Inside the ASDA Ozark Trail 8000mAh USB power bank.

[@jameslamb4573]

Continuity alert! The outer shell is complete towards the end after you went postal on it and detached the dust cover from it earlier!

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yeah, I was wondering how many would spot the continuity thing.

[@TheRealSasquatch]

looks like the charge controller chip could be the MSC13S_0829D -I could be wrong though.

[@wdave6944]

This was an exceptionly well-framed video! You had all the parts in-shot, including the specs on the case bottom and the notepad and with room for fiddling about at the same time. Great Job!

[@jaguarfacedman1365]

Ozark trail tends to be pretty good for the money. never seen anything electronic but a flashlight from them.

[@MylesHSG]

At 1:38 the tab was cut off, but at 7:45 it's attached?

[@maxbogaers]

a black magic called video editing

[@thepvporg]

Or more than one... Usually you have to sacrifice one to be able to take the other one apart without too much damage...

[@SmolPotatowo]

I just wonder how he got it back on...

[@thecrazyrocket5678]

MylesHSG I

[@SirHackaL0t.]

I prefer this type of video where we get to explore the device with you instead of those where you have previously opened it.

[@stewartcaldwell5299]

Clive, I have lots of Ozark Trail camping stuff. All good quality, never found any junk. I recommend their stuff.

[@HomelessTechnology]

Clive would you do a teardown of an Anker power bank from Amazon please. I just got a Anker e5 gen 2 16000mah one and it's really good. They are the biggest selling power bank manufacturer on Amazon be good to see the quality. Thanks.

[@cgcrghvtygjy5462]

This would be very interesting! They seem to dominate the Amazon USB power market

[@HomelessTechnology]

Yeah and really well made too. Would like to see if it really is 16750mAh in my 2nd gen Astro E5 but I don't have the money to buy another if I break it. Drop Anker an email Clive I'm sure they would give you one for a teardown if they truly believe in their own products.

[@cdjrobbo89]

yeah I second that as I have the anker powercore+ 26800MaH, lasts for days and supports fast changing, although I'm not sure how you'd get into it without breaking it as I can not see any screws.

[@HomelessTechnology]

No same as my one looks like a one way trip which is a shame.

[@cdjrobbo89]

yeah maybe do a smaller one as my model cost just under 60 quid, they have a good reputation so their cheaper ones should be built just as good.

[@CarltonDodd]

That battery pack looks like it may contain 5x 1600mAh 18650 batteries. That would be more likely to hit the stated 8000mAh rating.

[@BenjaminEsposti]

4:35 WHAT?! I love those little crosshead screws! They are little champs, as it's difficult to strip them. And I love how well they engage with the driver bit, unlike regular philips head screws.

[@Krankie_V]

in the USA, Wal-Mart sells that brand. it's mostly camping products.

[@heyarno]

Nice, that P4 type led can be easy replaced with a warm white one. Also nice nostalgia from when the snips where still intact.

[@asmrjunkie6613]

If it's Clive Approved then it's good enough for me. I've been after a power bank. ASDA here I come.

[@mediaphile]

The only Ozark Trail device I own is a little LED flashlight maybe four inches long. It outputs a lot of light for its size, weight, construction, and cost. It was about ten dollars, and is a better flashlight than almost anything else I've seen in its price range. And I would bet that it is actually water proof to a certain extent because it has some nice o-ring gaskets that keep everything sealed up nice and tight. Point is, I'm not surprised this power bank is pretty decent.

[@ricknelsonatwork4981]

Here in the US I didn't find it at my local Walmart, then went to the online store. They only offer an Ozark Trail 6600ma 3 cell version with a 1.5amp hour charge rating.

[@hgbugalou]

Unrelated but the Ozarks are one of the best kept secrets in the US. The Buffalo National River is awesome if you dig nature but not crowds that are in most national parks/sites.

[@gkruntz]

Like the design! Gives me a feel of ruggedness.

[@Darieee]

I would assume it does have short circuit protection .. how much does one cost ??

