Testing AC50 Portable Power Station from MAXOAK Bluetti 500wh

[@XochyLove]

*Great **Generater.Systems** . Our 1st 2500W Champion backed us up with hurricane Ida last August when our whole home generator crapped out after 8 days. Love the dual fuel. Hope to never run gasoline in it.Bought this 2500W to parallel with our other one for the RV.*

[@ericanderson2491]

Thank you for a complete review. I have the updated AC 50S and am very satisfied. You also did a great job telling people to have reasonable expectations to what it will power. To many reviewers are asking way to much out of these units.

[@TrackGeeks]

That was an absolutely savage unboxing. Nicely done! :D

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks.

[@lesleywills1]

Was thinking of this product and now after your review it’s what I want thank you

[@voneschenbachmusic]

Excellent and very thorough review!

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks for watching.

[@davidjames1684]

It was not as excellent and thorough as it could have been.

[@davemausner]

@@davidjames1684 Are you kidding? He tested every input & output, then tore the thing apart! Be reasonable, man. 'Twas excellent & thorough indeed.

[@fredlevel897]

I've been searching for a portable power station for my mini-campervan and I very much like your video. Very detailed, tells me exactly what to expect from this one and it could be a good fit. Thank you

[@DavidPozEnergy]

This little one works well on the lights and laptops. But it can't do a fridge. I'm also testing right now, a bigger version. The Maxoak Bluetti 240. It has been running my home fridge, and my chest freezer for a month. But it is more money, so only worth it if you need to run a fridge: amzn.to/3eB8UhC “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

[@fredlevel897]

@@DavidPozEnergy I'm actually looking for one that will power a Dometic CFX28 and I found the PowerOak (in Europe) PS6 model. Just ordered it today

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Those Dometics have a very small load. Good stuff.

[@NedbLegocity]

Excellent review! That would be a perfect system to ‘power’ a teardrop camper... I’ll favorite it in amazon for later!

[@lestersarmiento6416]

Awesome top notch informative review. more than I expected. Thank you!

[@kieranking8657]

excellent no holds barred review, very useful for me as I'm considering buying one of these👍👍

[@Luigi13]

Good job, especially that you where able to taking apart and show the inside. Good review, thank you.

[@hoffmantnt]

I would like to see the oscilloscope on grid power for comparison.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Send me a PM on Facebook and I'll send you a photo of the grid power. facebook.com/DavidPozEnergy/

[@davidchristensen1219]

Ditto.

[@electronicsNmore]

I tested the MaxOaks as well, but not this model, 2 others. The waveform was a smooth sinusoidal output and virtually the same as the AC line. For some reason his scope was showing triangle and sine wave at the same time.

[@jovangrbic97]

You can safely connect a 5kW solar panel to a 50W device, as long as the voltage is within the device spec, it will draw just its required 50W, leaving 4950W of the panels capacity unused. It isn't like the panel can 'push' its remaining capacity into the device. That would be like saying a higher capacity battery would fry a device designed for a lower capacity one. It just means only part of the power capacity is being used, which is fine and perfectly safe!

[@janblackman6204]

You seem to know something about solar generator. I’m looking for something that will power a chest freezer and a fan or small space heater. I know nothing about what I need but I feel like I need one. I was thinking of solar panels that would add a continuous power feed for my freezer. I watch all these shows but I’m not learning much. Could you explain what you think I would need. Thank you kindly

[@FreemanLaFleur]

This review is too legit! thanks David!

[@w6263]

Felt quite sad you took it apart; as it looks lovely. Thank you it answered a question can I run a power drill from it; NO.

[@carlosreyes5442]

my friend you made a very informative report on the Maxoak....will buy one!

[@LithiumSolar]

That looks like a really cool unit. It's too bad it has those generic no-brand Chinese cells that will probably degrade fast. That would be a fun little project though to replace with quality Samsung 2800 or 3000s - increase capacity battery quality ;)

[@giaxxone]

Perfect! I’m looking at one of these to act as a solar generator specifically to charge Milwaukee batteries and my only car socket appliance is an inflator I use for my camping mattress. However, your sin wave is still being effected by the chargers. Even without a battery installed they’re still rectifying ac into dc and drawing a tiny amount of power.

