I am using the same Bluetti in my van. I even charge my pivot shuttle. Still haven't charged it all the way from 10% to 100%, but I think it's great. I also wired my bluetti to the roof solar panels. I can charge from them or while driving. pretty cool thing to have when in a van.
I have a Bluetti AC 200 Max. That is a sixty pound mass that could break loose from that tape and fly towards the rear of your van if you get hit from the front. If you dont mind me suggesting this. Anchor it down with some straps on the handles and bolt those straps into the wood behind the Bluetti. Keep it from turning into a missile flying to the rear of the van.
@@aaronweiser5421 I have two bluetti's. The 200 Max and the AC-180. I got the AC 180 on sale for $590. I could not beat that price so I got it. Its the 30 Pound model.
Did the same with 2 Bluettis back in 2021. One is for 12v usage charged by 1 400w panel and the other is for our 110 usage and is charged by the van while driving. We switch the charging points if/as needed.
THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS!! Just about to wire in my lights, water pump and fan and wondered how the heck it could be done from the Bluetti. Your video has been marvellously helpful. Thank you from the UK
I geeked out for months on building an electrical system, but I really didnt like all the complexity ... so I ended up getting the AC200P. So easy. Works great, and it is so versatile. I use it for all kinds of stuff in and out the van.
I love my bluetti 200 max in my Skoolie. I power lights and water pumps with DC.., Ac for fans, pressure cooker, elec skillet, cordless drill charger and steamer for cooking. Those cookers are big draws, but not for very long. For DC I mounted a bus bar with fuses and for AC I have a power strip on each side of the aisle. My solar is 400 and it works fine on sunny days., the Bluetti also uses a 110V brick charger when at an campground with hook ups that charges around 400 watts also. This works so much better than I expected.
Great video. You did exactly what I did, although I swapped out my two 12 volt lead acid batteries for two 100 amp hour lithium batteries for a total of 200. From my 2 solar panels 630 watts total I installed an A&B switch to select between who to charge between the Bluetti or the lithium. And everything charges from the engine alternator while driving. The system works great.
You could use your 2 batteries that you took out to charge at night thru MPPT after charging them during the day from old charge controller.... cheaper than buying extra bluetti batteries
I charge the 200 max in my van with the AC power brick plugged into a 1200 watt inverter connected to my Transit van charging system. That gives me close to 500 watts and I can also charge from the cigarette style plug at the same time for about 550 watts. I rarely have to use my portable solar panel.
From what i understand Pecron sells a dc to dc converter that hooks up to your car battery and charges the power station only when car turns on.@@CheeseyChazHD
I went the portable lithium/solar panel route in 2018 using the Renogy. It didn't work for me. The cigarette lighter adapter sucked and my 3 100w panels never charged my pack back up to 100%. In upstate NY I had to bring the renogy inside when temps dropped below freezing. I switched to 3 AGM batteries charging from my alternator and I connected a cheap trickle charger to the batteries and put in an all weather female AC socket just underneath the van near the sliding door and passenger seat. I could run an extension cord from the van to a 15amp wall socket and keep the batteries topped up all the time. Looking forward to a report after a week at Everstoke and daily use. Love your channel and your content.
That's a bummer! I think things have come far enough now where you'd be good to go, but if your system is working good then that's great. Love the idea of the all weather AC socket. I've wanted to do an input and output on my van forever!
Awesome, despite it being a sponsor it's still really good see this put to the test in the real world. Hopefully it will replace your old setup for good, if it does it will be very impressive considering how much is packed into that box like the solar regulator, ac-power adapter, inverter etc. I recently purchased a small 300w portable power station and it only has 1 power outlet but it works with a 4x outlet, so now I can charge all my camera batteries and it hardly uses any power despite overloading it with 4 plugs.
We have the Ac200max with 400watt on the Sprinter roof. On a cold but very bright day it charged 420watt ! Considering expanding with 2 more units of the B300 to have enough for warm shower
more than enough to power a hotplate and coffee machine and then a slow trickle roof panel to replen charge throughout the day til dinner time maybe the best clean solution to power on the move.. sounds like a great option for a couple days car/van camping. eye opening.
I read a review on Amazon that Bluetti will shut off if power is not being drawn. Bluetti does this because the idle power will drain the battery. But the problem is that fridges only kick on periodically. Also another complaint is that Bluetti will not start charging from Solar on its own, you have to unplug and plug the solar connection once their is enough voltage input. These are terrible problems.
There's a setting to keep the power running all the time, just gotta turn off ECO mode. I've never had problems with it not charging from solar on it's own. I have it plugged in all day every day.
I've been trying to figure out how I wanted to do my van's electrical. I have the knowledge and skills to do the electrical but I wanted my van to be able to go from cargo to camper. I seriously looked at the Ecoflow Powerkit but at $8k meh.. I just purchased a Percon EP3600 portable power station. As you noted in the video it's easy peasey to take it back and forth from the van to the house and at 3600 wh (approx 260 ah) it's more than enough for how I use my van. I'm putting in a 30 amp RV outlet for the charging and the Percon also has a 30 amp DC out to run to my DC fuse box. Overall a portable power station just makes more sense. I will be adding two of the Percon 500 watt alternator chargers when I upgrade my alternator.
