I Measured UPS Mode Swap-Over Times!! Anker - Bluetti - EcoFlow - UGREEN - Jackery - HEAD to HEAD

In this video I use my oscilloscope to test actual UPS cut-over speeds on each of the power stations. We tested the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max, the Oukitel P2001, the UGREEN PowerRoam 2200, the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus, the Bluetti AC200L, and the Anker SOLIX F2000.
Each one was BETTER than advertised! Awesome :) :) :)
See my FULL power station review videos HERE:
EcoFlow Delta 2 Max: • The NEW EcoFlow Delta ...
Oukitel P2001: • My First 'UPS' Power S... (OLDER VIDEO)
UGREEN PowerRoam 2200: • The UGREEN PowerRoam 2...
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: • Jackery Explorer 2000 ...
Bluetti AC200L: • The NEW Bluetti AC200L...
Anker SOLIX F2000: • Anker SOLIX F2000 - B...
#jasonoid

[@twloughlin]

Ugreen continues to impress. You're the only tester I've seen using this particular piece of equipment. Very cool.

[@Jasonoid]

Another channel called 'Waveform Science' just started testing UPS modes with an oscilloscope. I still think I was first. Maybe I started a trend!? 😁

[@user--PM]

i first seen matthias doing it. @matthiasrandomstuff2221

[@Jasonoid]

@@user--PM I saw him test the surge induction load that damaged his Ecoflow power station. Did he actually measure the UPS cutover time?

[@user--PM]

yes, but it was not in the same video, it was in the original review, though having trouble finding it now.

[@JimMcPartland]

I was hoping for this!! Will you be testing all of them and adding them to your spreadsheet?? Thank you for all your time and hard work.

[@Jasonoid]

The units I still have in my possession have been added to the spreadsheet. The units that have moved on to better places, I can't test those anymore. I'll make sure to update any results in the future to the speadsheet.

[@ronbridegroom8428]

I appreciate you getting a quality oscilloscope as it enables you to show us quality footage of the waveform that the product generates. Other reviewers have very pixelated displays which do not tell you anything or they do not even bother testing the waveform quality. This is important when hooking up expensive electronics. Your the only reviewer I know of that can/does measure the actual cut-over speeds and one of the first, if not the first, that has an program running on your computer when you do the testing versus others who had a static display which would not be the typical use case that needs to be tested. Your showing your professionalism and as a degreed Electronic Engineer I appreciate that. Keep up the good work

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks Ron! I have a lot to learn before I can consider myself 'engineer' status. I'm always trying to pick up new skills to make these video more valuable 😊

[@todd.parker]

Awesome tests Jason! Man, this is so much better than seeing if a PC dies. Ugreen is crushing it, yet again.

[@Jasonoid]

Not many people know about the UGREEN brand either!

[@renyraiche-gregoire4921]

Thanks for the Update, you make a really great job.

[@Jasonoid]

I was happy to see that the UPS on most of these was fairly quick!

[@markmonroe7330]

Really good stuff. Nice fresh stuff in the power station arena. Thank you.

[@johntate5284]

Very nice! There is only one other tester that uses this method for checking the switch over time. It would be nice to compare these numbers with a UPS from Tripp-Lite that is also a true sine output. The B-Sin-600 is about the same price as an AC2A, has 375 watts RMS and has a maximum transfer time of 2 msec or less. Of course it has a boat anchor SLA battery, but still would be a good reference for these types of tests going forward. That was quite a spike on the AC200L. Maybe you could quantify that (looks like 10 to 15 volts!) as a spike like that could be problematic for some sensitive equipment. Great to see you growing in your knowledge as you start to close in on 100K!

[@Jasonoid]

I'll consider testing a true UPS someday. I'm not sure the topic is that popular on KZbin. It might not be worth spending a few hundred bucks to get $20 back through ad revenue on a video. We'll see. I noticed 'Waveform Science' started testing UPS mode cut-over times in his AC200L review video ;)

[@user--PM]

hopefully you know someone that is local and has a pure sine wave UPS that doesn't mind you borrowing it for testing, it would have probably been a nice addition to this testing video. but agree, making a dedicated video about this for one unit doesn't seem wise.

[@johntate5284]

@@Jasonoid With more manufacturers adding the UPS feature, there should be some care exercised when reviewing this feature and not referencing a standard, such as 60Hz, or 120VAC RMS. I will be more than happy to send you a Tripp-Lite unit (that i previously referenced) as it is a real sine wave unit and not a crappy wave like most of the consumer level things. If you are interested, just let me know.

