REVIEW – During the pandemic, my wife and I built a camper into a box trailer. A big part of that build was an entire 12V power system, including solar panels, a solar charge controller, a DC-AC inverter, and a battery. The battery is the key to this system because nothing works without it. When we’re camping, we‘re often purposefully in the shade, which means the solar panels might not work well. So knowing how much power remains in the battery is critical. No power means no fun with a camper. Until we got the Goldenmate Orion 1000 battery, we were just guessing on battery capacity based on voltage, which is not a great indicator. The Goldenmate Orion 1000 lets us monitor battery capacity remotely through an app, which means we always know how much longer we can extend our trip without moving into some sun to recharge the batteries.
What is it?
The Goldenmate Orion 1000 is a large LiFePO4 battery with a display, Bluetooth, and an app.
What’s in the box?
- Goldenmate Orion 1000
- Manual
- Two communication cables for connecting batteries together, or to an external monitor
- M8 cable Lugs
Hardware specs
- Battery Size: 1280 Wh, 100 Ah
- Voltage: 12.8V
- Rated Charge Current: 20A
- Maximum Charge Current: 50A
- Rated Discharge Current: 120A
- Maximum Discharge Current: 150A (for about 5 minutes)
- Discharge Cutoff Voltage: 10.5V
- Discharge cycles: over 5000
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Display: LCD showing capacity, charge and discharge status, and any faults
- Expansion Capacity: Up to 4 batteries in series or parallel
- Charge temperature: 0 – 50 deg C
- Discharge temperature: -20 to 60 deg C
- Warranty: 5 years
- Weight: 14.2 Kg (29.5 lb)
- Dimensions: 6.77″D x 12.91″W x 8.34″H
- Water Resistance: IP67
Design and Features
The Goldenmate Orion 1000 is a premium battery. All LiPO4 batteries share common traits: light weight, high energy density, long life, and general safety compared to other battery types. But most are just plastic boxes with no interface. The Goldenmate Orion 1000 includes several features that value batteries don’t have. And one feature that no other battery has, and that’s a display.
The color LCD display shows battery level (%), charge and discharge wattage, and any faults. The display is not on all the time, but only when a touch-sensitive pad on the display is pressed. If the battery is installed in some out-of-the way place, no worries. It has Bluetooth, and the status can easily be monitored via an app available in the app stores for Android and Apple.
The Orion 100 features molded in handles which make carrying very easy, and rubber feet so it doesn’t slide around. The battery management system (BMS)protects the battery from over charging, over discharging, overcurrent, short circuit, and high temperature.
The BMS also protects the battery from low temperature charging, as LiPO4 batteries can not be charged below freezing without damage. Most value batteries don’t include low temperature charge protection. The battery also includes two ports so that the BMS in batteries can be linked together, or linked to external monitors.
Performance
Until the Goldenmate Orion 1000, the only way to monitor battery status was with an expensive monitor that included shunt through which all power into and out of the battery passed. The Goldenmate Orion 1000 changed that by including a display, Bluetooth connectivity, and an app. And it works quite well. The app is available in the respective app stores, as opposed to needing to be side-loaded in an insecure matter. The app connects quickly, and displays activity in real time. When I turn the fan on in the camper, the app instantly shows the additional 15W of discharge.
The app also shows the amount of time remaining at current discharge rates, or the amount of time remaining to charge, while under charging conditions. I installed the battery on our outdoor lighting system, which is off-grid and charged by 200W of solar panels. Given that it’s winter, I wanted to check the low temperature charge protection. The app shows the temperature of each of the battery cells, and the charging definitely cut off when the temperature dropped below freezing. The only issue seemed to be that the battery did not resume charging once it had warmed. It seems that the BMS had to be reset by removing the charge (disconnecting the solar panels). The charge and discharge values both reflected was was being read external to the battery, so the display and app report accurate values.
What I like
- Light weight, high charge density
- The display and the Bluetooth app!
What I’d change
- Resolve the need to remove the charge and reset the BMS after the low temperature charge protection kicks in
- The included lugs don’t fit under plastic protective caps
Final thoughts
The ability to constantly and easily monitor battery status is a game changer. Couple that with the other premium features of the Goldenmate Orion 1000 battery, and you have quite a setup. Add in that this battery can often be had for around $300, and not only is it a premium battery, but it’s a premium value.
Price: $299 to $766, depending on where and when purchased
Where to buy: Goldenmate (Use code: GADGETEER to save 15%) or Amazon (save 5% with code EVAYB13D)
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Goldenmate.
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Great battery, but if you have an iPhone you can forget about using the blue tooth feature. Apple is not allowing application to be downloaded