Great to know about that 30 amp cable so i can run my stuff off the same fusebox and charge at the same time in my off grid cabin instead of my 2 batterys awesome
The ac200max can be touchy from time to time. Be careful on your charge settings in the menu, there’s a solar and car charger option. If you get them mixed up it can cause a fire. It almost melted my cigarette lighter because after an update it switched back to pv rather than car charger. Also, it’s picky on the solar panels used. I had a cheap 200 watt panel that was putting out 150 on a Chinese power bank but the bluetti would only max out at 80-90 watts
At least mine also likes to randomly decide to go all whacked out in terms of the BMS capacity monitoring. I'd give mine a 6/10. I much prefer my built system and I haven't found anything that can get close to the efficiency (the Bluetti inverter is TERRIBLE at low wattage/idle draw like laptops and starlink). He also touches on how terrible and expensive these panels aimed at overlanding/RV/vans, but also a huge misconception: You have to realize you're probably NOT getting 1000W/m^2 where you are.
I’ve had two of these fail now. The charger port burned up both times. Replacement turn around time was 1-2 weeks. They clearly have a serious defect. The problem is a sloppy connection between their charger and the port on the unit. I’m just glad it didn’t start a fire.
Oh wow, that's interesting. I've got 3 different Bluettis in service over the past 3 years and haven't had the problem yet. I don't leave the charger plugged in.
Thinking of buying this unit or maybe the new 200L. But can you run say the 12v lights and fridges at the same time as using the AC with boiling watch with a kettle?
Thanks for the step by step. It really helped in my van build. We didn't get the bluetti. We went with All Powers. Hope to showcase our build by Oct 10th 2024. I'm a new subscriber.
Whoops! I thought I had posted the link in the description: amzn.to/3upurYd Then I just cut the end off the red/black side and then wired that up to my DC load center.
I don’t know how many DIY systems haven’t caught fire. That was my concern and went with Bluetti AC300/ with 2 B300 (1k solar panels). no worries about power for days! 🎉 - My touch screen isn’t working and their customer service is non existent (have had for 2 years). Thankfully they have an app which they need to upgrade:)
So that setup gives you 24/7 power without having to plug into a wall outlet of a home or rv park? In other words does that setup enable you to be fully offgrid with enough power to live year round and have electric every day?
I have the Bluetti EB70s that I bought used for a good price, it does well, I got it as a temporary battery for my van. I have a mini fridge and one light source, I also charge my laptop and camera batteries. It does well but I'm thinking maybe I should upgrade to the AC100 as the AC200 is a bit out of the budget
Hello, Me and my partner are rebuilding a sprinter van and looking for the best electricity for full time off grid van life, we are deciding if we should adventure into the DIY electrical system build or purchase a power bank like the Bluetti you talk highly about. We would love to hear how your experience with that product has been and any advice!? Thank you!
Awesome! I dont have a blue Eddie.. In my case I have a jackery 2000 plus any recommendations on what wire plug I could use to connect the 12v fuse black for power?
I'm going integrated in my next build too - my wiring is a mess. Definitely adding 50a DC-DC alternator charging. Been designing custom removable roof hatches with flat solar panel on top so on a really hot Florida day I can just park under the trees and move the panels 20' away into the sun and blow hot are out of the top of the van.
Are these portable power stations good to have on 24/7? I'm looking into doing a solar panel with one of these or a lifepo4 battery on my truck and have a full time fridge, the thing is, I don't want it to only last a year. I see a lot of these say "3,500 cycles", what is considered a cycle?
Man this thing is a killer deal. I only wish they had a more waterproof solar panel that came with it like the Anker one. Trying to mix and match this power station or others with a different company's waterproof solar panel, the companies don't like you to buy the solar panel on it's own and charge a premium! About $800 for a 400W panel from Anker on it's own.
@@bkxc for mobile panels, Anker is the only that is ip67 rated that I have found so far as well as reviews saying bluetti ones don't do well with heavy rain. Bluetti is ip65
Great video. I recently purchased the 200Max and planned the same type of set up when I found this video. A couple questions for you please. 1. Did you run a circuit breaker or fuse between your +12vt output to the distribution block? 2. How did you incorporate the AC aspect? ie…Did you use a power strip to the AC out on the Bluetti? Thanks!
No circuit breaker between the output and distribution block, but it's always a good thing. It's easy to switch the DC output off in the app. Just using a couple extension cords to power strips, very simple setup!
Can the AC180 do this too? I bought one and was told by bluetti that it can't power an RV and that it doesn't have an RV adapter. So what's the difference between the AC200 and the AC180 in this regard? Thanks!! Also, how do you "extend" the 110V outlets on the bluetti around the van so you can use them anywhere in the van, without having to plug into the bluetti at the back of the van?
All of my electrical stuff is internal in the van, so it makes for a different setup than an RV. Usually an RV has one giant plug that powers everything inside of it, and the bigger Bluettis have the outlet for those plugs. But for my setup I just ran everything into the Bluetti.
At min 9:15 you showed the cigarette lighter cord as a third way to recharge the AC200 and mentioned a way to improve the charging time using that 10 Amp plug. How can you improve the charging time with that device? I'm a car camper with no solar and recharging while driving will be a necessity for me. Thanks
I bet if you took it into a car audio place they could get you hooked up with a better connection to the battery for a better charge through the cig lighter. As it stands, the charging from the cig lighter is pretty slow.