[@Jasonoid]

@@johntate5284 that's very generous John, but I can purchase a true sine wave 'brand name' UPS unit if I decide to move forward with the future video. I will not purchase a junk modified inverter version.

[@user--PM]

another very great video Jason, i much appreciate that information, and really grateful for the oscilloscope addition to the testing. i take it you tested all the remaining power stations that you had on hand? as for UPS cutover times, as long as they are sub 20ms most electronics will stay alive, sure, it would be nice if the transition was a bit smoother, some of that is due to the switch, because it takes those ns to break the switch contact, if you have a contactor, that would give a cleaner connect and disconnect, switches have some "noise" to them as the contacts are usually imperfect, thanks again!

[@Jasonoid]

Most of the results I have tested have been updated on the spreadsheet. I still have a couple models to test. It seems not many people use the UPS functionality on these and the popularity of the video is pretty low. I'll see how it goes with time.

[@user--PM]

im sorry others are less interested, i however was very fascinated, and thank you greatly.

[@RamblinBobReviews]

Jasonoid playing with his new toys :) P.S. YEAH BUDDY !!!!!

[@Electronzap]

Good info.

[@Jasonoid]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnnysweekends]

Cool video for people who really want the data for specific usage. I think Ugreen doesn’t get enough credit how good that unit is. Good video 👍🏼

[@petenelson8136]

Interesting video. I've got a Bluetti AC500 and use it as a UPS for my freezers, frigs, furnace and ERV. I also take it with me in my 5th wheel when RVing. I've got it set up to be charged with solar power and grid power (still need to figure out if I can prioritize one over the other) at my house. Good to see the Bluetti performed as well as it did.

[@Jasonoid]

Go into the settings screen and change the UPS mode to 'PV priority'. It's on the third or fourth page. It will allow you to set it to charge with solar panels only until the battery drops to a certain level and then it will charge with both AC and solar.

[@OnusBones]

That was a really good one. Especially for computers, knowing the cutover time is important; some computer PSUs will simply shut off if they sense bad power. For comparison, please show the test results of some popular computer UPS units. I would suggest APC, Tripplite, Cyberpower, and possibly Liebert. If you don't own these, I'm sure you can borrow them somewhere.

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks for the suggestion :)

[@johnt2491]

@Jasonoid this is an excellent video and your timing is perfect, no pun intended. 😅 I'm in the process of replacing an old UPS with a setup like this. Feedback as requested in the video: 🔸What is the switch over time going BACK to utility power? Knowing failover time to battery is great, but is it just as fast going back to utility? 🔸Also, I'd love to see similar tests with other types of equipment, like power inverters and solar related equipment. How quickly does the EG4 3kW Off-Grid Inverter (3000EHV-48) swap from battery to grid? Grid to battery? Battery to PV? Amazing videos as always, can't wait for the next one! 🎉

[@Jasonoid]

Hey John, the swap back time is pretty hard to catch on the oscilloscope but in my previous testing it's just as fast as the swap over since my desktop PC still stays running with both changes. Usually a PC power supply needs 16ms or less to keep running and all these models performed well in those tests (with the exception of the EF Delta 2 Max since I haven't tested with a pc since the firmware upgrade)

[@shelley131]

Jason, as always you provide great information and useful. I'm going on an extended trip and seeing all those power stations you have left me wondering if you could do a video where you daisy chain several power banks with pass through charging and if possible connect them where all charge from the wall while extending the power of the one connected to a fridge for example. I have 2 delta max 2000, 2 delta 2's, one river pro plus expansion battery, 2 jackery 500 and one Inergy Apex. Was thinking of pairing the delta max 2000 with the delta 2 and the jackery 500, set used for the fridge and the other set for the freezer.

[@Jasonoid]

I tested that question with three units that had UPS functionality, it worked surprisingly well! You can see that experiement here in this video: kzbin.infoZ5nxhBtqoms?feature=share

[@gregben]

For safety, wire a 1 megohm (1 million Ohm) 1/4 Watt resistor into each lead of your test cord and apply heat shrink. The resistors will limit current flow and the oscilloscope will show a very slightly reduced voltage because it draws very little current. The best way to attach the resistors (leaded, not surface mount) is to solder them. On second thought, use 100 k Ohm resistors instead of 1 megohm resistors because the 1 megohm resistors will significantly reduce the voltage seen by the oscilloscope.

