26:44 The switches aren't a problem but a feature. A light touch will turn on the display whether it is charging an appliance or not. A "long" touch turns on or off the DC or AC charging ports. This is to prevent the charging from being interrupted by an accidental press of the button.
Hey Marcel, thanks for sharing this information. This would make sense. Perhaps a ‘long press’ was set by default but surprisingly not documented in the manual. Furthermore, Bluetti support acknowledged this issue when I raised it.
@@TechmanSolar It's the same on my EB70 and EB55. I don't remember reading anything in that manual either. It was in a video I saw. Either directly from Bluetti or another source.
Thank you SO MUCH TM- I was stumped just on the "how to switch off ECO mode" 👏🏽👏🏽 I have owned for about 1 month - I have only used solar to charge (bougerv 120w)- I am pleased although it takes about 2 sunny days to fully charge.(69-71% input) I do wish the display stayed illuminated & the addition of "time remaining" would be much more helpful. The light positioned on the back side was a bonus, in my opinion. I got a good price 'cause the color units were all sold out -it's not too heavy & it's my first unit. Glad I have it. BEST REVIEW in this space!!! 👍🏽👍🏽
Hey GrandAcres, you’re welcome. And thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your kind words. I’m pleased the ‘ECO mode’ tutorial was helpful to you. It’s also great to hear you’re using green solar energy to charge the EB55. As mentioned the unit can take up to 200W solar charge but you’ll need to add another BougeRV solar panel in parallel to achieve this. Feel free to ask any questions. I’m more than happy to help wherever possible. Stay safe :)
Thanks for a considered, comprehensive review. The quiescent consumption of the AC inverter is about 20W (which is not indicated on the display, of course). Mine was faulty from new (indicating low battery very soon on a 600W load, even though the battery isn't low) and even though Bluetti eventually admitted there was a problem, they refused to help because I didn't buy it direct from them. An impressive product let down by the manufacturer.
For completeness - power consumptions (not indicated on the display of course): * USB section (which includes the wireless charger): 6W * 12V section: 3W * light dim: 4.5W * light bright: 7.2W
Hey Matthew, thanks for sharing the idle consumption information. The AC inverter consumption seems to be much higher than expected. Did Bluetti provide you with these figures?
@@TechmanSolar Hi. No, I measured them myself (non-invasively) using a clamp meter and multimeter. It would be interesting to compare the battery voltage drop under considerable load with other units, as that could cause it to panic and declare low battery. Mine dropped from 23.9V to 21.6V at 30A (resulting from 600W travel kettle as the load). (That's about 650W into the inverter, making its efficiency over 90% which I'd say was very good if not hard to believe, so I'm beginning to doubt it!) The voltage drop causes a very noticeable change in pitch of the fans, which are driven straight from the battery and continue to run for a couple of seconds after the load is removed.
Hmm, interesting, and thanks again for sharing these readings. It would also be interesting to note the idle consumption of USB/DC/AC circuits at various discharge rates i.e 0.1C, 0.2C, 0.5C, 1C etc.
@@TechmanSolar Update: I managed to get the battery pack/BMS out of the base - it's glued in - which allowed me to get at all points in the chain of 7 groups of six paralleled cells, and I tried to balance them by charging the low ones. I then left it on a supply of about 24.5V for days, drawing 14mA, and it was trying to balance but didn't seem to do much. However, I haven't had the "low battery" fault show up since (though I haven't discharged it fully).
Fantastic review. I've owned my EB55 for 2 years now. You've touched on 2 issues I have had. The smell is a bit disconcerting and the cigarette socket is an issue. My compressor cooler's socket keeps popping out and turning off. I use an adapter and sellotape the plug to the adapter and plug it into the 12v jack. TBH I'm not sure if the issue is with the cooler's cigarette socket. One thing you didn't mention was the unit getting a bit hot. I noticed when I ran the AC invertor, it would get a bit hot on top, not to mention that smell. It makes me nervous so much, I don't use the invertor where possible. I mainly use the DC to power my cooler for a few days, so I don't plug anything else into it.