[@applesworld]

I hope my local (25 miles away) Asda have these still in stock; I could use several of them as donors to make some new battery packs for my cycle lights.

[@andyu7366]

love these videos big clive....trying to understand electronics a bit...failing...but love these none the less.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Don't worry. It all just falls into place over time.

[@edman3895]

Ozark trail brand is common in the US camping sections in Walmart. Got a good 3 in. knife for about 7 bucks (5.24 pound).

[@robhoulden]

Great Video as usual, i managed to buy one of those power banks for £6 due to the wrong price being attached, I use mine all the time and its really good, it has a capacity of 6500mah so with the conversion factor I would imagine it is close to the 8000mah. thanks for the videos Clive keep up the great work.Rob

[@mashedpotatoes5323]

Wait what? It has a battery capacity of 6,500mah but after conversion its 8,000mah? If anything after conversion it's less not more.

[@robhoulden]

The battery voltage is a nominal 3.7 volts, so after the boost converter has boosted the voltage up to 5 volts the 8000 mah is reduced, since Big Clive posted this video I’ve tested the batteries and they are 2000mah capacity each and there are 4 of them, I’m still using my battery bank to this day

[@grendelum]

Young Love 4 Jerry Garcia Band ? The JGB caught my eye as I've labeled many a CD with it...

[@LesKing72]

Ozark Trail is Walmart's store brand for outdoor equipment and they sell it in US Walmarts too

[@SURENITY]

Many Ozark pocket knives are great! Some of My favorite!

[@SG-bp4lg]

Where did you get that screwdriver collection with the little bits?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Poundland in the UK. It's called a 9 in 1 set.

[@CarlRecktenwaldJr]

They sell the ozark trail here in the usa at Walmart.

[@Yrouel86]

That 198ad chip might be to handle the usb port to negotiate charging current to support various devices

[@OriginalUsername9000]

Are you going to do that cheapie multimeter shootout/review?

[@nosafetyswitch9378]

What brand where the cells? You could have opened the heatshrink and looked for model codes or something.

[@andygozzo72]

If the cell pack is 8amp hour, you wont get 8 amp hour at the 5v out as it needs to be stepped up, which consumes power itself, so at the very most , 3.7 divided by 5, times 8, making 5.92, assuming 100% efficiency... So more like 5amp hour...

[@eliotmansfield]

I tested a 10000ma powerbank recently using my zpb30 active load set to 500ma and to turn off at 4.5v and indeed it came out at around 5000ma. So people need to ignore the headline figures i suspect. I think mjlorton did a big review on power banks a while back.

[@eliotmansfield]

www.mjlorton.com/usb-power-banks-tested-all-the-results/

[@twocvbloke]

Looks pretty chunky for sure, and the price is about that what I paid each for my 3x 10,000mAh Xiaomi power banks off Banggood (Contains 3x genuine Panasonic 18650 cells, also good banks for the USB soldering iron!), amazing how we got on without such useful little battery packs... :)

[@douro20]

I do believe they sell these at Walmart in the US. I'll have to look again.

[@maicod]

Thanks for taking it apart, all for your youtube children :) I'm sure it doesn't look brand new anymore after re-assembling it and the water 'resistance' will probably be gone due to the cover needing to be forcibly removed but its still usable as a powerbank I guess. What was ASDA's price for it ? Hope you will measure the mAh later on and make a video about it.

[@reaperwaits]

Should check out juiced weekend power bank has built in cables lighting and usb-b was a big selling point for me

[@Petertronic]

Is this unit totally defunct now? It's really neat, but I can't find one like it anywhere!

[@grahameparkhouse8085]

what did you pay clive ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I think it was £11.

[@grahameparkhouse8085]

Cheers Clive

[@DavidB445]

Hmm. May have to have a look for it.. Missed out on the one Aldi had/has for £10. At least my local Aldi's have sold out and I'm not burning fuel travelling all over to find one lol. This one looks pretty decent. Nice capacity and torch :D

[@BillyNoMates1974]

Just tried searching it on Asda web site and can't find it on there but then I shouldn't be surprised. Asda's web site is terrible compared to the shop

[@SiskinOnUTube]

Jings. That's not too bad for what you got.

