Chinese factory closeout on backup power?

[papaof2]

I've seen at least 3 ads like this (all from different vendors):
www.mimitamasweei.store/products/portable-solar-generator
www.sptsweid.store/products/portable-solar-generator

It's a "does everything" backup power unit with a 12 volt 24AH (288 watt hours) lithium battery. 500 watt pure sine wave inverter, small LED light, multiple USB ports (two 1 amp, two 2.1 amp), four low power (3 amp) 12 volt ports. The USB ports will charge your phone, tablet, camera, powerbank, etc. The 12 volt ports will run a small fan, etc - but NOT an air compressor.

Is it worth $80 delivered? I'll know in a month or so - however long shipping by a slow boat from China takes. For $20 more, they'll include a foldable solar panel (no wattage specified). The Kyng lists 18 volts and less than 100 watts on its solar input (the Aeiusny lists 18 volts and 40-100 watts) but the physical size of the foldable panel in these ads makes it appreciably less than 100 watts - maybe 30-40 watts, if that big? Plus good folding solar panels in the 75-100 watt range are $200-$250 so I don't think you'll get much solar power for $20. I have two 20 watt panels acquired for another project and a 100 watt panel from Craig's List for $50 - either could be the semi-permanent charge power for this device with zero on-going expense for charging it - just possibly slow charging when compared to the AC charger (but there's a potential workaround for that which I can try when the unit gets here).

These are similar (if not identical, except for the logo) to the Kyng and Aeiusny "portable power generators" that I've seen reviewed on Youtube - just for a lot less, as in $80 versus $250. Sometimes the unmarked "no name" factory overruns go very cheaply so I'm betting that's what they're selling. Even if it only lives up to half its rated power, it will be useful during outages or if we need power in a vehicle while on a trip. That 75 watt heating pad you want after a couple hours of driving? The advertised specs would power it for about 3 1/2 hours or keep the laptop running for 8 hours with enough light to see the keyboard.

The Aeiusny unit was $275 on Amazon a year ago but there's now a new model with a slightly different case so I see that as strong support for the "no name" units being overruns of the previous version. The Kyng is in a gray case (versus the yellow of the Aeiusny and the "no name" units). Amazon still has a page for the Kyng (which was released about a year ago) but it's "Unavailable". I think that's a good indication it's been replaced by a newer model and the "guts" from those units have also been placed in generic yellow cases.

I'll follow up on what gets delivered and do a full report on how closely it matches its advertising hype ;-) Then will probably be too late for anyone who wants one of the current "deals" but it might all be smoke and mirrors...

I'll add in the other link as I encounter it again.

[papaof2]

I do have shipping info - "In supplier's warehouse" which at least tells me that the computer thinks they have one in stock ;-)

However, it's been in the warehouse for three days now according to the package tracking service for The Netherlands.

[papaof2]

I've found a couple of the higher capacity (twice the battery size) branded versions for a few dollars more. I know NOTHING about this vendor either, so consider any purchase a potential "pig in a poke". However, $99 is a better price than the $290 Amazon is asking for the Aeiusny unit.

Kyng $99.00
www.yooglek.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=632617

Aeiusny $99.00
www.yooglek.com/aeiusny-portable-solar-generator-288wh-500w-lithium-battery-power-station-cpap-backup-battery-power-supply-for-camping-travel-fishing-hurricane-p-632359.html

[papaof2]

My original purchase is still waiting for that slow boat as the shipping status is the same as 6 days ago: "The Item is at the shippers warehouse". In this case, that warehouse is in The Netherlands (many of the bigger Chinese vendors have warehouses in Europe). They have created a USPS shipping label and USPS dutifully reports "Label Created, not yet in system" because the package hasn't yet reached the US. I'll continue to check status every few days to see when (If?) the package leaves that warehouse.

