xPower 1500

How Long Will It Provide Power?

Five "Real World" Tests Provide The Answer

July 30, 2001
xPower 1500 provides portable household power - real AC power that can be used to run appliances or electronics during a power emergency, for work at a remote site, or when it's time to kick-back and enjoy your leisure time. The five tests presented below highlight a few of the products xPower 1500 will run, and the run times you can expect when using it in "real world" situations. At the start of each run time test, xPower 1500's battery pack was fully charged and each test concluded when the low battery shut down occurred. These real world tests demonstrate how xPower 1500 can meet our needs for emergency or portable power.

Test 1 - The Power Goes Out At Home

It's late afternoon, the kids are home from school and dad will be returning from work any minute. The thundershowers predicted earlier in the day have finally started and a few strong gusts of wind let you know this may be a serious storm. Suddenly, the power goes out and while the kids are startled, you calmly roll xPower 1500 from the closet and connect it to the 13" TV in the kitchen to get the latest weather update. After 2 hours of flipping channels between weather updates and cartoon shows, it's now dinnertime. You use xPower 1500 to run the electric can opener to open six cans of food and brew a pot of coffee. After dinner, the family gathers in the living room where a fire blazes in the fireplace and xPower 1500 runs the fireplace fan (for the next 2 and 1/2 hours), keeping the room warm and comfy. To get the latest report on the storm and when power might be restored, you've plugged the radio into xPower 1500 - and 4 hours later, the only news is "crews are out working". It's late and time for bed. The sleeping bags and blankets are arranged on the living room floor with light provided by a fluorescent lamp connected to xPower 1500 - it's the same light that's been running off of xPower 1500 since the power first went out!

These are the specific products used for "The Power Goes Out At Home" test:

Product / Description	Run Time / Activity
Hitachi 13" TV (120V, 60 Hz, 69W)	2.0 hours
Sanyo Radio (120V, 60 Hz, 10W)	4.0 hours
Fireplace Fan - Classic (120V, 60 Hz, .5A)	2.4 hours
Black & Decker Coffee Maker (120V, 60 Hz, 975W)	Brewed 11 cups
Electric Can Opener (120V, 60 Hz, 120W)	Opened 6 cans
xPower Fluorescent Light (12Vdc, 8W)	About 8.5 hours

Test 2 - The Power Goes Out At The Office

Friday has arrived. You've planned to work at home this morning, then head out to the cottage early in the afternoon, before traffic on 1-75 gets too congested. Your business plan for the new product line needs to be on the boss' desk by the end of the day, and by scheduling time at home to work on it - away from all the interruptions at the office you're confident it will get done on time. After checking the morning email, your lights flicker off and you immediately shut down the computer, since power from your UPS is limited. It's another blackout and power to your home - but more importantly your home office - has been disrupted. Fortunately, your xPower 1500 is fully charged and ready to go. You first connect your cordless phone, then your computer, printer, and fax machine to xPower 1500. You're ready to work again. Four hours later your 40-page business plan in printed, faxed, and it's nearly time to hit the road. But the phone rings and your office confirms the 15 page market study you've been waiting for has arrived. They fax it to you for review over the weekend. Thanks to xPower 1500, your trip to the cottage remains on schedule.

These are the specific products used for "The Power Goes Out At The Office" test:

Product / Description	Run Time / Activity
Computer/ 15" Monitor (120V, 60 Hz, 200W)	4.2 hours
GE Cordless Telephone (120V, 60 Hz, l50mA)	4.3 hours
HP LaserJet 5 Printer (120V, 60 Hz, 7.8A)	Print 40 pages
Canon Laser Class 9000L Fax (120V, 60 Hz, 6.5A)	Transmit 40 pages
Canon Laser Class 9000L Fax (120V, 60 Hz, 6.5A)	Receive 15 pages

Test 3 - Power At A Construction Site

You're the guy they depend on. You supervise the crew, get the supplies and equipment to the site, and keep the project on schedule. But this project's not on schedule, which is why you've got the men in early this Saturday morning. Rather than running the generator - after all it is 7 a.m. and the neighbors would appreciate a little less noise - you wheel xPower 1500 into the freshly poured basement to continue with the interior framing. xPower 1500 is your power source to run a circular saw and 1/2" drill, which you use to cut 150 two-by-fours and then drill 3/4" holes through 50 of them. At lunchtime, xPower 1500 runs a microwave oven to warm two plates of chicken and the crew expresses their thanks for this overtime treat. For the next six hours construction proceeds fast-paced, and during this entire period xPower 1500 is connected to a 12-volt cooler, one big enough to hold 57 cans of a 12 oz. beverage. By 7:00 p.m. the project is back on schedule and it's time to celebrate with a chilled "soda" from the cooler. With xPower 1500 as your power source, the day is a success.

