Moar USB-C Charging / Battery Packs / Solar Exploration / Rechargeable AAs

Zendure SuperTank Pro

Zendure SuperTank Pro

I’m still enamored with the Zendure X5, but I went looking for a solution with at least 2 USB-C PD outputs, that could power both a MacBook Air and a 15.6" UPERFECT portable monitor (that I expect will become part of a flexible sit-stand setup). The Zendure SuperTank Pro 100W PD 26800mAh power bank seems to have glowing reviews and the specs are there (and I like the OLED screen that shows what each port is delivering, how many watt hours of charge are remaining, etc), and Amazon had it as a lightning sale item marked down from $229 to $169, so I decided to take the plunge.

Update: The SuperTank arrived today. To my surprise, it came with a carrying case, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. I hooked it up to the UGREEN 100W charger through the Klein and observed it charging (it came with about a 36% charge, and Zendure recommends fully charging it before use).

Using the red 60W-rated cable showed 56.0W on the SuperTank’s OLED display, with the Klein showing 19.73V at 2.93A (57.8W). The cable that came bundled with the SuperTank was good for more than 95W (Klein: 19.51V 4.94A 96.4W, 95.2 on the Zendure), while the 100W Zendure cable I bought because I didn’t know it came with one, and Amazon suggested others were buying with the SuperTank Pro, had essentially identical stats: Zendure reporting 95.4W, Klein reporting 19.52V 4.94A). So, there you have it. All you need is the bundled cable and a good charger. The SuperTank went from 37% to 97% in less than an hour.

SuperTank charging via the 100W UGREEN and bundled cable

Charging Infrastructure

I also picked up a UGREEN 100W USB C Charger (a/k/a the CD226) ($20 off coupon) and Zendure USB C to USB C Cable 100W PD Fast Charge cable. The SuperTank Pro will handle (and supply) the following:

Input: USB-C1 / C2: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A, 100W Max.
Output: USB-C1: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A, 100W Max.

The UGREEN charger supplies:

USB-C1/C2：5V/3A 9V/3A 12V/3A 15V/3A 20V/5A 100W

Sweet, we have a match.

Musing on Amazon “Lightning Deals”

Amazon’s “lightning deal” thing is annoyingly high pressure. Must take advantage within 8 hours or whatever, and then you have 15 minutes to check out... How Online Flash Sales Hack Your Brain.

But I tend to be more deliberate when I’m purchasing. By the time I’d finished researching the deal was gone.

Zendure’s Site

Zendure had it on their own site for $169 with free shipping and a CapitalOne plugin found a 10% off coupon, so ... 🤷🏽‍♀️

I did observe while there shopping, though, that Zendure’s site doesn’t have things like the SuperTank Pro or X5 listed under products, you have to search for it using something external, like Google. I hope they’re not exiting the space; they make bitchin’ small products too, not just $1,000+ “solar generators,” $600+ power stations, and solar panels. (Apparently, the term “solar generator” refers to the whole package, batteries, an inverter, a charge controller, and solar panels.)

Solar

Speaking of solar panels, I’m toying with the idea of one with a built-in USB-C PD output to recharge the SuperTank. I found a couple so far (most don’t have USB support or if they do, it’s limited to 15W (A) or 18W (C); DC output for something like a Jackery seems to be the order of the day):

• TWELSEAVAN 100W with (among others) PD60W output (supplies DC up to 19.8V/5.05A, USB-C PD  at 5V⎓3A 9V⎓3A/12V⎓3A/15V⎓3A/20V⎓3A, 60W max). $170, includes a built-in stand. Never heard of this brand, and the product has several negative reviews.
  
• FlexSolar 60W Portable Foldable Solar Panel Charger with 5V/3A 12V/3A and 20V/3A USB-C output. $99, floppy (no stand), a couple of bad reviews but generally positive. 60W will be under lab conditions, though, and I’d like to get something a bit bigger to increase the chances I can actually wring something close to 60W out of it, and recharge a 100W pack in ~2 hours (assuming conversion loss, etc), which is about all the direct sunlight my balcony generally gets.
• FlexSolar 100Watt, same USB-C output, built-in stand, $180. This may be the winner.
  

Another solar option I considered: A Jackery Explorer 160 ($140) plus a SolarSaga 60W ($160) or beefier panel. At first glance it looks good; the E160 says its three USB ports (1*C 2*A) can supply a maximum of 30W, but digging a little deeper reveals the USB-C port tops out at 5V/3A (15W), not enough to charge a MacBook Air while using it. The next step up E240 lacks USB-C at all, and the USB-A ports top out at 5V/2.4A (12W). The E300 adds PD60W output, but is $300.

The Anker 521 Portable Power Station (256Wh) supports PD60W and is $249 ($179 used - like new as of this typing), and also supports a couple of USB-A ports, a 12V “cigar lighter” socket, two 110V outlets.

The Goal Zero Yeti 200x supports PD60W and has an abundance of ports (USB-C 18W, USB-C PD60W, 2x USB A, 12V, 110V) and is the lowest end of that product line. $300 for 187 Wh.

BLUETTI Portable Power Station EB3A (268Wh, $300) bumps the capacity and goes up to 100W on its USB-C output.

The GOLABS R150 Portable Power Station, 204Wh LiFePO4 might be what I’m looking for. $140 and supports PD60W (plus USB-A ports, and a 110V port). The i200 (256Wh LiFePO4, $180) adds another 30W USB-C port, a second AC outlet, a 12V cigar lighter socket... GOLABS seems to generally have good reviews, but then there’s this video review of the R300.

(I have so much to learn about solar ... MPPT (maximum power point tracking charge controllers), trickle charging ...)

Rechargeable 1.5V AAs

The Tenavolt 1.5V AA lithium rechargeable batteries (2775 mWh) I installed in the Kēvo lock back in May are still going strong. (The lock was eating through a set of non-rechargeable AAs in less than a month, it’s apparently so sensitive to voltage, once the batteries dropped to ~1.42V it would freak out.) I just pulled them out and measured with the world’s highest quality, most accurate multimeter (my Fluke 107 is buried somewhere), and each battery is still reading 1.53V after almost 6 months and hundreds of actuations. I can live with that.

Meanwhile, I got tired of constantly feeding disposable batteries to my litter of M535 mice (and I’d run out of 1.42V cells spit out by the Kēvo), so I picked up this set of (4) EBL 1.5V AA batteries (3300mWh). These don’t need a separate charger (unlike the Tenavolts), they have micro USB ports built into each AA battery (and the kit comes with a hydra-esque USB A to 4 micro USB B cable, for charging; red, charging, blue, charged). I’ve only had these a few days, but so far so good. They indeed charge up to 1.53V (per my $7 multimeter), and the M535s run on them just fine.

Update: Out of curiosity I hooked the UGREEN PD100W charger up to the Zendure X5 (USB-C input: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.25A; (PD 3.0, QC 3.0/2.0, AFC, FCP), maximum 45W) with the Anker cable (rated for 60W). I’m seeing 19.18V at 2.24A (43W). With the Zendure 100W rated cable, I’m seeing ... Exactly the same. :) (The real test will be the SuperTank Pro, which can charge at higher wattages.)