Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:19 am

I gave another Li Ion battery from Amazon a try. Qi-Infinity Powerplant 52800 mAh Li Ion http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N5E ... UTF8&psc=1
It worked right out of the box. Charged it up to 100% and used it last night. 8.5 hours, pressure setting 14-16, no humidifier. It worked great and I have 56% battery left. I generally sleep less than 7 hours when I camp, so this battery should get the job done on 2 night kayak trips. It weighs about 3 lb. and measures 8.5 X 3.5 X 2.5 inches. A bit heavier and larger than the PowerAdd Pilot, but hey....it works!

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flyswatta
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by flyswatta » Sun Apr 19, 2015 7:40 pm

The solar panel arrived a couple of weeks ago. My initial test was good, I started charging at 79% on the PowerPro battery at 11:49am, then by 2:00 it was at 95%. I left for about 2.5 hours and it was at 100% when I got back.

I think this thing is gonna work great. I'm going camping this weekend so I'll field test it then

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Mon Apr 20, 2015 5:20 am

Thanks for the feedback on the solar panel. I used my Qi-Infinity for two nights at 14-16 pressure and have 20% power left. If a solar panel could give a small recharge, then I could maybe get another night out of it? I can see this battery replacing one of my 13 pounders for an extended river trip. We often do "layover" days on trips where we stay at the same camp for an extra day & night. That day could be solar recharge day. At least I now have a system for kayak touring. That's great.

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HoustonMedic08
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by HoustonMedic08 » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:04 am

Picked up one of these and used it last weekend on an overnight. Took just the pump half of my PR System One Series 60 and it went from 100% battery to 85% in the first night. Overall I'm pretty impressed.

At home I ran it for 10 minutes each at pressure settings up to 20 cmH2O without problems. The whole battery shares the same footprint as the machine and is about the same weight and size as a paperback book.

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:15 am

HoustonMedic08 wrote:Picked up one of these and used it last weekend on an overnight. Took just the pump half of my PR System One Series 60 and it went from 100% battery to 85% in the first night. Overall I'm pretty impressed.

At home I ran it for 10 minutes each at pressure settings up to 20 cmH2O without problems. The whole battery shares the same footprint as the machine and is about the same weight and size as a paperback book.
What pressure setting do you use? I might give the PowerAdd Pilot one more try at some point, since it's less $$$ and lighter than the Qi-Infinity. The first PoweAdd Pilot I got charged up ok, and charged off the USB cable just fine, but would not even turn my cpap on at all. The Qi-Infinity works for at least 2 nights, and maybe more so I'm happy. Since I tote mine in a kayak or raft, 3 pounds isn't bad at all. The PowerAdd would be better for backpackers.

I really want to hear back from flyswatta on how the solar charger worked in the field. A reliable solar recharge system that doesn't cost big bucks would really be sweet.

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danjfoley
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by danjfoley » Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:33 pm

I'm thinking of getting the pilot pro or the c100. The c100 is made for cpap machines.. it costs more. But it come in a nice travel case.

How about the pilotpro? Does it come in a nice travel case or anything?

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Wed Apr 22, 2015 11:34 pm

danjfoley wrote:I'm thinking of getting the pilot pro or the c100. The c100 is made for cpap machines.. it costs more. But it come in a nice travel case.

How about the pilotpro? Does it come in a nice travel case or anything?
I got one of the dud Power Add Pilot batteries. I then debated about getting the C-100 @ $279 on Amazon. Then someone suggested the Qi-Infinity (link in my post above). It costs $219. Works great with my PR 60 series cpap. I easily got 2 nights at pressure setting of 14-16, and might be able to squeeze a third night out of it. It's a bit heavier than the PowerAdd Pilot @ 3 lb. vs 1.6 lb. but the size is compact and it worked first time out of the box.

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kiapolo
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by kiapolo » Fri Apr 24, 2015 1:45 am

Finster63 wrote:Please keep me posted on what works with the solar panels.

I can see them coming in handy for multiple day camping.
Charging via USB (5V/1.5A) was a failure. Didn't even trickle charge.
flyswatta wrote:Awesome! I forgot to mention that I went camping two weeks ago. The Poweradd worked great for two nights - a 6 hour night and a 10 hour night and I was at 14%.

I ordered the AllPowers 28 watt portable solar panels and will try them out in two weeks at my next camp out. For a test, it charged the Poweradd about 20% in 3 hours. I can't wait to see what it does on a camp out!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6C ... UTF8&psc=1
This looks like a good option. Might have to add this to my long term emergency preparedness wishlist.