[@jimdaly5077]

Hi good info will be helpful to a lot of people, Top Man 👍🐝🌞

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks 👍

[@Aranimda]

I love this test. Tests like these can help to bring the quality of power station UPS functionality to the next level. As UPS test I also like to see the following: ▪ What the idle power loss is of each power station in UPS mode while supplying power to a PC/server when it is connected to clean AC grid power. ▪ If the power station wastes energy by continuously draining and recharging the battery like my Bluetti AC300 does. (The internal electronics of the AC300 always runs off battery, even when it is connected to grid, which results in the battery continuously being used and recharged.) ▪ If any of the power stations offer UPS software to automatically shut down a connected PC when the battery is almost empty. ▪ If the AC output to the load is resumed after the battery drained empty during a long power outage and the utility power comes back. ▪ If any power station has a built-in surge protector to protect connected equipment from grid power surges.

[@Jasonoid]

I think point 5 will be a reality on the new EcoFlow Delta Ultra.

[@DeanBennett1]

@@Jasonoid any of these address point number 4? All of these units are useless in an unattended application if not. Like leaving town for a week or so. Hate to have one of these on my fridge and it does not power the load when the utility power comes back. You can fix point 3 by putting a small 'real' UPS between the Power Station and the load (finickiness of the real UPS notwithstanding). You can fix point 5 with a mountain of reasonable in-line suppressors. You can't fix Point 4.

[@Jasonoid]

@@DeanBennett1 the Ecoflow delta pro ultra utilizes a new 'AC always on' feature where if the battery dies, the AC inverter will turn back on once charging power is restored. Only unit that works like that (that I know of).

[@madsmix]

Great video again! I wonder how much of a difference these metrics will make at 230V AC. I live in India and some of these brands have started selling here.

[@Jasonoid]

I'm sure the UPS functionality is very similar.

[@gregben]

The "distortion" during the swapover period is totally inconsequential. It will not have any affect. If there was one or more high-voltage spikes during the switchover period that would mean something.

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm still learning about this stuff so I appreciate the info.

[@trustbuster23]

If you get brownouts, voltage spikes, etc. you need a high-quality UPS to protect against that stuff. Over/under voltage can be just as dangerous as an unexpected power cut off. So I bought one of these power stations and tried to plug my regular UPS into it. No go. You need a bonded neutral or the UPS senses there is something wrong and won't pass power from the power station through to your load. So basically you have to shut down, disconnect the load from the UPS, and then you can power it back up directly from the power station. The idea that your server or whatever can run for a few days off of one of these things seamlessly even if you aren't there is not really viable. You still have to shut everything down and then power back up if you need the protection a real UPS offers to your equipment. These things are great for less critical loads like a fridge, but they aren't really a UPS, which is why all the manufacturers are all very careful not to label them as such.

[@Jasonoid]

They have bonded neutral plugs you can connect into the power station (since most of these have a floating ground). Did you try that in your setup?

[@trustbuster23]

@@Jasonoid Yeah, I did think about that. Code says that the only place you are supposed to bond is at the main panel, so if you bond neutral and ground with a bonded neutral plug, that is no bueno as long as the power station is plugged into the grid. It would work, but you really aren't supposed to do that.. Those plugs are really for when the generator or power station is the source of power and so it is in the same place in the circuit as the main panel normally would be. I think you are stuck shutting down and powering back up if you want full UPS functionality. Still better than having only 6 minutes of power but not awesome if you are away from home. I am actually surprised these companies don't just go ahead and make a full-fledged UPS, I can't imagine the extra power monitoring/conditioning circuitry required would be a big lift. It is like they all got 99% there and stopped.

[@Jasonoid]

@@trustbuster23 Can you clarify which brand/model you used in your testing where the grounding wasn't working? When I test with my power analyzer during UPS mode/ac charging, the Bluetti and Anker models show the ground is active and correct. When I test when the power station is running on it own (not plugged into the wall), the ground is floating / open. Not all brands are created equal. The Bluetti and Anker seem to pick up ground through the charging cable so they use the same ground as your home panel setup (then you don't have two grounds in the system).

[@trustbuster23]

@@Jasonoid I have the Jackery 2000 plus. Same thing - it will pass the ground through correctly as long as connected to utility power. But when the utility power goes out you now get an open ground. That trips the UPS and keeps it from accepting power from the Jackery. But if I bond neutral and ground while I am still on utility power using a bonding plug to avoid the issue, then that is not code compliant because you now have a second bond not at the main panel. At least that is my understanding of the electrical code.

[@Jasonoid]

@@trustbuster23 yep, understood. Thanks for clarifying. I don't really see a way around that unless you find a UPS that doesn't require that. I charge with solar like 99% of the time and I hardly use AC charging.

