EcoFlow RIVER 2 - taken apart and tested

#ecoflow EcoFlowRIVER2 #BestPortablePowerStation #solargenerators
Look at the size of those cells.
Purchase from Amazon: www.amazon.co....

[@MrSlugbait]

Pulling more than 5 or 6 amps continually through those "cigarette lighter" type sockets will lead to a spiral of problems. A better 12v output needs to become the "norm".

[@chris8957]

a better fix might be raising the standard voltage rather than a supporting more current

[@jrbloggins]

I agree, the whole 12V ecosystem needs an upgrade as DC power is becoming so accessible and versatile

[@casemodder89]

@@chris8957 raising the voltage in vehicles and shit over the board voltage makes no sense at all. you'd need either bigass converters or more batterys that add 22Kg to the weight each. a higher current plug makes sense. and the optimal solution was a 100% compatible one to the old cigarette lighter plug. it still is possible to make the lighter type capable of 20A continuos/30A burst. but you'd need a machined brass ring as negative, huge pads in the plug that make the contact, a flat survaced positive on a heavy spring load an some kind of retainer. like the ball in a ratchet. but all that is wayy to expensive in this time where everything to damn crappy made chinese BS. nobody would pay for that. and the cheap chinaman would find 100 ways to cheap out on that high current plug as well. so it would end up just as bad as the cig lighter plug that today can't even handle a cig lighter.

[@chris8957]

the reason for the small inverter might be due to current limits, if they're smaller cells (particularly LiFePo4) they're probably not rated for more than 50A continuous discharge.

[@aday1637]

Discharge rate is a function of the BMS rather than the cell. However there probably is a limit built into the inverter that provides a further limit to cell output. Unit has a limit due to size and overall cell capacity. Did you take a look at the fets on the inverter circuit when he had it open. This thing in this size is built for lower current draw. I've got a larger delta pro 2 with lifepo4 cells that has a bms and inverter able to handle 2200 watt output (actual rating is 1800 watts). I can use a 1500 watt electric kettle without a problem. Size matters on these things.

[@mattblair4123]

Good to see what lies beneath the covers and I am very impressed on how clean the circuit board is.

[@yeetpotato9959]

lots of other people can get 8 amps out the dc socket at 11- 12v. also i believe the ground is there so when its plugged in (charging) the output will also have ground

[@IamMotorHomeless]

Thanks David... after watching your video I went out and bought the River 2 Max. I guessing they are about the same inside. And I was well impressed. It ran my Beko fridge freezer for over 11 hours...

[@fenceup07944931177]

My router allows me to have a guest network. I keep this set 2.4Ghz only and put all my IOT devices on that.

[@akira5982]

I thought it was gonna be a cheap pos under the hood but the build quality looks really good, how do u compare the river 2 to the bluetti eb3a pros n cons

[@noname-yb5jt]

Try starting the heater with the eco fully charged. 30% the batteries are dead and you're commanding way too much.

[@keithcarpenter9938]

I want to use a diesel/water heater for radiant floor heating. Maybe you could mock up something. Like a floor thing 5x3 for the kitchen or the shop.

[@moiplov]

Hey! I ve got the same problem with river 2 car dc output and my 12v fridge not being able to start up (low voltage error). I put a small 7Ah AGM battery from PC’s UPS in parallel on 12v dc output line and it helped my fridge to start and whole system operates perfectly in outdoors activities. Yeah, i think ecoflow guys are limiting the startup current to not use expendable fuses and get bad feedback from users. Hope this information will help someone!

[@colin125gwr]

Great video nice to see the inside ,Is the earth through to connected to the mains socket on the back ?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

That is an excellent question and something I should have checked.

[@hendrikvandenboogaard5810]

I bought the device and I think I can confirm that it is connected through. When plugging in my laptop charger in the AC output I can feel this 'static' feeling with the tip of my fingers when touching the lid of the laptop. This typically happens when not using a grounded connection . As soon as I plug in the AC cord of the Ecoflow this feeling disappears.

[@JimLahey21]

Not gonna lie, I was waiting for you to short out a battery with your callipers haha

[@DavidMcLuckie]

That's why I have a plastic set. :)

[@TimeForYouyoga]

Hi David, Thank you for this video! Surprised the jackery was able to power the diesel heater and not the Eco flow river 2. My question is do you think the Eco Flow river 2 Max, which has a 500W output and X-Boost mode on 1000W could start a 2kW diesel heater?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

I've still to make some kind of video on this. What I have noticed is temperature makes a massive difference on whether it will work or not. I tested them all at -5ºC during the winter and not one would start a diesel heater.

