The BEST Way to BOOST Your Portable Power Station!

[@LMcCall-tr4dx]

I've thought about connecting an external battery to the DC input of my power station...but NEVER thought about connecting it to the solar input. That's ingenious and the solar input accepts a lot more current than the DC input does. Thanks much for a great idea!

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet! Glad I could help!

[@butchie2752]

@@LMcCall-tr4dx with a power inverter you can just plug it in as if you were plugging it into the wall. How long it will take depends on the wattage of the inverter.

[@TheOldJarhead]

True

[@DrPhatMusic]

@@butchie2752 the inverter built-in to most power stations are quite robust (2600W on my Elite 200 V2), so I feel the inverter is unnecessary as long as the DC in is sufficient for refilling the power station (1000W) with a 48V battery. I won’t need an expensive inverter!

[@TheOldJarhead]

I think for the most part that's correct

[@normprovost2808]

Seems that the external battery is a substitute for a solar panel. Very nice. Not mentioned is how the external battery gets re-charged.

[@TheOldJarhead]

The next video I do just that 😉 Cheers

[@leeinwis]

Thor ?

[@TheOldJarhead]

LOL when responding on my phone that often happens - typos galore! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmTLaGyugbaLeKc Is a video I did to answer the charging questions :D

[@stedyone1090]

External battery gets charged whatever way you want. DUH...😮

[@TheOldJarhead]

I think some don't realize the idea here is that you can extend the time your power station runs something this way but that it is not an end all be all solution.

[@TheDumontShow]

First of all, thank you for your service. I am a veteran as well. US Army. Second, the best video about charging your power station with a battery. Straight to the point like a soldier would tell it. Now I know what to do. I have the same kind of power station. Thank you so much for the help

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you for your service! And glad I could help!

[@dad7256]

I've worked with UPS systems over the years as an electrician, I recently purchased an Anker system and have been thinking about trying this, you proved to me I can ! thank you for your service to our country !!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad you found it helpful! and thank you!

[@wolfenstein6676]

What do you think of the EcoFlow Alternator Charger?

[@TheOldJarhead]

@wolfenstein6676 Sounds like an awesome solution

[@campandcook3118]

​@@wolfenstein6676 that every alternator connected DC charger that provides the correct voltage and amps will be fine

[@TheOldJarhead]

👍

[@barrykery1175]

Neat trick. I have two 13 volt 20 ah LiFePO4 batteries wired in parallel. Last week I tried plugging them into the Aferiy. It charged at 110 watts. Works for me. Barry

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice!

[@JamesAmbrose48]

When I plug my 12.8v 100ah battery into my Bluetti’s pv charging port, it charges about that rate too, which is perfect.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That's good to hear!

[@zodaguado6655]

It’s because this unit allows up to 25 amps, your Bluetti will only allow 8 amps with a 12-24v battery…. That’s why this unit will charge at 500, which is max, so if you have a Bluetti and use this 24v battery, it should give you 24x8 or around 200 watts if charged,,, now if you move to a 32v battery or above, the Bluetti will allow 10 amps, so 32x10 will be your new charge rate

[@TheOldJarhead]

Great breakdown! It’s always important to understand how these units interact with each other to optimize performance.

[@PhilCherry3]

Part of the issue is too many people try to maintain access to substantially high levels of available power in situations that require a mental switch to camping/backpacking mode. While it’s understandable to want to save meats stored in refrigerators & deep freezers, modest people can strategically consume those items &/or share them with neighbors so they don’t go to waste. The biggest lesson I leaned during Hurricane Hugo was it’s better to have a multitude of impromptu cookouts than to waste time & energy fighting hopelessly to preserve a frozen food storehouse for a week or more without power. Use reasonably sized & portable power stations. Use USB devices that have low energy needs. Pair that with a decently powerful solar panel suitcase product. Supplement these with whatever trove of power bricks you may have accumulated. Make sure everything is topped off pre-storm. Once the storm event has passed, use power as if you expect to be without shore power for weeks. Do the same thing with potable water. DO NOT TRY TO RUN YOUR 85” FLAT SCREEN TV ALL DAY & INTO THE NIGHT. FORGET ABOUT THE WILLIAM SONOMA CHEF’S KITCHEN-GRADE ESPRESSO COFFEE MAKER.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Agreed! I was at Lejeune during Hugo

[@winstonsmiths2449]

Exactly! That is what we do. I do want to get my batteries connected to an electrical panel for the convenience of wall outlets. My priority is food but I use a smaller chest freezer. It uses 1/4 the power of my full size upright freezer.

[@TheOldJarhead]

It's great to see you prioritizing efficiency! Connecting your batteries to an electrical panel will definitely make things easier. Smaller chest freezers are such a smart choice for conserving energy!

[@davidarnold344]

@@PhilCherry3 keeping the food good does NOT use much energy. 200-300w for a fridge and chest freezer. If you use a battery generator and recharge it with a small LP 2 hours a day. You will pay for that battery generator after the first power outage and use like 5 gal a week of fuel. (A BBQ lp tank)

[@beisdj0]

​@davidarnold344 Yup. I have a Predator 2000 that sips gas. I can easily recharge my solar generator in a couple of hours and run my fridge, small chest freezer, lights, fans, internet, etc 24/7. If the sun is shining I have 1200 watts of portable solar panels, no genny needed.

[@ronhawkins8604]

Sir, just wanted to add another thanks for the knowledge I get from your videos. My P210 arrived yesterday and today I fully charged it. Then connected one 12v 100ah battery which pushed 112w in. Then two batteries in series and exactly like you showed, just over 500w going into the power station. I love it when a thing works 😊

[@TheOldJarhead]

Awesome to see it working! Nothing like getting a new piece of gear up and running 😉

[@ronhawkins8604]

@@TheOldJarhead I'm resisting the urge to buy the Solar Play version of this for $799. I hate wanting things that I truly don't need.