[@SeaScoutDan]

0:48 I love this unboxing. Hmm I have an empty box, what to do? Litterally throw it away off camera. I will clean up later, I got a job to do right now.

[@jonathanbirriel7681]

You might need ro set your trigger pn the scope higher to make it stop moving

[@jockspice]

Great in-depth review, thank you!

[@kelvinquinn5417]

Good Job!!! Nice Break Down !!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@jovangrbic97]

You can plug in your high wattage solar panel into that unit no problem. As long as the voltage is below 40V, it will be fine. A device can't be 'forced' to draw more amps than it wants at a fixed voltage. It would be like saying that replacing a 2000mAh with a 3000mAh battery would 'overload' a device, no, it just means more power is AVAILABLE IF the device needs it!

[@helenreid4174]

Really useful review. Thanks. We just bought one of these, branded PowerOak in the UK. We have a problem with the one we received as the fan is running the whole time when we are re-charging the PowerOak using the included AC adapter - and it is really loud! You have the unit plugged into the mains at two points in your video and the fan doesn't come on at all then, only when you put it under load when drawing power. I think ours must be faulty.

[@kenattagexp9871]

Excellent review - thank you!

[@ive9th]

I wonder if that watt limit matters as long as it doesn't go over the voltage. I've seen other reviews that talk about this on different PPS

[@valdomirosilva4127]

Beautiful work. Could you tell us how many amps the battery has? Thanks

[@bigmac3006]

Great vid! I want one.

[@MrTogi]

Nice review, thanks! I also have a power Station, but from "PowerOak". greetings Mr. Togi 👋

[@NathanaelNewton]

It would be nice if you could show the charging rate on your phone with an app such as accubattery or something like that.. I'm wondering if it might be able to start the compressor in your fridge if the light bulb wasn't already drawing 40 Watts..

[@annemarsden2323]

Thank you for explaining this to us 🥂

[@GapRecordingsNamibia]

The Invertor is probably a modified sine wave, so, the output would not be completely clean, looking at the "steps" on the scope I think would confirm this. I do think that the only way to achieve a clean output would be from an LF invertor that a transformer in it, this also has an added bonus of giving you galvanic isolation to the batteries, small lightweight invertors would not have such a transformer and would be much the same as the smaller ups's that are found on the market that one could use for a 5 minut backup just to save your documents in the event of a power failure or brown out. As always David, a good thorough review. Well done sir!

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I also love the LF inverters. As you probably know, I run my house on a 6kw Aims with a transformer.

[@GapRecordingsNamibia]

@@DavidPozEnergy Yip, I do, but still a very well done Review!

[@Dutch_off_grid_homesteading]

heya nice review on a nice small carrybul powerstation welll done

[@DarrenCharron]

Pretty cool device it would come in handy on camping trips I just bought a Duracell Lithium ion Jump Starter 1100 peak amps for boosting car batteries not sure how it's going to work but I will give it a try. The inside of the AC50 Portable Power Station from MAXOAK Bluetti looks pretty solid and built well.

[@raymondlopez825]

great review. thanks

[@FatherOfTheParty]

14:00 looks like the inverter circuit is ringing. Surely not a pure sine wave inverter.

[@ricardoelectronicsrepair]

as i know every power bank/backup as long as the input voltage not exceed the limit(that is written on charger output rated voltage) it will limit it self the current to charge the battery

[@musicofnote1]

KUDOS! Well done review.

[@yunk9]

Just got one it runs my fridge freezer without tripping out. It's a double door version too don't know why yours tripped maybe its because you had the LED on hehe. Great review.

