I bought this recently and it works great. Been experimenting every night with something else to run constantly while I sleep. The first charge was "light" but after that - this sucker s like the energiser bunny. Fan, CPAP, radio - 8-10 hours with left over charge (40%!) to spare.

Does anybody know if the charging system for the power pack is a "smart charger"? All the research I've done recently about lead acid batteries says that the best way to make sure the battery doesn't die (ie sulfation) is to have it on trickle charge all the time...

This could really light up my life

jianghai wrote:Does anybody know if the charging system for the power pack is a "smart charger"?

The manual states that you can leave the system plugged in all the time without damaging the battery. So I tend to believe that it's "smart," but I can't really say how smart.

jianghai wrote:Does anybody know if the charging system for the power pack is a "smart charger"? All the research I've done recently about lead acid batteries says that the best way to make sure the battery doesn't die (ie sulfation) is to have it on trickle charge all the time...

Great Question! Yes it has an on-board charge controller that monitors the power in and out. The best way to store the GOAL ZERO Escape 150 is to have it plugged in to some type of power source, either the wall, solar or car (car charger sold separately). If you cannot supply power to it all the time, please make sure to maintain the power pack by giving it a full charge every 3 months, or as often as you can. The main benefit of having it plugged in all the time (cost about a dollar/year to do that) is that when you need to use it, whether it's for a power outage or when you go camping, you will know your power pack has a full charge and it is ready to go!

jianghai wrote:Does anybody know if the charging system for the power pack is a "smart charger"? All the research I've done recently about lead acid batteries says that the best way to make sure the battery doesn't die (ie sulfation) is to have it on trickle charge all the time...

Take a look at the discussions the last time this was on sale. Someone who said he was with Goal Zero answered many of the questions posted.
He did say that it could be left plugged in all the time. Otherwise, charge it up every three months to keep the battery levels high.


EDIT: I see s/he beat me to it :-)

Unless there's been an update without a model number change, this device will not charge iPads and other smart devices that require higher voltages through the built in USB port. Not a major issue since you can just use the power plug or car cigarette lighter adapter. I use the usb port to charge my bluetooth headsets.

Bought one of these about a year and a half ago. Powers a 17 inch laptop on regular setting (no super duper energy saving) for a good two to four hours.

I have no apparent issues leaving this plugged in at home, turned on, with devices plugged in to it as a sort of battery backup.

These are fully compatible with Goal Zero's line of larger solar panels, if that's your thing.

Some reviews, plus a link to a site where you can buy the solar panel. I'm in for at least one.

Edit: it actually appears to be cheapest to buy the solar panel direcly from Goal Zero. Also, a few more reviews here and here (both are for kit offerings, but still relevant).

goalzero wrote:Great Question! Yes it has an on-board charge controller that monitors the power in and out. The best way to store the GOAL ZERO Escape 150 is to have it plugged in to some type of power source, either the wall, solar or car (car charger sold separately). If you cannot supply power to it all the time, please make sure to maintain the power pack by giving it a full charge every 3 months, or as often as you can. The main benefit of having it plugged in all the time (cost about a dollar/year to do that) is that when you need to use it, whether it's for a power outage or when you go camping, you will know your power pack has a full charge and it is ready to go!

Hey nice of you to stop by. Re. Solar charging, can you tell me what I need, besides a solar panel? I think I have some kind of regulator, a 30 watt panel, and a much smaller one, maybe 5 watts.

Can anyone say how well this would power a set of studio lights (flash photography) in the field. In my case, a Novatron power-pack pushing a couple of 1000 watt/second flash heads? If that worked, photographers should swarm this.

MML666 wrote:Take a look at the discussions the last time this was on sale. Someone who said he was with Goal Zero answered many of the questions posted.
He did say that it could be left plugged in all the time. Otherwise, charge it up every three months to keep the battery levels high.


EDIT: I see s/he beat me to it :-)

I've been known to have ninja speed! I'm a he, sorry to disappoint anyone with that revelation ,and I have been with GOAL ZERO since we launched our full product lineup in August of 2010, so I know the product extremely well. This is the GOAL ZERO product my family and I use at our home, or on our family camping trips! Oh, and I like long walks on the beach !

grunyen wrote:Can anyone say how well this would power a set of studio lights (flash photography) in the field. In my case, a Novatron power-pack pushing a couple of 1000 watt/second flash heads? If that worked, photographers should swarm this.

The strobes would not work with this GOAL ZERO product unfortunately. We do have a larger system, which is usually sold out all the time because of high demand, that would be perfect for that application for professional event photographers. It's called the Yeti 1250.

