Category: vlogging gear

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REVIEW: COSTCO DURACELL POWERBLOCK 500 – Gasless Generator – CONNECTIONS and RUN TIME TESTS

Why I bought it the Duracell 500 Gasless Generator: Refrigerator
With summer coming, I needed something to power my home refrigerator I needed around a 500Wh capacity and 500-1000W higher pure sine inverter gasless generator ( https://amzn.to/37TOovv ) that if the power went out during brown outs or utilities maintenance for it to last at least 7 hours during the day time. I also wanted a larger capacity battery for camping, or working remotely while on my gaming laptop to process video.

Btw, my Youtube vlogs and reviews may also have associated affiliate links to products that may earn from qualifying purchases. For items in this video, web page, or vlog, please check out other gift ideas at my Amazon lists. Visit: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sterlingw​​

I needed a larger pure sine inverter that can power 120v AC power constant 500 watts and peak at 1000W. I need the 1000W to power the refrigerator initial start up. Lastly, I wanted a gasless generator ( https://amzn.to/37TOovv ) that can charge via solar about 200W from solar which allows this to charge up in about 4 hours (or about 8 hours with my 100w solar panel). It also has 3 AC outlets and a larger capacity. The Duracell 500 seems to be a great value by offering many of these features.

In order to charge the Duracell Powerblock 500 with my existing Costco MASSIMO 100W solar blanket ( https://amzn.to/3s4a6nf ), I needed a iGreely 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC Female Power Plug Cable ( https://amzn.to/3ktzK0B ) to connect to the Duracell 500. I also bought a iGreely Y-Adapter to connect two 100 watt blankets to the HPP connector ( https://amzn.to/3y9vBqG ) . I have not tested it yet but will do so in the future.

I already own a Jackery Explorer 240 – Power Station ( https://amzn.to/3DVeKHW ) which I use every other day to work on my laptop in my car, or to play my Xbox in my car when I am waiting or parking. I am able to work or play for about 2 to 3 hours using an energy efficient low powered work laptop or an Xbox One with a USB C powered 13 inch monitor.

However, The Jackery Explorer 240 – Power Station ( https://amzn.to/3DVeKHW ) only has a 200 W pure sine inverter and my gaming laptop I want to use may use up to 210W during heavy rendering, which may be too much for the Jackery and would only last about 30-45 minutes. The Jackery Explorer 240 also has a limit of 65W charging solar charging, compared to the 200W charging on the Duracell. I will still keep my Jackery 240 for working in the car while parking.

Testing results:
This Duracell 500 can power my refrigerator for about 7 hours,
– Powers my gaming laptop to render videos for about 2 hours
– Powers my XBOX ONE for about 10-12 hours.
– Powers my Vornado 560 for serveral hours
– Powers my Vornado 360 high velocity fan for about 3 hours.
– Recharge fully on my porch in about 4-5 hours with 200W charge controller, 8-9 hours on my 100W solar panel. The 100W solar panel ( https://amzn.to/3s4a6nf ) needs a 2.1 MM DC connector / High Powe Port (HPP) adapter to 5 MM adaptor to charge the Duracell 500. iGreely 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC Female Power Plug Cable ( https://amzn.to/3ktzK0B )
– Best of all it only weights about 10-11 pounds and will be for the home emergency power outages and camping scenarios.

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Disclaimer:
This is what i do for entertainment and your viewing entertainment! Some of the stuff are entertaining, while some are just plain silly. If you do anything with your own property, you do so at your own risk.
Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. This information is for entertainment only. Sterlingwong assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Sterlingwong recommends safe practices when working on personal property , vehicles, and / or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular rsult. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Sterlingwong.

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REVIEW: Stage / Up Lights! 36 LED RGB Stage Party lights!

I got these Par Light, 36 LED RGB Stage Party Lights ( https://amzn.to/3iYhsUu ) to put background splash of color for my room curtains and for video work. They work well for that purpose, simple to use, and very light weight.

Btw, my Youtube vlogs and reviews may also have associated affiliate links to products that may earn from qualifying purchases. For items in this video, web page, or vlog, please check out other gift ideas at my Amazon lists. Visit: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sterlingw​​

Note these 36 LED RGB Stage Party Lights ( https://amzn.to/3iYhsUu ) are 18 Watt RGB LEDs so they will not over power a brightly lit room. For parties, DJ setups, or for live streaming in a room they are fine. Very light weight plastic is mounted on a light weight metal bracket. They are a good value and will get the job done.