[@TheOldJarhead]

I know the feeling! But what's the 'Solar Play version?' Is that just a smaller unit with a solar panel? I'll have to go look. I will say, the Aferiy has been a good unit for me :D But today's video is on a MONSTER of a power station (so you might not want to watch it LOL).....

[@JBROWN3830]

Two 12v x 100ah batteries could also be connected in series to get the 24 volts as well.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yup

[@ronhawkins8604]

What is the advantage of using two 12 to make 24 vice just using one of the 12v at a time?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Since the charge controller on the power station in this case has a 20a max it will only draw 256w off the 12.8v batteries but in series you get 25.6v so it can draw 512w :D

[@ronhawkins8604]

​@@TheOldJarheadok Cool, guess I'll just use one for my home built portable and the others will be available to supplement the aferiy. My primary goal is to keep freezers going so I don't lose thousands of $ worth of meat and to run the blower on my wood furnace if commercial power goes out. I like the idea of quiet also so my distant neighbors don't hear and get any ideas

[@TheOldJarhead]

I get that ;)

[@nathanaelhanson2412]

I love my Aferiy, it is an absolute beast. Built in 2400w pure sine inverter, tons of ports. Best investment I’ve made in my off grid system.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That’s a great unit to have!

[@puffyjet]

great tips for a beginner like my wife and myself thanks very much

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tomgarciaaz]

I've done it a few years ago with a 12v bat and a 24v buck converter. It works ;)

[@TheOldJarhead]

Agreed.

[@shelley131]

I have the first generation EcoFlow delta max 2000, two of them. I don't believe in buying expansion batteries, instead I'll buy 2 and daisy chain them together. I like doing it this way for when we are out of town because I'll connect my fridge to the ecoflow and the ecoflows are connected to each other and one of them to the a/c outlet. Because of the pass through charging and the EPS, the ecoflows are 100% charged and if I happen to have an outage both ecoflows will run my fridge for over 30 hours and I don't worry if I happen to be out of town because normally by that time power is back on and the ecoflows will begin to charge from the wall outlet while still running the fridge. I have a 48V battery that I have also used for when there is no power or sunlight, it works great. Also as you stated it is a lot less expensive than those expansion batteries. For $1299.00 , buying the 51.2V battery gives me 5120 watts that is 25¢ a watt. Great video and great job.

[@michaelmorrison5280]

The main downside to a setup like that is you're losing twice as much power running multiple inverters, but there are quite a few upsides to having multiple units like that.

[@jacoblharris]

@@michaelmorrison5280 You're right, I would rather have the expansion battery.

[@JohnBurns-j2c]

I also Have Two Delta Max 2500w Continiuous,5000 watt peak.×(2) of giving Me now more than(2) 20 amp Circuits! & Actually 45amps at Continiued at 120volt.Way,way more than Needed to Run anything. I also Have the Eco-Flow portable 600watt 51.2volt D.C.Solar Panels. Will Charge each Station in 3-4 hrs.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Sounds like you have a solid system!

[@fookingsog]

​@@michaelmorrison5280 If they are daisy-chained, the secondary unit detects the first unit as being "line voltage" and doesn't kick in until the first unit hits the low mark cut-off and shuts down...so both inverters are not operating simultaneously.

[@junkerzn7312]

Yes, as long as the battery voltage you are feeding in is within the range supported by the power station on its "solar" input, you can do this. Since power stations usually also support car-charging, they don't get confused by the source being a battery rather than a solar panel and will charge at their maximum amperage. In this regard, both 12.8V LiFePO4 and 25.6V LiFePO4 batteires generally work. But double check. Since the power station is amperage-limited, using a higher voltage (25.6V.. which can be as high as 29.2V by the way) battery will allow it to charge more quickly. As long as it's within the range the power station can handle that is. For safety, you should always fuse the external battery connection going into the power station to roughly 150% the power station's maximum input amperage on that port. The external battery is capable of pushing an enormous amount of power and you don't want a short or failure in the power station to cause a fire. This isn't perfect, in that the power station is still limited by its AC output... so you might need a medium or large power station anyway depending on what you are running with that AC output. But you can avoid buying expensive proprietary power station expansion batteries by using an external battery or battery bank to feed into the power station. -Matt

[@TheOldJarhead]

I've done this with small power stations as well but yes, you must fit within the Power Stations input parameters but batteries don't 'push' amperage, they just allow it to be drawn off. If the max input is 10amps then it's 10amps. If it's 20amps then that's what it is. The battery could care less :)

[@junkerzn7312]

@@TheOldJarhead The power station regulates the input to a maximum amperage, to be clear. The batteries are typically capable of an order of magnitude more amperage than the power station could actually handle.

[@TheOldJarhead]

@@junkerzn7312 Correct

[@miguelv431]

@@TheOldJarhead thank you that the information I was looking for. 👏👏

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@gsp49]

I had already learned this trick, refilling a little Bluetti' EB3A off of a 50 Ah the advice to leave it plugged up and use up the external battery first was helpful .

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad to be of help!

[@305dave]

Just went though Milton here in Tampa and while we were extremely fortunate, we didn't have power for 4 days and I have since become obsessed (maybe a little dramatic) with solar generators as I'm in an apartment. I'm trying to select the one I'm going to get but this video certainly alters what I was going to do. Awesome information, thank you 🙏🏾

[@TheOldJarhead]

Let me know if I can help you decide further!

[@305dave]

@TheOldJarhead I truly appreciate that, thank you. I might actually take you up on that.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Feel free! I'm happy to help where I can and I do plan on testing more power stations, batteries and DC to DC chargers soon!

[@305dave]

@@TheOldJarhead 👍🏾👍🏾

[@305dave]

Hi there, I ended up ordering the Ecoflow Delta 3 Plus. To run the setup you have in this video, can you tell me exactly the converter I'd need? You talk about in the video but I'm illiterate in these kind of things and need a little help specifying exactly the one to get. Thanks in advance!

