[gregoryx]

Looking at the spec on the AC200P (not sure if that's the one you have), the "solar input" is "35-150v / Max.700W, max 12A" - so technically, that would require the solar panels be in 48V setup to get that 700W. No idea if that spec is accurate - but that's what their website says.

Semi-educated guess is that they aren't set up to handle more than that stated "max 12A" charging in any way - so probably using high voltage on the AC as well as the (theoretical / customer-supplied) solar.

Of course, it also mentions "dual AC adapters for 800W" so... that sounds like the way to do it. Get a half-decent ~1500W inverter and run two of their AC adapters. Or figure out what the actual input /after/ the AC adapters is and give it direct DC power (probably what it wants).

Yeah... looks like there are two "input" ports using two different types of connectors.
Max "solar" is 12A with 35V-150V - but also capped at 700W.
Max DC is 8.2A (100W in 12V or 200W in 24V).
Max AC charging is 500W - but it's actually using DC - looks like 48V? ("max 58.8 VDC")

So... I'd go with get the additional AC adapter and hit it with ~800W. Or use an AC inverter /plus/ a DC-DC charger running 48VDC into the "solar" port. That last would be your max possible charge rate.

 

[gregoryx]

For reasons I won’t get into in detail because I’m typing on a phone; the Bluetti needs solar to be a viable alternative to a piecemeal battery/inverter build out. The parasitic losses from the battery management systems and 50>12 volt converter are material (200Wh/day). It’s a great option for a weekender like me, but if you are running a refrigerator all the time or otherwise need 24/7 12 volt power, solar is absolutely critical to keep the battery charged (unless you drive multiple hours every day).

If you can turn the battery off and leave it off, this is a moot point, but if you want full time 12v power, go solar.

If you can send a charge of over 1kW in from the alternator, then the solar shouldn't be an absolute. That ~200Wh would be replaced in less than 15 minutes of idling.

Clearly, I have no dog in this fight... you do you.

Power is power. See how much the losses are and the load / demand and accommodate charging appropriately.

All that said... I realize these things are a bargain compared to assembling one... but there's a reason. They're not a bargain; they're just inferior. Perhaps adequate - and nothing wrong with that for the price. It would cost a bit more and require more effort to assemble a good setup; and these are easy and cheap. You do you!

@chadman, I think you're good if you max the charging with a half-decent inverter connected to CCP2 and the two-AC adapter setup. Couple hundred bucks for a decent PSW inverter (not an assurance of quality, but perhaps more likely to be decent). I use this one: https://amzn.com/B07CKBJ9KP and they make less expensive but also decent ones like this: https://amzn.com/B07SJYR5G7 that should meet your need.

 

[gregoryx]

Thanks! I'm starting to wrap my head around how this charging is working and now see how I can use the car to do a fast charge via an AC inverter with my 2 AC power bricks. I'm slow and took some time to understand why an AC charge is so much faster than DC for my application. With my limited camping experience I think this setup will work until I learn what's better from some trial/error. The goal is to have a dirt bike van that I can take out for a weekend to camp with my wife.

Sounds like you're right on track. If you later want to add a panel or two to it, it sounds like the Bluetti is setup for that. But you'd just be using less of the engine charge in exchange for solar charge. And getting 500W of solar isn't a small venture. That's quite a few square feet of panels.

 

[gregoryx]

So would I need a pure sine wave to power these to power bricks used to charge the batter? I have read that some do not recommend using a modified sine wave for battery chargers. If I get something great for the extra cash, great! If I only need the cheaper one and it will work just as well, sounds like a winner! The Bluetti will be powering everything and the invertor will be used to only charge the Bluetti.

I don't trust those cheap PSW units to be what they claim. But I wouldn't trust anything much cheaper than a couple hundred dollars, either. Will Prowse had linked to that one as one he'd used for a couple years; that's enough for me. I'm running the 2200W, as are two other friends. I only use it to charge my batteries (providing ~1.5kW to my Victron Multiplus as "shore power" off CCP2) and it works great; two friends use them as their primary inverters. Here's a modified sine-wave unit by the same company that might work and isn't expensive.

 

[gregoryx]

You're a bit OT, and frankly, don't know the entirety of which you are opining... so I'll be polite and say that my dual degrees in electrical engineering and applied thermodynamics and 20 years in the distributed power generation industry disagree with your assessment of the situation. But you do you.

Totally agree with you. You are clearly the expert. So... where's the part about how he should be best charging from the alternator? I thought it was obvious that I don't have that equipment and I'm trying to interpret the documentation - which ain't all that clear or even consistent. It seems to have two inputs - and require both simultaneously to hit max charge. No?

 

[gregoryx]

Are these very large standby losses real?

https://community.bluetti.com/t/ac200max-is-has-a-25-power-overhead/2409

This would indicate that the power losses just to have the DC on is similar to running a DC refrigerator. Surely that number is wrong?

That loss is on the inverter side, no? If that's without inverter, that's nuts...