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Bluetti EB3A Dead on Arrival (DoA)

So I’m on my 3rd EB3A in 2 weeks.

First bricked up on me as described in an earlier post.

Order a replacement and returned the first. Replacement is working pretty good but I did mention it was getting fairly warm and fan was kicking on even in silent mode which is supposed to keep the fans off by charging at a slower rate (under 100w). I also noticed that wattage was dropping to ~100 watts when charging in any mode and reached 90% SOC. It would then charge slowly up to 100%. The top of this unit gets fairly warm(not hot but warm enough to not want to set anything on top).

Bluetti dropped the price again from $249 to $209. I reached out to Bluetti to see if they’d rather credit me the $40. Nope. They’d rather me send back a unit that’s been cycled ~ 10-15(which I’m sure they are just going to send out to someone else).

So I purchased a 3rd unit with plans to send back the second. Got the third unit today and it arrived at 60% SOC. Plugged in the AC cord and it charged all the way to 100% at ~ 250 watts. No reduction in incoming watts at 90% like the first two. Ok. Weird. Fans never kicked on and the unit was barely warm enough to notice. So I check the firmware and there two updates. I do them and the SOC goes back down to 60%. Damnit. This is how the first one bricked up on me. So I’m taking Bluettis advice again to drain to 0 and then back to 100 to reset the SOC.

It’s really seeming like the quality control on these units is all over the place. I really hope this 3rd unit ends up working ok. If not I think I’m done with the Bluetti brand. My brother got a AC200max a month ago and it’s been working flawless. Maybe they just haven’t worked the bugs out of these little guys yet.
 
I had no issue when I updated the two firmware right out of the box. Of couse the fan background noise was there, before and after. Another silly thing, they should have not released the units until they all had the cables included. So, how do you charge the unit if no ac. Ya, you have to wait for your cable and/or buy one and end up with two later. Poor marketing stragegy. So, I expect many will return just for those reason.

I stand corrected....
 
I had no issue when I updated the two firmware right out of the box. Of couse the fan background noise was there, before and after. Another silly thing, they should have not released the units until they all had the cables included. So, how do you charge the unit if no ac. Ya, you have to wait for your cable and/or buy one and end up with two later. Poor marketing stragegy. So, I expect many will return just for those reason.

I stand corrected....
What wattage does your unit charge at. I’m now charging from 0% and currently at 30% and it’s only pulling 150 watts from the wall.
 
The charging rate will vary. It will cut back when temperature rises and changes at different stages. If I recall, I did see it over 200 for a period of time.

With LIFEPO4, one can extend the life cycle of the battery when unit is charges at 10 to 30 percent of the battery capacity. Doing so, it could be cycled 8000 to 1000 times. When charging at higher rates, it can drop to 3000-4000 cycles.
 
What wattage does your unit charge at. I’m now charging from 0% and currently at 30% and it’s only pulling 150 watts from the wall.
Both of my units do the same thing. With the units at 90%+ charge they start by pulling around 260 watts but then settle down to 150 watts.
 
FYI: Be Aware.....

The other day I shut off EB3A Bluetti solar Generator and pack in a box. Today, my AC200MAX came in and i notice when connecting the AC200MAX to the bluetooth app, I was able to connect to EB3A, which was supposed to off/shut down, packed. Apparently, I did shut off the unit, however when I put in back in the box, I must have hit the AC Button sliding in the box, turning the unit on. Nothing was connected.

Something to be careful, otherwise you may end up needing the unit, like off grid camping and it is dead......
I wouldn't be a happy camper eh?

So far, I am impressed with the Bluetti AC200MAX, nicely boxed and shipped.
 
After emailing Bluetti every few days they finally sent me a pre-paid return label and I shipped the unit back to them yesterday. Hopefully the replacement unit works. I really want to like this unit.
 
Eventually, Bluetti responded to my issue of high pitch/buzzing sound from Fan. They offered to replace but took so long to get a label, I cancel and requested refund instead. Got the label and it back on it way to the vendor. Ignoring the noise, that not normal, I found that it would not be adequate to power my ice fishing equipment nor more convenient. I have been using lifepo4 100 amp, which was easy and convenient.

As for my AC200MAX, experience no issue, all working okay during my testing. One final testing, heading off grid camping with trailer. Will see how it works plug into my 30amp rv plug. Will use only in area where the equipment won't run on propane.
 
FYI: Be Aware.....

The other day I shut off EB3A Bluetti solar Generator and pack in a box. Today, my AC200MAX came in and i notice when connecting the AC200MAX to the bluetooth app, I was able to connect to EB3A, which was supposed to off/shut down, packed. Apparently, I did shut off the unit, however when I put in back in the box, I must have hit the AC Button sliding in the box, turning the unit on. Nothing was connected.

Something to be careful, otherwise you may end up needing the unit, like off grid camping and it is dead......
I wouldn't be a happy camper eh?

So far, I am impressed with the Bluetti AC200MAX, nicely boxed and shipped.
If you have eco mode on it will automatically turn itself off after 1,2,3,4 hours depending on the setting you select. So even if you hit a button while moving it, the Bluetooth will only be active for a short while till it auto shuts down.
 
Yes, I am aware of it and and the ac200Max. I normally would not use eco mode. The unit would be either on or off. Being aware of it can save some battery storage.
 
Third day using off grid camping with rv. 30 amp plug in run everything. Off course air conditioner is about 1200 watts on average. Run it enough to make it comfortable then off
 
Quick update:

I got a replacement for my first EB3A and have done some very limited testing.
  • Updated to latest firmware
  • AC charging at ~260W with standard mode
  • AC output works
  • Inductive charging works
  • USB-C works for charging 65W max input laptop
  • 12V Car charging is only 30 watts. Don't know why it's not more
  • 100W solar panels charges at 72 W at 10:30 am
  • Solar charging and AC output at some time works without issues.
  • I haven't tried UPS mode yet
 
Third day using off grid camping with rv. 30 amp plug in run everything. Off course air conditioner is about 1200 watts on average. Run it enough to make it comfortable then off
which type of air conditioner do you have? is it the roof top one ? how much is it showing that it draws when you first turn it on ?
 
The app is buggy as crap. I would not trust it to actually contact someone.
No one ever replied to my app request and it's status is still "applying". After several emails I was able to get a replacement unit that has been trouble free.
 
The app is buggy as crap. I would not trust it to actually contact someone.
Anyone else notice they updated the app recently and now you have to register to use it. Wasnt happy when I found that out mid camping trip a couple days ago and had no service to be able to receive the activation code via email. Bad move Bluetti.
 
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