I've noticed that Banggood (the Chinese equivalent of Sears in 1920 with everything from clothes to tools to electronics) has dropped back from trying to ship everything by air to get it delivered faster - it seems some people balk at paying $3 shipping on an under-$1 item. Many of their items again have "Free shipping" but it is now qualified as "Free ocean shipping" (remember that translates to "slow boat from China") with "25-40 business days" in transit (that's 5 to 8 weeks). I'm actually not expecting this item to arrive before July if that soon. I even have a spreadsheet that does the date arithmetic and the "business days to weeks" conversion is built in. Put in the ship date and the number of business days and it gives you an optimistic delivery date ;-) That calculation puts the item here on 8 July.

I have a potential use for a small power "box" plus I'm curious as to what's in it and how it can be expanded/improved* so I opted for the $80 "no name" version. If I had an immediate need for such a device, I would have ordered the Aeiusny or the somewaht larger Jackery and paid full price.

*I have lots of 18650 cells from Ryobi "40 volt" lawn equipment batteries so I could easily double or triple the AH capacity of the unit with an external battery pack - IF it can handle the heat of running that much longer which leads to a question about the size of the fan(s) and how it/they are controlled. There are also questions about how much solar power it can handle and whether charging from a vehicle 12 volt outlet can be sped up by using a boost converter to provide "solar panel" voltage (17-20 volts) from that 12 volt source and I have a 150 watt boost converter to test that with. When I'm finished with the "box" it may be a "Franken-power" device but like the solar system it's a place to learn.

I have decided to have ONE tree removed when I have a crew in to trim all the others. That should provide limited solar power (fridge, a few lights, the freezer on sunny days) all year. I'll start with an 1100 watt solar array and see how close my calculations are. Remember that the solar power equipment is all paid for so any use I can make of the generated electric power is "free" ;-) I will need to get some more materials for the solar panel mounts and I'll need to see the sunlight "footprint" with that tree gone to know whether it will be a fixed mount or if there's a large enough "window" to justify adding horizontal tracking. During part of the summer here, there is limited sunlight over more than 180 degrees (14+ hours from sunrise to sunset) so tracking MIGHT be worthwhile. It's something to research and adding the bits to move an array of perhaps 1500 watts would cost about $200-$250. Tracking is supposed to add perhaps 20% to the day's collected power so it's just one more thing I'm curious about...

Once I've tried all my ideas and gotten numbers for them, guess I could write a book on "Small Solar Power Systems in the Real World" ;-) On the other hand, by then we could be in Covid-19 Phase Two, The Second Great Depression, The Second Civil War and this might be the only house in the area with power... Maybe I need those other two shotguns and another case or three of shells?

[papaof2]

Further research on the "no name" power boxes finds that most limit the solar input to basically one 100 watt panel (input 18 volts and just over 5 qmps) although one version lists "solar input 100 - 250 watts". I'll work from the manual (if any) for the unit that's in transit and possibly upgrade the solar charge controller after I verify the battery's AH capacity - some charge controllers have a "minimum recommended AH" rating for the battery they are to be used with. That's not as much a concern with some batteries as others but you need to know what you're working with before making changes. My solar backup system has 420AH of AGM batteries and the minimum recommended charge rate is 0.2C or 20% of the AH rating. 420 * 0.2 = 84 amps so it would need a minimum of 1100 watts of solar panels to reach that charge rate: 13 volts * 84 amps = 1092 watts. The maximum charge rate is usually 0.4C which would be 168 amps and need 2200 watts of solar panels.

Well, maybe it's in transit ;-) Here's today's synopsis of the package's status:
Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Package status: In transit
Country: Netherlands -> United States
Destination:

Origin:
2020-06-10 03:34, The item is ready for shipment
2020-06-09 05:07, The item has left the originating country
2020-06-09 03:41, The item is pre-advised
2020-06-02 11:11, The Item is at the shippers warehouse
======================================
Powered by www.17track.net

You think maybe they don't understand time? If the item "left the originating country" on 9 June, perhaps it was "ready for shipment" before 10 June? Whatever, we'll see how the status changes over the next week or so. "Pre-advised" means they've already notified USPS that the package is coming.