[@tammmacdonald7723]

I cannot find this wee beastie Clive. Can you advise which ASDA you were in please.excellent channel.

[@greenaum]

With only 3 wires going to the LED board, how does the little power meter work? Is there a chip driving it on the same board? And what's the chip on the other side of the main PCB?

[@willsoe]

An interesting one to take a look inside could be the EasyAcc Monster 20000mAh Power Bank. Amazon lists it as £22 down from £99, and it can deliver some pretty hefty current. Might be an expensive one to tear down however, but it would be interesting to see if its truly worth £22 or £99

[@zx8401ztv]

Thats a good chunky battery, perhaps load it up one day and see how close it comes to the printed capacity. Plenty of screws to keep it together, nice ;-D

[@jetjazz05]

2000mah 18650s are pretty common, I'd imagine they are. I suppose it could be a little less, but I don't know if that'd be Ozark's fault, my guess is they ordered 4 of the cells at 2000mah, so if it's slightly less I doubt Ozark themselves know. I guess they could do a test on a completed one every once in awhile with test equipment to prove it's pretty close to that.

[@SianaGearz]

The most important thing to test would be something you couldn't test cheaply and quickly, namely whether they can develop a sudden internal short which will release all the stored energy in a short time and where even a well designed device could do fuck all about. But since verifying capacity is just so damn easy, it would be a bit shameful if the responsible organization didn't do it, unless they could reasonably assume that they can rely on the source to deliver consistent product.

[@SuperLoops]

this isnt a review channel tho, thats not what clive does. its a take it apart and look inside and show how it works channel. obvs those things overlap sometimes but the how it works bit is what its really about

[@SianaGearz]

Kevin Green Yes we are aware that there are many counterfeiters in China, and items from questionable sources will usually not correspond to spec, not even close. But when a major company goes in and wants something manufactured, they can go to one of the better and more expensive contract manufacturers that can vouch that the item is genuine, and can be held responsible if it isn't. It's not sufficient to test the capacity. There are manufacturing rejects from medium grade manufacturers, that should have been disposed of but have been stolen during recycling, that could have design capacity at beginning but could start growing dendrites or degrading the chemistry very rapidly, with catastrophic results. The only way to be safe is fully documented assurance of authenticity.

[@shortrefmegaref]

I've been to both Walmart in the US and Asda in the UK. Wallmart is to Asda as Asda is to Waitrose

[@RandyRandersonthefamous]

I got a $4 knife from that brand, good enough for a tool.

[@MrDustey]

If you ever get the time, you should check out some stuff by Kashi, especially the power banks they have. The're pretty high quality, and have large batteries in them, while also being very cheap. They even have one power bank that doubles as a car jumper. Keep up the awesome videos though man!

[@danielthechskid]

The US version I have is bigger and only has 3 cells in parallel, but has room for a 4th if you snip away some plastic ribbing that is only there to fill in the unused space. Mine now has all 4 cells in it. It appears to have 2 separate boost converters for the 2 output ports and its input charge current is just under 2 amps @ 5.3 volts. It is sold as the 6600mAh Ozark Trail tablet charger. No idea why they didn't just leave in the 4th cell stock and sell it as 8800mAh P.S. I call them energy banks because they store energy not power.

[@Spiderelectron]

Hi Clive - cracked knuckle season is coming up again soon! Time to stock up on BodyShop Hemp cream. :-)

[@channelsixtysix066]

Hello Clive. That silicone flap that broke off would have eventually done that anyway. You merely hastened it, by removing the cover. From my own experience, it is pretty much useless. It looks like a well-made unit though. I was going to make up a replacement 18650 battery pack for an auxilliary power unit in case of mains failure .... well, in the state of South Australia, I'm not permitted to do so. I would have to be licenced to do that and fully insured, due to the volitile nature of lithium cells. The laws are very strict, limited to the brand of cells used and many other tight regulations. So I was forced to get one made up. It is in a 7S configuration at 25.9V.

