I’m a 60 year old woman, trying to power a caravan shower and fridge, went to Jaycar, they told me I couldn’t do what I wanted with the Bluetti eb3a, but guess what , thanks to you I CAN, using different connectors, but the principle is the same, . The DC to DC convertor is the key, thank you. I have had to watch you video heaps of times but I think I’ve got it.🎉
I’m a retired EE and I wanted to say that you did a really great job here! I have been using XT 60s for many years for RC hobby use and now power stations. The 12->24 V boost converter is a great way to charge power banks more rapidly from a 12 V battery. And you can double the capacity of an EB3A or EB70S with a $100 50AH battery, which is much cheaper than buying a larger power station.
I just went down this Rabbit Hole a few days ago ....and thanks to your video, i now get it!!!! Great explanation!!! My set up will be the ac500 with 2 extra battery banks....and ill use your set up with a 24v battery and 400w of solar on my roof to keep everything topped off. And the best part is, if its cloudy and no sun is available, you can connect directly to your car battery and idle charge or charge while you drive! Tons of options now!!!!
Great info and still relevant. I use this approach with a Anker C1000 and my DIY 100a box. I have a 200w portable solar suitcase and a Pecron 500w dc-dc car charger. (The solar panel was just for kicks...). I added the 12-24v buck converter and it work in between them like a charm. I often refer to your videos for some great implementations. All of this replaced my gas generator which pissed me off this year when it wouldn't start. Thanks.
Your enthusiasm is contagious! You've got me buying all sorts of components for my EB3A. It is so practical hooked up to big batteries at home and just take the EB3A when traveling or camping.
You have no idea how long I have been looking for a video like this. I had the theory but wasn't sure it would work. I subscribed to your channel. thank you for making this video.
Thanks man you provide real value with this content. you deserve 10 times more views. Keep the good work and perhaps repeat the process with power stations of different brands (maybe ask the companies to send a review unit with a little power station of their brand)
This is the "Best" video for learning to connect solar panels, battery and power station all together at the same time to harness energy freely on youtube! After watching this, I subscribed.
Great video! Very interesting how one can have a constant power supply with just a few items. That would be nice for portability. Thank you for the video and the explanation. I see the wagon is coming in handy. 😅
Dude! I think you just answered my one remaining question. And it's the SCC from panels to external battery. I was trying to go PV > Power Station > External Battery, while at the same time using load from the external battery > power station. Much easier to just do it in one direction and maximize power flow along the way... Thanks!
Thank you great video Last year things got really bad around the Branson Missouri area and we lost power twice during some very severe storms. So this is all new to me and I decided to get a small 40 watt solar panel thinking maybe I can bug out with it. Now my thinking is staying put and decided to get the Bluetti EB3A today so now it's a learning curve I hope that I can use this 40 watt to charge it and at least 8 hours or I might just break the bank and get me a larger solar panel what I'm going to have to figure out all of this wiring stuff that's for sure . The solar panel is made by Flex solar and has a USB and c and I think a 12-volt Barrel plug.
@OffGridBasement yes I will figure that one out but yesterday I decided to get the Bluetti sp 120 or pv 120 solar panel so I won't have any problems and will have a lot better experience with all of the connections and extra power . I will be watching a lot more of your videos you are pretty good at figuring things out so thanks again my friend
Thanks so much for this - I contacted Bluetti support to ask if it was possible to charge my EB55 direct from a 12 volt leisure battery and they didn't seem to be able to answer that question! The step-up transformer is a great idea, I'm trying that for sure!
Thank you so much for your video, you helped me learn a lot. I am looking at getting a LiFePO4 280Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery to connect to my AC200P since it would be easier to transport than the expansion batteries and you helped me learn how this could work.
I just tried using my EB3A while charging with 200w solar panel as I watched it from your other video. my solar panel produce more than 150w that time and I only connected a 10w clip fan on my EB3A. battery level is fluctuating to 99% and 100% when full charge every few minutes. the question is.. am I decreasing my EB3A battery life cycle with this activity of 99% to 100% up and down charging every few minutes? I want to know because I'd like to connect a large battery at night but im afraid if it'll just have the same issue. Thank you
Thank you for the video! It was very helpful. Had the concept in my head playing for days now, and your video has proven that it works. Question: what happens when the power station fully draws down the battery and still requires input power? Does the power station know to shutoff the solar input from the battery so the battery doesn’t draw down to 0v?
I don't believe the battery can be fully discharged. The EB3A requires a 12v minimum. Once the battery gets below that, the EB3A will stop pulling from it. Hope that helps!
I enjoyed the video. But why not charge via solar and Ac at the same time? Let say have your solar panels plugged in and also charging thru the AC ? Is that possible?