Hey, thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience. I haven’t noticed the unit getting warm when using the AC inverter, but I’ll keep an eye on it from now! I primarily use it to power DC loads and use a more power power station for AC loads. But thank you for sharing this information. Using a 12v socket adapter is a genius idea! But ultimately, Bluetti should correct this issue. It must be a right pain.
I own one of these only used it for a short time. Just learning something new from one of the comments about the switches short/long press one turns of display the other turns on the display this will be handy.
Great review and especially for commenting on the fan noise on both the adapter and unit. Really helpful. I was really interested in this model due to its attractive output specifications, but noise is an absolute killer. I'll now look at other makers' units rather than this one. Thank you!
Hey! Thank you for your kind words. I'm pleased it was helpful, even if it was just the noise factor. All best wishes with your search for an alternative. Any questions, you know where to find me :)
You can rewire the fan in the charger so that it stops when charging stops (and the LED goes green). But the charger still consumes about 3W so in high ambient temperatures it might overheat - do at your own risk.
Need some expert advice please!! :) I am a newbie with solar and these portable power stations. We are doing a two month long camping road trip using a van where will be basically living it without ever using any kind of shore power. We live in Idaho and will be traveling into backcounty of BC Canada on this trip. I bought a 12volt portable fridge off Amazon ( VEVOR 12 Volt Refrigerator, 53 Qt Dual Zone Car Fridge) and a ACOPOWER 100 Watt 12V Black Monocrystalline Solar Panel. I only have room on the roof for a 100watt solar panal because I have two Roof Boxes to haul extra sports gear. I can't decide betwoon the EB 55 or the EB 70. We drive a lot.... prob some each day doing adventures and sight seeing. I can see where the EB 55 would work with our solar panal and using and inverter plugged into our van for some AC charging. II was thinking this route in case the 100 watt solar can't keep up with the fridge. But I can also see where having the larger battery on the EB 70 would last longer. We don't plan on using the battery for anything elseother than the fridge as we have a genarator (Honda EU 2000) for our cooking ect. My wife rides an ebike so we always bring the generator to charge it. . I would like to not run it any more than possibel as is is loud and vibrates the van but worth it so she can do our biking adventures :) I know I gave a lot of information thank you for reading this. Any help would really be helpful. This newbie would really appreciate any ideas/input. Thank You VERY Much!!
Hey Stilllearning (nice username!), Thanks for your detailed comment. Happy to help my friend! Both units are similar in what they do, but with a few differences which may help sway your decision towards one of the two. The most noticeable difference is the extra capacity of the EB70 (716Wh) vs the EB55 (537Wh). The extra power may prove to be handy when you're relying entirely on an off-grid system. The EB70 also has 2x 100W USB-C ports if that is what you need. The EB55, on the other hand, is lighter, has a larger flashlight and can be charged faster thanks to dual charging feature (though that would require shore power). Both units has the same 700W PSW AC inverter, with the only difference being that the EB70 will run a little longer thanks to its larger battery bank. As for your 12v refrigerator, it seems to draw approx. 80W per hour according to the manufacturer's specs. As a rough guide, the EB55 can power your refrigerator for 5-6 hours, and the EB70 approx. 8 hours before its fully depleted, though your mileage may vary. A few points to consider: 1. Battery size - EB70 houses a larger battery pack. Handy when off-grid and during overcast days (though it takes longer to charge). 2. Budget - EB70 has more capacity, but costs more than the EB55 3. A 100W solar panel is a good start, but you may want to add more or 'over-panel' especially when overcast or on the road. Typically, you get 60-70W, perhaps 80-85W at best from these panels. If your roof is overcrowded, you may use 1x 100W whilst on the road and connect two panels in parallel when stationary or camping. 4. To get an idea of how things may run on your trip, you can opt to purchase an EB55/EB70 and run your refrigerator off it whilst charging from the sun BEFORE you set off. Do this for a couple of weeks to a) get to grips with the whole set-up, b) check your power station and solar panels are in working order and c) estimate how much power you may need daily on your trip. I hope I have been helpful! All best wishes for your road trip! Stay safe :)
Hey, not reviewed the AC70. Use the AC plug that comes with your CPAP machine. If you still have the box for the CPAP machine, there may be a DC cable or cigarette lighter cable inside.