[@hyperlife1]

❗️❗️❗️Would it be possible to charge these Power packs jackery/bluetti etc… with power tool battery’s? Such as a malwalkee 18v m18? Could be an interesting video ❗️❗️❗️

[@noname-yb5jt]

I charge mine with 6s rc batteries sometimes. You just need an xt60 connector.

[@hyperlife1]

Yea I worked it out! Charges no problem. Not very efficient but works well

[@noname-yb5jt]

Yeah I only get 109 watts out of a 6s lipo. Seems to cap at 110w not the 8amps advertised.

[@LiquidTurbo]

I'm guessing Ecoflow didn't sponsor this video, lol.

[@David_11111]

yay... but no fire :)

[@twocvbloke]

Cigarette lighter sockets in this day and age are just a terrible design, so many much better designs, but cos cars standardised them for use by smokers, they ended up being all over the place, and they are so damned flaky when it comes to suppling more than an amp or two as they rely on sheer luck for the plugs to actually stay put, but, we're stuck with them, which sucks, especially when there's so many far better options for 12v accessory plugs... :\

[@MrSlugbait]

Exactly my pont

[@DavidMcLuckie]

They could do both. You'd think now in the age of everything being electric Audi, BMW, etc would go to someone like Anderson and say "Let's make a 12V adaptor plug that fills the hole". Then we can finally have a useful 12V plug.

[@josephsowell490]

I do like the fact that it has a 5 year warranty. That is good enough for me.

[@barryfeeley8399]

5 year warranty is worthless when Ecoflow won’t engage with you and send meaningless AI generated messages!

[@Simon_Rafferty]

I'd be interested to see how a GoalZero pack stack up, compared to the cheap ones - i.e. is it worth the extra money?

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

No. I have one, and not happy with it, Ecoflow is much better imo.

[@Simon_Rafferty]

@@andredeketeleastutecomplex Luckily, I have neither! I have one I built - which has proven very good over the years.

[@pattishelton3169]

This is a silly question I’m sure but I’m a woman, lol not very tech savvy and I bought the River 2 Max to run my c-pap during a power outage. So my question is if the power goes out and we have no phone service or I’m out in the boonies without cell service can I still use my EcoFlow? And I’m not using heat or water in my c-pap so will the EcoFlow run my c-pap? Thank you.

[@Dj_jon]

Image if these companies started making power stations with replaceable batteries instead of these fix batteries they would get more customers and they could even make more money selling their own replaceable battery because people usually dump their devices when battery capacity hits 20-30, it makes sense to trigger more of the upper,middle and lower class of customers

[@aday1637]

Odd that it wouldn't perform to spec on DC. Also odd it wouldn't show a/c consumption on the meter. I just ordered the US version of this the other day and will check those items straight away upon arrival. I purchased 2 Bluetti EB3A units and they were pure crap. I got them 2 weeks ago and both failed right away. I have another EcoFlow unit (1024 wh) that seems to operate properly thus my decision to replace at least one of the returned Bluetti's to see how it works. Thanks for the tear down. I'd probably never do that on my own and would just remain curious about the build inside. Now my curiosity is solved.

[@jimsarranadventures3005]

Hi David. Another nice review. Never mind the whistles and bells, quite happy to cart a battery pack that will fire up my diesel heater which will keep my winter tent warm.

[@jpayne8096]

I have one of these units, and in my testing, the AC output draw must be above 15 watts to show on the display or in the app, which is disappointing considering the previous versions would register any wattage draw.

[@personabovefarts1244]

Nice to know that it has a 3000 charge cycle which means I can use it for around 10 years.

[@Miles7955]

A 1.4 meter battery... how did they fit them in there? :P

[@wanna31]

I personally think the ecoflow river 1 is much better except it hadn't got lifepo4 batteries .The dc output is rated at 136 watts or 10amps which powers my diesel heater no problem. Plus the inverter is 600 watts plus the xboost .

[@RobertDeloyd]

I think he broke the DC because it should power it with no problem.

