Friday, April 30, 2010
Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Just what I needed
The duracell DPP 600 a very convenient way to power necessary items or items for leisure. I use it for backup for some of my photography lighting such as studio flashes when I am on the road. Of course the jumper cables are also a plus. The product is built nice and rugged. With 600 Watts of power I am able to power up multiple items that require minimal power for hours at a time. This unit is a must for people who love the outdoors and road warriors who are looking for an affordable power pack option.
Duracell DPP-600HD No issues whatsoever - works great!
I received my Duracell PowerPack 600HD just about a month ago (in mid-March) and have thoroughly tested it. Everything works fine. I spoke with a representative at Xantrex (the manufacturer) before ordering this unit to get the latest advice on charging and running the PowerPack. Apparently, if these units sit for over a year without being charged (for instance, before being sold) the battery can degrade and die. The unit I received had a manufacture date of 20Nov2009, so it was only 4 months old when I received it. I charged it for several days, as recommended by the instructions, and it took and held the charge. The Xantrex representative suggested that these units don't reach their full capacity until they are cycled 5 or 6 times. This is easily done by plugging in a standard 40 watt incandescent lamp into the unit and letting it drain the battery. The PowerPack monitors the battery voltage and when it hits the working limit, sounds an alarm. If the battery continues to be drained, the PowerPack will shut off automatically when a second limit is reached. This 2-tiered shut-down worked as it should with my unit. I charged it back up and the following weekend ran a second drain test. For this test, I clocked 5 hours before the alarm sounded. (Your results may differ, depending on the condition of the battery and the actual watts drawn by your light bulb...). Xantrex recommended leaving the battery plugged into the trickle charger at all times, and additionally cycling the battery every 2 or 3 months to maintain it in top condition.
I plan to use this unit to recharge phones and taping equipment at music festivals this summer, and it looks like this unit will do the job nicely.
As far a jump starting a car, this PowerPack should be able to do it if you've simply drained your car battery by accidentally leaving on the headlights or dome light. If your battery is old and dies for no apparent reason, you're better off calling a tow service and have them bring you a new battery...
I plan to use this unit to recharge phones and taping equipment at music festivals this summer, and it looks like this unit will do the job nicely.
As far a jump starting a car, this PowerPack should be able to do it if you've simply drained your car battery by accidentally leaving on the headlights or dome light. If your battery is old and dies for no apparent reason, you're better off calling a tow service and have them bring you a new battery...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack I keep it between the driver and passenger seats in my minivan
I keep it between the driver and passenger seats in my minivan. It worked well to jump start a vehicle from it to to the battery but not from just into the cigarette lighter/utility outlet. I use it as a charger without the need for car adapters and/or use to run a notebook computer for movies for my children while I drive. Big fat plugs might hit the power switch or limit the number of items you can plug in because of the outlet locations, but I am still happy I purchased this item.
Duracell DPP-600HD Good LIGHT-duty unit
Works like a charm, and I'm happy to have it for power outages and car jump-starts. So what follows are quibbles... and warnings for those who might expect too much.
While it advertises itself as "Heavy Duty," looks rugged, (and certainly is heavy,) these things are actually for only light usage, and are somewhat fragile.
It won't withstand the extreme temperatures in your car, and needs occasional recharging, so forget just carrying it around in your trunk. And if you over-drain it, it's ruined permanently.
It works great for small lamps, fans, musical instruments, and even my desktop computer. But this is not going to run your refrigerator, toaster, hotplate, coffeepot, or any such energy hogs. It ran my 42" LCD TV, but not long enough to be practical.
For those who want to charge electronic gear like computers or cell phones, they emphatically warn you not to use the AC outlets. The DC outlet, which is like that of your car's cigarette lighter, works fine for these items... which makes one wonder why they have THREE AC outlets and only ONE DC outlet. Also, when using the DC outlet, make sure you switch on the AC outlets, or the alarm for over-draining the unit will not sound.
The jumper cables are good but SHORT, and the built-in light is about like a mediocre flashlight. (A bank of LED's would have made more sense.) The radio is better than I expected.
The digital gauges are so wildly inaccurate as to be virtually worthless. (A 75-watt lamp registered as 30 watts, a 60-watt lamp registered as 10 watts, and a 28-watt fluorescent registered ZERO.)
My last quibble is that the AC charger, in addition to taking forever, gets warm enough to give me pause.
Despite the foregoing, I like the unit a lot, and recommend it wholeheartedly. But I keep it at home and have DC chargers for my electronics.