[@ZeeshanAslam1]

200 Day(s) No Sand Guarantee! What does it mean ?

[@GeneMyers14854]

Instead of buying a bunch of deep cell batteries and connecting them together is it possible you could do a video of putting several units together of your power stations to make a great get power bank link thing them all together without having to tear the power station Banks apart or to be able to increase the voltage by linking them on the outputs is that possible do you think you could figure that one out

[@SeaScoutDan]

I have never connected the ground clip of an Oscope to the neutral of power. I only clip the ground clip to ground wire.

[@FixItYerself]

looks like a fun device. the only thing it's missing is a solar panel

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I linked to a solar panel in the description that I think would complement this AC50 well.

[@larryscott3982]

There was another battery unit recently reviewed, and it was called ‘a generator’. Just a couple hr UPS. At least this isn’t called something it isn’t. It’s a power bank.

[@davestech6357]

You got lucky that you didn't smoke your oscilloscope running it from what your testing. The sine wave might have been influenced by the one side that's grounded on the leads of the scope. You have to set the trigger level on the scope and it won't bounce around like that. You will get used to it with practice.

[@mrfrog8502]

Charger wasn't plugged in during this test so the inverter output ground was effectively floating. This wouldn't have any effect on the oscilloscope trace. I suspect going up and down was due to poor regulation and distortions due to inadequate 2nd stage LC filter values (aka cheap small components).

[@mikejf4377]

Nice video, you make it very interesting.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thank you.

[@jasonflt]

glad you took it apart. thumbs up on that

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Of course. I like taking apart the stuff I review. Thanks for watching.

[@onezeroone354]

Excelllent review!

[@asdfdfggfd]

That aluminum bracket falling off when you removed the handle is a fire hazard. Possible the unit could start fire when attempting to disassemble if it made a short on the BMS and inverter. It should have a more accessible means to attempt repair.

[@jeniestra.]

Hey David, hopefully you can review the Maxoak Bluetti soon. Great video.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

The big Bluetti EB150 is apparently selling out fast. The manufacturer told me they don't have a spare to send me. LOL

[@jeniestra.]

@@DavidPozEnergy yes, that's what I've heard. I would like to buy one but it would be helpful a thorough review like yours to be on the safe side lol.

[@DavidGuilbaultSongs]

Excellent. Thanks.

[@stuartwallace7841]

Great review. Nice people too. How long would it take to recharge from 10 to 100 percent from 150w Solar panel? (typically,given some sun, of course)

[@MIt-ql5bo]

can you share a pdf with manual and specs please? or a link?

[@theMekanik]

K, so how is the better than the Jackery 500???

[@Kyle-Channel19]

Did you figure out why the fan was making noise?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

After talking with someone else, it might have been something on the elctronics getting too hot, not the fan. But don't know for sure. The sound went away after letting the unit cool down.

[@GapRecordingsNamibia]

@@DavidPozEnergy It could have been the plastic that warped a bit and a blade or two could have been hitting the protruding piece, the fan is put across the joint in the casing and it could have been the cause of the noise, it was to "rhythmic" and to loud to have been a component.... I would concur David that the noise was from the fan but not the fan itself......

[@Ichotolot-fd8go]

do you know, how many 18650 are built in?

[@jwrhynejr9608]

Great informative review! Sorry it took me over a year to find it.

[@soniclab-cnc]

looks like some AC coupling issues with your test probe. Sometimes a floating earth ground can make AC measurements tricky. Adding some filtering on your scope can help clean it up...

[@ananievesgutierrez8316]

Jeremy Hutchinson Hbnn. ddfff Ddewdekknj Njjiuuuiiuuuuuuuuuiiiiuiiiiiuuuuyuiooiiiiiiiiiuuiujppñpppoocc y

[@solarpowerelectricityandel2915]

The phase change on the sine wave it huge when is switches is huge

[@jeddgpt]

What about a mini fridge

[@joseleysa5137]

Is the 12 volt output regulated?

[@donkenzy9964]

Good evening.the Blueetti AC50 solar generator I bought last june.the battery drains so fast,the battery always shut down From 20 to 40percent battery llvel.and when a charger is plug,it will start charging from that 40 percent, instead of zero. What could be the cause and the solution Thanks.

