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It's cool idea (very similar to the Goal Zero system). But I have to say the sketchy Alibaba-level photoshopped product shots of the main battery unit don't add

It's cool idea (very similar to the Goal Zero system). But I have to say the sketchy Alibaba-level photoshopped product shots of the main battery unit don't add a lot of confidence.

nikodunk 6y ago
Yeah totally agree. The other guides on the site I've built, tested and lived with myself for the past 2-something years (since the original build below). But it's always been affiliates – this is my first time shipping and backing the hardware myself. I haven't got updated images of the samples yet – so apologies for the low image quality. If there are people out there who want systems like this, we'll have updated, glammy photos soon enough :). On a different note, I'm hoping to be able to partner with these guys to solve the "window-gap" problem: https://www.swrtec.com https://www.swrtec.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYezJJv_pEA&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYezJJv_pEA&feature=emb_logo
- ageitgey 6y ago
  I think you should just be more transparent in the stage of delivery you are in on your site. This is a niche product for enthusiasts and I think an enthusiast customer would be fine supporting you if you were more clear about how your production is going on the kinds of problems you might hit delivering instead of trying to appear like it's all ready to go.
  - nikodunk 6y ago
    Point taken. The rest of the site is more along those lines I'd argue – and it's gotten around 15 hits a day from the "niche" community for the past few years. Though the stage of the project needs to be better fleshed out, a little marketing (even if it's probably too early on this pre-sale) goes such a long way I'd argue. Until this HN post got upvotes for the somewhat clickbait-y title I was not sure anyone in the world would care or even find this article or care about the concept :)
thaumaturgy 6y ago
Good call on "Alibaba-level", I was able to find this unit on there. Not gonna link because I don't want to stir up trouble. But I'd like to set up a good system for my vehicle, and products like this make me nervous. China mass-produces a lot of good stuff but they've also got a deserved reputation for cutting corners when nobody's looking. An 18650 that's missing its overcharge circuit will happily self-ignite and take my beloved vehicle with it. Remember all those reports of hoverboards spontaneously combusting a few years back? That was eventually traced back to bargain bin Li-Ion batteries from China. Before that, there was the spate of knock-off replacement batteries for cell phones that came with a free extra crispy option. Larger companies doing business in the US fear the FTC and state governments enough to often have some form of electrical QA on anything they sell with a Chinese origin. In this case though I'd be assuming all the risk and I don't have the expertise to evaluate it for quality and safety myself.

It's cool idea (very similar to the Goal Zero system). But I have to say the sketchy Alibaba-level photoshopped product shots of the main battery unit don't add a lot of confidence.

nikodunk 6y ago

Yeah totally agree. The other guides on the site I've built, tested and lived with myself for the past 2-something years (since the original build below). But it's always been affiliates – this is my first time shipping and backing the hardware myself. I haven't got updated images of the samples yet – so apologies for the low image quality. If there are people out there who want systems like this, we'll have updated, glammy photos soon enough :). On a different note, I'm hoping to be able to partner with these guys to solve the "window-gap" problem: https://www.swrtec.com https://www.swrtec.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYezJJv_pEA&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYezJJv_pEA&feature=emb_logo

ageitgey 6y ago
I think you should just be more transparent in the stage of delivery you are in on your site. This is a niche product for enthusiasts and I think an enthusiast customer would be fine supporting you if you were more clear about how your production is going on the kinds of problems you might hit delivering instead of trying to appear like it's all ready to go.
- nikodunk 6y ago
  Point taken. The rest of the site is more along those lines I'd argue – and it's gotten around 15 hits a day from the "niche" community for the past few years. Though the stage of the project needs to be better fleshed out, a little marketing (even if it's probably too early on this pre-sale) goes such a long way I'd argue. Until this HN post got upvotes for the somewhat clickbait-y title I was not sure anyone in the world would care or even find this article or care about the concept :)

thaumaturgy 6y ago

Good call on "Alibaba-level", I was able to find this unit on there. Not gonna link because I don't want to stir up trouble. But I'd like to set up a good system for my vehicle, and products like this make me nervous. China mass-produces a lot of good stuff but they've also got a deserved reputation for cutting corners when nobody's looking. An 18650 that's missing its overcharge circuit will happily self-ignite and take my beloved vehicle with it. Remember all those reports of hoverboards spontaneously combusting a few years back? That was eventually traced back to bargain bin Li-Ion batteries from China. Before that, there was the spate of knock-off replacement batteries for cell phones that came with a free extra crispy option. Larger companies doing business in the US fear the FTC and state governments enough to often have some form of electrical QA on anything they sell with a Chinese origin. In this case though I'd be assuming all the risk and I don't have the expertise to evaluate it for quality and safety myself.