[KathyKS]

Going in another direction with my question...

I'm using the AC200P for a van conversion. Starting with NO solar (for now). Will be driving most days while traveling and will charge Bluetti off van (cigarette lighter). To speed up this slow method of charging, would the Bluetti Charing Enhancer work?

 

[rf17830]

The power outlet fuse is only 20A. You can only charge slowly from the power outlet and using the DC Charging Enhancer isn't going to help. One of the common solutions is to connect a 1000W inverter to the CCP power points on the side of the driver seat. Then connect the 120VAC output of the inverter to the Bluetti charging brick. This will allow much faster charging.

 

[KathyKS]

The power outlet fuse is only 20A. You can only charge slowly from the power outlet and using the DC Charging Enhancer isn't going to help. One of the common solutions is to connect a 1000W inverter to the CCP power points on the side of the driver seat. Then connect the 120VAC output of the inverter to the Bluetti charging brick. This will allow much faster charging.

Thanks. That's what I'll do. Appreciate it.

 

[rf17830]

I have a 2019 Transit. I purchased an inexpensive kit from Ford to connect all of the CCP outputs. The part number is "BK2Z-14S411-A". This allows you to add two additional 60A CCP outputs to the one 60A CCP output which is connected by the factory. On the newest vans the CCP setup is different and there is more power available.

 

[Van Wilder]

I’ve seen several videos and posts about users using solar generators for their portability. I have also seen them tie into the van electrical dc fuse box (lights and fan) and ac plugs. Some mention removing the solar generator, and possibly plugging into a cigarette lighter for dc power while the van is running and a separate cpp inverter for ac.



My question is: can this be done automatically? I believe a transfer switch could work for between the ac panel and the two potential ac sources (solar generator and cpp inverter) but does something like that exist for the dc side? Is there a switch that can automatically change from the vehicle dc to the solar generator dc? I’m thinking I would want to use as much “vehicle” power as possible while driving, but automatically switch over to the generator when stopped / the generator is used for something else…

 

[rf17830]

I've thought about this issue but came to a slightly different conclusion. I'm almost ready to finally install a Bluetti AC200 in my 2019 passenger van conversion.

1. I have a 1000W inverter connected to the CCP to charge the AC200 while driving. The AC200 can be used to power the 12V house loads because it will be simultaneously charged by the van while driving. I ran wires to the roof for solar panels. It will be easy to add 200W of panels later, if this is needed.

2. The AC200 has a parasitic loss of approximately 10% of the battery capacity a day, when the DC output is on. It also losses additional power for the 12V house loads. I will most likely drive the van every day and can charge the AC200. The AC200 should have enough capacity to power the 12V house loads for at least a couple days. I only plan to rarely turn on the AC200 120VAC inverter. When I use the 120VAC I will need to monitor my AC200 battery level.

3. The AC200 has two DC outputs. It has a 12V/10A cigarette lighter output and the main 12V25A output. I'm going to wire these two outputs to separate Blue Sea 12V fuse blocks. This allows me to balance the 12V house loads by changing the loads that are connected to each fuse block.

4. My bigger concern is how to power my 12V house loads, when connected to shore power. This could be at a campsite or when parked in my driveway. I found that my local Goodwill often has Microsoft XBox power supplies. Some of these power supplies output 12V/17.8A. Note: you need to connect the red (5V) wire to the yellow (12V trigger) wire to turn on the 12V output. You can google "xbox power supply hack". I want the option to use two XBox power supplies to power my two fuse blocks when I'm connected to shore power. The XBox power supplies are pretty high quality but I can always source different power supplies.

5. I'm building a box with a rotary switch to choose between connecting the two fuse blocks to the two AC200 DC outputs, the two XBox 12V power supplies, or off. That way I can turn off the AC200, if I want, when connected to shore power, and still power the 12V house loads. I would mostly use this when I'm parked in my driveway at home. You could also use this same type of switch to connect the fuse blocks to the van battery. I will have this option by changing how some PowerPole connectors are connected.

 

[Van Wilder]

"xbox power supply hack" 😂👍

 

[harryn]

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?

 

[rf17830]

The parasitic power loss of the Bluetti AC200, when the DC inverter is on, is pretty high. But you can recover this loss quickly when you charge the AC200. The AC200 uses a 48V(?) battery pack to make it more efficient to run the inverter to output 120VAC. This means that they also need to run an inverter to output 12VDC.

The big advantage of implementing a 12V battery bank, with an inverter, is that the 12V house power is available without any power loss due to voltage conversion.

I think that the Bluetti AC200 is a good product, but you need to be aware of the parasitic power loss. The best use case is that you will be driving most days so that you can easily charge the AC200.

 

[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...

 

[harryn]

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

From the comments in their blog, it "appears" that their DC - DC converter in standby is ~ 30 watts continuous, and when the inverter is on, another ~ 30 watts.

I tested a number of DC - DC converters before picking one and you would be surprised at how mediocre some are. That is one reason that I purchase individual components - I can buy the ones with the best performance and take advantage of all of that specialized, competitive, creative talent in the electronics world.

It has been a while since I tested the converter that I use - so back to the test bench I guess because surely people now will ask.

 

[rf17830]

I have stored my Bluetti at 80% charge for may months without any power loss. Note that Lithium batteries shouldn't be stored for long periods of time at a 100% state of charge because it reduces the battery life. The Bluetti uses some power any time the DC output inverter is on, even if no load is connected.