J. E. Grumling

Good choice for Starlink Mini

Recently I bought a Starlink Mini for use when camping or on road trips. I had planned on running it only in my camper van but after using it for a while I wanted to use it in my Jeep Cherokee too. The Jeep has a 100V outlet, and plenty of 12VDC power ports for boost converters. However when the engine is off, so is the power. So I wanted to get a backup power device that would not take up much room, provide power for a few hours and recharge while driving. The Daran R-100 fits those requirements quite nicely and also has can be used outside the vehicle.The cable I'm using to run the starlink has both power and Ethernet. Unlike most people I want to run my own router so I have the internal router bypassed, so I need Ethernet run inside the vehicle to my Mikrotik hAP2 travel router. Most/all of the batteries designed specifically for the Starlink Mini block the Ethernet port and slot into the mounting points, so they don't fit my needs.I first tested out the R-100 at a picnic area at Rifle Gap State Park. I'm using a TOGO 100W folding solar panel with adapters. Even with overcast the built in charge controller was adding power at a decent rate. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the USB-C PD port. It's my own fault for not checking prior to testing, but the USB-C PD ports is only capable of 85 Watts and likely maxes out at the 3.0 maximum voltage of 19V. The Starlink Mini would probably run better at 36 or 48 Watts, and I'm not sure if the adapter that came with my cable was up to the task either. But in a pinch it might work, because it did come online and did work for light duty cycles, for example a VoIP phone call. But as soon as I started running a speed test it would dump offline. After some investigation I found out Starlink requires a 100 Watt power supply, preferably at a higher voltage.No matter though, there's the AC outlet. I tested again this time using the AC inverter and Starlink-supplied wall wort. This time it performed much better, maintaining proper voltage and no reboots. Power consumption is higher, so I don't know that it would run on solar power indefinitely and certainly not overnight, but for stops under two hours or so it should be fine. While running the starlink terminal in motion the charge controller was able to add capacity back so it did stay topped up while moving. At no point did the unit get warm or hot and it just sat in the front seat the whole time. It is easy enough to bring inside overnight too.So if you have a Starlink Mini and want to keep the system powered up while stationary, need a portable power solution for a few hours at a time, and need to mount it to a roof rack and use the Ethernet jack, this is a very good solution at a reasonable price.Ver más

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George L.

11 de septiembre de 2026

Power you can hold in your hands—perfect for DIY, Ham Radio, and Emergencies! daran Grab and GO!

DARAN Portable Power Station, 288Wh LiFePO4 Battery, 350W (600W Peak) Power Bank, This portable power station delivers reliable AC and DC power exactly when and where you need it most. It packs an incredible amount of utility into a compact design that you can easily carry anywhere. As a DIY enthusiast, this unit has quickly become a staple in my toolkit. It comes in mighty handy for outdoor projects where outlets aren't available, and it lets me charge multiple tools and devices at the exact same time. As an amateur radio operator, this has also become an essential piece of gear for my field operations. The LiFePO4 battery provides clean, steady power to run my ham radios perfectly when I'm out in the field, without having to worry about losing a connection. Whether you need a battery generator for emergency backup, a reliable field companion for radio gear, or just a solid power bank for outdoor projects, this unit handles it all seamlessly. Highly recommended!Ver más

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Matt S.

