Goal Zero 400 Lithium and Boulder 100 Solar Panel

[No_heroes]

Hi all

I have recently started looking at the Goal Zero battery and solar technology - and I don't want a solar fit to the van - so whilst the Goal Zero setup seems expensive I quite like the flexibility of it and its independence from the van system. Although I assume you can actually charge it from the plug socket in the van?

Does anyone have any experience of the 400 Lithium setup? There is a deal on Solar Power Supply at the moment and I'm tempted....

Any info helpful... thank you!

 

[Loz]

Your details say you have an Ocean with 2 leisure batteries, why would you also want this?

 

[MattBW]

I have looked at them in the past but they had a lot of negative reviews that the batteries failed in under a year and the company only give a 6 month warranty. I suspect however that those folks didnt make sure the thing was charged up regularly to keep the battery happy. I believe the instructions state every 3 months at a minimum.

They do seem to have pure sine wave inverters which are good for running all kinds of electrical devices.

The biggest thing that put me off was that it was only 33ah capacity on the 400 models, that's not really a lot unless you are just charging phones etc. A solar setup may overcome both of those issues however.

You could probably make one for significantly less if you have the skills for me they just arent worth the money when I have far more capacity in my Cali (and I only have one battery), with a solar on the van and maybe an upgraded inverter you would beat this all day long and have a little cash left over maybe

 

[No_heroes]

I have looked at them in the past but they had a lot of negative reviews that the batteries failed in under a year and the company only give a 6 month warranty. I suspect however that those folks didnt make sure the thing was charged up regularly to keep the battery happy. I believe the instructions state every 3 months at a minimum.

They do seem to have pure sine wave inverters which are good for running all kinds of electrical devices.

The biggest thing that put me off was that it was only 33ah capacity, thats not really a lot . A solar setup may overcome both of those issues however.

You could probably make one for significantly less if you have the skills

I think the lithium one has slightly more - that's the element that has me interested...

Battery capacity in Wh	428 Wh (10.8V, 39.6 Ah)

I was definitely put off by the traditional lead acid standard 400 version... and yes - they seem to have negative reviews - but do seem to be the industry leading model...

 

[MattBW]

The lead acid one would be quite heavy I suspect .

What are you looking to power from it?

 

[No_heroes]

The lead acid one would be quite heavy I suspect .

What are you looking to power from it?

General backup power capacity for laptops, cameras, kids tablets etc... nothing heavy duty.

 

[MattBW]

I had similar devices in my photography days for powering flashes and such. Back then they were lead acid with a pure sine wave inverter so pretty heavy and big too. They worked well but did need charging monthly to keep them alive, if you forgot for a month the batteries often died and wouldn't recover. It got frustrating.

However, those old devices were incredibly easy to change out the batteries so it was never that big an issue. If these units use standard batteries inside then it may not be a big issue if the batteries fail but worth looking into I would say before a purchase.

The reviews are enough to put me off but it does look well thought out and put together and would certainly meet your needs from what you've said..

 

[No_heroes]

I had similar devices in my photography days for powering flashes and such. Back then they were lead acid with a pure sine wave inverter so pretty heavy and big too. They worked well but did need charging monthly to keep them alive, if you forgot for a month the batteries often died and wouldn't recover. It got frustrating.

However, those old devices were incredibly easy to change out the batteries so it was never that big an issue. If these units use standard batteries inside then it may not be a big issue if the batteries fail but worth looking into I would say before a purchase.

The reviews are enough to put me off but it does look well thought out and put together and would certainly meet your needs from what you've said..

Interesting point...

Thank you - am in no rush... reviews don't seem good and real users seem to be few and far between...

 

[WelshGas]

General backup power capacity for laptops, cameras, kids tablets etc... nothing heavy duty.

All those can be charged from your present 12v system with or without a Solar Panel. I charge Kindles, iPads, phones of various types WiFi setup, Bluetooth speakers, Camera batteries and portable satnavs without any problem. Personally cannot see the point in doubling up on the Charging Capability when you have excellent capability already.

 

[kp64zl]

Hi @No_heroes, If you aren't in a rush -- I'm going on an expedition to the Himalayas this October with a goal zero yeti 1400 lithium and 400 watts worth of solar panels - we will carry it up to about 5,000 metres altitude - will be *thoroughly* tested for running a whole bunch of different research equipment.

 

[No_heroes]

Hi @No_heroes, If you aren't in a rush -- I'm going on an expedition to the Himalayas this October with a goal zero yeti 1400 lithium and 400 watts worth of solar panels - we will carry it up to about 5,000 metres altitude - will be *thoroughly* tested for running a whole bunch of different research equipment.

Wow - proper field test! Exciting trip - would love to see your full load out and super interested to hear the results... My first job was with the British Antarctic Survey, lots of geology research systems - had some interesting times... Good luck!

 

[kp64zl]

HI @No_heroes
of course -- although the expedition is primarily physiology research (we are testing our breathing and exercise capacity), I think one of the team members will be writing something formal about energy requirements etc. But I'll add something informal to this thread either way.

 

[MarkVw2017]

Hi @No_heroes, If you aren't in a rush -- I'm going on an expedition to the Himalayas this October with a goal zero yeti 1400 lithium and 400 watts worth of solar panels - we will carry it up to about 5,000 metres altitude - will be *thoroughly* tested for running a whole bunch of different research equipment.

Wow, that's sounds amazing, but im more intrigued now about this adventure and research in the Himalayas. If allowed to tell , whats that mission for?

 

[kp64zl]

Wow, that's sounds amazing, but im more intrigued now about this adventure and research in the Himalayas. If allowed to tell , whats that mission for?

We are essentially trying to understand how high altitude influences human performance - so doing experiments testing how breathing and exercise capacity are affected by low oxygen levels. We are a small group of researchers, testing ourselves. We want to minimise the environmental impact as much as possible.

 

[CALI FATE]

We are essentially trying to understand how high altitude influences human performance - so doing experiments testing how breathing and exercise capacity are affected by low oxygen levels. We are a small group of researchers, testing ourselves. We want to minimise the environmental impact as much as possible.

I would be interested in how poor attitude influences human performance - i could suggest a few people you could take up the mountain with you haha

 

[Loz]

A few years BC(Before California)We used to Overland with the Touareg and for that, I made a portable battery unit with an AGM battery, mains charger, Solar Charger and a Battery monitor. It worked very well, but as you can imagine it was very heavy.
With the new lithium batteries being much higher capacity It would be a lot lighter but to run a fridge more than 3 days it needed a 100 Wat panel to go with it.
This picture here shows it with a 20 W panel which was mainly used to keep it charged when not in use, it also had a 30 amp mains Marine Ctek charger to charge it quickly when a hook up was available.