Your videos are really helpful. This weekend I've watched at least a dozen of them. I'm very confused about your grid tie inverter connected to your batteries, instead of to the solar panels and then to your house outlet. That's how I've used them in the past. I heard your explanation but still confused. Please consider making a video from beginning to end about why you do it this way, advantages, disadvantages, and is this way better than going straight to your house outlet? I know you want to use your batteries and keep them from sitting on float, thereby wasting a lot of power. Is that the only reason? Anyway, I'm confused and would love to see a simple walk-thru of this part of your system. Thanks. Jim
You're correct. I mainly used the grid tie as an energy dump for when my battery was getting full. I used the smart plug because then I could control when the grid tie inverter would actually turn on. It doesn't work if it doesn't sense AC power. I could make a video and just connect it to a single 24v battery to demonstrate how it all works. I hope this was helpful. Thanks for the comment.
I was just about to blow $550 tonight on an 800w expansion battery for my totally off-grid EB3A. Then found this video. FANTASTIC!!! Planning on: 1. Buying a 24v 150ah LifePo4 battery $400: No need for step-up, and EB3A can handled the 24v. Any issues with the 150ah? 2. Connecting existing panels (MC4) to a Battery controller (assuming I can make a connector for this). Is the 20amp controller enough? 3. Connect the battery to the EB3A and will get something crazy like 3,600Wh Few questions: 1. Would you not need MPS? To manage the LifePo4 battery? 2. How and where to connect the fuses? 3. Wonder if it would be possible to connect two batteries down the road? Thanks so much for this video.. Life changing at best (emergency) wallet saving at worst.. ;)
Glad to hear the video helped. 150ah is no problem. Wire any additional batteries in parallel. If possible, wire a fuse on the positive side of the wire going from the battery to the EB3A. Calculate the fuse size based on the wire gauge you use. You should use at least 12 awg wire. Hope it all works out for you!
Does this setup only work on sunny days and with LFP batteries with an integrated BMS? Because the BMS will cut off the load when the battery voltage drops under a specified value? Does it also work with an AGM battery without an undervoltage protection? Or will the bluetti cut off the input if it was below 12v?
This was very informative. I'm planning on getting the Bluetti. I have an Ecoflow that uses M60 connections. I also have Jackery which uses the 8 mm car charger. I'm set. I also have a portable Renogy 100 watts and an adapter from Mc4 to 8 mm.
Wouldn't it be much easier to connect the solar panels to the bluetti DC input and charge the batter from the bluetti cigarette lighter socket or the two 12v DC 10amp outlets?
No. The DC sockets wouldn't produce enough voltage to charge the lifepo4 battery to full. Battery needs 14.2v and those outlets only produce 13v at most.
Excellent video, tons of useful information for my EB3A. 😮 The 24 volt mod is insane, as well as adding the battery. Amazon thanks you. 😅 Maybe do an updated video with anything new you've discovered. Thanks ⚡☀️⚡
I have a battery clip to barrel (8mm I believe) connector and charge my EB70s with an AGM battery. Question: When does the charging stop from the external battery? 12.0V, 12.5v or lower and the MPPT on the receiving end boosts voltage to keep charging?
I really appreciate all the effort you put into making this video and sharing it with us. This is very valuable information! Questions: I have 18 gauge wire. Could I use this to connect to the battery instead of the 16 gauge wire you used? If not, would you explain? Also, would you mind sharing the link to that splitter wire you used? Thanks again. :-)
I wouldn't use 18awg wire. It's too thin. 16awg would be the thinnest wire I would go. The Bluetti can accept up to 8.5A and 18awg might get too hot. If you're going to get wiring, go thicker than 16awg. 12awg would be the best. Hope this helps.
Assuming you continue to draw solar panel, what happens with the charge controller when the Bluetti AND the batter are both full? Where does the extra power go from the solar panels?
The solar panels will power whatever the Bluetti is powering. If the Bluetti isn't powering anything then the Solar charge controller will stop and your panels won't power anything.
Good work and GREAT video. Are you at all concerned that when you step up the volts into the EB3A, its only rated for 8.5A and the 12V/24V step up you're using is 10A. I noticed there is a 3A version as well and wondering if that's a safer option but may affect speed of charge. Just curious your thoughts.
Hi great video it helps me a lot totally new at this. My question is I have been looking for BLUETTI solar panel extension but want to use exact same cable that came with my Eb3a for solar. I just want to connect it to 20 ft extension but can’t find on Amazon. Also the red and black wires say 16awg but wondering if 10 or 12 awg would work without blowing up the Eb3a, sorry in advance I don’t know anything about this and all I have done is buy the Eb3a with 200w solar panels, thank you.
The Bluetti can actually accept up to 8.5A. So without the Boost converter there's 8.5A getting pulled from the battery. With the boost converter it's doubled. So about 17A from the battery. Mind you, the solar panels are putting in 150w. That's roughly 12A @ 12.8v going into the battery. I hope this helps.
Not in a true pass thru sense. It will keep the internal charged to 100%, but I believe the unit always uses the internal first and whatever is plugged into the charge port just charges the internal battery. So the external will be depleted first, then the internal will start to deplete. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for the comment.
That's a lot of help. Using a 12.8 Volt LiFePo4 100 Amp battery as a back up only allows 100 watts charge. If you get a 12 to 24 volt inverter, what amperage do you suggest and do you fuse the feed?