The ocean shipping time between the Netherlands and the US is "8 to 53 days" according to
www.icontainers.com/us/2017/04/25/us-to-netherlands-shipping-times/
so sometime between 18 June and the first week of August to get to Charleston or Savannah (most likely destinations for something going to the Southeast US although some things go through New York, possibly based on when the next ship is leaving Rotterdam) and then add time in Customs (1 to 3 days) and USPS transit time. Perhaps "slow boat to China" is no longer the standard of comparison and we should be using "slow boat from the Netherlands" instead?

Remember the elementary school joke about world geography?
Teacher: "Jimmy, make a sentence using the city of Rotterdam."
Jimmy: "My sister ate my candy and I hope it'll Rotterdam teeth out!"

[papaof2]

An update - and the possibility of seeing the package this month ;-)

Translations for those who've never followed items internationally.
Origin: what's happened/reported at the originating end
Destination: what's happened/reported at the destination end

The "Acceptance" entry says the Destination now knows the status at the Origin. USPS has updated their info on the tracking number to show this.

If you follow the dates, that's more than 3 weeks to get from the warehouse to the airport and another week to be processed at the PostNL facility at the airport. What are the odds on the package making it onto a plane this week? My tracking spreadsheet estimates delivery dates based on "typical" shipping times for the vendor and the earliest date is 7 July with the latest date being 28 July. Looks as though my estimates are in the ballpark but maybe optimistic about the earliest date.

Wouldn't you love to be in a time-critical business that relied on international shipping?

Number:
Package status: In transit
Country: Netherlands -> United States
Destination:
2020-07-03 09:03, NETHERLANDS, Acceptance -> Your item was accepted at 9:03 am on July 3, 2020 in NETHERLANDS.
Origin:
2020-07-04 04:03, The item is processed at the PostNL sorting center
2020-07-04 04:03, The item is at the PostNL sorting center
2020-07-03 09:02, Consignment received at the PostNL Acceptance Centre
2020-07-03 07:28, The shipment is handed over in bulk, final acceptance of goods to be confirmed
2020-06-27 12:14, The item has arrived in the transit airport
2020-06-10 03:34, The item is ready for shipment
2020-06-09 05:07, The item has left the originating country
2020-06-09 03:41, The item is pre-advised
2020-06-02 11:11, The Item is at the shippers warehouse
======================================
Powered by www.17track.net

[papaof2]

Six weeks ago I mentioned finding a "portable power generator" at a very good price. It seems that there are one or two manufacturers in China which build the units in your choice of cases and I even found the wholesale pricing and shipping calculator to get them built with my name on the case (cases come in gray, yellow, red, orange and the green of the Grasshopper brand).

I've yet to find an internal wiring diagram or pictures/video of disassembly or of any serious modifications or tests of the charging capacity or the 5 volt and 12 volt power outputs but I'll get to learn about that when the first one arrives on Monday. I bought two ($80 and $50), from different fly-by-night Facebook ads (where the vendors' web sites have since changed names). One ad showed the unit in a yellow case; the other case is gray. The first one is still on a boat from Amsterdam but the second one (for $30 less and includes a solar panel - probably a very small panel) came by air from China and is now on a USPS truck headed my way from NY with promised delivery on Monday. I'll also be looking for dates on the parts inside, as these seem to have hit the market in late 2017 or early 2018. Look for one or more of these to show up in a future story ;-)

One or two models list them as UPS units, where grid power is fed through to the AC outlets and the inverter picks up the load when grid power fails. That wasn't listed as a feature on either unit but it's not that hard to add.

I did find the same specs, same case and same front/rear panel layouts under MANY names:

Aeiusny, Chafon, Expert Power, Easy Focus, Kyng (one model), Pinty, LNSLNM, <=Youtube reviews on these.