[@Nemo-yn1sp]

Wow! I might still expand my Anker Solex c-1000 with their battery because it's on sale and immediate, but the lightbulbs of understanding are starting to turn on and your videos have been really helpful. Eventually I'll build from scratch. Thanks!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Awesome! You may enjoy today's video 😉

[@nytrini1ify]

I have two Anker f3800 and in the the process of connecting solar panels. Thanks for the knowledge.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Anker has good products!

[@BJsmith-l7h]

THANK FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY ❤ Thank you for sharing this video.

[@TheOldJarhead]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you found the video helpful.

[@rlwoods61]

I'm not sure what you did for a living but you like a very knowledgeable electrician. I know that because I was an electrician for 38 years at a electric utility. My team was responsible for the backup batteries. You made a lot of since and will save people a lot of money!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks! I worked in Telecommunications for 30 years and worked on a lot of DC power systems from small remotes to large central offices 😉

[@rudgarzsda]

That’s for sure.😊👍🏽

[@TheOldJarhead]

thanks

[@dta97392]

Did miss something? how do,you charge that extra battery? What’s the easiest way? thx

[@shanwar9844]

I was wondering the same thing

[@vicc6744]

I guess you just charge it off the solar battery? Yeah I don't get it either- Unless you have to eventually have a 120 wall outlet stashed somewhere

[@TheOldJarhead]

Just hook up a charger to it or a solar panekbwith a charge controller as needed.

[@colsdebo9034]

Me too, I'm new to solar but am assuming that we'd need a solar charge controller and another cable to charge the battery. Please do a follow-up video showing us how it's done. Much appreciated, new sub!

[@TheOldJarhead]

@colsdebo9034 I'm editing that video now 😉

[@bobclark7211]

Great video. Thanks, i didn’t think of this less expensive way to get the added power.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad I could help!

[@stevefry5441]

I have that exact Aferiy unit. It's worked well, agree with all your comments. Plus the warranty period is quite good. What I was concerned about with doing something like this is the maximum input amperage limitation. If you just connect another large amperage power source, how do you make sure you don't exceed the 20 amps input to the Aferiy? What if the Aferiy is discharged, so it's drawing the maximum from the external battery? With solar panels, you can size the solar array so as to not exceed the 20A limit, but with a large battery there is no current limiter. I believe Aferiy says in the manual that exceeding the limit will damage it and result in a voided warranty. Great video, thanks for posting it!

[@TheOldJarhead]

The Aferiy is the limit 😉 it can't draw more.

[@stedyone1090]

BEST OPTION EVER Thanks for sharing 👍

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@lavenderlilacproductions]

4:40 For the same reason I don't build my own computer anymore. I can buy parts and assemble my own, but chasing a half dozen warranties from multiple Chinese manufacturers when a part acts up is different than making a call to Jackery or EcoFlow

[@lavenderlilacproductions]

10:25 it's certainly a money saver. Have to pull it apart to recharge the external battery. I wonder if we'll see Chinesium battery packs for the big brand power stations like we do for DeWalt and Milwaukee tools

[@TheOldJarhead]

I still build mine but generally research components to make sure what I put in will run a long time. My main case is 23 years old! Still running but the guts have been changed many times as things get more power hungry.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That would be cool -- what I'd like to see is the cables with adapters for standard LiFePo4 batteries instead of their proprietary batteries.

[@TimRoyalPastortim]

Been thinking about exactly this... Great video

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NicolasYnurreta]

Thank you just saved me a ton of money!!

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@timramsey3003]

Hmmm... I have a Bluetti AC200L for camping and home backup, and a golfcart with a 51.8v 100ah lithium battery in it that I installed last summer. I might pull the battery for the winter and hook it to the Bluetti and give this a try! I think the Bluetti has a solar input voltage range between 12-120v. Certainly a cheaper alternative to the Bluetti`s expansion options.

[@TheOldJarhead]

If it has that voltage then yes!! Just be sure to fuse it.

[@timramsey3003]

@@TheOldJarhead This is working brilliantly with my 48v 100ah battery connected directly to my Bluetti AC200L thru the XT90 DC solar input! Input watts is about 780 watts. With both the 48v battery and the Bluetti fully charged, when an AC load is applied to the Bluetti, as long as the load is under the 780 watts it will drop the Bluetti to 99% and then the DC input from the 48v battery will start and essentially match the AC output to pull from the 48v battery and maintain the Bluetti charge!!! Brilliant!!! This adds a whopping 5120wh of expansion power at less than half the cost of a Bluetti expansion battery.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Awesome

[@jessedavis5362]

Excuse my ignorance, how do you recharge the extra battery? Would plugging in the ac plug for the generator to home power recharge the extra battery too?

[@Ron49x]

New to all this and that was my question too…

[@TheOldJarhead]

You charge it with a separate 24v charger and/a solar panel.

[@jessedavis5362]

​@@TheOldJarhead Is that the only way to recharge it, via solar panel?

[@TheOldJarhead]

No. You could charge it with a charger and a 120v power source (generator/utility power), or via a solar panel and charge controller, or from a charger plugged into your power station with a big solar panel (of more power than the charger) to keep things going but understand, 2560wh of battery will take 4 hours of charging (from zero) at 640watts of solar!!! So, these big extra batteries increase the amount of solar needed to charge the entire unit up. However, if you run the battery to zero and just charge it while the power station rests or runs without the external battery you can get by with less solar. In truth, I'd have 500 watts for the battery and an additional 200-500w for the power station if I needed all that power all the time and I'd have a backup generator to assist on cloudy days or when I'm using more power than planned. I'll cover this in tomorrows video ;)

[@stevesmith-sb2df]

Good info. Boost converter or flyback are used to make 12v into 24v.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes, you are right

[@donfugate01]

What a great and informative video. I have purchased the power station and will get the external battery soon!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@af1023]