Hey, Garrett, LiFePo4 chemistry is very stable and has a longer lifespan than Lithium NMC. It is safe to fully discharge so long as you’re using a BMS. Portable power stations have a BMS installed, so you’re good to cycle and use the full capacity. The BMS is programmed to cut off loads when the cell voltage is low (low voltage disconnect). In addition to this, manufacturers tend to reserve the final 5-10% of the battery in power stations to preserve the longevity of the internal battery. If you do fully discharge the power station I would personally recommend you recharge the unit within a couple of days. Do NOT store it empty. In storage the cell voltage will slowly continue to drop and it soon will fall below the threshold set on the BMS. The BMS will no longer be able to protect the cells. You will almost certainly cause permanent damage to the cells when you recharge the unit after a lengthy period in storage. The bottom line with LiFePo4 chemistry cells is; make full use of the capacity. Just don’t store empty. Hope this helps!
@@TechmanSolar Thank you for taking the time to reply, and for giving a good, clear answer. Much appreciated! Batteries seem to be like the people that make them. They're all a little different, results may vary, and you get best results with the right approach.
26:44 The switches aren't a problem but a feature. A light touch will turn on the display whether it is charging an appliance or not. A "long" touch turns on or off the DC or AC charging ports. This is to prevent the charging from being interrupted by an accidental press of the button.
Hey Marcel, thanks for sharing this information. This would make sense. Perhaps a ‘long press’ was set by default but surprisingly not documented in the manual. Furthermore, Bluetti support acknowledged this issue when I raised it.
@@TechmanSolar It's the same on my EB70 and EB55. I don't remember reading anything in that manual either. It was in a video I saw. Either directly from Bluetti or another source.
Ah, got you. Thanks for sharing. May reference this when I do a one-year follow up on the EB55 :)
Outstanding review! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. You deserve a lot more subscribers. Well, you have one more now!
Hey Glen, thanks for the sub and kind words. Much appreciated 😉
What a superb in depth review.. I can't believe you have so few subscribers.. Well, you have one more now! Thanks, so much. 😀
Hey, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much for your kind words and for subscribing. Much appreciated :)
Thank you SO MUCH TM- I was stumped just on the "how to switch off ECO mode" 👏🏽👏🏽
I have owned for about 1 month - I have only used solar to charge (bougerv 120w)- I am pleased although it takes about 2 sunny days to fully charge.(69-71% input) I do wish the display stayed illuminated & the addition of "time remaining" would be much more helpful. The light positioned on the back side was a bonus, in my opinion. I got a good price 'cause the color units were all sold out -it's not too heavy & it's my first unit. Glad I have it. BEST REVIEW in this space!!!
👍🏽👍🏽
Hey GrandAcres, you’re welcome. And thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your kind words. I’m pleased the ‘ECO mode’ tutorial was helpful to you. It’s also great to hear you’re using green solar energy to charge the EB55. As mentioned the unit can take up to 200W solar charge but you’ll need to add another BougeRV solar panel in parallel to achieve this.
Feel free to ask any questions. I’m more than happy to help wherever possible. Stay safe :)
Thanks for a considered, comprehensive review. The quiescent consumption of the AC inverter is about 20W (which is not indicated on the display, of course). Mine was faulty from new (indicating low battery very soon on a 600W load, even though the battery isn't low) and even though Bluetti eventually admitted there was a problem, they refused to help because I didn't buy it direct from them. An impressive product let down by the manufacturer.