CHRYS, Vorally, bChocks, LiRongPing, Amityke, Kinhevao, Grasshopper, Sailflo

Micro-Power, MakeBattery, CBCGT, Beleeb, Gichee,

and maybe six or seven other "brands" where I couldn't read the label in the ad because the unit is at an angle.

Similar specs and similar, not identical, front/rear panels (has 12 volt lighter outlet and/or jump start cable port):

Specstar, Amsu

Generic image: www.jecarter.us/files/yellow-power-box.jpg

[9idrr]

I'd been wonderin' what was happeinin' with those units.

[papaof2]

When you deal in international power, you just never know how long things will take ;-)

The delivery date for the unit coming by slow boat is - well I can't say "up in the air", can I? From the harbor web page in Amsterdam: Transit time to the US is 10 to 53 days.

Status from the tracking site:

2020-07-07 15:47 The item is on transport to the country of destination

2020-07-04 04:03 The item is processed at the PostNL sorting center

It seems we've reached the "10 days" mark and now we wait for "53 days" which will be 29 August.

[papaof2]

Seems transit was 11 days from being "On transport" to getting through Customs in Miami:
July 18, 2020, 11:28 pm Processed Through Facility ISC MIAMI FL (USPS)

Should I be optimistic that the package will arrive in my mailbox this week? If so, I'll have two new "toys" ;-)

[papaof2]

I've seen a couple of closeouts on the branded 288 watt hour battery, 500 watt pure sine wave inverter "power boxes". All of them have an LED light, 4 USB charge ports, 4 low power (3 amps) 12 volt ports and they can be charged from AC, car 12 volt outlet (lighter socket) or a solar panel.

These are 2017/2018 designs and have less battery capacity (288wh versus 453wh)and inverter power (500 watts versus 1000 watts) than the current similar models but it might be a good deal for some.

One was a Kyng and I don't remember the other one. Regular Amazon price on these units is $230-$290 and the closeouts are $99 (free shipping).

You might wind up waiting 6 weeks or more for the unit (one of mine) or you might get it in half that time. It's also possible you won't get it at all (an Adroid TV box disappeared between New York and Atlanta and the same applies to international shipping).

PM me if you're interested in one of these and I'll go find the links again.

One of these and a 50-100 watt solar panel could provide limited light and AC power in a shed, garage, barn or whatever for less than the cost of an electrician. Power tool battery chargers work fine on a pure sine wave inverter (some specifically say NOT to use them on modified sine wave power) so you could charge power tools as needed.

During a power outage, use the inverter to power a 5 watt, 120 volt LED to provide "40 watt equivalent" light for 3 nights, charge your phone/tablet/laptop or whatever. Use a 5 volt ot 12 volt LED instead and get 1.5 to 2 times as many hours of light. Most of the units seem to be limited to one 100 watt solar panel for charging (possibly limited by the maximum safe charge rate of the batteries used) but 100 watt panels are under $90 (delivered) on Ebay.

For those who don't have any solar power, this might be a relatively inexpensive way to add backup capability and get your feet wet in solar - $99 for the power box + $90 for the solar panel and then you need some wire from the solar panel to the power box. 16 gause wire for 20 feet or less, 14 gauge for 35 feet or less and 12 gauge for more than 35 feet (one way) - your local auto parts store should have that and radioshack.com occasionally has a parts sale with fair prices on stranded, insulated, automotive copper wire (but only when it's on sale and even better when they have a BOGO sale). You need automotive or other weather resistant wire if it's ouside.

[papaof2]

The standard comment about air travel in much of the Southeast includes "Until you die, you change planes in Atlanta". That also applies to USPS mail and UPS/Fedex/DHL packages.