On a previous woot sale, at Jun 18, 2012 7:28 AM, a commenter (not the Goal Zero rep) said that, per TSA regulations, this could not be taken by air, either as carry on or as luggage. To the Goal Zero rep: do you have a comment on that? Is that true?

speedoo wrote:Hey nice of you to stop by. Re. Solar charging, can you tell me what I need, besides a solar panel? I think I have some kind of regulator, a 30 watt panel, and a much smaller one, maybe 5 watts.

With that size panel (30 watt) you would definitely need a charge controller to go between the panel and the battery you are charging to avoid damaging the battery. We put our charge controllers on the power packs themselves. We will also have a GOAL ZERO branded external charge controller in September that will be simple and easy to use with any of our panels.

goalzero wrote:The strobes would not work with this GOAL ZERO product unfortunately. We do have a larger system, which is usually sold out all the time because of high demand, that would be perfect for that application for professional event photographers. It's called the Yeti 1250.

Thanks for the information.

pbanos wrote:On a previous woot sale, a commenter (not the Goal Zero rep) said that, per TSA regulations, this could not be taken by air, either as carry on or as luggage. To the Goal Zero rep: do you have a comment on that? Is that true?

Officially, I need to say that it's best to check with TSA on that question. I will check with them on it and repost as soon as I have an answer for you. If the answer is that you cannot, their staff may need some training because I've never had a problem with any of our gear on a plane. In fact, I've done a full gear demo a few times while being screened. I'll find out what their restrictions are and let you know.

Thanks! The commenter at Jun 18, 2012 7:28 AM wrote that the TSA considered lead acid batteries to be "spillable" batteries. Since this device apparently uses AGM batteries, the material inside should not be spillable, but, on the other hand, this is the TSA I'm asking about.

goalzero wrote:Officially, I need to say that it's best to check with TSA on that question. I will check with them on it and repost as soon as I have an answer for you. If the answer is that you cannot, their staff may need some training because I've never had a problem with any of our gear on a plane. In fact, I've done a full gear demo a few times while being screened. I'll find out what their restrictions are and let you know.

Yet another gadget to render real camping useless.

Might as well stayed at home in the backyard. Is what I say.

The Escape 150 doesn't have a lithium battery, so I'm not sure why the TSA would have a problem with it.

Re: solar panels - it doesn't require a converter for solar panels if you use Goal Zero panels, and you can chain several together for more juice - any panel from the 13.5 Nomad and up, I believe.

OEM website: http://www.goalzero.com/

pbanos wrote:Thanks! The commenter at Jun 18, 2012 7:28 AM wrote that the TSA considered lead acid batteries to be "spillable" batteries. Since this device apparently uses AGM batteries, the material inside should not be spillable, but, on the other hand, this is the TSA I'm asking about.

Yeah, this is a "sealed" lead acid battery and your right, the AGM materials are not spillable, but it would be up to the TSA to make that call. I'll reach out to them and get back to you. There are no Haz-mat restrictions on this product, fyi. By the way, to those wondering what an AGM (absorbed glass-matte) battery is, it's the highest quality lead acid battery out on the consumer market, and is best for storing & using power.

goalzero wrote:I've been known to have ninja speed! I'm a he, sorry to disappoint anyone with that revelation ,and I have been with GOAL ZERO since we launched our full product lineup in August of 2010, so I know the product extremely well. This is the GOAL ZERO product my family and I use at our home, or on our family camping trips! Oh, and I like long walks on the beach !

I bought this item last time it was for sale. I also have the Lighthouse kit that you sell at Costco (with the Nomad 7).
I am glad to see you selling products on Woot and look forward to what else you will sell in the future.
BTW - are you the guy that does the Costco Road Shows?

goalzero wrote:With that size panel (30 watt) you would definitely need a charge controller to go between the panel and the battery you are charging to avoid damaging the battery. We put our charge controllers on the power packs themselves. We will also have a GOAL ZERO branded external charge controller in September that will be simple and easy to use with any of our panels.

Thanks. What kind of connection into your product is needed for solar charging?

xochiluvr wrote:The Escape 150 doesn't have a lithium battery, so I'm not sure why the TSA would have a problem with it.

Re: solar panels - it doesn't require a converter for solar panels if you use Goal Zero panels, and you can chain several together for more juice - any panel from the 13.5 Nomad and up, I believe.

OEM website: http://www.goalzero.com/

You're right and thanks for the clarification. No converter or charge controller needed if you use our panels, it's all built-in!

speedoo wrote:Thanks. What kind of connection into your product is needed for solar charging?

It's a 4.7 mm input jack. Call our Solutions Center and we'll help you figure out what you need to use your existing, third party solar panel.

GoalZero dude, two questions for you seeing as the website forgot about me. First, last time Woot! had a sale linked for the solar panel on this setup, do you know if they are doing it again this time?

Second, I am looking at a system that can power a pico projector and a computer speaker system for a few hours (wanting a portable drive in movie theater kind of set up for some movies at the park). Could this power a projector that says consumption is <50w and a standard 2.1 or 4.1 channel speaker system? I have had a heck of a time trying to find power needs for speakers for some reason. How long could I go using both before I completely discharged the system?