[@rhiantaylor3446]

I agree about pushing up the inverter output though this is better than some at 600w. Key thing for me would be to be able to power a fridge/freezer which probably needs only 50w when running but a lot more at outset and might not start with a lesser inverter. To be honest, I think this model would work for me with 2x fridges and a gas central heating pump to run for a few hrs max.

[@casemodder89]

this wouldn't even start _one_ fridge. let alone a second one already preloaded. for a (not US style wall of fridge) you'd need AT LEAST a 800-1000W inverter for the inrushcurrent capabilitys. and inverters consume unnessary power in the off cycle. better get a 12v compressor coolingbox and run it off a battery.

[@Bob23610]

Can u do a thermal video when using it e.g using the dc and ac

[@David_11111]

wot no hand drawn schematic.. Big Clive is safe.... LOL

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Very, very safe.

[@tacticaladvance]

looks like everyone getting one of these. Fan seems a bit nuts.

[@markjoyous3525]

i have lion energy solar panels and i just got the river 2 max, my first power station. can anyone link me to an adapter i can use the energy solar panels with this? i believe the river has xt-60 but im not sure what the lion energy solar panels connectors are called.

[@Mega1andy2]

i believe you may have unplugged the output plug which is NOT displaying the output wattages. so you may need to look at the wirings.

[@jongrant4504]

I find the handle makes it bulky - based on your video, I could cut the handle off without damaging anything?

[@ashleyblack327]

I knew this wasn't going to be a great success story from the beginning of the video. There's no pink towel.

[@EmmaJackman]

Hi David, I saw your video about powering a diesel heater with a Jackery, would this power station be able to power one as well? Max output on the 12v is 8A and I think the Jackery was 10A. Thanks!

[@TM-xq8hg]

Did you find an answer to your question? It's exactly what i need to know.

[@JackmanFlicks]

Was this an unfair test for the ECOFLOW's 8Amp rated cigarette DC output to start a Diesel heater? Most user groups report 9 ~ 11 amps with 10 amps the most observed needed to start a heater. I saw 11 amps peak for 2 seconds on mine. Hence the 15 Amp fuse on diesel heaters? ... - I saw only 1 heater start on 7.7 amps and that was on this channel using a Jackery. Are we asking to much at 8 amps? just thinking out loud...

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Thinking out loud is great. And that's why I'm going to test a few portable diesel heaters with all the power stations I have available.

[@briareos-lawrence]

What form-factor of cells? can't find any specification for this size

[@hmarc417]

Question? I have the ecoflow rIver pro and the expansion battery. bought them without the expansion cable. It is not a delta cable... might you by chance know if the pinout on the river cable is a straight or twisted pair configuration? so i can build my own cable.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

I do not have any of the expandable batteries or cables to test with.

[@davidniquot6423]

Thanks buddy, nice informations.

[@JedHurricane]

I was not expecting the battery to be so small

[@haulngrassracing]

The original River will power a diesel air heater. I use my regular River to power my Hcalory.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Good to know. Have you tested with the batteries very cold? I was trying other power stations at -5º and they all struggled.

[@haulngrassracing]

I should have tested it when it was -10 and windchill at -35 (F) during the Christmas holiday but I was battling pneumonia so wasn’t allowed to go outside. I did run it at 20F and it worked just fine. Not sure how it holds up if it’s super cold though.

[@dantronics1682]

Ok someone is going to say it was a stupid question but Ill ask anyway. Is the inverter pure sine wave? By the way is it the camera angle or does that large cap looks slightly bulged?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

I'll have to assume so as I don't have differential probes for my picoscope.

[@stevedowling1960]

Nice review, but I can't say I'm impressed, which is a shame, cause I was just about to buy one.

[@story1234]

I have a space heater that runs at 750w. It works with the River 2 at 300w. It doesn’t work with R600 with. 600w inverter.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

On the River 2 it will be running at 300W. It can adjust the output to run high power resistive loads by changing the voltage.

[@TnTTyler]

Its not garbage, they are very clear on the output of the 12v socket......

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Hmm, it wasn't though. It didn't hold 12V through the load range.

[@nigelgunn322]

@@DavidMcLuckie The battery's not fully charged either!

[@philipblair7307]

These look interesting. I would they run a 5kw diesel heater overnight?

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Some of them yes. But not this particular one.

[@Realgrande]

You broke it when you opened it up, or maybe it is just a bad unit that you got. I have the River 2 with American Standards and it works 100% so, don't know what to say.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Broke what?