With one 12-volt cigarette input and by the looks from you're video you ran that cable to a junction box with the fuses .. to allow you to run more 12-volt appliances would that be correct
Nice job and thanks for sharing. Is there anyway you can put a link to the 12v cable to the fuse box. I cant find a 30amps one. And i know there is 2. The xt60 to the fusebox is easier to find. But the cigarrete lighter 30amps to xt60 i was no able to located. Thanks
fast forward a year are you still happy with your choice I have the Goal Zero yeti pro 4000 and I just returned it after 11 1/2 months because of how many issues I’ve had I’m looking at the current one you have or the anker solix what are your thoughts
Can you post a link to the that cable on amazon @5:45? Bluetti is sold out and cannot find the right one on amazon (there's one but its female and not male)
Oh shoot! I thought I had posted the link in the description: amzn.to/3upurYd Then I just cut the end off the red/black side and then wired that up to my DC load center.
I know this is totally off topic from this video. But Brian would you ever consider doing a video of workout routines that you do to prepare yourself for your bike rides? I think it would be a great idea to show everyone what you do to prepare your body for the ultimate rides you take! I ask because your arms are totally jacked now compared to a year ago and I would love to know how to get to that point with my body. Great job on the videos and welcome back to the States from your awesome adventures overseas 👋🙏😎
There's only one workout routine I do now: 3 rounds 20 pull ups 30 push ups 40 sit ups 50 air squats Take a break between each round. This is a CrossFit workout where they do 5 rounds for time and only take a 2 minute break between rounds. Absolutely ridiculous at 5 rounds. But 3 rounds is always doable for me and leaves me sore the next day.
Question for you... I have a JUPITEK Portable Power Station S1200, 1228Wh LiFePo4 Battery... I really only need to run my Alpicool C15,12 Volt Car Refrigerator and charge a couple phones and led lights. Do I need a load station or can I just go direct from a 200w solar panel direct to my Jupitek (which it has a direct plug station for solar power)?????
You don't need a load center unless you want to run a BUNCH of different 12volt appliances. You should be able to plug in your refrigerator and be good to go. But I have my fridge, vent fan, lights, USB chargers and my water pump all running 12 volt, so I needed more ways to plug in.
360 watts (30A) would be pretty extreme for everything I have hooked up. The fan is very low watts, phone charging doesn’t spike it much. Fridge is very low wattage too, a crazy 35 watts or so when I monitor it in the Bluetti app. The 12v stuff I have is all very minor.
@@bkxcThank you for the reply! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do instead but realizing just how much 30A is helped a lot. Excited to finally get this all wired up now
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I am waiting for solid state batteries to come. One brand is already on the market that is equally competitive, but second gen ones should be even better. Less than half the weight of lithium, and only one third of the weight of a modern LiPo battery, with even more service life. I'll wait a few months...things are really changing.
If I get two of these, would it double my watt usage and be effective? i work multiple jobs every single day for at least 8 hrs/day on one laptop/one PC/fridge/fans/air conditioner/water heater/steam shower/electric stove and oven. How do you charge it? In a coffee shop?
you need 9bb solar panels if you’re only getting 80 watts. JJN has some cheap 9bb 100 watt panels. I swapped out all my old renogy panels that only get 80 to 85 watts. I’ve gotten as much as 104 watts on the JJN’s. Usually they get around 94 watts.
Bought the 200 Max and the 420W solar panel, works perfectly. Though the panel is a bad design so I decided to buy the AC 200p. Had no end of trouble with the 200p. Turned it on for the first time, fault lights everywhere, orange icon for the PV/CAR icon and the AC load icon. Turns itself off at 2:16 every morning and the date is stuck on the 18/1/2020 at 10:4. Absolutely shocking customer support, although kudos to the guy on the phone who tries to help but has no clue. It seems like the machine has been sitting in their warehouse for many years and it looks like it might even be a returned item. Definitely do not recommend the AC 200p.
I don't have A/C in the van. I believe the Bluetti would be able to run a RV rooftop A/C, but I don't think it'd be able to handle it for more than a few hours unless you're plugged into shore power. I'm guessing a rooftop A/C would draw 1,000 watts an hour. This Bluetti has about 2,000 watt hours of energy storage. With rooftop solar I think you'd be able to get 800 watts of power from the sun, so that would be able to get you a bit further.
Pretty much, but you have to check the minimum and maximum voltages. If you have a really dinky solar panel it might not have enough voltage to work with the Bluetti. If you have a massive solar array, it might be too much for the Bluetti.
@bkxc dont judge me for this question but so if the AC runs on 1000 watts does that mean that it will only run it for 1 hour? Please dont laugh at me lol
Ideally I would want hook this up so that it hooks into a 30 amp feed for all the power in the Rv from the inside…. And it charges when hooked to sure power, while driving, or when I hook up the generator…. And allows me to charge with solar.. without plugging and unplugging to change charge input…. None of these videos seem to cover that exact setup….
Yeah, that's a little more involved and something like the Victron system might be better because it is so modular with a bunch of different components.
This Bluetti can output 12volts DC at 10 amps. Not sure if 120 watts would be good enough for an air conditioner. But if it was, you just need to run the wires from the AC into the Bluetti cigarette adapter port.
