Discover How to BOOST Your Portable Power Station Today!

[@SB-hr5yr]

That is hands down one of the best videos I've seen today about step up converters

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you!

[@mrhalfstep]

I forgot to thank you for making this content and publishing it. I know it's a lot of work and I appreciate the opportunity for discussion and exchange of ideas that that effort provides us, so thanks.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Absolutely!

[@KON-zr8ml]

Great Video explaining how to "SUPERCHARGE" your Powerstation with only one 12.8V 100AH LiFePo4 & a Step Up Converter.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks! and yes, I like 'Supercharge'!

[@TN-Mountain-Life]

Excellent information and ideas!! Thank you!!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Absolutely

[@af1023]

Excellent demo and practical information. During a power emergency I use an almost identical setup but I limit the SOC to 80% on the power station. This really stretches the battery life and not wasting going to full 100% to waste as heat. Thanks again

[@TheOldJarhead]

Great point.

[@Zbee167]

Cool! Thanks for sharing.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks for watching!

[@smieglitz]

I'd be very cautious about doing this based on a recent trial I performed. The amp limits of both the power station and the amp limit of the boost converter need to be considered. The boost converters are available with different amp ratings (e.g., 12v to 24v @ 3amp, 10amp, 15amp, or 20amp, etc.). You don't want to overwork the boost converter near its maximum amp rating because it will get dangerously hot. Running one at about half the amp rating doesn't generate anywhere near the amount of heat and is much safer and more efficient. You don't want the power station continuously drawing the maximum amps that the converter is rated for because that will overwork the converter and generate a dangerous amount of heat. Certainly keep an eye on the process and periodically check the components, cables, and connections as the power station is charged using a boost converter. Charging a power station this way saves a lot of money compared to buying a proprietary expansion battery. It's a good way to increase overall amp hour capacity. The supplemental battery also allows capturing excess solar energy once the power station has fully charged via solar. And, as you have noted, using a stand-alone 24v or 48v battery without employing a boost converter is probably a better option if one has such a battery available. If the power station can handle the battery voltage, it is safer and more efficient than using a boost converter.

[@TheOldJarhead]

I agree -- but to be honest, I'd just get a 48v battery if I were doing this and didn't have one. I should have mentioned that in the video (still learning). This, I see as a temporary, short term solution. It works, which is what I show, and in the followup video (tagged at the end of this one) I mention that it got warm. However, I've done this with a smaller setup for 5 days without issue though, as you mention, it was running at less than half the boost converters capacity so didn't get very warm.

[@anandrew6641]

This is good to know

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks

[@chasmarischen4459]

Thank you!

[@TheOldJarhead]

You're welcome!

[@YouLookinAtMe-Bro]

Glad to hear your hand is doing better! Just curious... Does that converter get hot?

[@TheOldJarhead]

It gets warm in the time I used it. I mention that in the follow up video linked at the end 😉

[@SaltCreep45]

I run step up all the time only I charge my unit at 250 watt .This puts less stress on the cells and keeps them Balanced

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice

[@ronhawkins8604]

Hey Eric, nice to see the hand is free! As for the buck converter, I'm gonna stick with your earlier video and give mine the 24v battery input (2 12v in series) cuz i only need one cable to connect the batteries and it maxed out my input wattage. I love how many ways you show to get the job tho. More than one way to shave a rat or however that goes 😅 i gave one of those oupes to all my family but only one other is gonna consider these kind of "hacks". I sent him this video. Thank you sir

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks! Yes, lots of ways, but I prefer just a battery of the right voltage, but that's not always available, so I'm always looking at ways around obstacles 😉

[@ronhawkins8604]

​@@TheOldJarheadI keep looking but I think my hypocrisy has reached its limit with 2 power stations and 7 batteries. Ran the power stations the last couple days to power TV and dish because I feel like I need to get some cycles out of them before I get planted in fort Gibson national cemetery

[@TheOldJarhead]

Well hopefully not planted too soon!