[@Realgrande]

@@DavidMcLuckie The River 2

[@story1234]

How much weight can the top surface support? Can it be used as a stool?

[@WatsitTooyah]

You could park a car on top of 4 of these. Ecoflow has a video of this lol

[@story1234]

@@WatsitTooyah Finally a reply lol.

[@sypeharrap6917]

How easy would it be to swap the fan out for a quieter one?

[@story1234]

The fan is fine.

[@Healcraft]

​@@story1234no it isnt

[@chrisjames7015]

I have the same situation with the River 2 Max the Watt meter is poor and does not register under 20 watts. It also does not register low level solar input either. I love the app and the quick charge. The fans also seem to run at full speed a lot when other similar sized powerstations are silent. I'm on the fence about whether to keep or return. I agree with you well constructed. Thanks for the content.

[@pa_maj.MARTINI-van-MAN]

Those Batteries look like LiFePO4.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

EcoFlow say they are. But I didn't see any markings on them.

[@casemodder89]

@@DavidMcLuckie the average voltage of 3,3V tells it. most of the time they hoover around 3,2 to 3,3V LiPo and LiIon on the other hand run down from 4,2 to 2,8V 100% - 0% almost linear voltage vers. charge drop. LiFePo dont do this. they have like 10% charge over 3,3V and 5% below 3V. so a 4S pack like this at 12,00V is about flat. below 12 it drops like a stone.

[@1stRanger]

Next time plug power cord to the wall and I bet ground will magically appear on AC output. I mean how else would you expect it to have ground? And it should retain ground even during power outage. That ofc if ground is properly installed and wired in your building.

[@DavidMcLuckie]

Yes that's pass through ground. What about when running on internal power? Think petrol generators, they usually have a ground point on the body so you can tie them into whatever you are powering and not have a floating ground.

[@1stRanger]

@@DavidMcLuckie Well, you can still keep it plugged even when running from the battery. Or you could wire ground to the socket even if there's no grid and plug it in or make a custom cable with only ground being wired. Ground should still work since it's just a pass through as you said.

[@casemodder89]

@@1stRanger ground only works if you have an actual circuit. that is the case with transformers and diesel/petrol gennys WITH the ground rod. inverters have their own circuit and the earth pin usually shuts the electronic down if you plug in a faulty appliance with grounded metal body. so you don't get shocked from floating uninsulated wires touching the metal body.

[@1stRanger]

@@casemodder89 What are you talking about? Ground is ground. It can only be grounded if there’s a pass through to the input plug. There’s no other way this unit can be connected to the ground, no separate ground wire connecter. Thus this is the only possible way it can be. I also know for a fact there’s a pass through. As for appliances, they can only have one ground connection. Multiple ground connections are not allowed since this may create current between multiple ground points through appliance. So if appliances is grounded with a separate wire it can’t have ground wire connection in its plug. And still it’s not advisable to have multiple ground points.

[@casemodder89]

@@1stRanger it is ground as long as its plugged in. but it acts like a switch or sensing wire as soon as its unplugged. if current drains from live to ground (that is still called ground!) the inverter shuts off or in protect mode. it's called an isle system. you dont have an actual ground connection (which is pointless in an isle system) but the ground wire still makes sure a faulty appliance bleeding current to its gounded body trips the safety feature.

[@karldingbat]

I wont be buying 1 of those then!

[@AndrewB416]

I've been eyeing an EcoFlow Delta 2 for a little while now. Having watched this video it has given me pause to committing my money to the EcoFlow brand. Not good!

[@chrisiden]

Entry level River 2 is nothing like the Delta 2

[@AndrewB416]

@@chrisiden That may be the case but the unit not living up to the claims on the box for DC output leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

[@Bacnow]

@@chrisiden - I wouldn’t base my decision on a single KZbin video. The Delta 2 is a beast for it’s price point and mine runs flawlessly! So, what did you buy, a Bluetti, Anker, Jackery or something else?

[@mikemotorbike4283]

It's got everything but a battery, pity! All that wasted space around the edges could hold 8 more. Gorgeous circuitry, begging to be used. Would be nice to add a real battery. Maybe through the solar input. Otherwise just an expensive toy that flashes. The Amazon listing says it's 4 cylinders and 600w, farcical Chinese tactics.