@@bkxc thanks for your response- the AC300 is rated at 30 amps DC plenty when the air conditioner is in “eco” mode. But when in “full cooling mode” it can draw up to 50 amps. I am looking at an AC to DC converter that would plug into the AC receptacle on the AC300 - found one that can put out 50 amps. Would only need it short term then would move the Air conditioner to Eco mode where it would draw far less. That is what I have come up with so far- not great but workable
My only worry is that what if the BLUETTI breaks down and theres no backup system. I had an experence witgh BLUETTI were mine failed and I waited about 2 weeks to get it repaired since it was under warrenty.
Nope, you can charge by plugging into a regular outlet or charge up with the cigarette outlet in your car, it's just much slower than a couple nice panels.
I think when the bluetti reaches 100% the solar has done its job, although you may be able to charge something else rather than waste the potential free energy.
You should have kept your battery's and added them to the power bank and used your inverter to have your solar charge them and feed to the power bank with a xt60
@bkxc true I put 3 200ah in my van connected to my ecoflow max. Using a xt60! I charge the eco flow at 500 wattage even at night with no solar when you mount them of you put 2 long way and one sideways they don't take up to much real-estate
I am using the same Bluetti in my van. I even charge my pivot shuttle. Still haven't charged it all the way from 10% to 100%, but I think it's great. I also wired my bluetti to the roof solar panels. I can charge from them or while driving. pretty cool thing to have when in a van.
That's great! I always forget about how nice it is to have a plug to charge up an eBike!
Can you daisy chain these for more watt hours?
Do you use it to heat your van? How long does it last? Thanks
I don't use for heating. I have a buddy runs on propane for now. @@aname5091
@@aname5091I have my diesel heater connected to mine. It uses very little energy. No issues making it 24hrs at least.
I have a Bluetti AC 200 Max. That is a sixty pound mass that could break loose from that tape and fly towards the rear of your van if you get hit from the front. If you dont mind me suggesting this. Anchor it down with some straps on the handles and bolt those straps into the wood behind the Bluetti. Keep it from turning into a missile flying to the rear of the van.
Very good point!
60 lbs? IM NOT BUYING ONE
@@aaronweiser5421 newer Bluetti models have come out. There is a nice one that is 30 Pounds, one size down and can still run a microwave.
@cryptowolf-zf3fs good to know, 2k is over kill anyways and ues i need to powe my microwave.
@@aaronweiser5421 I have two bluetti's. The 200 Max and the AC-180. I got the AC 180 on sale for $590. I could not beat that price so I got it. Its the 30 Pound model.
You have showed me how beneficial a 12v system is, thank you
We have the AC200 Max plus two B230s in our Sprinter. A great setup by Bluetti. Thanks for posting the video. Love your content!
Very cool, that sounds like a lot of power!
I’m just about to start my conversion and this is blowing my mind… it’s VERY compelling!!!
It's a simple way to do it!
Did the same with 2 Bluettis back in 2021. One is for 12v usage charged by 1 400w panel and the other is for our 110 usage and is charged by the van while driving. We switch the charging points if/as needed.
Very smart!
THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS!! Just about to wire in my lights, water pump and fan and wondered how the heck it could be done from the Bluetti. Your video has been marvellously helpful. Thank you from the UK
Fantastic to hear!
I geeked out for months on building an electrical system, but I really didnt like all the complexity ... so I ended up getting the AC200P. So easy. Works great, and it is so versatile. I use it for all kinds of stuff in and out the van.
Also, strap that thing down to something that can hold a 65lb weight in a collision.
SO much easier, and like you said, so useful for lots of other stuff!
Bought one of these on Prime Day for this exact purpose. Great video.
I love my bluetti 200 max in my Skoolie. I power lights and water pumps with DC.., Ac for fans, pressure cooker, elec skillet, cordless drill charger and steamer for cooking. Those cookers are big draws, but not for very long. For DC I mounted a bus bar with fuses and for AC I have a power strip on each side of the aisle. My solar is 400 and it works fine on sunny days., the Bluetti also uses a 110V brick charger when at an campground with hook ups that charges around 400 watts also. This works so much better than I expected.
That's fantastic! It's crazy how powerful the electric cooker stuff is, you never know until you actually have to worry about energy.
Great video. You did exactly what I did, although I swapped out my two 12 volt lead acid batteries for two 100 amp hour lithium batteries for a total of 200. From my 2 solar panels 630 watts total I installed an A&B switch to select between who to charge between the Bluetti or the lithium. And everything charges from the engine alternator while driving. The system works great.
That's fantastic!
You could use your 2 batteries that you took out to charge at night thru MPPT after charging them during the day from old charge controller.... cheaper than buying extra bluetti batteries
I charge the 200 max in my van with the AC power brick plugged into a 1200 watt inverter connected to my Transit van charging system. That gives me close to 500 watts and I can also charge from the cigarette style plug at the same time for about 550 watts. I rarely have to use my portable solar panel.
Beautiful!
Doesnt it empty ur car battery? And also , how long does it take to refill it? I m completely new to all this btw.
Yeah curious to know how you can automatically stop the inverter from draining your start battery, and to start when car is on
From what i understand Pecron sells a dc to dc converter that hooks up to your car battery and charges the power station only when car turns on.@@CheeseyChazHD
Oh man.. I hear you on the mouse story. We had a squirrel in the attic and it was a months-long awful experience.
Hahaha, dang critters!
