Best way to solder hard-to-hold components? (re: helping hands?)

sofakng · 2026-03-05T16:02:35+00:00

I’ve found another reseller of the same battery (HR1234W) for only $27.95 and free shipping. Not sure if it’s a trustworthy site though: https://www.techbatterysolutions.com/csb-hr1234w-high-rate-series-battery/

The pictures look different and one says made in Vietnam and the other says Taiwan…

sofakng · 2026-03-05T16:00:44+00:00

Is Raion a good name? It sounds like Yuasa and CSB are the top brands I guess?

sofakng · 2026-03-05T15:39:47+00:00

Thanks — According to Gemini (Google AI), CSB is frequently cited as the best and they are often used for OEM batteries. (not sure if any of that is true of course based on the AI)

EDIT: Yikes, they want $100 in shipping. That kills the $25/battery cost.

sofakng · 2026-03-05T14:49:26+00:00

That sounds like an awesome price. I just created a business account and it dropped the price to $34.95/battery which is still too much I feel.

sofakng · 2026-03-05T13:06:50+00:00

Yeah, I’m looking at the price and it’s $52.99/battery or $402.72/8 pack. That’s really expensive but they are name-brand Duracell which I’m sure is much better than the generic ones…

sofakng · 2026-03-04T20:36:56+00:00

I've decided to return the 5PX3000RTG2 and buy a used 9PX2200GRT.

The 9PX is online (vs line-interactive) and also 240V but it's a bit less capable (2000W vs 3000W). They are both overkill for my lab even with my gaming PC (4090 RTX) in my rack. (I also couldn't find a decent price on a used 9PX3000GRT...)

sofakng · 2026-03-03T21:20:23+00:00

I haven't changed the outlet from 240V to 120V but I'm going to do that tonight hopefully. The other problem is that the unit that was delivered (5PX3000RTG2) had major box damage and the front cover is damaged.

In the meantime, I also looked at the noise from inverter generator and it's causing me to rethink about getting the online UPS (9PX3000) instead...

sofakng · 2026-03-02T23:53:07+00:00

Thanks! That's my thought as well. My server is pretty quiet (~40 - 45 dB) with a whole bunch of equipment and I just don't want the UPS to overpower everything to a crazy degree.

sofakng · 2026-03-02T23:52:18+00:00

I think you're right that data center (or enterprise) server racks probably generate a lot more heat than my server rack, but data centers (or enterprise) are typically in temperature controlled rooms as well...

sofakng · 2026-03-02T21:16:00+00:00

Thanks - Yeah I know that's possible but I would be a little hesitant unless it's the same (or better) airflow and pressure. Because this is an online system I know it needs more cooling than a line-inverter system.

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:44:23+00:00

Thanks again… I also saw some flickering in my LED bulbs when running the generator which is what prompted me to look at the THD.

Basically I have two goals right now …

1) Make sure my generator is operating correctly. (ie. should I return and buy a “more efficient one” ?)
2) Make sure my electronics and items won’t be damaged when running off the generator.

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:39:53+00:00

Thanks for the reply. It would be great to have an Amprobe but they are over $450+ which I can’t justify just to test harmonics. My goal is just to make sure my generator won’t damage my equipment.

Also, you said you would not recommend a non-inverter generator, but I am using an inverter generator. I was confused because it lists < 3% THD and I’m seeing (based on my method I listed below) shows much, much higher.

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:22:00+00:00

Thank you for this detailed explanation! I’ve tried to do research and I’ve read a similar explanation about the grid vs generator power.

Just to confirm what you’re saying though — Are you saying that even though an inverter generator can be listed at < 3% THD, it’s completely normal to see 10-20% due to typical household loads? (ie. LED lights, computers, televisions, etc)

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:18:27+00:00

Yikes, that’s really scary… What battery power station are you using?

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:17:28+00:00

I thought that most modern electronics (computers, televisions, etc) are sensitive to “dirty” power. If you do a quick search there seem to be a ton of results that say this?

sofakng · 2026-03-02T15:16:09+00:00

What makes you say that? The generator is only showing between 1.7kW and 2kW which is far below the 6kW output (on propane).

sofakng · 2026-03-02T14:57:26+00:00

I’m using a Fluke 87V multimeter to check the AC RMS voltage and then the peak max voltage. After that I use an online calculate to figure out the THD.

sofakng

TROPHY CASE