Starlink/antenna wires, how do you keep them safe?

[hemiarch]

That's exactly where the passenger airbag is.

Oh good. Then I didn’t misunderstand after all

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[area51]

I mounted the Starlink inside - 3d printed with suction cups from Amazon

Wonder how he’s running the cable.

 

[area51]

So for those of you that mount outside the car, what’s the reasoning? For me I did it because I thought I had to

So noob or not, that’s a pretty sophisticated question that I believe anyone running a Starlink in the Cybertruck will eventually ask themselves.
the answer is complicated. Yes, it would work because the power demand for the Starlink mini is very minimal if you want it run it that way which is to say, when the truck is on and the roof outlet is on. But you could also accomplish the same thing using a cable that feeds the Starlink mini off any of the usb-c.’s in the car. This also means you can turn off the roof power without turning off the Starlink.
For me, I eventually realized there were things I wanted to run in the truck which were “always on” . Specifically, my fridge, my Starlink, my battery packs for power tools/flashlights etc. and my baby monitor.
so, you can use the frunk 48v 400w power supply to feed the solar input of a small power bank by wiring it to an Xt-60 plug.
in my case it’s one of these but there are literally hundreds of options.

https://a.co/d/cv3uEGZ

End result, when the truck sleeps (and you want this to avoid losing miles), or when it’s plugged in to charge, the power bank will still run the fridge and the Starlink and anything else you need continuously powered.
when you drive, that bank charges rather quickly and eventually you never have to think about it again unless you’re leaving it for an extended period, in which case you just power the plugs on for a couple hours from the app to recharge your power bank.

in general, both internet and dc fridges are things that benefit from being left on rather than being turned on and off.
Sorry for the long winded answer but this is something it took me some trial and error to figure out.

This is a critical post. Can I ask how you’re powering a fridge from a battery located in the frunk? I would want my fridge in the truck bed. Also how do you wire the ecoflow battery to the frunk power?

 

[IntoTheRain916]

This is a critical post. Can I ask how you’re powering a fridge from a battery located in the frunk? I would want my fridge in the truck bed. Also how do you wire the ecoflow battery to the frunk power?

I don’t believe anyone has attempted this yet, but it was asked hypothetically if it would be a viable solution for ensuring the Starlink Mini powers on automatically when the vehicle starts.

Again all hypothetical.

 

[hemiarch]

This is a critical post. Can I ask how you’re powering a fridge from a battery located in the frunk? I would want my fridge in the truck bed. Also how do you wire the ecoflow battery to the frunk power?

You use the frunk 400w power supply and wire an xt60 to it. You plug that into the solar input of the Ecoflow (or whatever you put there). You then take an outdoor extension cord (because they are durable) and some sort of dc cable like a Starlink 5521 or a lighter socket extension cable and run both of them behind the plastic with the Cybertruck etching and fish them into the area above the wheel well (passenger side in my case) . Then you take them straight back to the area under the rearview mirror.
There is a soft grommet there, you pull it out then you pass the wires through that hole and fish them out under the glovebox where you can tuck them under the mat all the way to the center console area. I had to cut off the plug in my extension cord to get through the hole so I just bought another one with screw terminals but you can just solder it back together too. I preferred the plug because it was neater. I left the frunk end weatherproof though.

 

[area51]

You use the frunk 400w power supply and wire an xt60 to it. You plug that into the solar input of the Ecoflow (or whatever you put there). You then take an outdoor extension cord (because they are durable) and some sort of dc cable like a Starlink 5521 or a lighter socket extension cable and run both of them behind the plastic with the Cybertruck etching and fish them into the area above the wheel well (passenger side in my case) . Then you take them straight back to the area under the rearview mirror.
There is a soft grommet there, you pull it out then you pass the wires through that hole and fish them out under the glovebox where you can tuck them under the mat all the way to the center console area. I had to cut off the plug in my extension cord to get through the hole so I just bought another one with screw terminals but you can just solder it back together too. I preferred the plug because it was neater. I left the frunk end weatherproof though.

Wow that’s a project. Why not just leave the ecoflow in the truck bed and let it charge up off the bed outlet and then whenever the truck is charging or the bed power is off you work off the ecoflow? Seems like it would be simpler. Not that I have anything against complex mods.

 

[IntoTheRain916]

You use the frunk 400w power supply and wire an xt60 to it. You plug that into the solar input of the Ecoflow (or whatever you put there). You then take an outdoor extension cord (because they are durable) and some sort of dc cable like a Starlink 5521 or a lighter socket extension cable and run both of them behind the plastic with the Cybertruck etching and fish them into the area above the wheel well (passenger side in my case) . Then you take them straight back to the area under the rearview mirror.
There is a soft grommet there, you pull it out then you pass the wires through that hole and fish them out under the glovebox where you can tuck them under the mat all the way to the center console area. I had to cut off the plug in my extension cord to get through the hole so I just bought another one with screw terminals but you can just solder it back together too. I preferred the plug because it was neater. I left the frunk end weatherproof though.

Amazing!