[@jimtalor7971]

Did he ever found out what the noise coming out of the fan was??

[@Miata822]

You didn't mention pricing and I don't see any online. I was guessing about $1,000 but they have a 1.5kWhr version on sale for $1,400 so it might be a little less. The cells alone in the AC50 would retail for over $500. Is that wood acting as a spacer above the MOSFETs? Sure looked like it.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Hi Bill, I don't think it's wood, I think it's a plastic, just looks like wood. The retail price of the unit is $500, but there is a discount code in the description and a coupon on Amazon right now. You can combine the two discounts and should be close to $400. Thanks for watching.

[@Miata822]

@@DavidPozEnergy Wow. That's a great price.

[@soniclab-cnc]

You could run a 120 watt light bulb in series to limit current from your larger panel...

[@anthonyglaser929]

good review.

[@movax20h]

You are reading just noise on this osciloscope. You connected it wrong, or the probe and channel 1 are damaged.

[@HugDeeznueces]

can I use this with a CPAP and can a consumer rebuilt this since it has 18650 batteries?

[@aweescribble6937]

Hello, so is the product pure sine wave or not - seems a mixed opinion everywhere I look? Appreciate any expert advice :)))

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I know three models from Bluetti. I've tested all of them had different loads. I would say yes it is a pure sine wave. However it's not a very robust inverter. Meaning that if you put noisy loads on it such as inductive loads it can throw the sine wave off. But if you're putting small things like a TV computer on there they don't disrupt the sine wave and it stays clean. not have you inductive loads don't care if the sine wave is not perfect all the time. So I haven't really had a trouble. But it's something to be aware of. I think it's a good bang for the buck.

[@aweescribble6937]

@@DavidPozEnergy it’s just for a internet modem and computer and the odd phone and ipad really - so that sounds like they should all be kept healthy? Thank you for your video - it was the best one I found - thorough and practical - thank you for educating me :)

[@miscellaneous5268]

Very good review, thnx

[@weekendlovinggypsy1737]

So I recently bought a 130w solar suitcase panel. I guess that would be too much for this generator right?

[@shelleyw5951]

No

[@ThisWontEndWell]

Perfect camper van power without the fuss of charge controllers, inverters, fuse box, 12 volt and usb ports. One of these and a 100W solar pannel stuck on the roof saves so much hastle and if you want a fridge invest in a deep cycle battery and use a split charge off the vans alternator.

[@james10739]

I want a an adjustable dc out put on them so you could charge laptops and batteries and stuff with less losses and just convenience

[@DavidPozEnergy]

That would be a nice feature.

[@mididoctors]

It will take the panel .,just won't take more than 120w ... The voltage will error out the device if over or under

[@G36934]

On the Oscope Add a math trace and select fft. This will show you frequencies

[@JohnnyOrtiz504]

Excelent 👍

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@jeffkarrow6924]

So the 12 volt is unregulated, eh? That means your car fridge will crap out on you after just 2.5 hours like mine did even though the battery showed 62% full yet and I was able to run my single board computer with Dell monitor and USB powered speakers off the A/C for 3 more hours! I need full use of the power and pass through charging so I can add power while I'm running my camping refrigerator.

[@twistidclowns]

Using regulated DC leds and a dc tool battery charger would improve the life when working somewhere without power. Having walked onto jobs sites only to find out there isnt power, something like this and a couple of flexible solar panels could salvage a day depending on the job.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I agree. I wonder why the tool companies charge more for the 12v version of the chargers? www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-and-M18-12-Volt-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Multi-Voltage-12V-DC-Vehicle-Battery-Charger-48-59-1810/301809847

[@kevlarmon54]

saw on DIY offgrid solar with will thats the 12v car lighter socket is now regulated and doesn't dip below 12v but the two small dc 3amp inputs beside it are not regulated i was turned right off this model due to his video he showed the ac efficiency at 50% pulling 250wh which is horrid but if its 91% thats brilliant 410wh

[@estalennyn]

"hellow David ,saudações Brasil off-grid, pode me tirar uma dúvida com os painéis policristalino x monocristalino? vc usa os dois ou tem preferencia!!!

