Available for around $130 on AliExpress (including shipping) or from the manufacturer store, Airbank D13 Puffer Pro is a battery powered two-stage pump that delivers up to 20 psi (1.4 bar) of pressure. Note that there is also a cheaper version without the battery that requires a 12V power supply.
Contrary to the manufacturer specification on the web, this pump actually does support USB-C PD3.0 and QC3.0 power output and charging up to 30W. The included paper manual correctly states the supported USB-C voltage and power levels.
Opening the pump is really easy with just six phillips screws at the back. Inside, everything is neatly laid out and with wires of the appropriate gauge and latching connectors for the pump and battery connections, along with some adhesive to keep them secure during transportation.
D13Pro__V1.3_2023_1120) with the display and control buttons, and programming or debug pin connections.Pump and Compressor
There are two motors inside — one for a simple fan and another one for driving a piston pump for the high-pressure stage (above 0.8 psi). Interestingly, the fan mode uses 8A at 11V compared to just 4A in the high-pressure mode as shown in this video (be aware of the loud audio):
Battery
It features a pack of six 18650 Li-ion batteries in 3S2P configuration (3 in series, 2 in parallel) with the combined capacity of 57.72Wh (5200mAh at nominal voltage of 11.1V).
USB-C Output
Turns out it actually does support USB-C PD 3.0 charging and output up to 30W at 20V in addition to Quick Charge 3.0 (QC3) with up to 12V and 3A (36W) output thanks to the INJOINIC IP2366 power management chip.
Charging
Charging over USB-C supports PD3.0 30W input while the included charger GQ20PD02-ZG can only deliver QC3.0 20W at 12V/1.67A. It would take either 2 or 3 hours respectively to fully charge the battery.
Charging Error EE3
Having played with the supported USB mode enumeration, I tested the pump performance with an actual 10’4″ (317cm) SUP and was able to bring it to 18 psi twice, including the deflation.
When attempting to charge it with the supplied USB-C charger and cable, I was now suddenly getting a message EE3 on the screen and it wouldn’t charge when left over night. I was able to fix the issue by removing and re-attaching the battery which presumably reset the controller state. Since this is not an easy operation for an average user, I’ve reached out to the manufacturer to confirm alternative solutions for resetting the device.
Photos
Thanks for the teardown. The one I have no longer holds a charge. Now I know what batteries to get. I have not ever built a battery pack, but there has to first time. I assume I get the flat top batteries and solder them together using what ever the old batteries have.
You would need a pack of 6 Li-ion batteries of 18650 type in 3S2P configuration which provides 4.2V x 3 = 12.6V combined voltage when fully charged.
Importantly you would also need to attach a battery management system (MBS) to the pack to control the charging, discharging and balancing of the cells since the pump control board doesn’t handle that.
Hi I have a probank puffer pump & need to replace the circuit board which started to melt the USB terminals it totally overheated could’ve even caught fire.
I see the circuit board which you are showing doesn’t seem to be the same circuit board as what I have. Do you know whether I can replace this? I can send a photo if required but grateful for your help.
I would recommend you reach out to the manufacturer over their support email — they were quick to respond.
Hi
What were the manufacturer’s advice to correct the charging error?
Yes, they responded with “please try to test again if the air pump can charge properly after draining its full capacity. [..] we have had feedback from previous customers that they never encountered an error message again when charging the air pump after draining the full charge.”
How exciting to find that someone has already torn-down this eact sup pump! I am so appreciative of the interior photos. My goal is to reduce the noise output from my Puffer Pro, and I am wondering how much space there is inside the case to potentially line some of the interior plastic surfaces with a self-stick “mass loaded vinyl” sheeting… It might be that I’ll have to apply it to the exterior for the best coverage. Does it appear to be that case that the only air inlet for the machine is via the “deflate” nozzle? I wonder how they deal with the machine over-heating as there does not appear to even be any ventilation holes.
I don’t feel like there is enough room inside the case to limit the noise. Most of it comes from the second stage piston pump (see video) and the noise also escapes through the air inlet which you can’t really block. In terms of heat, I believe these pumps don’t really have an issue with the additional heat but the case does get almost too hot to touch (especially closer to the air connectors).
A better approach might be to build a “dog-house” type of insulated box (one side open) that you place over the pump and direct that opening away from whatever is sensitive to the noise. Do share what you build!
Thanks so much. I did build a sound box for the pump. In tests inside, it lowered sound 30 db. When I used it outside at the lake, it lowered it quite a bit, but was still very loud for my tastes. I’m not sure how to post a picture of my box, but I have: an exterior of 5/8″ particle board, with caulked joints; then a layer of 1/2″ closed cell foam (like that which came in the Puffer Pro case; then a layer of self-stick, mass loaded vinyl (1/2lb? or 1lb?) with foil backing, and then a thin layer (1/16″) self stick foam. The lid is a removed wall, with foam gasketing. I need to study how sound must be leaking out of the instake/exhaust holes of the box first. I’m thinking, some insulated “sleeves” (like interior sound insulated air ducting) might be next step. Solving acoustic transmission problems is as difficult as trying to dam water, but it’s a fun problem. Now I’ve got “error 4” (EE4). I’ve written to manufacturer, but I’ll try draining the battery also.
Thanks for sharing the build and the findings! For sharing images you could upload it to any image sharing site and then add the URL here.
I wonder what the EE4 error stands for?