For completeness - power consumptions (not indicated on the display of course):
* USB section (which includes the wireless charger): 6W
* 12V section: 3W
* light dim: 4.5W
* light bright: 7.2W
Hey Matthew, thanks for sharing the idle consumption information. The AC inverter consumption seems to be much higher than expected. Did Bluetti provide you with these figures?
@@TechmanSolar Hi. No, I measured them myself (non-invasively) using a clamp meter and multimeter. It would be interesting to compare the battery voltage drop under considerable load with other units, as that could cause it to panic and declare low battery. Mine dropped from 23.9V to 21.6V at 30A (resulting from 600W travel kettle as the load). (That's about 650W into the inverter, making its efficiency over 90% which I'd say was very good if not hard to believe, so I'm beginning to doubt it!) The voltage drop causes a very noticeable change in pitch of the fans, which are driven straight from the battery and continue to run for a couple of seconds after the load is removed.
Hmm, interesting, and thanks again for sharing these readings. It would also be interesting to note the idle consumption of USB/DC/AC circuits at various discharge rates i.e 0.1C, 0.2C, 0.5C, 1C etc.
@@TechmanSolar Update: I managed to get the battery pack/BMS out of the base - it's glued in - which allowed me to get at all points in the chain of 7 groups of six paralleled cells, and I tried to balance them by charging the low ones. I then left it on a supply of about 24.5V for days, drawing 14mA, and it was trying to balance but didn't seem to do much. However, I haven't had the "low battery" fault show up since (though I haven't discharged it fully).
Fantastic review. I've owned my EB55 for 2 years now. You've touched on 2 issues I have had. The smell is a bit disconcerting and the cigarette socket is an issue. My compressor cooler's socket keeps popping out and turning off. I use an adapter and sellotape the plug to the adapter and plug it into the 12v jack. TBH I'm not sure if the issue is with the cooler's cigarette socket. One thing you didn't mention was the unit getting a bit hot. I noticed when I ran the AC invertor, it would get a bit hot on top, not to mention that smell. It makes me nervous so much, I don't use the invertor where possible. I mainly use the DC to power my cooler for a few days, so I don't plug anything else into it.
Hey, thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience. I haven’t noticed the unit getting warm when using the AC inverter, but I’ll keep an eye on it from now! I primarily use it to power DC loads and use a more power power station for AC loads. But thank you for sharing this information.
Using a 12v socket adapter is a genius idea! But ultimately, Bluetti should correct this issue. It must be a right pain.
I own one of these only used it for a short time. Just learning something new from one of the comments about the switches short/long press one turns of display the other turns on the display this will be handy.
Hey Jack. Thanks for your comments. If you have any questions feel free to ask here :)
Great review, thanks.
Hey Ian, thanks for watching and for your kind comment. Have a great day!
Great review and especially for commenting on the fan noise on both the adapter and unit. Really helpful. I was really interested in this model due to its attractive output specifications, but noise is an absolute killer. I'll now look at other makers' units rather than this one. Thank you!
Hey! Thank you for your kind words. I'm pleased it was helpful, even if it was just the noise factor. All best wishes with your search for an alternative. Any questions, you know where to find me :)
You can rewire the fan in the charger so that it stops when charging stops (and the LED goes green). But the charger still consumes about 3W so in high ambient temperatures it might overheat - do at your own risk.
Oddly, my unit (faulty in other ways...) does not switch on its fans when charging from the mains charger.
Need some expert advice please!! :) I am a newbie with solar and these portable power stations. We are doing a two month long camping road trip using a van where will be basically living it without ever using any kind of shore power. We live in Idaho and will be traveling into backcounty of BC Canada on this trip. I bought a 12volt portable fridge off Amazon ( VEVOR 12 Volt Refrigerator, 53 Qt Dual Zone Car Fridge) and a ACOPOWER 100 Watt 12V Black Monocrystalline Solar Panel. I only have room on the roof for a 100watt solar panal because I have two Roof Boxes to haul extra sports gear. I can't decide betwoon the EB 55 or the EB 70. We drive a lot.... prob some each day doing adventures and sight seeing. I can see where the EB 55 would work with our solar panal and using and inverter plugged into our van for some AC charging. II was thinking this route in case the 100 watt solar can't keep up with the fridge. But I can also see where having the larger battery on the EB 70 would last longer. We don't plan on using the battery for anything elseother than the fridge as we have a genarator (Honda EU 2000) for our cooking ect. My wife rides an ebike so we always bring the generator to charge it. . I would like to not run it any more than possibel as is is loud and vibrates the van but worth it so she can do our biking adventures :) I know I gave a lot of information thank you for reading this. Any help would really be helpful. This newbie would really appreciate any ideas/input. Thank You VERY Much!!