[@ucitymetalhead]

I got a couple of free battery banks from a cable company promotion and while I can just pop out the battery and replace with something better I'd still like to know more about them.

[@HuntersMoon78]

Is that rubber a Boone N Condom?

[@AnonymaxUK]

Does it have short protection on the USB port?

[@CommodoreFan64]

We have the same Ozark Trail stuff here in the US in Walmart, and it's usually decently made stuff for the money, although not tech related I have found the Ozark Trail hiking boots to wear faster then some brands I have tried, but still good enough for what I paid. EDIT: I'm not sure if ASDA in the UK is carrying them but in Walmart here they have a house brand called Balckweb that does keyboards, mice, computer headsets, USB power bricks, power banks etc.. and they are fairly good quality as I have one of the flat 8000 mah ones that does the job on days trips while out boating on the lake for 2 Motorola Moto G phones me, and my g/f have.

[@YVbakker]

Hi Clive, what screwdrivers are you using and where would I get them?

[@Graham_Langley]

Dropped into the large Woking Asda this morning and no sign of them. How long ago did you get yours Clive?

[@Graham_Langley]

+hp5man That would explain it - it was the same in Woking and I couldn't find a clearance section.

[@bigclivedotcom]

They seem to have shuffled their "summer outdoor" range out for a new seasonal range. I got mine about five weeks ago.

[@g0mhc]

Great video as usual. On removing the outer cover you tore off the socket flap, but at 7:52 it's back attached to he main body cover, how come?

[@william_2610]

Do they still have these? Might pick one up.

[@nerys71]

i hope these come to the us. i like orange 8000mah and the nice led.

[@grahamrdyer6322]

What was that a take two?

[@FrontSideBus]

Good old ASsociated DAiries...

[@BPantherPink]

FrontSideBus: Oh... Thanks, didn't know that !!

[@pileggitech]

Will have to take a look for these in my local WallyWorld.

[@whatsonchannelB]

Let's take it to bits!

[@stridermt2k]

Anyone have a link?

[@drakethedragon457]

This power bank looks good quality to the others from eBay I've seen

[@_faultee_]

U said awhile back you had an Anker tear down lined up, are you going to do a video on one? My anker astro seems great.

[@thorbennielsen3845]

Why not test the capacity?

[@marnikbongers3186]

hi clive. Can you do a video on these power bank pcb's sold seperatly to make your own power bank. Wich one should i choose?

[@kyoadam1593]

hi Afrotechmods I was wondering if you can help me to understand well a schematic of a circuit!!

[@themegaspud]

Clive, Do you know why USB power supplies with the two ports are so often rated 1 Amp and 2.1 Amp? Why these values?

[@bigclivedotcom]

They're usually in parallel, but have different pull-up resistors on the data pins. It's to allow for different devices like iPhones and Androids looking the different data line voltages.

[@jeffclark5206]

Will you do a review of an Anker Power bank?

[@ErikWooldridge]

Bigclive: When tearing down battery packs like this can you open the actual pack itself so we can see the cells? I'm curious what cells were put in this pack. Keep up the great work. Regards.

[@RadioJonophone]

I love the orangey goodness.

[@AstralS7orm]

I really hope they have a thermistor in this power bank. Look for explosions otherwise with no blast shield and flimsy case.

[@SuperBrainAK]

cool power bank great circuit quality for the price1

[@husdawgg]

Hey Clive, We got an Anker USB Charger (supposed to be high quality) that blew somewhere during our travels in Europe. Would you be interested in taking it apart and finding out why? We're thinking it's something to do with the various voltages or surges on trains possibly. Best regards

[@spaceminions]

Which one? I might be able to figure it out.

[@shockwavecity]

Anker has really good warranty support if nothing else. I bet you could get it replaced.

[@ScottPC]

IT HAS WARRENTY!

[@clynesnowtail1257]

I contacted Anker about a cord that stopped working and they just sent me a new one, didn't even ask for the old one back. Told me to just throw it away.

[@spaceminions]

Sure the warranty is good but I want to know why it happened!