Excellent review and I like your practical project. I also use a 24v battery or 2x 12v 100ah Power Queen in series to extend my power station's during outages and camping. To recharge them in the field, I attach a Victron 30/100 controller attached to 3x220w Renogy bifacial panels to feed 500-600w on a mediocre day. Things I have found out during my prolonged emergencies: 1- the "old but still works" refrigerators can be a real pain as they are extremely inefficient. A new one will save the day 2. For some elder relatives, I use a small man cave fridge and keep it at 52F for the insulin and other medicines, 3- regular refrigerators should be kept at 37F, anything higher will prompt spoilage including baby formula. Again, important in long term outages (3+ days) 4- 12/24v refrigerators and other appliances prolong power, 5- Avoid the box fans unless you know they are very efficient. Many of these fans start at 68WHr vs 10WHr for a Costco minifan. Use 12v or USB fans. 6- Any devices that use BT can be consumption killers and should be disconnected when not in use. 7- Try to prepare food with propane based camping stoves 8- Keep a good inverter Gas/LNG/Propane generator to temporarily charge your batteries and power stations if the sun is not charging 9- When using the gas generator, DO NOT charge your power station past 80/85%, this eats a lot of fuel just to bring it to 100% 9a- this includes charging your power station with the 24v battery, you get a lot more miles not charging the power station to 100% Thank you, you hit a very good spot in this community.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Great points, you've obviously put a lot of thought into this!

[@af1023]

@@TheOldJarhead Thank you, taking care of family and figuring out the best way to prolong energy available. Videos like this one help a lot and validate some ideas. Thank you

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet! Family first!

[@FewerOptions-mx7qt]

I bought a ecoflow delta 3 plus while on pre-order. They start shipping out tomorrow. It has 2 xt60i solar connentions each provide up to 500w each max is 60v and apparently the max amperage doesn't matter it will reduce it. I also got the alternator charger. Together costed $950

[@TheOldJarhead]

They are having some great sales!

[@RogueOntheRoad]

I saved even more money by building my own power station. The 2,000 watt inverter is powered by a 200 amp hour battery. Charging the system can be done easily while powering the refrigeration units. If I can't find shore power I charge with solar. Upgrading is no problem. I bought some flexable 200 watt solar panels which I want to connect in series. The input voltage will be over 100 volts. I looked for a charge controller which can have the total volts delivered from the series connected solar panels. So now I can have two different solar panel arrangements at the same time. I am also building a system that uses a 24 volt 300 amp hour battery which has a 4,000 watt inverter. I plan to add another 300 amp hours in parallel for a total of 14,400 watt hours of power.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That's a great way to go!

[@jamestarpley162]

@@RogueOntheRoad do you have a KZbin channel?

[@TheOldJarhead]

He does but it looks inactive.

[@rudgarzsda]

Nice. What are you planning to supply power to?

[@TheOldJarhead]

👍

[@pablocortes6950]

Very informative video! Thank You for your service Sir 🇺🇲‼️

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you!

[@maurkowalchuk]

Looks Great . What would you have to do to hook up 2X 12V in tandem Deep cycle to Rv Batteries up in this Way ? to the Portable power station . In "detail if you would oblige "For us Laymen > LOL Thx

[@TheOldJarhead]

You could take, for example, two Deep Cycle Marine batteries and run them in series (positive to negative) and then run (via a fused connection -- I'd put in a 25-30 fuse off the battery terminal) to the solar input to do the same thing. However, I WOULD NOT do this because those batteries are not really 'Deep Cycle' in the way we think. Their limit is a max of 50% which will give you only 200 cycles or say, 20% that will give you about 300-400 cycles (at most). You'd have to get something to monitor the batteries closely or you would ruin them. That's why I use LiFePo4 batteries. They can cycle 4000-5000 times at 100% discharge :D

[@bertkelly7650]

I have two different solar batteries. The Jackery 240 and the Bluetti EB3 with 268 wh. I can double my output by plugging in the 12 volt Jakery plug into the EB3 input 8mm socket. Pretty much what you did. Thanks for your video.

[@TheOldJarhead]

even better to use a 12v LiFePo4 😀

[@barrymclaughlin794]

Why didn’t I think about this? I have a couple of large capacity power stations linked to a home integration panel to power up my critical loads panel. I had been considering buying more of the manufacturers expensive expansion capacity batteries however I do have multiple 100Ah 12 volt batteries that are not being used and now I have your video of what I can do with these batteries. I could also connect solar to the main batteries but if I don’t have a sunny day after the hurricane passes this is a great work around to expand my capacity without spending more money. Thanks again for this proof of concept video.

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet! And yes, in an Emergency thus is a cost saving measure that can extend your capabilities!

[@19ghost73]

Great advice! What I personally would add (for any external battery system): Cover both el. connections of that 24V-battery to prevent accidental shortening them and add suitable (30A ?) fuses into each lead from that battery. That 24V-battery has a serious amount of energy stored inside, and any el.. shortcut could lead to serious consequences.

[@TheOldJarhead]

1 fuse per battery, but yes :)

[@zorro5651]

Thanks for the tip. Based on your video, I went and got a litime 12v 100ah battery. I did go for the extra dollars to get the bluetooth model, which is quite handy. I got it at amazon for $163 using a coupon and promotional price, I see it's $229 now. I made up some cables for my several powerstations, an older vtoman 1500x with 5521 inputs and some xt60 inputs for my ecoflow delta 3 plus. I got a 20a buck converter 12 to 24 for $30 and plugging it into the vtoman it charges at 172w the same as with their power adapter. But I can also plug it into the buck and send it to the ecoflow which can take 11-60v @ 15a and with an inline power meter I am seeing 15a and 22v and it charges at 325w. There are some loses, as the battery bluetooth says it's outputing 385 w. Also the buck converter is reading 130f and too hot to touch. I used some screws to make 4 legs for it and that helps. I also got a $79 14.6v 20a charger made by litime. So, $272 + some wiring and misc connectors and crimpers is less than 1/2 a vtoman 1400 wh extra battery, plus I can charge it w/o needing the powerstation. Similar results with the ecoflow, although that can charge much faster from a/c. But with 2x 500w solar inputs, I can also hook up my 4x100w eco-worthy panels and charge with both at the same time.