[@playnationtoday]

Did you say what it cost? Maybe I missed it.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I think they retail for $500. The manufacturer provided a discount code (in description). Also, Amazon has a coupon on it right now. I think you can get it for close to $400 when combining the two.

[@codymiller8505]

@M Detlef lol you think this thing should cost 50 bucks?

[@PipeManPeep]

Don't try measuring the oscilloscope's own power supply unless you have an isolating scope. You could easily kill your scope. I'm surprised this has a pure sine inverter, rather than a modified square wave. I wonder if the solar charge controller is MPPT, or PWM?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

The solar charge controller is MPPT. And, yes, the sine wave is pure even though my non-lineal loads make it look a little weird. Thank you for the tip on the scope. Is there an isolating thing I can use in the mix?

[@PipeManPeep]

@@DavidPozEnergy thanks for the reply. That's very impressive! You could use an isolation transformer and cut the earth (ground) wire on the secondary side. Often the scope probes grounds are common to the mains earth (ground). Alternatively, use a different power source. If measuring an inverter, power the scope from the mains and vice-versa. P.S. love the garage! I'm quite jealous. Keep up the the good work.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Hi PipeManPeep, Thank you. If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to link to an "isolation transformer"?

[@PipeManPeep]

@@DavidPozEnergy sure. You could try something like this: americas.rsdelivers.com/product/block/tim-60/block-60va-isolating-transformer-230v-ac-primary/2787068 Let me know what you think.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

First, thank you so much for taking the time to send me a link. It's really helpful. This is my first video with an oscilloscope, but I hope to do more. I want to test all my inverters and generators. I don't mind spending $40 if it protects my oscilloscope. I'm going to have to read through the details more, but it looks like 230vac input. I'm not sure that is correct for me. I'm in North America where we have 120-N-120 volts. I will have to learn more about using these.

[@tron259]

David, can you post a model link for Europe, 230V 50HZ? Thanks my friend and a kiss for your daughter.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I sent the manufacturer an e-mail. If they get back to me I'll send you the link.

[@tron259]

@@DavidPozEnergy Thank you my friend

[@DavidPozEnergy]

The manufacturer got back to me. They said "Our European AC50 has not arrived yet." Sorry about that.

[@tron259]

@@DavidPozEnergy Thank you very much for the information. I appreciate it!!!!!

[@MsSurfer79]

Does anyone know if you could charge this smaller one from an bluetti ac200p thats connwcted to a solarpannel??

[@Machoudeh]

Price?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Retail price is $500. Right now there is a coupon on Amazon, and a discount code in my description, so combined you can get it around $400.

[@NeilBlanchard]

The oscilloscope looks like it is a sawtooth output; not a smooth sine wave.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Yeah, but it also could be a setting I have wrong on the scope. ???

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@DavidPozEnergy That is certainly possible, but it seems unlikely. The battery chargers were causing the voltage drops, and that seems to show the scope was showing things correctly.

[@offgridwanabe]

Too bad you never plugged in the new gauge to see how much you need to put back in to get it to 100% then we could see the monetary value of using the power station. Cheers love your vids.

[@davidjames1684]

A useful comment... instead of having to use an oscilloscope all the time to check the quality of the output wave, you can use something such as one of those ultrasonic pest repellents. When I use modified sine wave (msw) with those, they make a buzzing sound. Pure sine wave makes those silent (to human ears). It is a "shortcut" method for people that do not have an oscilloscope. WAY cheaper and WAY more portable too. I can actually hear those from another room using msw. Also, something you "missed" in your review is checking the power factor (pf) of the load. This may have an impact on the runtime. Also, it would have been good if you got this device running close to its rated maximum output power, then added low wattage lights one at a time, eventually exceeding it. $400 for that with multiple discounts? I don't think that is worth it. Some people just use a UPS and a larger external battery (like one with a handle) and can get similar performance for a fraction of the cost. You can mount the UPS and heavy AGM battery on a hand truck (some people call them dollies), if you are needing "emergency" power outside (like for camping). Just roll the Franken-booster into position.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Slowly stepping up to the 300 watt mark. I like it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@davidjames1684]