[@stevenshircliff393]

Great idea! My only concern is that the step up converter will get very hot and increase losses from the battery.

[@TheOldJarhead]

it can get warm, and a better option is a 48v battery, but for an outage, someone with a 12v battery can do this

[@stevenshircliff393]

@TheOldJarhead Yes, I have 2 48v 70ah lifepo4 batteries connected in parallel to supplement my Delta Pro via Xt60i connection.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Perfect

[@handyman7259]

Good idea but how hot does that step up inverter gets?

[@TheOldJarhead]

In the followup video (at the end for those that made it all the way) I mention that it did get warm (not so hot I couldn't touch it) it does have over current and over temp protection which some reviews I saw said does work but I plan to do more testing.

[@frankchan9160]

Thanks for a very nicely done video. The concern I have with the boost converter is that it runs very hot as per other youtubers. Did you have the same experience? It doesn't look to be of very high quality so could it post fire hazards?

[@TheOldJarhead]

It runs warm, yes. A better option is, of course, a 48v battery, but I wanted to show this one as a simple short-term solution

[@BSerrell4]

Should there be a fuse or circuit breaker on the positive pole of the 12v battery?

[@TheOldJarhead]

I demonstrate that in the video ;) at 2m 42s in 😉

[@mannyfragoza9652]

I've tried those step-up converters and they didn't work as well as when I connected 4 batteries in a 48-volt configuration. Even placing 2-12-volt batteries in a 24-volt config will work.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes, agreed. They do work but a 48v battery is better

[@ElectrabuzzXD]

Great little set-up! Im gonna try it this weekend. Are the converters typically bidirectional? Or are there diodes to prevent them from converting the other direction? Ie. You're going from 24v to 48v. Can it be used to turn 48v into 24v. Thanks man!

[@TheOldJarhead]

one direction

[@ElectrabuzzXD]

​@@TheOldJarheadthank you sir

[@TheOldJarhead]

you bet

[@mrhalfstep]

I could be wrong, but, respectfully, I think the 10 amp rating on the step up converter, AKA, boost converter, means that it is limited to 10 amps of DRAW from the converter, if you don't want to DAMAGE it. It doesn't possess the circuitry or ability to LIMIT the output to 10 amps. It will actually provide all the amps that you ask of it, right up until the point that it melts or bursts into flames. In this case, it could be said that it's being over stressed by 30%, at 13 amps, but it may be over engineered to allow slightly higher than rated amperage draws. With a fuse (say 15 amps) that limits that draw, you may avoid destroying the converter spontaneously, but it is probably getting hotter than it is designed for and if you were to connect to a power bank that could accept 800 or 1000 watts of solar, for example, your fuse would just keep blowing to protect the booster and the wiring. Do the same thing connected to the same power bank WITHOUT a fuse and you'll let the magic blue smoke out of everything between the battery and the power bank. That is my belief, at least. A boost converter with a higher amp rating or a power bank that accepts a lower wattage solar input should be fine with this, but a balance has to be maintained and this won't be a universal device for all power banks.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That's a good point and one I've been pondering. I use a much better quality step down converter at my cabin and have used a step up like this one for a 5 day period in testing without issue but it wasn't being pushed. During this test I was surprised to see it allow so much to be drawn off the battery when it hit 580w and I pulled out a calculator and pondered it for a little. I did note that it got warm in the follow up video (tagged on at the end just for those who watched the entire video). I'm planning on doing another test over a longer period and using my heat gun to see what happens. I've also though about getting a higher rated converter but in truth, it would be better to just use a higher voltage battery.

[@scottss213]

great video my only question is why do you use a step up converter

[@einyv]

To increase the voltage so the power station can use the battery to charge.

[@TheOldJarhead]

@einyv got it. Since the Oupes won't use under 13v and at 13v you'd get maybe 130w changing to 48v gives me 489+watts

[@TheOldJarhead]

yup

[@scottss213]

thanks guys makes since when you put it that way

[@TheOldJarhead]

you bet

[@stephenrussell2013]

QUESTION: How about stacking two of those 12V batteries in series to get to 24V? If you have two of those batteries, perhaps you could do a comparison, and would you then need the step-up transformer (along with whatever inefficiency it entails).