[@TheOldJarhead]

And raise the voltage higher to get more where the solar inputs can take it.

[@hogbodyusmc9987]

Thanks, this is all new to me. Looks like I got a lot to learn yet. Thanks again.....

[@TheOldJarhead]

Glad to help

[@vernlemasters6504]

Thank you I don’t have my power supply yet but it’s on the way and this is a great option to expand it. Thank you

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@armandocorella975]

Hi I agree you can add a battery to what is intended for the solar array. I often use a 48 volt power supply to check my solar input for testing. The problem is it is not going directly to the inverter but goes to the solar controller. I believe this path will not charge the external battery if you want to use wall socket power to charge your station.

[@TheOldJarhead]

If solar is hooked up to the port, and the external charger is hooked up to the AC side of the power station it can charge the battery. Is it ideal? No, Ideally you'd have a charge controller and solar panels for the battery and the power station. Or just a full blown DIY solar setup.

[@henrydonado6355]

Just bought an ecoflow delta 2 max with the alternator charger for $1199 on Black Friday sale. Will buy one extra 100amp 1280wh Temgot battery for $169 on amazon. The perfect modular setup, to be used the exact same way you’ve described it without any extra hardware. Future is bright

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice!

[@markchristianperez2105]

2:50 i think thats a boost converter, buck converter steps down voltage. Very informative video.

[@TheOldJarhead]

yup, good catch 👌

[@MsdMakingSawDust]

Good information there Sir. Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@TheOldJarhead]

Hey thanks bud!

[@MarcRyan-i9n]

Great idea, I’ve got a small all power solar generator, going to do the same.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Go for it!

[@elaineg4921]

hi, how would i charge the external battery? with solar panels... I'm new at this stuff. thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk there are several ways and I cover some here and in another video

[@oldlostminer]

Thanks for the video. I have bluetti and was thinking of connecting to another battery . My bluetti is in my truck camper so there is limited room for additional batteries.

[@TheOldJarhead]

You could convert the ca.per to LiFePo4 's 😉

[@royrobinson4636]

That's a very budget-friendly and logical way to store additional energy. 🤠 However, I would not have so easily discounted an independent D/C to A/C Inverter. For example... with a 3000-watt pure sine wave inverter, you can connect multiple batteries (in parallel) as long as the voltage remains the same. Then, charge your Power Station via the "A/C input", generally 2-3 Times faster than the D/C input. You can also connect your inverter to a vehicle to charge your Power Station, appliances, battery charger, etc. directly when you have little or no sunlight.

[@Step-n-Wolf]

You are converting DC to AC to DC. That wouldn't be as efficient as DC to DC.

[@royrobinson4636]

@@Step-n-Wolf ~ Yes, that's true. However, I believe a D/C to A/C inverter is a great "optional" power source to recharge your power station(s), battery banks, and run appliances, lights, etc. When the grid is down, it's dark outside or there is no sunlight, and your food is thawing in the freezer, etc., calculating efficiency is the last thing on your mind.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Agreed

[@TheOldJarhead]

True but he's correct in that the AC would be faster.

[@moonobservergilles5730]

i do that with my bluetti EB3A and a 12,8v 50ah battery amazing. and i do it also with my bluetti AC180 runs my refrigerator freezer in the garage for close to 16 hrs. I will be bying a 24,6v 100 ah battery though specially for the AC 180 bluetti ( 12v to 60 v) . but i could use it also with EB3A (12v to 28v)

[@TheOldJarhead]

Awesome

[@Relaxed161]

The next step is charging the Lifepo battery back up off grid? Is plugging the lifepo into the power station w/solar hooked in a viable route?

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk There are some other ways as well as some have pointed out, a DC to DC charger would work as well.

[@HaroldJackson]

Good video. But you still have the cost of charging the battery. How do you charge the battery and how much does that cost?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Many ways to charge, all less expensive 😉 My next video I cover some of those ways

[@OldC00T]

Great video. I have a golf cart that has 3/12V Lifepo4 100Ah batteries in series. (36V) I have an Ecoflow Delta 2 with an extra battery. 2048 Wh. Total. I like to extend that by attaching them to my Delta by XT60 solar inputs. Since they are in series, I don’t want to change them to parallel. Will it work? Would there be a difference if I use one battery or 2 or 3? How fast will it drain my golf cart batteries?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Since series, the 3x 12v batteries would make the voltage 36v (nominal), so it would work as long as the unit can take the voltage (the Aferiy would be fine). You'd have over 3600wh to add to the ecoflow

[@ruzhuoli9970]

It will take about 7 hours to drain your golf cart batteries.

[@TheOldJarhead]

LOL no way to figure that from his post. Would need to know the watt draw or amp draw before answering.

[@PWoods-cd6tk]

Good video. I've been preaching this for a while. How are you planning on charging? 40 amp MPPT with 1200 watts of solar? If you go super budget, you can do 800 watts with a 30 amp PWM for $40 plus panels. The PWMs are about the same as MPPTs with a short run of cable (less than 20'). Whatever you do, it won't be hard to beat the 500 watts max of your power station.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Great suggestion!

