres no charge. At first it would stay 100% even with devices plugged in charging, now it just stays at 100% regardless if theres a charge or not. Once I plug it in to charge with either the AC or USB-C it will immediately display 100%. If you look at some of the 1-star amazon reviews they can explain it better than I can. This happened on both the unit I purchased and unit sent out as a warranty lol. Idk im gonna try to get credit and go with a different product instead, dont wanna go through the RMA process again.
Thanks for explaining. I want to reach out to Anker and see if I can get some answers.
@@itsdarellcuh I’ve had same issue, left it in garage for 2 months and it recovered, in the meantime, Anker sent me another (which is now doing same), thankfully the first ones back working… would be good to know if there’s anyway to jump start these things again as plenty of people with same issues…
I bought this battery back in 2022 and pretty much right away the USB A ports stopped providing power. Contacted Anker and they offered to replace the device or return me some of the cost. Since I don’t use the USB A ports, took the return of some $ - which was nice. Been using this to mostly charge 140w of devices via the AC ports (20-40w sustained usually) - to run things during peak rates. Been doing this for a few years and expect to get many more years of use out of it. Have seen 0 degradation over the last few years despite draining this to near 0 regularly. Looking forward to seeing these LiP04 batteries dropping in price.
110v ? Yikes
what's wrong with that? it's just a simple DC to AC inverter
@@Random_4400 lower voltage means higher current draw and think heat up 110 can damage devices.