Hi Everyone,
I'm looking to put together a small solar battery system for camping but I'm finding I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to the batteries. I'm looking to power a portable fridge/freezer (like an ARB) as well as the usual device charging.
I almost bought the 560wh Ninjabatt as it has the capacity I'm looking for at a fair price.
By my calculations it should power the fridge/freezer for about 3 days on a full charge which would be reasonable. Bigger would be better but the cost quickly spirals out of control on these things it seems. I noticed a couple reviewers complaining that they are just using Lithium ion cells which lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole.
I contacted the manufacturer who claims 1000+ charges but that must be a lie as from what I can gather you can only expect 300-500 charges on li-ion, maybe more if you are doing very soft charges. From what I gather they will only last 3 or 4 years at which point it becomes e-waste and I don't want to spend so much money on something that will only last that long. I know there are different chemistries of li-ion batteries with different characteristics, I'm waiting on the manufactuer to give me the specifics on what's in the Ninjabatt.
So then I got looking around and it seems LiFePO4 is the ideal choice for these as they will last much longer.
Now I'm considering getting two of these little GoLabs i200's
The total capacity would be lower, thought it will be a bit cheaper. However, it might make it easier for charging as I can just swap the batteries out and charge the depleted one where I can find some sun or a outlet. The thing is, is GoLabs any good? I don't see them mentioned often, sure the batteries might last a long time but will the electronics?
Now I'm a bit stuck on what to get. Will the Li-ion options truly not last? Even Jackery seems to use Li-ion and that's the brand everyone seems to recommend. Or is there another brand that I should look at? My budget is right around $400 and I would like to get over 500wh total in a unit that will last 5-10 years .
Any advice would be very appreciated.
I'm looking to put together a small solar battery system for camping but I'm finding I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to the batteries. I'm looking to power a portable fridge/freezer (like an ARB) as well as the usual device charging.
I almost bought the 560wh Ninjabatt as it has the capacity I'm looking for at a fair price.
By my calculations it should power the fridge/freezer for about 3 days on a full charge which would be reasonable. Bigger would be better but the cost quickly spirals out of control on these things it seems. I noticed a couple reviewers complaining that they are just using Lithium ion cells which lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole.
I contacted the manufacturer who claims 1000+ charges but that must be a lie as from what I can gather you can only expect 300-500 charges on li-ion, maybe more if you are doing very soft charges. From what I gather they will only last 3 or 4 years at which point it becomes e-waste and I don't want to spend so much money on something that will only last that long. I know there are different chemistries of li-ion batteries with different characteristics, I'm waiting on the manufactuer to give me the specifics on what's in the Ninjabatt.
So then I got looking around and it seems LiFePO4 is the ideal choice for these as they will last much longer.
Now I'm considering getting two of these little GoLabs i200's
The total capacity would be lower, thought it will be a bit cheaper. However, it might make it easier for charging as I can just swap the batteries out and charge the depleted one where I can find some sun or a outlet. The thing is, is GoLabs any good? I don't see them mentioned often, sure the batteries might last a long time but will the electronics?
Now I'm a bit stuck on what to get. Will the Li-ion options truly not last? Even Jackery seems to use Li-ion and that's the brand everyone seems to recommend. Or is there another brand that I should look at? My budget is right around $400 and I would like to get over 500wh total in a unit that will last 5-10 years .
Any advice would be very appreciated.