[@winstonsmiths2449]

I do the same for my Delta 3. The solar input needs an st60i. Not sure what the "i" stands for but it tells the Delta 3 that the power is coming from solar panels when the power is actually coming from a battery.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice! I've seen a video comparing the st60 vs the I and there does seem to be a difference

[@winstonsmiths2449]

@@TheOldJarhead There is a small metal strip in a slot between the pos and neg wires that tells the unit that the power is coming from solar. Without that, using a st60 maxes out at 200w or less.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Ahhh thanks for the note

[@winstonsmiths2449]

@@TheOldJarhead I can get almost 500w on the nose using st60i cables and charging from a bench power source. I connect the bench power and charge from one of my DIY battery setups that can take up to 150w solar at 10a. Not super efficient but charges my Delta 2 quickly. I also have two duel-fuel generators, 1700w running and 2800w running, on propane. Could get more on gasoline but do not want to hassle storing and rotating gasoline. Propane stores forever barring leaks. I use these on short sunlight/cloudy days

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice

[@mrp55net]

About the expansion batteries you mentioned in your video ... I have the Bluetti B230 expansion. The B230 can be used as a separate power station. The B230 has a separate MPPT controller, so you can charge it directly from solar panels. It also has several USB ports and a 12v cigarette lighter port, so you get some flexibility for your $950. That being said, I often top off my Bluetti AC200 MAX from an Epoch 300ah 12v LiFePo battery using the same cabling system you have. The difference is that I found a 12v to 36V step-up converter, so I can charge with 525w from the Epoch.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That's what I do for smaller power stations like my Jackery 550. It can take 24v in so I use a step up converter to go 12v to 24v (at the time I didn't have a spare 24v battery). That's also what I'd do if I wanted to run the power into a unit that can take more voltage and I didn't have a battery to get me there, just use the converter and Bob's your Uncle! More power!

[@willdrivesu7914]

Here and i was thinking i wasted money on my eco flow, because i want to expand the capacity bit those extra batteries are just too expensive. What an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing this!

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@Roadkill750]

Really got me thinking now... I already have a Renogy DC 50 controller that has MPPT and DC-DC built in. I already have a 100 ah battery that charges off either my vehicles 200 watt solar panels mounted on the cap or the 30 or so amps it takes from the alternator...which all works great as long as I'm in or near the truck.... Now I'm thinking I could get a portable power supply and run an extra set of cables from 100ah battery to a connector to this...would it charge a portable power supply off my existing system that I could then remove from the truck and carry to wherever I might need power? Then plug back in the truck to charge back up using higher amps and avoiding a cigarette style plug??

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yup 😀

[@maxxdog]

I have a grid doctor 3300. Will this work on it. Thank you for your service. God bless.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes! The solar input on that Power Supply is an xt60

[@maxxdog]

@TheOldJarhead Thank you. God bless

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you!

[@BillyBobDingledorf]

Great deal on the battery right now. How do I charge the battery and can I charge it while it's connected to my power station? My goal is to add capacity to my 1000-ish Whr power station when there's a blackout. I'd like to keep the "spare" fully charged and ready to go. I'd also like to charge both with a generator when there's an extended blackout.

[@TheOldJarhead]

With solar and a charge controller you could charge it while hooked up. With a charger (40A - 100A) and a generator you should also be able to do that, or run the gen to the power station and the battery at the same time (and disconnect) to get them back up to 100% and then reconnect if worried.

[@ericl5973]

Buck converters step voltage down, it is actually a boost converter. You need to show how to recharge the external batteries to go full cycle for power. That is the main advantage of buying the fancy batteries that connect direct, they will recharge directly if you have solar. I build my own power systems but I have used the MPPT inputs to charge from power supplies or batteries. It is a good technique to know though.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Correct, or step up converter. I address charging in two videos following this one (in fact, I linked one at the end for those who watched the entire video 😉)

[@MrJoe8K]

Never thought if it. And actually built my own “Power station” 12 years ago and these new all in ones are crazy small

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yup and convient, but won't replace full blown systems

[@everydaycarry1328]

This is a point I have made many times, especially to newbies But .... most solar generators use a combo inverter/ charge controller system which works fine though if you are running that inverter to the max and charging/ inputting power it might get an overload or thermal protection could trip unlike if it was just the extension batteries. Furthermore several extension batteries have a few features such as a solar input and USB and 12V outputs. But still a good idea for cheaper capacity 👍🏻

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's always great to see knowledgeable viewers contributing valuable insights to the conversation.

[@edcook8056]

I enjoyed watching your video.. I am looking to expand on my backup power. I am new to the battery backup concept. Can I charge the Aferiy or the battery shown with a small 2000 watt generator?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes, absolutely

[@JimEdds]

The Anker F3800 has two XT-60 solar inputs that can take 1200watts each. This 24V 100Ah battery can deliver 1200 watts to one input?

[@TheOldJarhead]

The 100Amp BMS will allow 2560w of output, so you should be able to feed both from one battery.

[@JimEdds]

@ Anker had this limit on each xt-60 port of 1200watts and they can't have a common ground. So they make it difficult. Go figure.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Ahhh.... Interesting. I'd probably still stick two on the battery and see if it worked ;) I'd see if I could fool it. However, the need to dump 2400w into the power station at once is pretty significant! That would suggest a need for an entire solar power setup instead.

[@pcaffeldt]

Hey ! Thanks for this ! I'm going to give it a try ! 😊

[@TheOldJarhead]

Enjoy!

[@72SeaHag]

Since you are using the power station input to connect the deep cycle battery, if you were to connect the solar panels while the battery was connected to the system, would you connect the solar output to the deep cycle battery? I'm looking to create a backup power system for the house and prefer the idea of these over a generator.

[@TheOldJarhead]

you could add a charge controller and run the solar to the batteries and then the batteries to the ps

[@thelifeofdoug]

I went to youtube University today. Thank you sir. I learnedca great deal.

[@TheOldJarhead]

I'm always happy to help!

[@PFDish]

How do you charge the battery when it goes dead. I’m new at this. I just bought an Ecoflow Delta 2. What battery should I get and the type of wire to hook it up? Many thanks from this 85 year old newbie. We just need it for backup.

