Solar Trickle Charger Setup (with Black Friday deals)

[CT_AZ_4x4]

No doubt, solar is not the cheapest option. I just can't bring myself to run a generator at my campsite, though. I'll pay the difference to only hear nature and the crackle of the fire pit.

Hear-hear!

Or is it, “here, here!”

Either way, gas and exhaust fumes get in your clothing and hair and give a very distinct human scent.

I have never enjoyed the sound of a generator or the associated fumes, whether when I was in the field in the Marine Corps or when I’ve been in the wilderness while hunting.

I’m heading out this weeeknd to pitch my tent for my December elk hunt. Hopi Indian friends have told me that an elk cannot be killed until it is ready. My plan is to give my elk every opportunity so that it is ready to feed my family, and that includes no gas fumes.

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[hemiarch]

Could also set scheduled charging (start charging at) to prevent the truck draining it right away...

So…Dr.Spock, what do you think of running the delta pro 3 on its side?
I feel the design of the cooling system sort of implies they are relying on heat to rise and it would kind of interfere with that.
Would save me a lot of money if that was kosher though.

 

[hemiarch]

Now my friend @CT_AZ_4x4 is all about the Bluetti Pepsi. (Or maybe that’s the real thing, who knows?).
I have to say I do like the modularity of the Bluetti design.
The same thing I cited as weakness (not included with) could also be seen as strength.

 

[mongo]

So…Dr.Spock, what do you think of running the delta pro 3 on its side?
I feel the design of the cooling system sort of implies they are relying on heat to rise and it would kind of interfere with that.
Would save me a lot of money if that was kosher though.

It has a cooling fan so I think it would work sideways.

 

[hemiarch]

Bit the cooling fan is at the top of that egg like case to create an air current. There is basically a tunnel that starts at the front handle and ends at the back handle.

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

Now my friend @CT_AZ_4x4 is all about the Bluetti Peosi. (Or maybe that’s the real thing, who knows?).
I have to say I do like the modularity of the Bluetti design.
The same thing I cited as weakness (not included with) could also be seen as strength.

Also, I just don’t want another App for the same family of items. But, yeah, the modularity of the B300K and B500K battery extenders makes it convenient in that each unit is not too heavy and they stack. And they can be configured to run in parallel, doubling or tripling the charging speed.

 

[hemiarch]

Also, I just don’t want another App for the same family of items. But, yeah, the modularity of the B300K and B500K battery extenders makes it convenient in that each unit is not too heavy and they stack. And they can be configured to run in parallel, doubling or tripling the charging speed.

Do they have a longer cable so you can put the b500 next to rather than under the apex 300 or do you have to use that short locking strap?

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

Do they have a longer cable so you can put the b500 next to rather than under the apex 300 or do you have to use that short locking strap?

The B300K and B500K come with short connection cables, and I also have three, 31-inch connector cables.

 

[hemiarch]

They should make one of these with power stations.

 

[shopaholic]

https://www.pecron.com/products/pec...r-station-3600w-3072wh?variant=44730689159356

This looks like 1/2 the price of Bluetti !

 

[hemiarch]

https://www.pecron.com/products/pec...r-station-3600w-3072wh?variant=44730689159356

This looks like 1/2 the price of Bluetti !

Also an exceptional solution for under the cybertent.

 

[hemiarch]

It has a cooling fan so I think it would work sideways.

Ok. I’m going to try this.

 

[hemiarch]

Also an exceptional solution for under the cybertent.

1.6kw solar input is a bit of a bummer though for something that charges the car at twice that rate.
Big advantage of the bluetti here with 2.4kw expandable to 6.4kw solar input. That’s better than even the delta 3 pro at 2.6kw total high and low PV inputs. If your’e adding the batteries to the Pecron they each have a solar input that adds 400w and accepts 48v. So with two of those you’re at 2.4kw.
This is an extremely cool spec though as it relates to our roof and frunk feeds by the way. 48v and 400w sound familiar to anyone?
The batteries for all of these seem large but they are fairly small by our truck’s standards and would exhaust in under an hour of charging. What you want is something that can pull at least what you’re charging at from the sky while you do it.
Apex 300 wins here over everything except the much larger and more expensive DPU and DPU-x
$800 is great deal on the Pecron but I think 1299 for the apex 300 is still a better one.

 

[HaulingAss]

Yeah. That’s not accurate. That DPU can charge at 240v I believe at about 7kw continuous and has a substantial amount of solar input it can simultaneously receive (5.6kw though two PV inputs, one of which can receive an impressive voltage from panels strung in series (450v if memory serves) .
In fact, until the apex 300 and dpu-x, this or a pair of delta pro 3’s were unequivocally the best option for what we’re talking about here.
I’m not taking this as gospel at all, these results are reproducible and I’ve done a similar experiment with of my my Delta pro 3’s . If you’re charging at below about a KW there is no real increase in range. 800w does not move the needle in a measurable way to the UI over an entire day.
I have not however tried that in “low power” mode because it didn’t exist when I did the experiment. That said, I had both sentry and cabin overheat protection off.

I'm just saying, if the Cybertruck doors are closed, the cabin climate is off, all lighting is off, the 48V battery is not being charged, etc. and it's mild temperatures, there is not 800 watts of vampire drain happening while charging. For example, charging the 48V battery is technically not vampire drain, it's energy that was consumed before the charging started and that is now being replaced. The problem is charging at 120V. I've been saying for years how inefficient that is. It's not 800 watts of inefficiency, but there is some inefficiency and 120V just doesn't have much charging power to begin with.

More panels pays big dividends too, because it allows charging at higher amperage levels without draining the powerbank too quickly.

 

[mongo]

I'm just saying, if the Cybertruck doors are closed, the cabin climate is off, all lighting is off, the 48V battery is not being charged, etc. and it's mild temperatures, there is not 800 watts of vampire drain happening while charging. For example, charging the 48V battery is technically not vampire drain, it's energy that was consumed before the charging started and that is now being replaced. The problem is charging at 120V. I've been saying for years how inefficient that is. It's not 800 watts of inefficiency, but there is some inefficiency and 120V just doesn't have much charging power to begin with.

More panels pays big dividends too, because it allows charging at higher amperage levels without draining the powerbank too quickly.

When charging, it's not vampire drain, but it is using power just being on (agree, not 800W). The 48V is running/ charging from the PCS, the contactors are engaged, all modules are awake (or Etherloop at least), and the thermal system is pumping coolant.

That's why 120V charging is inefficient. The first few hundred watts are spent running the truck. Only power above that can go to charging the battery. (Versus the charger itself being 60% efficient in converting 120V to 400V. )

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