These are the specific products used for "Power At A Construction Site" test:

Product / Description	Run Time / Activity
DeWalt Circular Saw (120V, 60 Hz, 13A)	Cut 150 2x4s
DeWalt Drill (120V, 60 Hz, 4.8A) each	Drilled 50 holes in 2x4s, 3/4" each
Samsung Microwave Oven (120V, 60 Hz, 850w)	Cooked 2 plates of food, 2 Min. each
Koolatron Portable Cooler (12Vdc, 4A)	6.1 hours

Test 4 - Power For The Ultimate Tailgate Party

This is the big day. After a grueling 16-week NFL schedule, your team has made the play-offs. The game sold out early and a number of your friends were unable to get a ticket. However, they're all invited to your "ultimate tailgate party"! In front of your RV, which is parked with the stadium in full view, the snacks and beverages are set out for your guests to enjoy prior to the game. To heat-up four plates of your famous "nachos, cheese, and salsa grande", you use a microwave oven, which is powered by xPower 1500. Excitement builds as you and your guests listen to the 2-hour pre-game radio show. And even though several don't have a ticket, they are able to see every play of the three-hour game on your 13" portable TV. Your xPower 1500 supplies power for both the pre-game show on radio and the complete game on TV. Solid fourth quarter defense wins the game for your team and paves the way for a post game celebration. Back at your RV, xPower 1500 again powers the microwave to warm up a few "burgers and dogs", and runs the radio for the next hour, enabling you to hear the coach and player interviews, plus a recap of the game. With over 80,000 in attendance and a crowd clearly in no hurry to go home, movement out of the parking lot is impossible for the next 5 hours. Not a problem - you now connect a lamp to xPower 1500, and festivities at your RV continue into the evening hours.

The products used for the "Ultimate Tailgate Party" test:

Product / Description	Run Time / Activity
Sanyo Radio - Pre Game (120V, 60 Hz, 10W)	2.0 hours
Samsung Microwave Oven (120V 60 Hz, 850W)	Cooked 4 plates of nachos, 30 seconds each
Hitachi 13" TV - During Game (120V, 60 Hz, 69W)	3.0 hours
Sanyo Radio - Post Game (120V, 60 Hz, 10W)	1.0 hour
Samsung Microwave Oven (120V, 60 Hz, 850w)	Cooked 2 plates of "burgers/dogs", 1 minute each
Table Lamp (120V, 60 Hz, 40W)	5.6 hours

Test 5 - Power For Lawn & Garden Maintenance

Sometimes there's no handy outlet, sometimes a longer extension cord isn't the best choice, and sometimes you need to tackle yard work where there's no power at all. For each of these situations xPower 1500 is an ideal power solution. xPower 1500 can run a wide range of electric power tools for lawn and garden care, including lawn mowers and chain saws. With its battery pack fully charged, xPower 1500 can:

Mow 900 square feet of lawn with an electric mower
Trim 120 lineal feet of lawn with an electric grass trimmer
Trim 5 large bushes with an electric hedge trimmer
Sweep 1,000 square feet of lawn with an electric leaf blower

Once the above chores are finished, it's time to relax, and fortunately xPower 1500 still has enough power to run a 13" TV-VCR for 3 hours. All you need to do is pick the video!

These are the specific products used for the "Power For Lawn & Garden Maintenance"
test:

Product / Description	Run Time / Activity
Sears 18" Lawn Mower (120V, 60 Hz, 12A)	Mowed 900 square feet
Black & Decker Grass Trimmer (120V, 60 Hz, 4.2A)	Trimmed 120 lineal feet
Black & Decker Hedge Trimmer (120V, 60 Hz, 2.6A)	Trimmed 5 bushes
Toro Power Sweep (120V, 60 Hz, 7A)	Swept 1,000 square feet

About These Tests

The above tests were conducted by Xantrex's engineering department using production versions of xPower 1500 and the actual products listed after each test. The products tested were purchased at retail and not altered in any manner.
These test results should be view as "typical" for the types of products tested. You could experience longer or shorter run times with xPower 1500 based on the specific model or brand of product used.
All testing was conducted at temperatures between 200 and 250 C. At warmer or colder temperatures run times may be less. The operating temperature range for xPower 1500 is 00 to 400 C (320 to 1040 F).

Xantrex is a registered trademark of Xantrex Technology Inc.