I went the portable lithium/solar panel route in 2018 using the Renogy. It didn't work for me. The cigarette lighter adapter sucked and my 3 100w panels never charged my pack back up to 100%. In upstate NY I had to bring the renogy inside when temps dropped below freezing. I switched to 3 AGM batteries charging from my alternator and I connected a cheap trickle charger to the batteries and put in an all weather female AC socket just underneath the van near the sliding door and passenger seat. I could run an extension cord from the van to a 15amp wall socket and keep the batteries topped up all the time. Looking forward to a report after a week at Everstoke and daily use. Love your channel and your content.
That's a bummer! I think things have come far enough now where you'd be good to go, but if your system is working good then that's great. Love the idea of the all weather AC socket. I've wanted to do an input and output on my van forever!
Awesome, despite it being a sponsor it's still really good see this put to the test in the real world. Hopefully it will replace your old setup for good, if it does it will be very impressive considering how much is packed into that box like the solar regulator, ac-power adapter, inverter etc. I recently purchased a small 300w portable power station and it only has 1 power outlet but it works with a 4x outlet, so now I can charge all my camera batteries and it hardly uses any power despite overloading it with 4 plugs.
These things are getting better and better! So far so good in the van over about 3 weeks.
For the price it’s not worth it. Your homemade system can do more power for about 60% of the price
We have the Ac200max with 400watt on the Sprinter roof. On a cold but very bright day it charged 420watt ! Considering expanding with 2 more units of the B300 to have enough for warm shower
more than enough to power a hotplate and coffee machine and then a slow trickle roof panel to replen charge throughout the day til dinner time maybe the best clean solution to power on the move.. sounds like a great option for a couple days car/van camping. eye opening.
Yep, most definitely!
I read a review on Amazon that Bluetti will shut off if power is not being drawn. Bluetti does this because the idle power will drain the battery. But the problem is that fridges only kick on periodically. Also another complaint is that Bluetti will not start charging from Solar on its own, you have to unplug and plug the solar connection once their is enough voltage input. These are terrible problems.
There's a setting to keep the power running all the time, just gotta turn off ECO mode. I've never had problems with it not charging from solar on it's own. I have it plugged in all day every day.
4 years already! Well done with that Brian.
Yes!! It went by in a flash!
I've been trying to figure out how I wanted to do my van's electrical. I have the knowledge and skills to do the electrical but I wanted my van to be able to go from cargo to camper. I seriously looked at the Ecoflow Powerkit but at $8k meh.. I just purchased a Percon EP3600 portable power station. As you noted in the video it's easy peasey to take it back and forth from the van to the house and at 3600 wh (approx 260 ah) it's more than enough for how I use my van. I'm putting in a 30 amp RV outlet for the charging and the Percon also has a 30 amp DC out to run to my DC fuse box.
Overall a portable power station just makes more sense. I will be adding two of the Percon 500 watt alternator chargers when I upgrade my alternator.
Good stuff!
Speaking of Everstoke, I've been watching MTBing Adventures, and I hope to see an update from your end about it soon. 😊
I've been traveling a ton but getting back to Everstoke soon!
Great to know about that 30 amp cable so i can run my stuff off the same fusebox and charge at the same time in my off grid cabin instead of my 2 batterys awesome
Yep! It's great
The ac200max can be touchy from time to time. Be careful on your charge settings in the menu, there’s a solar and car charger option. If you get them mixed up it can cause a fire. It almost melted my cigarette lighter because after an update it switched back to pv rather than car charger. Also, it’s picky on the solar panels used. I had a cheap 200 watt panel that was putting out 150 on a Chinese power bank but the bluetti would only max out at 80-90 watts
At least mine also likes to randomly decide to go all whacked out in terms of the BMS capacity monitoring. I'd give mine a 6/10. I much prefer my built system and I haven't found anything that can get close to the efficiency (the Bluetti inverter is TERRIBLE at low wattage/idle draw like laptops and starlink).
He also touches on how terrible and expensive these panels aimed at overlanding/RV/vans, but also a huge misconception: You have to realize you're probably NOT getting 1000W/m^2 where you are.
@@SnowIsMyTerrainwhat is your setup?
My capacity also goes all whacky sometimes. This last time I used it it dropped from 100% to 75% on its own while turned off.
Oh wow, I am mindful about the various settings! That's also interesting about the MPPT having different results.
Nice that the AC200MAX has the DC 30A outlet (not all power stations in its price range do). Perfect for your setup.
Most definitely!
I’ve had two of these fail now. The charger port burned up both times. Replacement turn around time was 1-2 weeks. They clearly have a serious defect. The problem is a sloppy connection between their charger and the port on the unit. I’m just glad it didn’t start a fire.
Oh wow, that's interesting. I've got 3 different Bluettis in service over the past 3 years and haven't had the problem yet. I don't leave the charger plugged in.
That's pretty cool and definitely seems cleaner than the old way.
Yeah, I'm glad to get everything decluttered and streamlined!
Thinking of buying this unit or maybe the new 200L. But can you run say the 12v lights and fridges at the same time as using the AC with boiling watch with a kettle?
Yep, the kettle will be pulling the most watts, and the 12v lights will be negligible compared to that. 1,000 watts versus 10.
Thanks for the step by step. It really helped in my van build. We didn't get the bluetti. We went with All Powers. Hope to showcase our build by Oct 10th 2024. I'm a new subscriber.