[@TheOldJarhead]

To charge: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk -- and since the Delta 2 has a 60V/15A Solar Controller you could get this battery amzn.to/48Yjygd for $360 that would give you 1536wh and weighs 28lbs. For me any heavier can be an issue but I could get multiple batteries and parallel them if needed or just use one at a time and charge the other once dead. You'd need the XT60 cable and I'd get a fuse to place between the battery and the EcoFlow as well.

[@slngo49]

This is awesome! Going to save me a lot of $$$ thank you for sharing!

[@TheOldJarhead]

You bet!

[@tlflora]

i just put all 3 in my amazon cart and am now checkng out your other vids, HS! ty

[@TheOldJarhead]

Awesome!

[@user-iy4el9kj6u]

Awesome content. Just subscribed. What size fuse would you use with this set up and how would you calculate that? Thanks.

[@TheOldJarhead]

I always shoot for 25% above expected use, so for 20A MPPT, I would use 25A or 30A fuse

[@JacquelineBishop-gv8ns]

So when charging the unit one can leave the extra battery hooked up to recharge it also? Thank you for making this video I am learning as I explore power options.

[@TheOldJarhead]

No. Not unless you have a charger on it as well.

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk

[@williamtucker5855]

very interesting, so your saying it will use the backup battery before the battery in the solar generator? thks for the video i’m going to do this, way cheaper

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yup! Draws the extra down 1st

[@DennisMathias]

I'm doing something similar and stuck a dedicated volt meter on the battery. Works great. But how are you charging the aux battery? Do you have a dedicated charger?

[@TheOldJarhead]

I like that idea - takes the guess work out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk is the video I did on charging the extra battery up.

[@Golgafrinchamdent]

So then using solar or a generator during an outage, how do you charge your external battery? The advantage of the fancy batteries might be that you can charge them through the same plug with the same safeguards as the main unit?

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk I address some of the ways in this video. And yes, those $500 1048wh add on batteries can often be charged via the power station directly however for $500 I can get $2560wh and a MPPT controller to go with it and still be way ahead money wise.

[@zodaguado6655]

Dual fuel champion generator or pulsar generator my friend,,,, I would get one if those before any external battery,,, I can charge my 1000 w Anker 22 times on a single propane tank

[@Golgafrinchamdent]

@@zodaguado6655 Yup, that's what I'm thinking. I've got a Honda eu2200 that I converted to run on propane. Plan would be to use the power station as a UPS for the home ent system. Then plug the house into the Bluetti (unplugged from the wall of course) during outages. When it's depleted, plug the Honda into the house to run everything & charge up the Bluetti from the wall outlet just like normal.

[@TheOldJarhead]

That would work for sure.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Not a bad setup -- but I prefer to have both ;)

[@avs-forum]

Great video! So can I leave an extra battery connected to my ecoflow 24/7 even if the ecoflow is connected to the grid power by being plugged in to the wall? I ask because I use my ecoflow as a UPS backup for my frig. We lose power almost every week, so the ecoflow is always connected to the wall and my frig is plugged into the ecoflow. I would love to add more watt hours with an extra battery!

[@TheOldJarhead]

In theory, it should be fine since the controller will only draw as needed.

[@JeanMer-b4u]

I gave you a thumbs up, good ideal. But how you going to charge the battery? You still have to buy solar panels, right?

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk glad you asked 😉

[@alvarogaitan2529]

great job my friend veteran God bless you

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks for watching!

[@ideedit]

From what I can see this Aferiy P210 power station with a xt90 connection does DC to DC charging at 500 watts. That would make it the only Power Station I know of that does 12 volt or 24 volt direct charging to a power station that accepts up to 600 watts of solar!

[@TheOldJarhead]

I'm testing some others and I think most can do this as long as the MPPT controller will allow it. Just a matter of seeing which can do what but the Aferiy does this well for sure.

[@captainkrunch6372]

Can you then just attach the 24vdc lithium charger to the battery when you want to recharge battery without disconnecting battery from power station? I have 2 24 dc 100 amp I want to run in parallel. And disconnect them to recharge to keep balanced.

[@TheOldJarhead]

As long as the charging voltage doesn't exceed the power stations MPPT settings then yes.

[@ehade]

Great video, thank you for all your help. Just wondering- could I plug the charger for that battery into a gas powered generator? I have a Champion 3800w generator that I use for charging my Bluetti AC 200l. Thanks for the advice.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes you can!

[@boge2001]

Your prior trials with the jakery. Did it work and did you make a video on it? I think the jackerys say shouldnt sue ehile charging?

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5m2Z2yPhrKcoM0 Works like a charm!

[@danyolpacciarelli8664]

Thank you for the info! Will the battery charge as I charge the unit, or do I need to charge it separately?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Separate

[@marshalljay73]

First of all, thank you for your service sir!! Ok, so I was inspired by your video on alternative ways to charge my Anker F2000. I purchased the XZNY 25.6V 100Ah battery you recommended, the cables you recommended and the charger you recommended. I charged the battery once I got it a couple days ago, got it all hooked up and I am only getting 290 watts input from the battery to the Anker? Any suggestions? Keep up the awesome videos they are very inspiring and educational. Thank you!!

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thank you! For that unit you will need a 24v to 48v step up converter to get the 20a max of the solar input. At 25.6v you can get 10A which puts you at 256w and by using a converter you can get a lot more with this: amzn.to/4i5I9nI It shows 720w but you may even get more. 48v*20a=960w though the converter may limit it to 15a or 720w

[@marshalljay73]

Thank you very much for the reply and the link that is very helpful! I am still trying to educate myself on this whole process. Do you happen to have any videos on how to wire that up correctly so I don’t burn down the neighborhood 😳

[@TheOldJarhead]

It's pretty straight forward. Mine (12-24v) was straight forward, one set of wires (it tells you which) to the supply battery (in my case 12v with smaller units that can take 24v solar) and the other to the correct pigtail for the power station. I have a video where I used a 12v LiFePo4 battery to power my Jackery 550 while running a 75l Smittybilt Fridge (worked awesome).