[@fuzfuzfuzz]

Hey Clive, love your channel mate. Was wondering if you could do a video on those ridiculously massive "capacity" portable car jump starters? The "50800mAh" and "68000mAh" batteries in the impossibly tiny form factors. If you could just explain what's actually going on/how they work, what the actual capacity is and whether it's even safe to be using them please, I'm sure lots of us would really appreciate it!

[@randomvideosn0where]

Walmart sells those near me too, for $9

[@biggothkitty]

if you find a stock number let us all know. I can't find it at my local store or online and this one seems less crappy than a lot of them.

[@JuanAndresLanza]

How much did you pay for it ?

[@bborkzilla]

If ASDA is related to WalMart they won't give a fig about their "reputation." So long as the crap they sell you is cheap and provides them with a good profit margin.

[@simondann7371]

It may be different in America given how much bigger the Union of States is to England but over here there is enough competition that ASDA will care about their reputation because any small local upset has the potential to become a national upset.

[@BenjaminGoose]

I'm interested to know the true capacity of the batteries since I'd imagine 8000mah would cost a lot of money in terms of individual cells (I can't find Panasonic 18650 3400mah batteries for less than about £15 a pop).

[@bigclivedotcom]

The price of lithium cells seems to increase exponentially with capacity.

[@psmac3179]

8ah at 3.7v isless than 6ah at 5v output. Isn't it?

[@bigclivedotcom]

The 8ah is purely the cell capacity. It'll be less once boosted to 5V and taking into account the boost will be from 4.2V with a full cell and 3V with a low cell.

[@pvc988]

It it has the capacity they claim then it looks like quite good quality product.

[@MrShiftyeyesshady]

Yowch. That Burn, at least it looks like a burn, on the back of your right hand looks painful.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Sudden release of a stuck lighting clamp.

[@CurtisDoesStuffOnline]

Clive, were did you find a black micro-bit holder? I've been looking for other colors than the ones we have available through Harbor Freight in the US, but i can't even find them online.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's commonly called a 9 in 1 screwdriver.

[@CurtisDoesStuffOnline]

Thank you. Time to go shake the googler.

[@mazeg2109]

is the battery full or is there fillers to make the blue battery big ?? great video thanks

[@Bladsmith]

...What?

[@misaalanshori]

+Bladsmith sometime powerbank manufacturer add filler to add more weight and size to fake the capacity..

[@mazeg2109]

+M Isa looks like it thanks

[@childishtombino1275]

+M Isa But this company didn't do that. It is just four batteries in a blue sheet.

[@untrust2033]

Is there a video on the USB soldering iron?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yes. Search my videos for USB soldering iron.

[@untrust2033]

@@bigclivedotcom Found it. Thanks!

[@bobsobol]

Yes! I'll have to look for those in one of my local ASDAs. So many of my devices now consume 1.8A - 2.2A just to run, and they don't last as long as I'd like, but plugging in most el-cheapo portable chargers, you find they'll only push 1.0A - 1.4A, and the thing is going flat faster than you can charge them up. :( 2.4A advertised on that device is better than most of the very expensive named brand devices from Kodak or Panasonic et el. P.S. USB soldering iron sounds like a neat idea too, but does it actually get hot enough to de-solder a duff IC?

[@SuperAWaC]

asda is such a weird name. it feels like it was named by just randomly letting your hand fall on the keyboard.

[@havocgeneral]

It's from the earlier years of the company when it was ASsociated DAiries

[@anononomous]

A lot of those sorts of names sounds weird if you actually think about them.

[@SuperAWaC]

even with context, asda is still weird.

[@AMalas]

like ASDF movie

[@petti78]

I'm just drawn to Assystem here.. need I say more? ;) www.assystem.com/en/home.html

[@OctavMandru]

You recommended one power bank from ebay/banggood in one of your clips, but I can't find which one was it. Would you be so kind to remind us? Or even better, do a compare video of the best power banks you tested.... Regards, Octav

[@bigclivedotcom]

For serious use I tend to only recommend buying these things from prominent brands or outlets that have a reputation to protect.