What about my other suggestions? For the 300 watt mark, get something going around 275 watts, then just add a few low wattage led lights such as 9 watts each so 284, 293, 302... and see what happens. You might not even get 300 watts because of a power factor less than 1.00. Your meter shows power factor so display that as well.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

@@davidjames1684 Hi David, I like your suggestion and will keep it in mind if I ever do another portable unit like this. As of right now I don't plan to post any more videos on this product simply because I have other projects to focus on. This one video took over 30 hours to film and edit. But, if you want to know for your own benefit, and don't mind a simple cell phone video, then I can do that. send me a message on Facebook because that's where I post non-edited shorts. facebook.com/DavidPozEnergy/

[@1981dasimpson]

just use a 10 to 15 amp buck converter to limit the current of a large panel

[@jimtalor7971]

AC50s price has increased and you wont see them soon. Appears there are supply issues. Jackery has a newer model worth looking into.

[@JoeCity]

8:05 . these are NOT led lights. they are CFL bulbs and i think contain mercury

[@thedetailspace]

Isn't that what he said? "Instead of big compact fluorescents you ran some LED's in there you might be able to pull that longer." He is not saying they are LED, but that you will get a longer runtime IF you switch from CFL to LED.

[@hing983]

nice i will buy but dont have 499

[@xzinx]

limit is , cigarrete lighter port is not regulated

[@Punchis1983]

40V not 120w for recharge from solar!

[@redtibgtv6jj]

Are you able to recharge the unit while charging other devices?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Yes, although there is a note in the manual that says not to push it too hard when doing that because of possible overheating. I had no issue when plugged into the wall charger and my laptop plugged into the AC50. Never even had the fan kick on. So it must be a severe case.

[@redtibgtv6jj]

@@DavidPozEnergy Thanks! Any problems with the non regulated 12 volt DC output from the "cigarette" port?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

No problems with the 12v port for myself. As I said, I don't own much that plugs into 12v. I have some cell phone chargers, but all of them would allow me to just plug directly into the USB ports. That blower for air mattresses is the only other thing I have for 12v and doesn't care if it's 9.6v or 12.6v. It just runs faster or slower. I assume there must be some items out there that the 12v must be consistent, I just don't own any. I just looked up the specs on a 12v cooler and it says it switches off at 10.1 volts. www.dometic.com/en-us/us That is still 90% of the batter capacity (or something close to it) With anything, I guess it depends on what you need to power with it.

[@redtibgtv6jj]

Thanks. Thanks for the great review of this relatively new product.

[@voipittelecom]

a identical product defrent lable is been sold in walmart and is way too expensive for what it is $650.00 and $ 240.00 for a 100W solar pannel you can get a full panel 300w For $130.00 these days or 400W for $200.00 and the inverter on these are way to weak 500W

[@frankroper3274]

If you go to buy one of these make sure you get the AC50S! This older model AC50 is being sold on ebay as the AC50S and the 12 volts on this AC50 model just stinks! It won't run a 12 volt cooler more than a short period and very low voltage! The AC50S has regulated 12 volts which is fine.

[@Just_Mike27]

Note to self. Do not take handle off

[@dewolf142]

Not a pretty sine wave!

[@Miata822]

Not bad for a little inverter. Not a problem for anything you are likely to run on it.

[@leonardolimon8371]

It only make 300 watt of power.The jackery explorer 500 this make 500 watt of power.

[@scottmurphy4946]

If you run anything at 500 watts will quickly discharge the battery anyway

[@rogersowers9837]

I'm 99.7 % sure your warranty is null and void.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Yep, it probably is.