 

[hemiarch]

So actually, running the wires is very fast. Less than 10 minutes.
I appreciate the benefits are not immediately obvious but hear me out.
I have stuff in the cabin I want to run 24/7. The Starlink and the fridge specifically.
When you live in Arizona with kids, having access to cold drinks, formula, sandwiches and popsicles while the car is moving is very nice. Being able to monitor said fridge and Ecoflow by leaving the Starlink on is also very nice.
The fridge which I have been using is a little ICECO dual zone. Having it be in the cabin rather than in the Sonoran desert takes extra advantage of cabin overheat protection which makes it more efficient. I also have a larger fridge I use as a freezer in the truck for legit camping/costco shopping needs but it mostly lives in the garage till we need it. We have a similar setup inside our 6 seat model x. It’s awesome.
Previously, my little Cybertruck cabin fridge occupied the floor area behind the driver and The Ecoflow was in the footwell between the passenger and driver (the middle area) charging off the cabin ac plug. This has been a nonissue because my littlest one is still rear facing but that won’t be the case forever.
So in light of this, recently I ordered one of the new cybergear/testudio/tlyard fridges that go there (been waiting for that for a long while) and that means no more room for the little Ecoflow. I use the space under the rear seats for other stuff I don’t want to give up.
As for why run it on an Ecoflow at all, try “leave outlets on” for 24 hrs and see what you think. Even with nothing plugged in. The problem is the truck doesn’t sleep and everything remains on which in my truck at least translates to substantial range loss.
I do have a different Ecoflow I carry in the vault for camping but it’s bigger and serves a very different purpose (other than running the vault freezer, cybertent ac and campsite electrical needs) it runs on my mobile solar panels and charges the car while camping.
net result, instead of losing about 20-25 miles a day, I charge at 3-5 miles an hour when the sun is out and lose zero during the night and I have power to run my camp. Makes me feel much better about having tiny kids in that environment.
I would never forgive myself if we got stuck out there and any of them were harmed by my recreational activity.

 

[hemiarch]

Amazing!

Thank you

 

[area51]

So actually, running the wires is very fast. Less than 10 minutes.
I appreciate the benefits are not immediately obvious but hear me out.
I have stuff in the cabin I want to run 24/7. The Starlink and the fridge specifically.
When you live in Arizona with kids, having access to cold drinks, formula, sandwiches and popsicles while the car is moving is very nice. Being able to monitor said fridge and Ecoflow by leaving the Starlink on is also very nice.
The fridge which I have been using is a little ICECO dual zone. Having it be in the cabin rather than in the Sonoran desert takes extra advantage of cabin overheat protection which makes it more efficient. I also have a larger fridge I use as a freezer in the truck for legit camping/costco shopping needs but it mostly lives in the garage till we need it. We have a similar setup inside our 6 seat model x. It’s awesome.
Previously, my little Cybertruck cabin fridge occupied the floor area behind the driver and The Ecoflow was in the footwell between the passenger and driver (the middle area) charging off the cabin ac plug. This has been a nonissue because my littlest one is still rear facing but that won’t be the case forever.
So in light of this, recently I ordered one of the new cybergear/testudio/tlyard fridges that go there (been waiting for that for a long while) and that means no more room for the little Ecoflow. I use the space under the rear seats for other stuff I don’t want to give up.
As for why run it on an Ecoflow at all, try “leave outlets on” for 24 hrs and see what you think. Even with nothing plugged in. The problem is the truck doesn’t sleep and everything remains on which in my truck at least translates to substantial range loss.
I do have a different Ecoflow I carry in the vault for camping but it’s bigger and serves a very different purpose (other than running the vault freezer, cybertent ac and campsite electrical needs) it runs on my mobile solar panels and charges the car while camping.
net result, instead of losing about 20-25 miles a day, I charge at 3-5 miles an hour when the sun is out and lose zero during the night and I have power to run my camp. Make
Me feel much better about having tiny kids in that environment.
I would never forgive myself if we got stuck out there and any of them were harmed by my recreational activity.

Jeez there is so much good info here I need to read through this like for an exam and time to let it all sink in before I ask you questions during the next class session.

 

[hemiarch]

Jeez there is so much good info here I need to read through this like for an exam and time to let it all sink in before I ask you questions during the next class session.

Really didn’t mean for it to come off lecturey. Sorry. Just trying to share what I have learned thus far about living with this awesome machine in a desert climate.

 

[area51]

Really didn’t mean for it to come off lecturey. Sorry. Just trying to share what I have learned thus far about living with this awesome machine in a desert climate.

No I love it. Meant it as a compliment.

 

[hemiarch]

One other thing I forgot to mention is that another fringe benefit of this approach is that you also have is a fully charged power station living in the frunk. You can cook in there, charge toys and electronics in there and if you really wanted to, you could put a fridge in there too instead of a cybercooler type thing. I put my power tool battery charger in there frequently.

 

[area51]

One other thing I forgot to mention is that another fringe benefit of this approach is that you also have is a fully charged power station living in the frunk. You can cook in there, charge toys and electronics in there and if you really wanted to, you could put a fridge in there too instead of a cybercooler type thing. I put my power tool battery charger in there frequently.

What is keeping the ecoflow charged up?

 

[hemiarch]

What is keeping the ecoflow charged up?

The 400w 48v frunk power supply that’s plugged into its solar input and switchable via the outlets and mods screen. Once it’s full, it can be turned off but it’s pointless. It’s so little energy. Just let it turn off with the car which is either when it sleeps or when you level 2 charge. It still works while you supercharge which I find surprising but it’s true.
If it’s on you can also turn it on and off remotely with the plug icon in the app.
Let’s say it’s at the airport and you have shit in your fridge, you just turn it on for a couple of hours and when the Ecoflow is charged (which you know because the Ecoflow app sees it on the always on Starlink network), you just turn it off

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