The 36 LED RGB Stage Party Lights ( https://amzn.to/3iYhsUu ) build quality is OK. In fact its pretty generic and rebranded. The packaging is cheap. It does not come with batteries for the remote. It needs a 2025 Cell battery. The lights can be controlled manually from the back of the unit.

It also has DMX controls ( I dont need to use it cuz i am just using it as solid color accent lighting ). The instructions is hard to understand as it is just a piece of paper with codes, but after experimenting and cycling through the modes its pretty straight forward.

36 LED RGB Stage Party Lights ( https://amzn.to/3iYhsUu )

PROS:
Works
Plastic Lightweight compact –
Only 18W per light at FULL Power, 9W-12W during other modes
Simple use for background color background
Set and power up with same settings

CONS;
Bright enough for dark rooms and accent lighting, at 18W don’t expect to over power 40W overhead lights. You will need something more powerful.
Super short power cable – about less than 2 ft
IR Remote is hard to control mode and color
Hard to see the code when setting
Bad instruction page.

TIPS:
Preset the light color from the back and turn off to save settings

Overall, the 36 LED RGB Stage Party Lights ( https://amzn.to/3iYhsUu ) is good for side DJ lighting, accent stage lighting, event color lighting, party lights, home studio, streaming, or photography. The 18w good amount of light, however if you want long throw of light you should get a higher wattage.

-STERLING W

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Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sterlingw
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Disclaimer:
This is what i do for entertainment and your viewing entertainment! Some of the stuff are entertaining, while some are just plain silly. If you do anything with your own property, you do so at your own risk.
Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. This information is for entertainment only. Sterlingwong assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Sterlingwong recommends safe practices when working on personal property , vehicles, and / or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular rsult. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Sterlingwong.

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REVIEW: Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB – External Hard Drive + USB hub!

I got a Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB External Hard Drive ( https://amzn.to/2OGva2K ) for at Costco. This is a very large external hard drive with USB A ports in the front of the drive. This is good for charging your phone or to use other USB devices.

Btw, my Youtube vlogs and reviews may also have associated affiliate links to products that may earn from qualifying purchases. For items in this video, web page, or vlog, please check out other gift ideas at my Amazon lists. Visit: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sterlingw​​

I needed to clear out hard drive space on my MSI GE75 Gaming laptop ( https://amzn.to/326XfDJ ) that i use for video editing. I normally carry a Crucial 1 TB SSD drive ( https://amzn.to/327rABM ) to quickly transport and backup video and footage to and from my laptop.

The Crucial X6 SSD ( https://amzn.to/327rABM ) transfers about 500 megabytes a second. However, for longer term backups of footage, using a traditional mechanical external hard drive is more cost effective. SSD drives transfers 5 times faster than traditional drives but costs at least 5 times as much has of this 2021. The cost is the reason why I also have a portable mechanical hard drive.

I have a few Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB External Hard Drive ( https://amzn.to/2OGva2K ) external desktop hard drives to backup my laptop. In the video it transfers at about 68 to 160 megabytes a second which is fast for a mechanical hard drive. So my typical 300 megabyte video clips and footage takes about 3 seconds to backup. So it is worth it to carry both SSD and HDD when working remotely from home.

This drive uses the same single USB 3,0 cable as my other Seagate external hard drives. The case is lightweight and made of plastic. Since it is a traditional mechanical drive, you need to be careful not to place it next to magnetic fields.

This is why i only bring my SSD drive with me when traveling away from home or office. Crucial X6 SSD ( https://amzn.to/327rABM ) is not magnetic and has no moving parts. I usually keep my Seagate desktop drives at the office or work site only.

Lastly, the Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB External Hard Drive ( https://amzn.to/2OGva2K ) is warranted for 2 years, so I typically buy a new one drive that is double the size of my previous drive to backup my all my data on to my new hard drive. I normally backup all my new content and data at the end of the month.

Thank you for visiting and supporting SterlingW Youtube Channel!
Thanks for watching! Like, Subscribe, Leave a comment, and click the Bell button!

Social Media 

Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sterlingw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterling.wong/
Website: https://sterlingwong.com/
X: twitter.com/sterlingwong8

Disclaimer:
This is what i do for entertainment and your viewing entertainment! Some of the stuff are entertaining, while some are just plain silly. If you do anything with your own property, you do so at your own risk.
Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. This information is for entertainment only. Sterlingwong assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Sterlingwong recommends safe practices when working on personal property , vehicles, and / or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Sterlingwong, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular rsult. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Sterlingwong.