[@TheOldJarhead]

That would work though it would be better to put 3 or 4 of them in series instead. Then no step up converter would be needed at all.

[@stephenrussell2013]

@@TheOldJarhead Thanks. I will take a look at my power station's input voltage limits.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That's the key!

[@FewerOptions-mx7qt]

Or you could put the 4 batteries in series and then don't need a step up converter. A step up converter introduces inefficiencies

[@TheOldJarhead]

True, though it means balancing becomes very important.

[@FlatOutFE]

If you are going to be using a battery bank to charge the power station then the power station becomes unnecessary.

[@TheOldJarhead]

If you added an inverter then yes, correct but many use these power stations for emergency back up for outages and they just don't have enough watt hours...add a 4kwh battery and now we're talking!

[@junkerzn7312]

Well, you don't put batteries in series. You get a properly higher native-voltage such as a 25.6V or 51.2V LiFePO4 battery. 25.6V (30V maximum on power station "solar" input) works very well for many (but not all) power stations. 51.2V doesn't usually work well for this particular application... only larger power stations can handle voltages that high, and the charge rate is usually much faster than you actually want.

[@TheOldJarhead]

of course but some have 12.8v batteries already

[@MegaEgglady]

Ok let’s say my power station can only be hooked up to 200 watts of solar will I need to get the 12-24 to 48w at less then the 500 but closer to the 200 watt my power station says it can use?

[@TheOldJarhead]

It's more about the voltage -- if it's a 200w limit it's likely 24v (check to be sure) and in that case a 24v battery or, if you have a 12.8v battery than a 12-24v step up converter will work.

[@lennmason1142]

if you have 4 batteries hook up in series no need for step up no power lost to heat as your step up will generate a lot of heat

[@TheOldJarhead]

correct though at the start I clearly state this is for a 12.8v battery 😉

[@chaon93]

You are likely to burn out your buck converter over time with this setup, it's rated for 10A. These converters aren't smart, if a load draws more than the converter's rated amperage it will try to supply that amperage. If one insists on doing this I would at least consider adding a fan aimed at the converter to keep to cool as the passive heatsink is likely only rated for the waste heat for 10A out.

[@TheOldJarhead]

I view it as a short term solution only.

[@junkerzn7312]

Yah, those Amazon converters are fairly poor. Relatively low efficiencies for DC-DCs, and they don't have proper limits or safeties. One would have to use a real DC-DC like a Victron or something to handle this kind of work load.

[@TheOldJarhead]

For short-term I think they may be ok, perhaps I'll run a longer test and see how it does. For longer term, a 48v battery would be better, or a DIY solar system

[@junkerzn7312]

​@@TheOldJarhead Also, the external battery can feed more than one power station simultaneously. A 100Ah 12.8V or 25.6V external battery can feed 10 power stations with 10A solar inputs, simultaneously. That's something no power station's DC output could ever do. They limit you to like 10A and that's it. But with a direct battery connection you have no such limits and you can fan-out a ton of low and medium-amperage connectors. (I recommend running each one through a DC breaker if you do that. I use 10 AWG wiring for these sorts of things so 25A or 30A breaker and a 20A nominal limit). As a bonus, power can flow in both directions, so the connectors can be used to plug in chargers or charge controllers as well as to dump power to power stations. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

Very great point and one I've talked about in a previous video.

