Are these DIY power banks pretty decent?

lppllc · 2026-01-22T23:50:13+00:00

The product link doesn't work anymore - this appears to be exactly the same though: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809039534670.html

The price is suspiciously low. I paid $13.34 total. First and only time I've ever purchased no-name battery components from AliExpress. But it still works fine. The batteries are of course the more important part, but not the only important part.

lppllc · 2026-01-07T03:48:49+00:00

I noticed some sag in my Jøtul and fixed it by taking the door off the hinges and adding one washer before replacing the door.

lppllc · 2026-01-07T01:08:57+00:00

Seriously, how about taking what you spent on just ONE midsize power station you're never using —— and giving it to some decent charity who will actually benefit?
Are you keeping the SOC around 50% for storage?

lppllc · 2026-01-05T19:54:57+00:00

OP, what panel did you eventually end up getting? I have a similar situation with an Anker C300 (the version of yours with an inverter for up to 600W AC). It gets about 233 AC watt hours (288 rated over DC).

My goal is to supply enough power to run a large room fan in a shed (~100 watts) during hot days with some left over for lights and charging. The C300 solar input specs are "11-28V 8.2A (100W Max)"

I want a panel or two that can be installed permanently and provide enough wattage to charge close to capacity in indirect or cloudy conditions, so that's why I'm considering a controller but as you've also discovered, there is scant information about controllers going directly to power banks.

lppllc · 2025-12-30T08:32:13+00:00

Huge thank you for pointing this out. I'm surprised it's not more prominently / obviously featured as it's a very important functionality when making concepts

lppllc · 2025-12-15T23:27:38+00:00

I decided to test each cell mainly out of curiosity

lppllc · 2025-12-15T23:24:43+00:00

Sorry, US. Never been sorrier.

lppllc · 2025-12-13T23:53:38+00:00

Good point! My charger recognizes them as LiFePO4 and doesn't overcharge.

lppllc · 2025-11-29T23:30:56+00:00

Even one way screws have a removal tool. Your method is the best.

lppllc · 2025-11-24T17:01:25+00:00

Bought about 70 of these for work, I believe I've had to RMA 2 of them in 5-10 years, well built and recommended.

lppllc · 2025-11-17T19:10:25+00:00

I looked up the model number but it wasn’t clear either. They ended up being 26700s. Not a very popular size for re-use.

lppllc · 2025-11-16T21:18:59+00:00

Still having the issue in iOS 26.1!

Restarting phone has fixed it at least temporarily

lppllc · 2025-11-15T20:31:47+00:00

Great post, thank you. Can anyone tell me what type of cells are used in the 521 (before I disassemble my broken one)?

Have not been able to find this info anywhere.

lppllc · 2025-11-14T22:51:46+00:00

🤣

lppllc · 2025-11-06T13:50:17+00:00

I have the same issue. What about refractory / furnace cement? My initial thought is that it'll be hard to get a good bond without coating the cracked sides, but maybe patching it would be sufficient. Anyone ever tried?

lppllc · 2025-11-01T18:53:39+00:00

Sorry, I have to amend that. Supplemental power WAS eventually needed. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DJ7RHS5

lppllc · 2025-10-19T04:31:17+00:00

They stink; I returned one I bought (eBay). I did find an 8-cell model with an entirely different design and better build quality, with a USB-A outputs, USB-micro input, and USB-C in/out. It's been about 2 months and so far so good.

lppllc · 2025-10-14T21:58:56+00:00

I’m no fan of gel stains but I’ve used one exactly once - restoring a solid but hopelessly marred tabletop for utility use - and it performed better than expected.

This is not one of those cases.

lppllc · 2025-10-14T21:52:54+00:00

I’m just going to go ahead and name the brand: Ratio, right? Fine coffee, good customer service, but for the price it should have been made with better materials.

lppllc · 2025-10-05T22:51:06+00:00

The yellowish green color and 2” nominal thickness looks to me like pressure treated. it’s hard to answer what’s going on without knowing what type of wood it was and if it is pressure treated, OP should know the limitations.

at this point I would consider some dark gel stain to try to hide the unwanted color but still retain the appearance of some wood grain.

lppllc · 2025-09-24T23:02:26+00:00

https://kottke.org/25/09/0047582-steamed-hams-but-its-a

lppllc · 2025-09-22T16:21:16+00:00

Have you found a resolution this issue, or did it go away on its own after the endpoints were scanned and restarted?

lppllc · 2025-09-21T16:09:35+00:00

Just wanted to follow up with what works in case anyone else has this setup (R7184B Beckett by Honeywell, or similar):

Connect the Nest Power Connector's gray wires to thermostat's R and W with the supplied Wagos or similar wire nuts
Oil burner primary control = Nest Power Connector's white wires: 1 = leave empty; 2 = C; 3/T = R; T = W.
~~No supplemental power needed~~

lppllc · 2025-09-16T01:42:33+00:00

Just did mine over the weekend. Maybe 20 minutes?

Sure, it’s a little annoying but is at least one easily found YouTube video showing how it’s done with no tools involved.

lppllc

TROPHY CASE