[@KireTheCat]

hi clive, i am getting in to electronisc, and i am wonder what multi meter you recommend i have not even made any thing soooooooo yeah.

[@bigclivedotcom]

A basic cheap digital meter will be fine for starting with.

[@RMJ1984]

Maybe its just me. But instead of skipping the whole "destructive part" i think it should be included in the videos, just play it back at 300% sort of like a mini timelapse while you open stuff etc.

[@SouthwesternEagle]

I was born in the southwestern tail of the Ozarks. :') Hardly what I call mountains.

[@Chris173972]

Hey Clive! Keep up the awesome videos :-)

[@MehManofRavens]

How did you injure your hand, Mr. Clive?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Tight lighting clamp that released suddenly.

[@MehManofRavens]

Ah, hope it heals fine.

[@CoreSaturn]

Hi sorry if this is a simple question to ask but I'm a total newbie with electronics. How is it legal for companies to advertise a certain battery capacity when its not? For example advertising it as 5,000mAh when its really 3 or 4 thousand mAh? Because surely the general consumer like me won't even know which seems unfair to me.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Most are rated legitimately on the size of the lithium cell inside. But there are others like the dubious ones sold on eBay that grossly inflate the capacity for sales. (100,000mAh!)

[@yshouldicar3]

Clive, are you back at your normal desk or is that somewhere else?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'm still in Glasgow for a few days.

[@Zadster]

I'm going to miss the view of Auld Reekie! (That's Edinburgh, not being in any way rude about Big Clive)

[@JamesP6084]

How did you repair the waterproof cover ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I didn't. I damaged it while trying to get it back on the case later on. That bit got refilmed with the damage done.

[@JamesP6084]

Thanks

[@JamesP6084]

Love your video's

[@madbstard1]

Anyone have an idea when these were on sale? Nearest Asda is about 40 miles away but will be going fairly close tomorrow and would love to get one. Just don't want to have a wasted journey.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It was seasonal stock, I couldn't guarantee they will have them. But you might want to peruse the gadgets they do have, including their newer LED filament lamps.

[@SuperFunkydawg]

what was in it.. 4 18650 li ion cells?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yes. In parallel.

[@SuperFunkydawg]

thanks

[@DeltaCmndrElite]

think you should check one of these out clive www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/142101997658?lpid=122&chn=ps&googleloc=9045596&poi=&campaignid=628893806&device=c&adgroupid=28312585266&rlsatarget=pla-193548071106&adtype=pla&crdt=0

[@Redbaron_Gaming]

Where's the MDF gone?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'm not back at my work bench yet.

[@Redbaron_Gaming]

I shall accept this as a valid answer.

[@riiwind]

I have a cheese sandwich in my hand :D

[@jimsbagels1991]

Cheddar?

[@spudhead169]

Well that's not very mature.

[@jfr04]

Ozark Trail is a Walmart Brand here in the US, some of their products are hit or miss

[@Tetramorium]

I need a power bank that does not automaticly turn off at low Amps. They always turn off after 30 seconds when I power something with low consumption like an Arduino.

[@-yeme-]

I have a couple of these, they have no power on switch and dont turn off with small loads connected, they just have the USB port continuously powered. but they do have proper overcharge and discharge protection and disconnect the cells when the voltage gets too low, and theyre very cheap (note you just get the box, you have to put your own cells in them) www.ebay.co.uk/itm/External-USB-Power-Bank-Case-2x-18650-Battery-Charger-DIY-Box-for-Mobile-Phones-/351673205007?var=&hash=item51e15b410f:m:m-Z4OpkpKLdD8OkjUx-E5WA

[@webchimp]

Out of the one's I have, the one's with a button to turn it on will power a low current device (small USB light) and the one that just powers up when you plug something in won't. Although that one will allow a tiny trickle current through with makes the chips in the LEDs glow slightly.

[@Tetramorium]

0yeme0 I bought a few but they still turn off after 30 seconds or so when I power an arduino with just the blink sketch. Maybe battery ran low. I will test some more.