Last question can you charge and discharge at the same time? Could you be discharging while charging using the solar panel?

drunkenalien wrote:Yet another gadget to render real camping useless.

Might as well stayed at home in the backyard. Is what I say.

I can see your point! It makes it seem like we aren't roughing it too much anymore, and in some cases, your right! What I've found is that this actually gets most people back out into the outdoors. Whether it's the person diagnosed with sleep apnea that can now use this with their CPAP machine to go on overnight camping trips, or the urban family who needs to stay connected, our products emPower them to recconect with the outdoors! Thanks for your feedback!

speedoo wrote:Thanks. What kind of connection into your product is needed for solar charging?

I know I've wired the solar panel I own into a cigarette lighter end, so this might work if yours is setup similarly (or can be spliced into one).

http://www.gogreensolar.com/products/goal-zero-4-7mm-to-female-cigarette-input

dufusking wrote:GoalZero dude, two questions for you seeing as the website forgot about me. First, last time Woot! had a sale linked for the solar panel on this setup, do you know if they are doing it again this time?

Second, I am looking at a system that can power a pico projector and a computer speaker system for a few hours (wanting a portable drive in movie theater kind of set up for some movies at the park). Could this power a projector that says consumption is <50w and a standard 2.1 or 4.1 channel speaker system? I have had a heck of a time trying to find power needs for speakers for some reason. How long could I go using both before I completely discharged the system?

Last question can you charge and discharge at the same time? Could you be discharging while charging using the solar panel?

All great questions! If the projector and the stereo speakers use 50 watts exactly, it woul last for three hours. I would recommend you chain a few of our Rock Out speakers together, they run for up to 20 hours and have their own internal battery that is rechargeable through USB. And the sound is killer!

Yes you can charge and discharge at the same time. Outfit yourself with enough solar, I'd say 60 to 75 watts, and you would effectively be running your gear directly from solar and using the Escape 150 as a power converter from solar to AC power.

Maybe a Woot staff member could answer the question about the Boulder 15 sale. Sorry, I am not sure.

MML666 wrote:I bought this item last time it was for sale. I also have the Lighthouse kit that you sell at Costco (with the Nomad 7).
I am glad to see you selling products on Woot and look forward to what else you will sell in the future.
BTW - are you the guy that does the Costco Road Shows?

I have worked a Costco roadshow before, but I am not the guy who runs that program. He's a great guy though.

ThunderThighs wrote:Guess we'll have to use the back door for a bit. I've put in a call for someone to smack the server to get the discussion links on the main page.

Only time for one tonight:


The previous woot everyone above is referring to:
http://sport.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=5042491&pageindex=1&replycount=81#post5042711

back to work.

Hey GoalZero guy.......

I currently have the Nomad 7 panel.

I know its small for this battery, but will it charge it? (Knowing it would take longer).

Thanks!

N-

Hi I recently purchased two of these units last time it was on woot and was about to email goal zero. I had a couple questions about the unit as well please. It took 15+ hours to fully charge from a wall outlet and it says it should take six hours, is this normal for the first few charges? And my other concern being I tested it with charging my smart phone battery over night while I slept, it was an extended cell battery but was less than half dead when I put it on the charger and the Escape only charged it half way twice before it died on both units. Is this normal? Is it because I have the unit on overnight that it dies so quick or do I just have duds? Thank you

drunkenalien wrote:Yet another gadget to render real camping useless.

Might as well stayed at home in the backyard. Is what I say.

So if we need you for something we can assume you'll be in the backyard then?

I took my goal zero unit from the US to Malawi in January 2012. I carried the entire unit, battery pack and solar panel, as a carry on both ways. I have a Sherpa 120. Didn't have any problems with TSA. This unit is a must for working in developing countries. It seamlessly powered by laptop so I could conduct research

Hello-
I have a sherpa model 120, and would like to get another model 150. A couple of hopefully easy questions:

1. will the solar panel from the 120 work on the 150?
2. Can I chain the model 120 and model 150?
3. Will the 120 or 150 hold a longer charge for a laptop?

So if I read this correctly, you can power your laptop for up to 10 hours, depending on use, and it recharges via solar power in 10 hours, thus you can basically power your laptop forever. As long as the sun is out...

Will it be able to run a coffee maker?

goalzero wrote:With that size panel (30 watt) you would definitely need a charge controller to go between the panel and the battery you are charging to avoid damaging the battery. We put our charge controllers on the power packs themselves. We will also have a GOAL ZERO branded external charge controller in September that will be simple and easy to use with any of our panels.

So I'd need extra adapters if I wanted to charge the 150 with a 27 watt nomad like they sell on Amazon page?