[@gamalierpty]

If I use a 24v battery will that charge at 500w without a step up converter.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Not with the Oupes but it will charge at over 240w and be a great way to extend the battery. A 48v battery would be better with the Oupes whereas the Aferiy has a higher amperage input and a 24v battery will give 500w

[@gamalierpty]

@TheOldJarhead thank you buddy

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@mt-qc2qh]

How hot does the buck converter get? They claim 97% efficiency, but the heat generated is all wasted power. You staed in a comment that you see this as a short term solution, but in the video you actually advocate even batteries in parallel for increased supply. I'm a little hesitant to pursue this approa ch. I tried a 12 to 24v converter and it was terribly wasteful. Did you actually calc the input wattage vs the delivery? That would be an interesting analysis.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Even batteries in parallel in this case would be short term. I view Power Stations as 'short term' because, honestly that's what they are. For emergency backup in case of an outage that lasts a a few hours to a few days and, god forbid, even longer. A power station and some batteries can do that. For extending the life of a power station here are my best suggestions in order of best to least: 1. Add a battery of the appropriate size along with solar and a DC Charge Controller with MPPT input as well. 2. Batteries in series to get the right voltage (and series parallel if more power needed) and the above. 3. Battery (s) with a step up converter to get the right voltage. I ran my Jackery for 5 days with a 12.8v battery and a 12-24v step up converter without issue. It got warm yes but not dangerously hot. If doing this allowed me to go 5 days straight without issue than it will work in an outage. For long term home backup I do not recommend power stations except maybe the big monster expensive ones they are making these days but my preference is, of course, DIY solar.

[@SpantuCatalin]

I really can't understand why I'll need that step up converter, instead of connecting directly that battery to solar in?

[@TheOldJarhead]

It's all about voltage -- if you have a battery with the right voltage (in this case 48v) you'd just plug it right in, but if you have a 12v battery plugging it in will get you a max of around 130w of charging and it may drop out completely once the battery drops below 13v since this power station has a range of 13-48v. So the boost converter just helps get the battery voltage up to what the power station needs to get the most out of the battery. it is a short term solution for an emergency though, since it's better to have the battery voltage to match (ie a 48v battery).

[@SpantuCatalin]

@@TheOldJarhead thanks a lot

[@TheOldJarhead]

Absolutely

[@Roberta_Esposito]

ty devil dog

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@mrhalfstep]

A question that comes to my mind, and maybe it's because it's the way I've chosen to use the several large capacity 12 volt LiFePo4 batteries that I own, is, why wouldn't you just get an additional 2000 watt inverter ( I actually have a number of even smaller inverters that I can use to service smaller AC loads, for the sake of efficiency and battery conservation) that was dedicated to being moved from one battery to another as they drain down or would stay connected to a bank of them all tied together. I feel like I can run my fridge longer with a 300 to 500 watt inverter connected to my 200 AH battery than I can from a 2000 watt Oupes power bank connected to the same battery, if a long run time is my main concern. Why not just connect the Oupes to the solar panel and let it charge it while you pass the power through to the Oupes' inverter? Why not just connect a 500 watt inverter to the battery, plug in the charge cable for the Oupes, add whatever solar you have available and put power into it at a rate that is closer to what the Oupes' inverter is capable to delivering. I think that a 700 watt inverter would max out the AC charging if you didn't use turbo charging, or whatever they call it. I see this working fine if you're going to eventually have grid power and a charger at your disposal for the big battery and you just need some extra time at a low wattage draw until that becomes available, but if you're off grid completely, then a small capacity solar generator sort of loses its luster.

[@TheOldJarhead]

So, to me, the best option is an inverter, batteries, solar charge controller, panels and a 120v charger (or an inverter charger) and scrap the power station. Power stations are good for portable power and short duration outages only, really.

[@t.d.harris1311]

Those can get hot, so don't burn down your cabin.

[@TheOldJarhead]

The do get warm, but in a pinch they can help someone with a 12v battery

[@FewerOptions-mx7qt]

Your supposed to size fuse to wire

[@TheOldJarhead]

technically the wire sgmhould be sized fir the amperage and so too the fuse.