28 de septiembre de 2026

Nice Battery Bank with Nice Features

This is the perfect size battery and has been working great for my application. I purchased this primarily to run my grill/smoker to save me from running a long extension cord every time i wanted to cook. The grill has a control board and 12V computer fan and this battery has powered the grill without issue for 20+ hours. All while having plenty of battery life left at the end of a smoking session. The find myself also using the light on it to inspect overnight cooks, it is a nice feature to save me from bringing out a flashlight. My wife has since taken over the battery to keep her phone and tablet reader charged throughout the day. I have also used it to charge my laptop and miscellaneous tasks around the house and shop when it is not on the grill. It also saved us one evening when we lost power to the house for a few hours. I grabbed this and made sure our phones were topped off. The display is clear, useful, and easy to read the battery life and what is actively on.I would recommend this for anyone needing some spare power laying around. this is great for emergencies/power outages around the house to keep devices on. great for anyone camping or going outdoors for a weekend. great for around the pool/lake/sporting events. really anyplace you need mobile power to keep your devices going.I like the size of this, it is big enough that you get some real power from it, but it is small enough to toss in the car or a bag and you don't have to lug a suitcase style power bank around. while you aren't going to run a saw off of it all day or power a concert with it, it is perfect for charging a few phones, my small JBL speaker, run my grill, run some LEDs, a small fan, etc. When it comes time to recharge, i like having the multiple charge options. I usually just use the USB-c to charge overnight when i dont care about charge time, but have forgotten i needed it, threw it on the AC charger and had a useful charge in under an hour. I have not tested the Solar charging as i dont have a solar panel, but dont see why it wouldnt work if you had a nice panel with a power management system. During use or recharge, it maintains a safe temperature. when i had multiple devices charging at once, stressing the battery. While it did get warm, it was not hot and seemed to be managing temperature well. I havent tested the battery to know the actual efficiencies or total actual power storage it does seem to pack decent power for its size. Like mentioned it will run my longest grill sessions just fine and charge my phone multiple times. I am not going to give specifics as every phone, battery, temperature, environment is different so your result will vary slightly. but do believe 90Whs is close to accurate based on the life i have gotten from the battery.My only critique would be the labeling of each port. while there is some information printed. not all the ports are clearly labeled on if they are In/Out or out only, or what their power out ratings for each ports provides. There are multiple USB A and C ports which is nice, but some are limited to 15W and some are 45W. It would be nice if each port was more clearly labeled. I only note this, as my wife had her phone plugged in and noticed it was slow charging instead of standard or fast charging. I flipped the battery over read the output list printed on it and realized she had it plugged into a 15W port and not the 45W. swapped it over to the PD port and it started fast charging. The only other critique is the "on" interface. you have to press and hold to turn the battery pack on to AC or DC output, and then it has to recognize power is going out and you only have about 30 seconds before it shuts itself back off. (ive never actually timed it) this isnt a big deal once you realize it, but the first couple times i thought the battery was bad as it was timing out before i plugged anything in. I think a simple on off output toggle, increasing the time out to like 5-10 minutes, or have an auto on feature when something is plugged in would be an upgraded feature.I would recommend this to anyone looking for a battery this size. I have used this for about 6 months now with ~25 charge cycles and no issues. It has a lot of nice features and for the price, it is hard to beat.

Taylor whitlock

31 de agosto de 2026

If it charged a little faster it would be a 5 star easy.

Works well for its intended use. Charges phones, laptops, party speakers and works well to run a low power light for many many hours in the event of a power outage. Only complaint is how long it takes to charge, but that can be overlooked with how compact, well priced and portable it is.Ver más

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The Ace Of Spade Family

28 de agosto de 2026

Perfect little power station for laptops and camping!

I picked this up on sale for about $70, and it's been an absolute lifesaver for remote work. It’s incredibly light only 2.54 pounds so it’s actually easy to toss in my backpack without weighing me down.The best part is how fast it recharges. If you plug in the AC and USB-C inputs at the same time, it goes from dead to full in just 1.2 hours. Having actual 2-prong and 3-prong AC outlets on something this tiny is super handy for my laptop, and I love that it uses the safer, longer-lasting LiFePO4 battery chemistry. Highly recommend if you need a quiet, reliable 100W backup!Ver más

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Ethan

14 de septiembre de 2026

Great Value and Long lasting battery life

I bought this power station to use during a camping trip and had a really great experience using it throughout the weekend. I was able to pump up a few different air mattresses and also charge over six different phones, and by the end of the camping trip, the charge was still over 70%. I really liked the number of plugs this unit had, and it ended up being a great purchase for emergencies to keep at home.Having this during a recent power outage helped me ease my mind. The transport/storgage bag is also nice to keep it nice and safe.Ver más

2 personas la encontraron útil