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SkyHigh2

Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by SkyHigh2 » Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:13 pm

I purchased the Pilot Pro and it would turn on and run my Remstar 50 for a little while, although whenever I took a deep breath it would trip the circuit and cause the light to blink forcing me to shut it down and restart it. I think every time I fall asleep I take a deep breath right before passing out because it never would run for more than 10 minutes before I would wake up to my CPAP being off. The Pilot Pro has a maximum rating of 5 amps while the Qi-Infinity only has a 4 amp maximum. I sent the Pilot back to Amazon. Will the Qi-Infinity do any better?

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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by SkyHigh2 » Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:22 pm

***I put the wrong CPAP on the previous post. Sorry*****
I purchased the Pilot Pro and it would turn on and run my Respironics 50 series for a little while, although whenever I took a deep breath it would trip the circuit and cause the light to blink forcing me to shut it down and restart it. I think every time I fall asleep I take a deep breath right before passing out because it never would run for more than 10 minutes before I would wake up to my CPAP being off. The Pilot Pro has a maximum rating of 5 amps while the Qi-Infinity only has a 4 amp maximum. I sent the Pilot back to Amazon. Will the Qi-Infinity do any better?

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Sun Apr 26, 2015 2:04 pm

I have been using the Qi-Infinity at home with my PR 60 series machine on & off for about a week. REMstar System One 60 series Auto A-Flex, pressure setting of 14-16, ramp starts at pressure of 8. No problems. Plug in the battery & turn on the machine. At my pressure settings, I'm using around 30-40% of the battery charge per night depending on hours slept. I haven't tried three nights in a row yet, but I might try that next just to see if I can get a third night out of it. When I tried the Pilot Pro, it would not turn my machine on at all. It seemed to work with the USB cable when I plugged in my iPad, but no go on the cpap machine. So far so good with the Qi-Infinity battery. I wish it was the same weight & price as the Pilot Pro, but hey.....it's working.

Still waiting for flyswatta to report back on how the solar panel worked on their backpacking trip.

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flyswatta
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by flyswatta » Sun Apr 26, 2015 2:50 pm

So we had a great time for our campout! I only slept about 5 hours the first night and my pilot pro was at 69% when I woke up.
I was busy in the morning, but put it out at around noon. Here are the numbers.

12:15 start. 69%
1:19 79%
2:50 83%
4:00 88%

Soooo, a couple of things. It was a high of 86°F and the pilot pro got really hot (I had it under the solar panel, but it still was hot. Second, I think when I checked it at 1:19, I jiggled the power cable loose - it's kind of temperamental so it has be pushed in just right. either event, I was able to charge it about 19% in about 4 hours. From my other solar setup, I had better luck charging in the morning, so next time I'll try that.

Here is the solar charger I bought (the trick is that it needs 18v out)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6C ... UTF8&psc=1

Here is a pic I took so you can get a size reference. folded up, the panel is just a little wider and longer than the power pro, but thicker.
Image

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:18 pm

Thanks for the report. So did you switch the Pilot Pro to 18V to charge it. Looks like you could probably get a full recharge or at least close with an all day sun exposure? Did the battery get hot from the sun or from the recharging process?

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flyswatta
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by flyswatta » Mon Apr 27, 2015 7:27 am

The 18v is the input charge and it's not selectable. You are thinking of the output charge, which you don't change for charging. I believe it's hot from being in the sun since it really didn't get too hot on previous test runs. I had just slid the battery under the panels, this time I'll use a stick or rock to lift up a panel and shade the battery and see if helps. Since I was able to charge it to 100% before from solar, I'm pretty sure I can do it again. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with it. I think I need to fiddle with it a little more to get to charge at max rate.

This weekend I might run the CPAP on battery at home so I can figure out the best method to charge it back up

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raftergirl
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Re: Backpacking, Hiking and Camping - the PowerAdd Pilot Pro

Post by raftergirl » Mon Apr 27, 2015 9:04 am

Most of the time I'll just be out for two nights, and the battery can handle that without a problem. But if the solar panel could charge the battery back up on longer trips that would be a bonus. The real catch to all of this is weather and direct sunlight. The solar panel you have is much more cost effective that some that I've looked at for twice that price. Thanks for the info, and keep us updated as you tweak your system.

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