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Can you beat this pricing with a DIY solution?

Featured Replies

I want to run my desktop PC during loadshedding.

I measured the power requirement to be 200-380W depending on load.

I saw this system on takealot: https://www.takealot.com/ecoflow-river-pro-720wh-portable-power-station-black/PLID73199269

Seems to be exactly what I need.

I'm not scared to DIY, my question is, is it possible to beat this pricing the DIY route? or is it probably a waste of effort.

I would rather get ellies or mecer ups(24volt), they would be slightly cheaper and have a capacity of around 2000Watt hours and same lifespan or better.

Running your computer off such a small 600w capacity would be stressing the system.

Good luck

With a load from PC of say 300W per hour you should make it for 2h LS cycles but not longer. This is based on the standard 720Wh battery and not with the 2nd battery that one can fit. The Ellies/Mecer should be good for 1200Wh if cycled to 50% of the lead acid capacity.

I do belief the Ellies/Mecer will provide less cycles than the Ecoflow River Pro. The plus is the light weight and thus portable.

Buying a battery trolley plus 2x100Ah lead acids and the same Mecer inverter will be quite a bit cheaper than the complete trolley offers.

There is a new Kapa 1200Wh LFP unit available at Voltex. I'm not sure about pricing, but it is bound to be less than the ecoflow (with similar specs).

Similar to this one: https://www.elleyhillpower.co.za/products/kapa-energie-1000 , but with LiFePO text on it, and it was white. The one in the link makes no mention of LiFePO, so I highly doubt that it is.

9 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

300W per hour

Watt is already joules per second. Watt per hour does not make sense in this context.

Edited by P1000

52 minutes ago, P1000 said:

There is a new Kapa 1200Wh LFP unit available at Voltex. I'm not sure about pricing, but it is bound to be less than the ecoflow (with similar specs).

Similar to this one: https://www.elleyhillpower.co.za/products/kapa-energie-1000 , but with LiFePO text on it, and it was white. The one in the link makes no mention of LiFePO, so I highly doubt that it is.

Watt is already joules per second. Watt per hour does not make sense in this context.

The measurement is wh but if one talks of a load using 30W per hour it makes if easy to calculate the power used by multiplying with the hours say 10hrs and this means you need 30x10=300Wh of storage. Technically wrong but an easy way.

You will also see in the way campers talk they say my fridge uses 3A per hour. Even with the fridge off for about 33% it is the average time/amps the compressor will be running for each hour. When running it might be drawing 5A. Then it is 30Ah of storage for 10hrs. Running at 12V again easy to calculate. This will be seen as 36W per hour thus 360Wh for storage.

We talk this way to make it easy for the layman to understand the electrons.

17 hours ago, jeddles said:

I want to run my desktop PC during loadshedding.

I measured the power requirement to be 200-380W depending on load.

I saw this system on takealot: https://www.takealot.com/ecoflow-river-pro-720wh-portable-power-station-black/PLID73199269

Seems to be exactly what I need.

I'm not scared to DIY, my question is, is it possible to beat this pricing the DIY route? or is it probably a waste of effort.

Those devices are designed for camping. They are also expensive. Forget DIY, you can buy an inverter with batteries (that you can replace), that will sit inline with the power to your computer (and thus will recharge automatically when power is restored), and probably service a bigger load, for less than 13grand odd.

9 hours ago, Bobster. said:

you can buy an inverter with batteries (that you can replace), that will sit inline with the power to your computer (and thus will recharge automatically when power is restored), and probably service a bigger load, for less than 13grand odd.

Where? Been looking and not one seems to have stock.

In fact I don't mind DIY, in that I will assemble...

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