[@marcfruchtman9473]

Great video. Thank you so much for showing the transition time with the oscilloscope tracing! My only concern is that you are "over" emphasizing the "clean/dirty" aspect of the swap over waveform. The "appearance" of

[@Jasonoid]

I probably am over emphasizing the clean/dirty aspect of the waveform. I'm no expert on the matter. Thanks for the feedback!

[@jaysonstebbins2539]

Awesome comparison and tests!!! I have an awesome question that I can't seem to understand. On my delta pro. I run a portable air-conditioner with heat. (It has a reversing valve that is spring loaded to cool mode). When my reserve capacity hits @ 30% (ac plug turns on) the relay will switch to ac input bypass. Or when I loose power the relay switches to inverter. What happens is the portable air-conditioner will send the delta pro into overload. Is this because of the reversing valve not holding long enough in height mode and the compressor locks up temporarily?

[@Jasonoid]

It might be that surge load on the air conditioner is too large. Have you looked into getting a soft-start installed to dampen the surge?

[@jaysonstebbins2539]

@Jasonoid unfortunately it's a portable air-conditioner. It pull 1100 watts on heat and 1350 on cool mode. The Delta Pro all on its own will run it no problem at all I just had to keep the delta pro unplugged from the wall so it didn't try to run into bypass. It's only the switchover to ac bypass does it actually do this.

[@Jasonoid]

@@jaysonstebbins2539 is it on the latest firmware?

[@jaysonstebbins2539]

@Jasonoid yes. I have energy management turned on, and at the moment, we use the electric fireplace because the wife likes it. Bringing in 1600 watts from 11am to 230pm allows us to run it and the TV but even with the latest firmware if the delta pro falls to my 30% reserve capacity (which is when ac charging and bypass kicks in) sometimes its not even quick enough to keep the electronics in the fireplace on long enough to keep it going. It's a 50/50 chance if it stays on, lol. The TV will stay on but sometimes not the fireplace. BTW these aren't complaints but just things I experienced. Love your channel btw. Your channel is what helped me decide on my powerstation. I ahd the delta max 2k but for the price I was bummed on the cycles of only 800 lol. If the delta 2 max was out at the time I would've purchased it but I'm VERY happy with my delta pro and the 1800 watt array I have on it. It's got me through a few power outages and a Christmas blackout. So thanks!

[@EngiTrek]

Would be interested to see a video of a power station with a server rack battery (possibly 48V) as an expansion.

[@Jasonoid]

You can see multiple expansion battery voltages here in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnyXe36jm9OXnpo

[@donjuan6646]

Looks like there catching up . The 2024/2025 models will be the best yet .

[@Jasonoid]

I think we will start to see 5ms or less on these models. When I tested the new EcoFlow Delta Ultra this week I got around 5ms cutover. Super fast!

[@rcguymike]

​@@Jasonoid there is supposed to be 0mS on the Ultra as well? Is that limited to like a couple of outlets, or only through the SHP2 or something? I'm assuming that it just runs all of the AC power through the battery and inverter for 0mS? Or is that not finalized yet? Or can't say😅?

[@Jasonoid]

@@rcguymike I've tested both the Ultra UPS modes (online and backup). The times are 4ms and 18ms. Not quite 0ms but really close!

[@ArnelMirabueno]

Wow 😊

[@Cody4k]

The P2001 in my server rack has had issues with brownouts where the UPS mode doesn't switch over. Network equipment stays running but the servers shut off. Could be interesting to find a way to test how power stations handle that situation, variac maybe?

[@Jasonoid]

I had the Oukitel P2001 in the video, which is identical to the FFpower P2001. The only difference is the brand badge on the front.

[@user--PM]

my FF Power P2001 must not have the same switch over time as my PC doesn't stay running for most switchovers. so i understand your frustration.

[@Cody4k]

@@user--PM (was writing this when you deleted your previous comment) It works fine for hard cuts, for several months last year I had it on a smartplug that cut power during the day so it ran a server on solar power. over 100 controlled "power failures" without issue. Actual power failures, much less reliable. I now have a small cyberpower UPS between it and the equipment to deal with the delay, also useful if I want to take the power station with me.

[@user--PM]

@@Cody4k ah yeah i also put a APC UPS in between my PC and the wall, as the ffpower p2001 was unable to handle complete cutouts, for some reason over this last summer the cutouts were for a half second and twice a day, it was real annoying. now i have several UPS because of it.

[@jamesd7448]

I would be interested in knowing how much noise these and smaller power stations make when using as a UPS. I see a lot of advertising cpap use, but taking my own Bluetti EB3a as an example, it makes a lot of noise kicking on and off for something that would be sitting next to your bed while trying to sleep.