Hey Stilllearning (nice username!),
Thanks for your detailed comment. Happy to help my friend! Both units are similar in what they do, but with a few differences which may help sway your decision towards one of the two. The most noticeable difference is the extra capacity of the EB70 (716Wh) vs the EB55 (537Wh). The extra power may prove to be handy when you're relying entirely on an off-grid system. The EB70 also has 2x 100W USB-C ports if that is what you need.
The EB55, on the other hand, is lighter, has a larger flashlight and can be charged faster thanks to dual charging feature (though that would require shore power). Both units has the same 700W PSW AC inverter, with the only difference being that the EB70 will run a little longer thanks to its larger battery bank.
As for your 12v refrigerator, it seems to draw approx. 80W per hour according to the manufacturer's specs. As a rough guide, the EB55 can power your refrigerator for 5-6 hours, and the EB70 approx. 8 hours before its fully depleted, though your mileage may vary.
A few points to consider:
1. Battery size - EB70 houses a larger battery pack. Handy when off-grid and during overcast days (though it takes longer to charge).
2. Budget - EB70 has more capacity, but costs more than the EB55
3. A 100W solar panel is a good start, but you may want to add more or 'over-panel' especially when overcast or on the road. Typically, you get 60-70W, perhaps 80-85W at best from these panels. If your roof is overcrowded, you may use 1x 100W whilst on the road and connect two panels in parallel when stationary or camping.
4. To get an idea of how things may run on your trip, you can opt to purchase an EB55/EB70 and run your refrigerator off it whilst charging from the sun BEFORE you set off. Do this for a couple of weeks to a) get to grips with the whole set-up, b) check your power station and solar panels are in working order and c) estimate how much power you may need daily on your trip.
I hope I have been helpful! All best wishes for your road trip! Stay safe :)
Have you reviewed the AC 70. I recently purchased it, but I’m not sure which adaptor to get for my CPAP machine which is 24 V.
Hey, not reviewed the AC70. Use the AC plug that comes with your CPAP machine. If you still have the box for the CPAP machine, there may be a DC cable or cigarette lighter cable inside.
With new battery chemistry, will the cells get damaged if fully discharged? Or does it need to be ideally used just between 20-80%?
Hey, Garrett, LiFePo4 chemistry is very stable and has a longer lifespan than Lithium NMC. It is safe to fully discharge so long as you’re using a BMS. Portable power stations have a BMS installed, so you’re good to cycle and use the full capacity. The BMS is programmed to cut off loads when the cell voltage is low (low voltage disconnect). In addition to this, manufacturers tend to reserve the final 5-10% of the battery in power stations to preserve the longevity of the internal battery.
If you do fully discharge the power station I would personally recommend you recharge the unit within a couple of days. Do NOT store it empty. In storage the cell voltage will slowly continue to drop and it soon will fall below the threshold set on the BMS. The BMS will no longer be able to protect the cells. You will almost certainly cause permanent damage to the cells when you recharge the unit after a lengthy period in storage.
The bottom line with LiFePo4 chemistry cells is; make full use of the capacity. Just don’t store empty.
Hope this helps!
@@TechmanSolar Thank you for taking the time to reply, and for giving a good, clear answer. Much appreciated! Batteries seem to be like the people that make them. They're all a little different, results may vary, and you get best results with the right approach.