[@junkerzn7312]

Fuses should be sized to 150% of maximum expected load, and that value should be less than or equal to 100% of what the wire can physically handle. DC breakers should be 125% of the maximum expected load (unless surges require otherwise), and also less than or equal to 100% of what the wire can physically handle. Wires should be sized such that the maximum expected load is less than or equal to the maximum ampacity for power transmission. This is a very conservative number which is generally 50% lower than what the wire can actually handle. Also, always use 60C ampacities for wiring. You can use wires rated for higher amounts of heat, but in terms of the ampacity table, always use 60C. -- What wires can physically handle depends on wire length and insulation temperature, but the reality is that in power systems where continuous power is being run for many hours at a time, you always want to be extremely conservative. You always want to use 60C ratings for relatively long cables ("ampacity for power transmission"), even if the cables have higher temperature ratings. The reason you always want to use 60C ratings is because heat stress loosens cables, crimps, and bolts over time, reduces the life expectancy of electronics (heating of the circuit board near the terminals, for example), reduces battery life (heating of the battery terminals, for example), and causes larger end-to-end voltage drops across the entire system (reducing efficiency). For example, 10 AWG copper has a NEC ampacity of 30A @ 60C for intermittent loads. But for continuous power transmission it's actually 15A. I usually don't put more than 20A of continuous current through 10 AWG and I fuse for 30A (150%) if I am doing that. Don't fuse to less than 150% of the maximum expected load as this will cause the fuse / fuse-holder to overheat. If 150% is too much for the wire size, then the wire size is too small. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

Ahhh I guess I was just thinking of breakers. Thanks for the information

[@RemoGaggi]

Word of warning and I cannot stress this enough - Be sure to check the maximum solar input voltage of your power station to make sure your step up converter does not exceed it. Many smaller power stations are limited to 28-30 volt input on solar. If you exceed the max input voltage, you will fry the MPPT controller inside.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes -- and I'm sure I mentioned that in the beginning -- it is IMPORTANT to know what voltage your power station can take or you can let out the magic smoke!

[@RemoGaggi]

@@TheOldJarhead I just wanted to make sure, just in case. Yep, I know what the magic smoke smells like... Doh!

[@TheOldJarhead]

I hear ya

[@junkerzn7312]

Most modern power stations can take vehicle power on their solar inputs and will purposefully charge at 8A for that reason. Apparently not the Oupes? .Oops! heheh. In anycase, this means that most power stations will charge down to 10 or 11V (or at least 12.0V), which is perfect for a 12.8V LiFePO4 which will be 95% depleted at 12.0V and nearly 100% depleted at 11.0V. So for Oupes to have a cut-off at 13V is actually fairly rare. That will cause all sorts of problems for the Oupes when trying to charge it from a vehicle. Depending on the vehicle, but most vehicles have regulated DC outputs on their (cig lighter) power ports. So the Oupes will get into trouble. -- In anycase, 8A @ (call it) 12.8V is roughly 100W charging. YMMV. But often this is what you actually want because you also need to remember that you will likely have a charging solution connected to the external battery and you definitely want that charging solution to be able to charge the battery faster than the power station pulls from it. The reason is that if the battery is depleted and the charging solution is insufficient to match what the power station tries to draw, it will cause the charging solution to stop charging... or at least cause intermittent attempts to charge. You don't want that. It will cause the whole solution to basically fail and not be able to recover. So if you DO use a charging solution that is insufficient, it is best to control the solar input of the power station with a voltage controlled relay. Sometimes charge controllers have a switchable "load" output which can be programmed with voltage trips. A Victron SmatrSolar 75/15 or a Victron SmartSolar 100/20, for example. That way you can ensure that the battery is charged into an operating range (like 10% SOC... roughly 13.0V while charging) before you activate the load port and allow the power station to draw from it. A discrete voltage controlled relay would be something like the "SVR1000". A bit of a learning curve to program but very, very versatile. -- For power stations that can take up to at least 30VDC on the solar input, you can use a 25.6V LiFepO4 battery. It is far, far better to use a higher voltage battery like that instead of using a DC-DC converter. The reason is that DC-DC boost converters are typically only around 90% efficient. At 24V+ power stations use their solar amperage limit on the solar port instead of their car charging amperage limit so you usually get 10A-15A at (call it) 25.6V = 256W to 383W battery -> power station. In this case you again need to ensure that the charging source for the external battery is capable of charging it faster than the power station is able to deplete it, or that you use a voltage controlled relay or programmable load-port solution to prevent the power station from trying to draw power directly from the charging source due to a completely depleted external battery. -- Do 150% of operating current for fusing to reduce unnecessary overheating of the fuse(s). 125% for DC breakers for the same reason. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