[@jamesd7448]

So I did go ahead and get an AC70 and an AC2a. The AC2a is much quieter than the EB3a and would tolerable for sleep. The AC70 however is completely silent, fan doesn't even come on. For my use case, this is using 20-30W to power some network equipment and a computer in sleep mode. The AC70 is way overkill for my need though. I mostly need it to handle power blips of a few seconds, may minutes, with the bonus that it could keep stuff powered on for a couple hours if needed, unlike my Cyberpower UPS which after a couple years has degraded the battery to barely keep stuff up for 5 minutes. The EB2a is a perfect size if only it would stay silent, and could be greatly improved for little cost with a better quality fan and maybe an option just keep it running at it's lowest speed so it's not kicking on and off.

[@mymusic5772]

Being a hifi enthusiast I’m interested to see what which one of these devices would give the listener the best sound experience eg, some run nosier than others and which one gives the cleanest electricity to your hifi.

[@Jasonoid]

Check out each of my individual reviews for audio noise testing on the inverters. Links to those videos are in the video description.

[@kidcymucks]

I checked the grading sheet for EB3A and it's listed at 20ms. Has that been confirmed with the oscilloscope?

[@Jasonoid]

Nope, haven't tested that one yet.

[@kidcymucks]

@Jasonoid let me know when you do. I had mine hooked up to my entertainment system, powering a router, tv, streaming device, NAS, and soundbar. For some reason, it would regularly switch, causing the TV to flicker. It didn't shut anything off initially, but over time, the TV did shut off sometimes. I replaced that duty with the Allpowers R600 beige edition, and none of that has happened since.

[@taskelam8937]

Great testing! Now repeat the test using a 10-50W reactive low power factor load. Ecoflow is known to suck with those, but what about the others?

[@Jasonoid]

Dude, I'm not an electrician and I have no idea what a reactive low power factor load is. You'll have to be more specific...

[@taskelam8937]

@@Jasonoid Reactive load is a non-resistive load such as a switching power supply or an LED bulb or a pump (inductive load). Something else than a purely resistive load such as a heater or a power supply with an active power correction like in a PC.

[@CanuckTech]

Yes, @Jasonoid please test non resistive loads, Thanks!

[@Jasonoid]

@@taskelam8937 so you're saying the UPS time would change if I ran a PC vs a small heater that both pulled 200watts?

[@taskelam8937]

No. A good quality desktop PC and a small heater are very similar as loads, they both have a high power factor. A small load such as an LED bulb causes the UPS in the Ecoflow Delta 2 to behave very differently though. Hobotech has noticed that many power stations can't keep his low powered old laptop going without a battery when the AC input cuts off. @@Jasonoid

[@greensavant2573]

Round trip efficiency.

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@gwashburn39]

I find that the ups funtion on my power stations draws 30watts or more constantantly from wall outlet. with no load and fully charged. Example of all 3 of my eb3a's do this. 🤔

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks for bringing that up, that's something to think about for sure. Is it worth the extra power usage to use it as a UPS? Gotta weigh the pros and cons.

[@gwashburn39]

@Jasonoid I'm up to 8 power queen 12/300 batts wired in 24v :). I maybe going to 48v soon.

[@jeffj2688]

APC lists a 6-10ms transfer time for the Smart UPS SMC1500C Backup.

[@Jasonoid]

Thanks for the info.

[@jeffj2688]

It's very cool that you are actually testing this AND looking at the waveform of the outputs. Too many reviewers never give this info any thought. It would be interesting to see what the switchover wave looks like running an inductive load of some sort. @@Jasonoid

[@billy2bob63]

Hey Jason off subject but have you or know of anyone using Bluetti refurbished batteries from Bluetti ebay? How are they in quality?

[@Jasonoid]

I haven't ever tested a refurbished unit from eBay.

[@billy2bob63]

@Jasonoid You need too please since a lot of people are buying them to use! Please please please

[@Jasonoid]

@@billy2bob63 if it's coming from a true Bluetti source with a refurbished warranty, I don't see why there would be an issue.

[@billy2bob63]

@Jasonoid Ok good information thank you!

[@grindychum]

I am currently in the return process of returning a "refurbished" B230 black Friday purchase from Bluetti. After 30 min of discharge the battery starts to make a humming noise.

[@cyberspark1341]

I wonder how long you could run your entire house from just your entire collection of batteries starting from 100%.

[@Jasonoid]

I have a transfer switch which would allow me to power things for quite a long time.... however the main issue would be how long it would take to charge everything back up!