While it advertises itself as "Heavy Duty," looks rugged, (and certainly is heavy,) these things are actually for only light usage, and are somewhat fragile.
It won't withstand the extreme temperatures in your car, and needs occasional recharging, so forget just carrying it around in your trunk. And if you over-drain it, it's ruined permanently.
It works great for small lamps, fans, musical instruments, and even my desktop computer. But this is not going to run your refrigerator, toaster, hotplate, coffeepot, or any such energy hogs. It ran my 42" LCD TV, but not long enough to be practical.
For those who want to charge electronic gear like computers or cell phones, they emphatically warn you not to use the AC outlets. The DC outlet, which is like that of your car's cigarette lighter, works fine for these items... which makes one wonder why they have THREE AC outlets and only ONE DC outlet. Also, when using the DC outlet, make sure you switch on the AC outlets, or the alarm for over-draining the unit will not sound.
The jumper cables are good but SHORT, and the built-in light is about like a mediocre flashlight. (A bank of LED's would have made more sense.) The radio is better than I expected.
The digital gauges are so wildly inaccurate as to be virtually worthless. (A 75-watt lamp registered as 30 watts, a 60-watt lamp registered as 10 watts, and a 28-watt fluorescent registered ZERO.)
My last quibble is that the AC charger, in addition to taking forever, gets warm enough to give me pause.
Despite the foregoing, I like the unit a lot, and recommend it wholeheartedly. But I keep it at home and have DC chargers for my electronics.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack Flawless Performance!
Went shopping for an affordable solution to allow me to use my CPAP machine while car-camping. A secondary use would be to power the CPAP during infrequent power outages. After doing extensive shopping on Amazon, internet searches and local "brick and mortar" stores, I choose the Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack.
Since the unit was delivered, I fully charged it (per instructions) and have taken it on two outings. I am very happy to report that it has performed flawlessly! Both outings were for two nights each. On the first outing, I had no opportunity to recharge the unit during the day, so I operated my CPAP without the optional humidifier. After the first night, the charge was down to 40%; so I expected the unit to die during the second night. Surprisingly, it didn't and operated my CPAP throughout the second night.
On the second outing, I had the ability to recharge it during the day and used the humidifier. Based on the rated watts/hour of the CPAP with humidifier, the Duracell 600 should not have powered the unit all night. However, it did!
I used the built in light just to make sure it worked (it did). May use it during a power outage, but will probably save the charge for the CPAP. Tried out the radio and it worked fine (even in camp). Good reception, but, as fully expected, lousy sound... AC/DC outlets both functioned well.
This unit scores high on price and functionality. I'm checking in to solar charges to take with me camping - this will let me take on a week-long scout camp next summer.
Since the unit was delivered, I fully charged it (per instructions) and have taken it on two outings. I am very happy to report that it has performed flawlessly! Both outings were for two nights each. On the first outing, I had no opportunity to recharge the unit during the day, so I operated my CPAP without the optional humidifier. After the first night, the charge was down to 40%; so I expected the unit to die during the second night. Surprisingly, it didn't and operated my CPAP throughout the second night.
On the second outing, I had the ability to recharge it during the day and used the humidifier. Based on the rated watts/hour of the CPAP with humidifier, the Duracell 600 should not have powered the unit all night. However, it did!
I used the built in light just to make sure it worked (it did). May use it during a power outage, but will probably save the charge for the CPAP. Tried out the radio and it worked fine (even in camp). Good reception, but, as fully expected, lousy sound... AC/DC outlets both functioned well.
This unit scores high on price and functionality. I'm checking in to solar charges to take with me camping - this will let me take on a week-long scout camp next summer.
Duracell DPP-600HD Performed Excellent!
Planning an outdoor meeting, we needed a power pack that would run a Bose L1 Compact, a wireless mic, and a keyboard. After reading all the reviews we decided to go with the Duracell DPP-600HD. I chose the two day shipping and received it the next day!! We were in Phoenix and it shipped from Goodyear, AZ. Upon receiving it, the battery showed that it was fully charged. Not wanting to take a chance of it running out while we were using it, we plugged a laptop and a small fan into it. Brought the charge down a bit and then charged it over night prior to our needing it. The next day we used all three items for 3 hours and everything worked flawlessly. I am glad that I went with the Duracell, because when I received it it is really the Xantrex with Duracell on the body! The instruction manual states it and so did the outside box. In fact, my husband thought I had ordered the Xantrex until we pulled it out of the box. On another occasion, we used it to plug in an electric blanket. We were warm all night! :-) It met the need we had and I can see it will be useful in the future.
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