Suaoki G500 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mojoe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2019, 02:45:36 am
content: I just purchased a Suaoki G500 and thought I'd post a few pics. I didn't do a teardown, I only popped the top. Sorry, but I don't want to void my warranty.The marketing-speak for this type of device is a "solar generator". It is a battery (LiFePo4Li Ion in this case), inverter, DC supply, and associated charging circuitry, all in one box. For my planned use of car camping, it is well suited. I could even see using this in a limited way, during a power outage at home.The first pic shows the front, with the top off. There are four large, inset nuts with hex holes, one in each corner of the top. A few turns with an allen key is all it takes to remove the top, with the attached folding handle.The next pic shows the inside, from the top (front face is down). From what I can see, it looks to be very well made. The caps are Samxon, which is a brand I'm not familiar with. I just did a search, and I see that the guy at BadCaps.net sells Samxon caps, so perhaps they are OK - comments?The plastic case looks to be very thick and sturdy. Silastic everywhere. There are two fans, one on each side.The top board that you can see seems to handle all the DC in/out functions and battery charging. There is a circuit board beneath the battery pack (hard to see). I assume it is the AC sinewave inverter.The Power Pole connectors on the front panel are for a solar panel. The G500 is supposed to have a built-in MPPT controller for this. I'm going to look at some panels tomorrow, so I'll know more later.Next to the Power Pole input is a 5.5 mm DC input jack. Both inputs are rated 14-40 VDC.The battery pack looks to be made up of cylindrical cells, possibly 18450 or similar. So, when the battery eventually dies, it should be possible to build a new one. EDIT: The manual says it is 18650 cells, 3S17P.Some observations from my limited use so far:The included AC/DC charger is rated 29.4 VDC @ 3 A. With the G500 battery about 3/4 full, the display said that about 90 W was being input. I did note that the charger got quite warm, almost hot. It feels a bit on the light side, so I wonder how long it will last.The included solar panel cable has Power Poles on one end, and MC4 on the other. The wire gauge seems a bit light. I'll probably rewire, using 10 gauge wire.Also included is a cigarette lighter plug/cable for charging the battery in the vehicle. The documentation states that you cannot fully charge the battery with this method. I'll have to try this, with the vehicle running, to see how much charge you can get (another time).I plugged in a 37 inch TV, which drew about 80 W. I left it running for about ten minutes. The fans on the G500 did not turn on, and the case didn't feel particularly warm. I didn't hear any hum from the inverter during this test. I'll have to try a larger load. The inverter is rated for 300 W continuous.Both the USB-A 3.0 and the USB-C ports seemed to charge devices quite well. I'll have to dig out my USB wattmeter and do another test.The battery protection circuit reserves 10%, so of the 500 Wh, you can only use 450 Wh.Overall, I am impressed with the build quality and function of the G500. I watched several YouTube videos before deciding to buy this brand and model. My only quibbles are about the external cables and charger.Speaking of YouTube videos, I found one recent video that had a $99.90 discount code, which I used just a few days ago:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJxAOd-Uw0A.On top of this, Amazon is currently offering a $25 coupon. That was why I decided to purchase this now. For $375, this is one hell of a bargain. I'll let you find it on Amazon. If I post a link, someone will think it is an affiliate link. If you want more specs, there are numerous sources online, so I see no need to duplicate that information here.

author: China NewBoy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2019, 12:24:50 am
content: how much money you bought it?