I'd personally use a 48v battery on the Oupes, but I wanted to show how you could use a 12.8v battery and get more charging from it.

[@junkerzn7312]

@@TheOldJarhead I always prefer 48V but in this particular application the battery -> power station transfer rate is probably too high. You'll lose a lot of flexibility with regards to the charging solution you use for the external battery (more solar panels needed in series, tighter input margins for the charge controller, noisier AC chargers, and so on and so forth). I'd stick with 12.8V or 25.6V for this application, IMHO. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

12.8v is too low for this application and, at best, gives only 120-130w. For this kind of thing, you need 409-500w to run longer in an outage, so this does that but is just a short-term solution, really

[@junkerzn7312]

@@TheOldJarhead I consider it a tad low, but still quite useful. At 100W the 12V system is pushing 2400Wh/day to the power station. If your power station also has 2400Wh of storage, you've doubled the run-time of the loads before you completely exhaust all storage. At that feed rate you would need 600W-1000W (roughly) worth of solar panels to keep the external battery fed indefinitely in modest weather. And you would need a 2400Wh external battery = 200Ah @ 12.8V, roughly. So already that is going to be a moderate cost. So that's the basic argument. As you up the voltage you can feed more power into the power station, but you also need more external battery storage and you need to recharge that external battery with more energy.... so you need more solar panels (or gasoline or whatever). The feed-in system to really utilize the transfer capability becomes large and expensive in a hurry. This is why the real sweet spot for this sort of mechanism is a 25.6V battery and not 51.2V. To fully utilize the system at 25.6V you would need around 300Ah @ 25.6V (7680Wh or so) and you would be able to push ... lets call it 250-350W. So you would be able to push 6000Wh/day to 8400Wh/day from the battery to the power station. That's already fairly luxurious for an emergency backup. At 51.2V the numbers reach the level of regular utility consumption for a full house (sans heating). Now we're talking 500W-700W pushing 12000Wh/day-16800Wh/day to the power station, and you would need the same amount in external batteries to fully utilize that transfer rate. -- So that's basically why 25.6V is the sweet spot and not 51.2V. That and more power stations can be directly fed with when 30VDC is the solar input limit rather than 60VDC. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

Good stuff -- I've run my 24v battery in a test until I drained it keeping a couple crock pots going all day. Was running about 300wh out of it all day long until it died. Worked very nicely but yes, I'd have to get it changed back up (I have a 30a 24v charger and a generator so I can do that fairly quickly). The best option, in my opinion, is DIY solar properly set up for your needs ;) But power stations have a place and in a big outage tricks like these might give someone some ideas to keep that fridge and freezer running.

[@tonyzarzecki5408]

I have a 48v solar setup using 24.8 batteries, can I just connect mine to the bus bars connected to my system? Run my greenhouse heaters.

[@TheOldJarhead]

what type of battery? If LiFePo's or at least a monitor, then running them in series and into the power station (if it has a solar input that can accept the 40v nominal input) is the best option aside from a straight 48v battery IMO. This option is just a simple way to get a 12v battery to charge something like the Oupes or provide power to it faster.

[@tonyzarzecki5408]

@ thanks for getting back, LiFePO batteries 25.6v 50Ah. 1280Wh, connected to get 48v system, I ordered a EF ECOFLOW power station DElta 2, 1024wh, 1800w.

[@tonyzarzecki5408]

@ also have 2 solar panels connected with inverter and charger for 48v.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Sounds like you are well on your way!