That's great! Glad it helped out
Good job brain! You been on a roll lately with this video
Thanks!
5:40 Start here for wiring Bluetti to vans load center with 12 volt 30 amp RV cord.
GREAT video man. Thanks.
can you (amazon) link the cable from the Battery unit to the fuse box that's hard wired in ... so I get the correct one ? thx
Whoops! I thought I had posted the link in the description: amzn.to/3upurYd Then I just cut the end off the red/black side and then wired that up to my DC load center.
I don’t know how many DIY systems haven’t caught fire. That was my concern and went with Bluetti AC300/ with 2 B300 (1k solar panels). no worries about power for days! 🎉 - My touch screen isn’t working and their customer service is non existent (have had for 2 years). Thankfully they have an app which they need to upgrade:)
Exactly! Especially in a vehicle that's jostling around for thousands of miles a year!
So that setup gives you 24/7 power without having to plug into a wall outlet of a home or rv park? In other words does that setup enable you to be fully offgrid with enough power to live year round and have electric every day?
This is a nice installation, would have made a great marathon live stream.
Hahahaha! A real deal marathon
I have the Bluetti EB70s that I bought used for a good price, it does well, I got it as a temporary battery for my van. I have a mini fridge and one light source, I also charge my laptop and camera batteries. It does well but I'm thinking maybe I should upgrade to the AC100 as the AC200 is a bit out of the budget
Hello,
Me and my partner are rebuilding a sprinter van and looking for the best electricity for full time off grid van life, we are deciding if we should adventure into the DIY electrical system build or purchase a power bank like the Bluetti you talk highly about. We would love to hear how your experience with that product has been and any advice!? Thank you!
which route did you end up taking?
Awesome! I dont have a blue Eddie.. In my case I have a jackery 2000 plus any recommendations on what wire plug I could use to connect the 12v fuse black for power?
Just ordered a 200P. Hope your max is working well for you.
It's been good!
I started with this. Still need panels. I use a bike lock to attach to the back to secure it.
Panels are a game changer!
@@bkxc which panels do you use? I want them fixed to the roof. I have a PM 159wb
I'm going integrated in my next build too - my wiring is a mess. Definitely adding 50a DC-DC alternator charging. Been designing custom removable roof hatches with flat solar panel on top so on a really hot Florida day I can just park under the trees and move the panels 20' away into the sun and blow hot are out of the top of the van.
Are these portable power stations good to have on 24/7? I'm looking into doing a solar panel with one of these or a lifepo4 battery on my truck and have a full time fridge, the thing is, I don't want it to only last a year. I see a lot of these say "3,500 cycles", what is considered a cycle?
Alright I guess I found the information on this video lol, 10:00 min
Man this thing is a killer deal. I only wish they had a more waterproof solar panel that came with it like the Anker one. Trying to mix and match this power station or others with a different company's waterproof solar panel, the companies don't like you to buy the solar panel on it's own and charge a premium! About $800 for a 400W panel from Anker on it's own.
Interesting, aren’t all solar panels waterproof?
@@bkxc for mobile panels, Anker is the only that is ip67 rated that I have found so far as well as reviews saying bluetti ones don't do well with heavy rain. Bluetti is ip65
What is the name of your fridge you use??
Dometic amzn.to/2ssmBx6
Great video. I recently purchased the 200Max and planned the same type of set up when I found this video. A couple questions for you please. 1. Did you run a circuit breaker or fuse between your +12vt output to the distribution block? 2. How did you incorporate the AC aspect? ie…Did you use a power strip to the AC out on the Bluetti? Thanks!
No circuit breaker between the output and distribution block, but it's always a good thing. It's easy to switch the DC output off in the app.
Just using a couple extension cords to power strips, very simple setup!
Thanks!
Can the AC180 do this too? I bought one and was told by bluetti that it can't power an RV and that it doesn't have an RV adapter. So what's the difference between the AC200 and the AC180 in this regard? Thanks!! Also, how do you "extend" the 110V outlets on the bluetti around the van so you can use them anywhere in the van, without having to plug into the bluetti at the back of the van?
All of my electrical stuff is internal in the van, so it makes for a different setup than an RV. Usually an RV has one giant plug that powers everything inside of it, and the bigger Bluettis have the outlet for those plugs. But for my setup I just ran everything into the Bluetti.
At min 9:15 you showed the cigarette lighter cord as a third way to recharge the AC200 and mentioned a way to improve the charging time using that 10 Amp plug. How can you improve the charging time with that device? I'm a car camper with no solar and recharging while driving will be a necessity for me. Thanks
I bet if you took it into a car audio place they could get you hooked up with a better connection to the battery for a better charge through the cig lighter. As it stands, the charging from the cig lighter is pretty slow.
With one 12-volt cigarette input and by the looks from you're video you ran that cable to a junction box with the fuses .. to allow you to run more 12-volt appliances would that be correct
Yep, that's correct!
Nice job and thanks for sharing. Is there anyway you can put a link to the 12v cable to the fuse box. I cant find a 30amps one. And i know there is 2. The xt60 to the fusebox is easier to find. But the cigarrete lighter 30amps to xt60 i was no able to located. Thanks
I've got the link in the description! DC cable I used to power my load center: amzn.to/3upurYd
@@bkxc aweome i did miss it. Thanks
hey whats your solar panel wattage on the roof? you think it can be charged with the alternator maybe? thanks for the video. very helpful
The wattage on the roof is pretty small, I only see about 75 watts on the most clear days. You can definitely do better!