[@PeterAdin]

Great video and idea, my question is, how do you charge this extra battery? Im pretty sure that the solar inputs do not output any power. Theres probably a way it can be done that i dont know about, just asking! Good video my friend!

[@TheOldJarhead]

My next video was on that very thing but there are several ways from a solar panel (with charge controller), a AC charger and generator or even a DC to DC charger.

[@stephenstinnett4520]

Thank's a lot. Just purchased the battery with a discount on Amazon for 300 dollars.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Nice!

[@sam_wyt9879]

Nice video man. I wish you discharged the unit below 50% state of charge and run the test. That way we can know how much wattage the battery will charge the unit.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Not a bad idea.

[@lawrencekirkby3016]

If you were did you buy or make the battery wires you connected from the battery to the charger , I am going to do this thank you

[@TheOldJarhead]

Should be a link in description 😉 and I bought

[@woodknack1]

Thats great but how do you keep the 12v battery charged?

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qovIl2B5ZriKftk

[@stevenshircliff393]

How do you get 500w? If you have 25v coming in at 10a max, wouldn't that be only 250w?

[@rick_n_tx]

20 amps.

[@stevenshircliff393]

Ok. Makes sense. Never heard you say that 20a was max it would pull.

[@TheOldJarhead]

29amp max. 10a @50v 20a25v I mention it later I believe

[@t.d.harris1311]

Great explanation, I have a Bluetti AC180 which limits 12v to 60v DC and max of 10 amps. So is the 24v battery putting out over 20 amps to get the 500 watts, or did I miss something. I'm trying to figure out a way to expand the ac180 like you are doing with your Aferiy, using a LiFeP04 battery and still stay within its limited solar input. Has anyone been successful in getting this to work? Thanks...

[@TheOldJarhead]

The power station will only draw what it allows. Mine will pull 20a at 25v or 10a at 50. So you should be good to go!

[@hdson46]

Can two of these supply 220 v for off grid?

[@TheOldJarhead]

I don't believe the Aferiy can

[@MTC157]

Question: I have 4 12.8 100Ah litime batteries in series, providing 48v to achieve 20 amps (I had to have more than 32v) charging to my Anker F2600 power station with an expansion battery. So, can I use a 48V mppt charge controller to charge my 4 batteries in series vs unhooking them and charging them as 12v individual batteries, which would be a pain.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Absolutely! In fact, keep them connected to the Anker and run the solar panels and charge controller on the batteries at the same time. Just be sure not to run over the voltage of the Anker input.

[@Biggtalllguy]

Can you do this to a jackery 1000v2 that has two DC8 solar inputs.?

[@TheOldJarhead]

Yes. I've done it with my Jackery 550 kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5m2Z2yPhrKcoM0

[@stevem3534]

👍do you still need controller to charge external battery

[@TheOldJarhead]

If you charge it via solar

[@comictrio]

Interesting. It didn't occur to me that I could use a large, external battery to charge my two Delta 2 power stations using the XT 60 input on these power stations. Excellent video.

[@Step-n-Wolf]

Be sure to get a XT60I connector as it charges faster than a XT60.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Thanks! And yes!! Great when you need the boost specially when the sun is down!

[@TheOldJarhead]

I will have to try that myself. I saw one video on it and seem to recall that's what he found.

[@zodaguado6655]

Remember if you get a 12 v only charges at 110 watts an hour while 24 v battery will charge at 250 watts on those power stations, also consider a dual fuel 2500 champion generator and run on propane to charge the battery fast in a grid down situation

[@Step-n-Wolf]

@@zodaguado6655 If you use the XT60I connector on the Ecoflow, it "fools" the power station into thinking it has solar panels attached and charges at 15A = 500W instead of 8A if it thinks it is a 12V battery. There is also a resistor that can be wired in internally that accomplishes what the extra wire on the XT60I has.

[@McVilko]

How to charge the external battery? AC charger costs like or more than a hybrid solar inverter

[@TheOldJarhead]

As long as you have ac

[@JeffreyWillis800]

Can you do a video on this using a smaller system, maybe a Jackery 880? In that situation, could I use the same battery (selling for about $350 on Amazon today) and maybe connect an inverter to the battery and then plug the jackery into the inverter and recharge it? Or is there an easier way? This concept is new to me, but sounds interesting. What you are saying sounds amazing, I'm just trying to get my head around this new concept.

[@TheOldJarhead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5m2Z2yPhrKcoM0. Why yes 😉 Check this older video out! The Jackery loves 24v (maybe not 25.6 though)

[@JeffreyWillis800]

@@TheOldJarhead I just found your videos and love them so far. I am guessing you are an USMC guy. I was an army infantry guy. Not that it matters, but I like your brains and your practical sense of things. I am trying to learn about this stuff some.

[@TheOldJarhead]

Welcome! I served over 5 years in the Corps but later got my Telecom training in the US Army ;)

[@ML-jr1yz]

The cable that you plug into the power station from battery , does it need any fuses for protection?

[@TheOldJarhead]

It would be a good idea to put in a fuse that matches the maximum discharge of the battery but the built in BMS will protect the battery and the Power Station will limit the incoming power to it's rated amperage so it's pretty sage without it (that's how I run mine, without).

[@ML-jr1yz]

@@TheOldJarhead thanks for the message, with this power station and the 24v battery could you run 240v fridge overnight? Or can you run a washing maschine when sun is charging the power station?

[@TheOldJarhead]

This particular power station doesn't have an option for running two in tandem to get 240v but there are some out there that will. Now I haven't seen a 240v fridge so can't answer that but it will run my 120v fridge no problem and with a draw of around 150w-300w and the extra battery giving it around 4500wh it could do that overnight no problem. As for a dryer, those are energy hogs and would require a much larger battery bank and power supply.