Page 3 - Test Results
To evaluate the BLUETTI AC50B, I put it through a series of tests. First, I measured its battery life in a drain test. In order to do this, I used an incandescent desk lamp that constantly draws 134W of power, as shown in the photo above. The AC50B's screen showed 134W of output as well, which means it accounted for the inverter loss already. The lamp shut off after 3 hours 0 minutes and 51 seconds, which is 403.876Wh of usable capacity including inverter loss. This is 90.2% of the rated capacity including inverter loss, as the internal LiFePO4 battery is specified at 448Wh. The AC50B delivered as promised in this test.
The AC charging time is given at 3 hours in Standard mode, 45 minutes to 80% and 70 minutes to 100% in Turbo mode, and 5 hours in Silent mode. These estimates seem accurate according to my tests.
The next test is using a MAXIMUM impact wrench. This is an 8.5A high power impact wrench that I use to loosen lug nuts off my car. The purpose of this test was to see if the BLUETTI AC50B can handle over 1000W of burst output. The AC50B's screen showed instantaneous output of just under 700W when loosening a 95 lb-ft lug nut, or right at the limit. I had no problems tightening or loosening lug nuts, but the impact wrench felt weaker than normal, since it was not able to operate at full power. Power Lifting mode was not required.
Here, I used a Vitamix blender to evaluate the BLUETTI AC50B. The purpose of this test was to test high initial power draw that falls to a moderate sustained load. On start, the AC50B showed approximately 830W output, and quickly settled to roughly 400W with the blender operating at maximum speed. Once again, the portable power station delivered with no issues, and Power Lifting mode was not required.
Taking the BLUETTI AC50B upstairs, I dropped by my bathroom and connected my Conair hair dryer. The purpose of this test was to see how the portable power station worked with a high resistive load. The draw spiked to 830W and the AC50B shut down with an error in less than a second. Power Lifting mode was designed for this purpose, so I activated it and turned on my hair dryer once again. The output was capped at 700W per design, but my hair dryer shut down after a few seconds anyway. I had to switch my hair dryer to "Low" for it to work, but even then, it was not able to deliver heat at full speed.
Lastly, I plugged my entire desktop setup along with a wireless access point to the BLUETTI AC50B. This included a desktop PC, two monitors, keyboard, Audioengine HD3 speakers, Corsair iCUE LT100 RGB LED lighting, and an ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 Wi-Fi node. The purpose of this test was to test was to test variable power loads with sensitive electronic devices as well as its UPS function. The power output varied between 75W and 500W on the portable power station. All my computers and electronics functioned as if it was connected to the grid with no unintended effects.
I also tested the UPS mode to test if the AC50B's response time was fast enough to sustain connected computers in the event of a power failure. This test was conducted by connecting the AC50B to a power strip with a switch. The power to the AC will be shut down at random intervals to see if my PC connected to the portable power station will shut down, restart, or otherwise experience interruptions. The AC50B's rated response time of 20ms was fast enough to sustain power with no issues to the connected devices. It was completely seamless, and I can say the BLUETTI AC50B is fast enough to act as a UPS for your PC.
Overall, the BLUETTI AC50B power station delivered good performance across the board in all my tests. The AC50B was unable to power my hair dryer at full speed, nor was the torque wrench able to operate at full power. In other words, it was not as powerful as the AC70, but this was expected. Everything functioned pretty much exactly as designed, and the internal fan was quiet in all tested conditions.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
