Five Things to Know About Portable Power Stations
What is a portable power station?
The Portable Power Station is a rechargeable emergency power source for your home or outdoors to ensure you can always use your electronic devices. A unique feature of the portable power supply is the variety of outputs, from USB-(C), 12V to 230V AC, and the opportunity to charge in multiple ways. You can charge the power station with a combination of 220V/230V adapters, car and truck chargers, or photovoltaic panels.
What is the difference between a portable charging station and a small power bank?
The main difference is capacity and connectivity. The portable power station has several AC outputs and enough power to connect various devices. The small power bank supply provides less outputs, and the capacity is small. Because of this, the charging station is larger, unlike the power bank, which focuses on portability and is more suitable for going out or flying.
Which devices are suitable for connecting to the AC output of a portable power station and for how long?
Portable power stations are available in a variety of outputs, so you have a suitable option anywhere. They include several 110V/220V power sockets, and a 12V car auto charger (cigarette lighter) socket. It also has USB ports, one of which is Quick Charge 3.0. Also, there must be a USB-C PD input/output.
To know what equipment can be connected to a portable power station, you need to know what the wattage of the equipment to be connected is.
Specifically, the iMyPower EP600PQ has a maximum output of 600W, so the device should use less than 600W to function properly. For the LP1000Q, this is 1000W.
The next question is how long the device can be powered on. This is easy to calculate if you know the wattage of the device and the capacity of the power bank.
You can easily find your device’s power usage on the product’s specs label, or online. The battery capacity of the EP600 is 600Wh. Wh here means watts per hour, and usually, the actual capacity that works through the AC output is lower. Because converting from one type to another will involve some power loss. This power loss may be around 30%.
So the calculation is as follows:
600Wh/(wattage inserted}your device = hours of power supply
If you want to connect a 20W electric fan:
600Wh/20W = 25 hours
What is a “pure sine wave”? What can we do with pure sine waves?
There are two very important terms in this story:
- Pure sine wave
- Modified sine wave
The difference between the two can be explained by a comparison with water.
As you’d expect from a household faucet, pure water can be used for a variety of purposes. For drinking, cleaning, cooking, etc. But what happens if the water isn’t that pure? It’s not unusable, but it’s worth a lot less. For example, you can use it for cleaning or washing, but not for drinking or cooking.
The difference between a pure sine wave and a modified sine wave is similar. A pure sine wave works for all gadgets, but a modified “dirty” sine wave does not. When using the radio or TV, you may notice a humming sound or a disturbing picture. If you put a device with an electric motor, it probably won’t work at all.
Also, all older devices with transformers will have problems. A well-known example of what can go wrong is an electric toothbrush battery charger. In many cases, they crash. iMyPower has deliberately selected pure sine waves in our portable power stations to ensure high quality and availability.
How to charge a portable power station?
There are various ways to charge a portable power station. The Power Station comes with multiple charging cables:
- Normal battery charger with plug for charging at home.
- A battery charger (cigarette lighter socket) with a 12V car connection.
- MC4 cable for solar panels (photovoltaic panels).
Portable power stations can also be charged using a USB-C PD battery charger/cable. This flexibility allows you to charge and use your Power Station anytime, anywhere!
What’s the best way to save my portable power station and keep it in top shape?
The portable power station should be stored in a dry place at the temperature level of the living space.
Temperatures below 0°C and above 40°C are not recommended. This negatively affects the capacity and lifespan of the internal battery.
To keep the battery in top condition when not in use, charge it every 3-6 months.