USPS has had the tracking number for the gray power box with:

Delivery Monday July 20 by 8PM

However, the package has not yet moved from the Atlanta Distribution Center and the current status is:

July 20, 2020 In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

July 19, 2020, 9:00 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
ATLANTA GA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

No, it's not in transit or there would be a "departed" scan from the distribution center.

At least I've had time to dig out a piece of software I haven't used in years. DipTrace is an all-in-one schematic drawing and printed circuit board layout tool. I'm interested in DipTrace's schematic capability when I start disassembling the power box - remember that I'm looking for ways to improve it and I need to know what's in the box and how it's put together before making changes. The last time I used DipTrace was for a double-sided board with two 40 pin microprocessors and a half dozen support chips which added up to several hundred connections. I thought I did well on the first draft of the board as it only needed one jumper to correct a connection and I don't have any support staff double-checking my designs. I've seen a number of commercial products where the processor board came with multiple jumpers to fix problems so I considered my board good for a first draft ;-)

I know what I'll be doing during the the thunderstorms this week...

[papaof2]

The package arrived and the box inside was gray but that's as close as the package came to what I had ordered.

The content was a ring box with a ?maybe? gold ring for a female finger - not only not in the ballpark, it's not even in the same city. I've sent emails to both the contact addresses I have. I think some of the Lowe's employees are now working in China...

[papaof2]

USPS doesn't seem to be doing much better with delivering the yellow "power box". Remember that, like flying, mail for us always goes through Atlanta. Here's the condensed version:

July 21, 2020, 9:58 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Facility EL PASO TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in EL PASO TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER on July 21, 2020 at 9:58 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

July 18, 2020, 11:28 pm Processed Through Facility ISC MIAMI FL (USPS)

July 3, 2020, 9:03 am Acceptance NETHERLANDS

It's 663 miles from Miami to Atlanta. It's 1931 miles from Miami to El Paso. It's 1416 miles from El Paso to Atlanta. 1931 + 1416 = 3347 miles. 3347 - 663 = 2684 excess miles.

I think USPS needs some serious help with routing packages. Maybe a third grader who knows where Florida, Georgia and Texas are on the US map?

[papaof2]

Well, it appears the package is headed in the correct direction:

July 22, 2020, 7:24 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Facility DALLAS TX NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in DALLAS TX NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER on July 22, 2020 at 7:24 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

July 22, 2020 In Transit to Next Facility

July 21, 2020, 10:36 pm Departed USPS Regional Facility EL PASO TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER

FYI, ZIP codes in El Paso are 79--- and 88---. This state is 30---.

Still looking for some third graders to take over the USPS' Miami International Service Center ;-)

[papaof2]

The unit arrived at the ATLANTA GA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER at 2:16PM today. The trip from Miami to Atlanta has only taken a week. It might get out to the unincorporated area for Monday delivery but the weekend movement of packages has been much slower the past few months and the expected-on-Monday deliveries have been occuring on Tuesday. We'll see what happens with this one.

With 50%-60% chance of thuunderstorms in the forecast for most of the next ten days, I might be doing things inside ;-)

[papaof2]

The package arrived today and is much smaller than what they advertised and displayed pix of. Smaller physically, in battery capacity and in features. It will work for lighting more than one room and charging electronics during a power outage but while it's in the same family, it's not what they advertised. The original website is now gone so there's no recourse other than maybe PayPal (I don't trust many out-of-country vendors - and not all US-based vendors - with my credit card number) so I'll have to research that.

On the brighter side, the third person who inquired about the old mower came today with a lawn equipment trailer behind his vehicle and cash in hand. He was surprised that he got the mower when he wasn't the first one to inquire about it. He's previously owned the same or a very similar mower and thought he was getting a great deal. Those are the best deals on Craig's List - when the buyer and the seller are both happy with the amount of money that changes hands ;-)

Forecast for the next 4 days is thunderstorms, 60%, 80%, 80%, 60%. Don't think yard work will be on my "honey do" list this week ;-)