If you’re a fan of the great outdoors and are constantly on camping trips, a portable power station could be an excellent addition to your traveling gear.
With it, you can power your essential devices even when you’re in the wild where there’s no electricity.
With that in mind, read on to learn how to use a portable power station and some factors to consider when choosing one.
What is a Portable Power Station?
Portable power stations are basically large power banks or batteries with additional AC outputs.
This, alongside the large battery capacity, ensures you can plug in different types of appliances in the kitchen, garden, or around the house, not just phones.
How Does a Portable Power Station Work?
Portable power stations consist of a power inverter, battery, and ports or outlets for connecting devices.
The battery stores power that the power inverter then converts into the energy your device needs (Direct Current or Alternating Current power), which is then delivered to your device via the ports or outlets.
Power Bank vs. Portable Power Station: Which is Better?
Power stations normally have more than one AC output and a bigger battery to enable connection of all types of devices.
Therefore, power stations are generally bigger in size compared to a standard power bank.
Power banks are more focused on portability and are ideal for day trips or air travel.
Portable power stations have numerous practical applications. For instance, you can use it as an additional battery on camping trips.
Plus, if you combine your portable power station with a solar panel, you can survive off-grid for a while.
How to Use a Portable Power Station?
Using a portable power station is easy. However, there are a number of key steps you need to follow in order to ensure everything runs smoothly and your power station lasts long.
Step 1: Charge the Battery
The first step is to ensure your power station battery is fully charged and has enough power to power multiple devices.
There are a number of ways you can charge your portable power station equipped with multiple charging cables.
- A charger with a 12V vehicle connection
- A regular charger with a plug for home charging
- MC4 cable to enable charging through solar panels
- USB-C PD cable and charger
Thanks to the various charging options, you can easily charge and use your power station in almost any environment.
Caption: MC4 Cable
Step 2: Connect your Devices
Once you’ve ensured the battery is at full charge, you can connect your devices to the power station via the appropriate ports and outlets. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to prevent accidentally damaging your power station or connected devices.
Portable power stations have a wide range of output options. However, it’s important to ensure a suitable cable before connecting any device.
- 12V vehicle plug
- One or more 220-volt power outlets
- Multiple USB ports for charging mobile phones and similar devices
- For fast charging, a 60W USB-C PD output port
- For solar panel connection, an MC4 to DC converter cable
Step 3: Turn On the Portable Power Station
After properly connecting all your devices, you can now turn on the power station. The power station will begin to deliver power to the connected devices.
You might wonder how long you can power your devices using a portable power station. The battery content is normally indicated in Wh (watt hours).
The higher the value, the longer your battery will last. However, as a result of the conversion of current from DC to AC, you can always expect some power loss.
Therefore, if you have a portable power station with a battery capacity 281Wh, you can expect to get around 175Wh.
In order to determine how long your power station can power your devices, use the formula below.
Battery Capacity / Connected Devices Wattage = Number of hours of power supply
When trying to calculate how long the battery will last, don’t forget to account for the power lost during the conversion from DC to AC current.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Portable Power Station
Below are some factors to consider when choosing a portable power station.
Size
When buying a portable power station, size is a major factor to consider. The size you’ll need for a studio apartment significantly differs from the size you’ll need for a house or outdoor camping.
If you plan on keeping it in your camper or truck when traveling, space is important, and you’d be better off with a smaller but powerful model.
Battery Capacity
Bigger devices use more watts per hour than smaller devices like tablets or phones.
Therefore, when buying a power station, it’s ideal to get one that offers about 3,000-watt hours to ensure your larger devices run without any issues.
Power Output
The amount of power your power station is capable of providing is measured in watts.
When purchasing a portable power station, it’s important to consider the wattage required to power all your devices.
For example, which devices are suitable to connect to the power station’s AC output?
In order to answer this question, it’s important to factor in the wattage of the device you’re looking to connect.
You can search online or check the labels on the device to determine the power specifications of your device.
If your power station has a maximum output of 300W, the device you intend to connect should require less than 300W.
Depending on the wattage your devices require, you can get a stronger portable power station to better serve your needs.
Charge Time
This is a critical factor, especially if you have a limited window to recharge.
Usually, the larger the portable power station, the longer it takes to charge the battery to full capacity.
Ideally, a good portable power stations should take between two to five hours for the battery to fully charge.
Ports
The number of devices you intend on powering all at once is an important factor.
It’s important to consider if you’ll be plugging in multiple devices at once or mainly need a strong and reliable power source for a single critical device.
The relevance of the number of ports on the device depends on your intended application.
How to Maintain Your Portable Power Station?
To ensure your device functions efficiently and lasts long, follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding maintenance and use.
Use the right charging equipment:
It’s best to use the charging equipment provided by the manufacturer because third-party charging equipment might not be compatible with your device, thus damaging the battery.
Charge your battery regularly:
Whether you’re using it or not, regularly charging the battery will help extend its health and lifespan.
If you don’t regularly use your device, it’s best to charge the battery between 3-6 months to keep it in optimal condition.
Keep the battery cool:
To extend your battery’s lifespan, ensure you keep it cool. Don’t expose your battery to extreme temperatures, as this will damage your battery and reduce its efficiency.
Ideally, store the portable power stations at over 00C and under 400C.
Conclusion
You may now power a variety of gadgets with your portable power stations in a safe and appropriate manner.
But keep in mind that when selecting a portable power station, there are a number of aspects to take into account, including size and battery capacity.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Cloom Tech for any portable power station cable needs.