Would placing a master switch (1&2 option or 1+2 option) between the fuse box and power bank be needed for a set up like this?
You can manually switch off the DC power in the app or with the front DC button on the unit itself, so I think a switch would be overkill
fast forward a year are you still happy with your choice I have the Goal Zero yeti pro 4000 and I just returned it after 11 1/2 months because of how many issues I’ve had I’m looking at the current one you have or the anker solix what are your thoughts
Yes, I have a bunch of Bluetti power stations and all of them are still up and running!
what kind of wire are you using to run everything to your Fuse block
Wow your fridge uses so little watts. Mind posting the link to it? Thanks for the great videos
This is the one I have: amzn.to/41uHhRr I'm guessing there will be some newer-ish version by now.
Can you post a link to the that cable on amazon @5:45? Bluetti is sold out and cannot find the right one on amazon (there's one but its female and not male)
Oh shoot! I thought I had posted the link in the description: amzn.to/3upurYd Then I just cut the end off the red/black side and then wired that up to my DC load center.
I know this is totally off topic from this video. But Brian would you ever consider doing a video of workout routines that you do to prepare yourself for your bike rides? I think it would be a great idea to show everyone what you do to prepare your body for the ultimate rides you take! I ask because your arms are totally jacked now compared to a year ago and I would love to know how to get to that point with my body. Great job on the videos and welcome back to the States from your awesome adventures overseas 👋🙏😎
Not sure if you knew, he doesn't read the comments, from what I recall.
There's only one workout routine I do now:
3 rounds
20 pull ups
30 push ups
40 sit ups
50 air squats
Take a break between each round. This is a CrossFit workout where they do 5 rounds for time and only take a 2 minute break between rounds. Absolutely ridiculous at 5 rounds. But 3 rounds is always doable for me and leaves me sore the next day.
I think they wanted a video for a chance at seeing them feet 😂@@bkxc
Where did you buy the dc load center fuse box?
Load center I used: amzn.to/490c0YS
Very helpful!!
Question for you... I have a JUPITEK Portable Power Station S1200, 1228Wh LiFePo4 Battery... I really only need to run my Alpicool C15,12 Volt Car Refrigerator and charge a couple phones and led lights. Do I need a load station or can I just go direct from a 200w solar panel direct to my Jupitek (which it has a direct plug station for solar power)?????
You don't need a load center unless you want to run a BUNCH of different 12volt appliances. You should be able to plug in your refrigerator and be good to go. But I have my fridge, vent fan, lights, USB chargers and my water pump all running 12 volt, so I needed more ways to plug in.
When you only have the 30 amp on is that dc only? No inverter on?
Have there been any issues with using the 12v/30A RV cable? Is it enough to run all of that through?
360 watts (30A) would be pretty extreme for everything I have hooked up. The fan is very low watts, phone charging doesn’t spike it much. Fridge is very low wattage too, a crazy 35 watts or so when I monitor it in the Bluetti app. The 12v stuff I have is all very minor.
@@bkxcThank you for the reply! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do instead but realizing just how much 30A is helped a lot. Excited to finally get this all wired up now
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I am waiting for solid state batteries to come. One brand is already on the market that is equally competitive, but second gen ones should be even better. Less than half the weight of lithium, and only one third of the weight of a modern LiPo battery, with even more service life. I'll wait a few months...things are really changing.
Can't wait for the tech to get better!
Hey brother which solar panels are you using? how many watss?
I don't actually remember what's on top of the van. It's not much! Get the biggest panel that will fit
What kind of propane heater do you have? Do you like it?
It's the Olympian Wave-3 Heater, I'm not impressed, but it works without much worry.
@ thanks!
If I get two of these, would it double my watt usage and be effective? i work multiple jobs every single day for at least 8 hrs/day on one laptop/one PC/fridge/fans/air conditioner/water heater/steam shower/electric stove and oven. How do you charge it? In a coffee shop?
Yeah, you can get two and double your wattage, but I'm not sure if 240volt will work for the more big appliances. Lots of research to figure it out!
you need 9bb solar panels if you’re only getting 80 watts. JJN has some cheap 9bb 100 watt panels. I swapped out all my old renogy panels that only get 80 to 85 watts. I’ve gotten as much as 104 watts on the JJN’s. Usually they get around 94 watts.
Yeah, I think I could swap my panels out for something new and get much better watts. But the Bluetti still fills up nicely without a bigger panel.
I’m using same unit but need to power AC mini split and I’m not sure where to go from here for powering that.
Sooo awesome
Can it power and make it worthwhile fitting an induction cooking hob? Its a hefty price tag but oh my days does it save a lot of faff
Yes, it can power an induction stove, but the battery will be drained quick!
Bought the 200 Max and the 420W solar panel, works perfectly. Though the panel is a bad design so I decided to buy the AC 200p. Had no end of trouble with the 200p. Turned it on for the first time, fault lights everywhere, orange icon for the PV/CAR icon and the AC load icon. Turns itself off at 2:16 every morning and the date is stuck on the 18/1/2020 at 10:4. Absolutely shocking customer support, although kudos to the guy on the phone who tries to help but has no clue.
It seems like the machine has been sitting in their warehouse for many years and it looks like it might even be a returned item.
Definitely do not recommend the AC 200p.
Man! That is brutal. The hardest part is having to send back a massive item like this. I hope they swap it out.
3 Questions ,Dont you Have an AIR CONDITIONER in your Van ? Or plugged to the blueti?
Do you think it vould run a roof top A/C in the van ?
I don't have A/C in the van. I believe the Bluetti would be able to run a RV rooftop A/C, but I don't think it'd be able to handle it for more than a few hours unless you're plugged into shore power. I'm guessing a rooftop A/C would draw 1,000 watts an hour. This Bluetti has about 2,000 watt hours of energy storage. With rooftop solar I think you'd be able to get 800 watts of power from the sun, so that would be able to get you a bit further.
I purchased the newest Anker equivalent to the Bluetti. Have you AB'ed these systems?
I haven't, but I'm sure someone out there on UA-cam has!
So you cut off one end of plug to wire your 12 volt panel?
Yep!
Can every random solar panel be used with the bluetti power station?
Pretty much, but you have to check the minimum and maximum voltages. If you have a really dinky solar panel it might not have enough voltage to work with the Bluetti. If you have a massive solar array, it might be too much for the Bluetti.
What kind of wiring do you use?
I would love to know how long would it run a 5000btu ac or even a 8000 btu ac
If you know the wattage you'll be able to figure it out quickly. This is 2,000 watt hours
@bkxc dont judge me for this question but so if the AC runs on 1000 watts does that mean that it will only run it for 1 hour? Please dont laugh at me lol
Whete did you find that load center? I can’t find it on Amazon
Here you go: amzn.to/490c0YS
Do you have to ground the powerstation to the van's chassis?
I don't, but you can
@@bkxc Thanx
Dumb question. Can I do the same if I get the Ecoflow delta max 2 ?
Yup, you should be able to do all the same things I did with the Bluetti!
Did you hook it up to your battleborns, if so how?
I have not! I think Bluetti is starting to sell some kind of DC charging thing that may allow you to do it.
Does the ac500 have the same 12v/30amp outlet plug? Id like the higher 3000w inverter to run a van AC. Can anyone advise???
I think so, the website should have all the details
what type of kettle/burner is that. tia. .awesome new subscriber
The kettle is from Fellow: fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-ekg-pro-electric-kettle-studio-edition
Ideally I would want hook this up so that it hooks into a 30 amp feed for all the power in the Rv from the inside…. And it charges when hooked to sure power, while driving, or when I hook up the generator…. And allows me to charge with solar.. without plugging and unplugging to change charge input…. None of these videos seem to cover that exact setup….
Yeah, that's a little more involved and something like the Victron system might be better because it is so modular with a bunch of different components.
What type of load center is that you are using sir
Here you go: amzn.to/490c0YS
@@bkxc thank you
What refrigerator are you using?
amzn.to/2ssmBx6
Could this power a 24v air conditioner?
Does this setup work for 220 v countries?
I believe they sell 220v versions
Can someone tell how they are using a BLUETTI ac300 or similar model to power a van air conditioner? Specifically a 12 volt air conditioner.
This Bluetti can output 12volts DC at 10 amps. Not sure if 120 watts would be good enough for an air conditioner. But if it was, you just need to run the wires from the AC into the Bluetti cigarette adapter port.
@@bkxc thanks for your response- the AC300 is rated at 30 amps DC plenty when the air conditioner is in “eco” mode. But when in “full cooling mode” it can draw up to 50 amps. I am looking at an AC to DC converter that would plug into the AC receptacle on the AC300 - found one that can put out 50 amps. Would only need it short term then would move the Air conditioner to Eco mode where it would draw far less. That is what I have come up with so far- not great but workable
I could never swap out a good solar power system like that for a mere power station.
I would love to get one, but they are crazy expensive
There's a few different price points!
Would this be ok with a dual ninja air fryer ?
You would need to figure out how many watts the air fryer uses. Then make sure the output of the bluetti can handle it!
My only worry is that what if the BLUETTI breaks down and theres no backup system. I had an experence witgh BLUETTI were mine failed and I waited about 2 weeks to get it repaired since it was under warrenty.
Ahh, that's tough!
I love my acmax200 and 600 watts of solar.
I run my rv on it
Nice! Glad it's working for you
@@bkxc hell yeah! He replied back.
Do you have to have solar panels?
Nope, you can charge by plugging into a regular outlet or charge up with the cigarette outlet in your car, it's just much slower than a couple nice panels.
@@bkxc thank you!
What brand is your load center
I think it's this one from Amazon: amzn.to/44TeIOy
So expensive, but so handy.
Most definitely!
What do you mean if the battery isn’t 100% you won’t get solar input that doesn’t seem right
I think when the bluetti reaches 100% the solar has done its job, although you may be able to charge something else rather than waste the potential free energy.
nice video thx
You should have kept your battery's and added them to the power bank and used your inverter to have your solar charge them and feed to the power bank with a xt60
Not a bad idea! They just take up so much room
@bkxc true I put 3 200ah in my van connected to my ecoflow max. Using a xt60! I charge the eco flow at 500 wattage even at night with no solar when you mount them of you put 2 long way and one sideways they don't take up to much real-estate