I believe I used a 10a boost converter and it works fine. It does get hot though. Using a 20a would probably reduce the amount of heat generated. A 10a inline fuse would be a good idea. Thanks for the comment.
Have you compared capacity differences when using the step up converter? It would good info to see the loss of efficiency. Only saw one other test where 12v 12v was low 90% efficient but with the 12-24 it dropped to low 80% high 70%. Seems like most of the converters are cheap and get real hot.
Thank you so much for your videos. Could you model and shoot a video at what minimum power from the solar panel starts charging at the pv port? And do I need to observe the current limit of 8.5A when buying a non-original panel or will Eb3a itself not take any more? Your authoritative opinion is very important to me. We are preparing for blackouts in Ukraine, I purchased an Eb3a and I don’t know how to select the maximum panel to work with at least a low charging current in a cloudy winter.
The EB3A will limit the amps. It's max is 8.5A. the thing you need to keep in range is the voltage. Don't go over the max voltage or it could damage the unit. Any panels you connect to it will probably need to be connected in parallel and not in series. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment and take care.
When your battery is connected to your solar generator and you connect a charge controller on to the external battery, are you making sure you dont exceed the max VDC, AMP and Wattage of the onboard charge controller of your solar generator?
No. The battery is after the charge controller so it's going to be the voltage of the battery. The amperage will be maxed out from the battery, so the charge controller won't do anything. I hope this helps.
@@OffGridBasement I might not have been clear on my question, you have a solar generator with its own onboard solar charger, the generator is connected to an external battery, which is connected to an external charge controller, that would make the output from the external charger controller in parallel with the external battery and the onboard charge controller in the solar generator, is there an issue with exceeding the max volts and amps going into the onboard solar charger coming from the external solar charger. I hope thats clear lol
Marvelous! Question - I connected a SAE wire to my Victron solar controller( which draws solar from a 200w panel up top) to my Ecoflow power station. It was drawing up to 150w which is 12.5A. The ecoflow only allows 8A of current and unsurprisingly I fried the small (14 gauge maybe?) SAE wire. What do you recommend in this case? TIA!
Just found your channel and love it. Great videos and information. Do you know if the buck or boost converter would double the 81 Watt charging the Jackery explorer? Bought them before bluetti had come out with the newer power banks years ago.
I don't own a jackery so I can't be certain. It depends on what the max voltage for the input is. What is the input voltage to get 81w? Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
Question. Have BLUETTI 2000 and 6x100watt panels. I have 2 6v batteries in as 12v. What do you recommend “how to setup” the panels, 2x6v running as 12 v and the bluetti 2000. It has adapter on side for solar panels and has output 20amp
The max input voltage for the Bluetti is 150v, correct? If each panel is 20v then wire then all in series. Make sure you don't go over the max voltage of the Bluetti!
You could cut the wire and connect an xt60 connector. The cigarette lighter adapter has a built in fuse so you should get an inline fuse if you do this.
Thanks for the good video. The question is how can I charge an extra battery without buying a new mppt controller. My point is I have an ecoflow delta 2 it has a solar input of 600w. And I'm a camper van with panels on the roof. As an additional battery, I have thought of buying an additional 100Ah battery. When I borrow ecoflow with the sun. And then from the dc output directly add a 12v dc to 14v dc converter to the battery. Then I will have a much simpler system. And when the ecoflow runs out, add back from the battery with a 12v to 24v converter directly from the battery to the ecoflow.
You could buy a cheap pwm CC for $30 or so. Either that or an AC battery charger. I don't think a DC to DC charger would work connected to the power station. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
Thank you for the informative video. I hope you are still finding the Bluetti EB3A still quite useful. I was hoping you would do another video revisiting this item, using it to charge a car battery (ultimately jump a vehicle) via the cigarette inlet to cigarette inlet, the 3B3A cigarette option to battery clamps, and the 3B3A battery option to SAE connector that's mounted to the car battery. Please?
@@OffGridBasement Thank you for your reply. Actually, I was more interested in a way to charge up a fading battery in a vehicle - In my case I have two batteries (one does the starting - but both don't charge up together after a mechanic changed them) and one battery opens two doors and manages a wheelchair lift. I am constantly needing to charge up that door/lift battery. I'd like to see that Bluetti EB3A utilize a 2amp or 5amp charger, while using say a 50 watt solar panel. I'd like to see how that could be handled. That, or the EB3A with such a panel, utilizing a cigarette to van cigarette inlet to charge over time. I am not so much meaning a quick jump -- rather like a trickle charge over 3 to 6 hours maybe. Thoughts?
@@yoohootooboo you can definitely use an AC charger while gathering power from a solar panel. A 5A charger will take about 70w so you might think about using a 100w panel.
I’m really enjoying your videos. I am seeing that the xt60 is very versatile but do you have a rule of thumb for when to use the male or female connection. Right now I am using a EB70S to run a converted cargo trailer. You have just shown me a way to just about double my power and can’t run my refrigerator for days! Thank you!
I'm glad the video helped you out! As for XT60 the male end is connected to the item giving power and the female end is for receiving power. That is at least what I try to do, but sometimes it just doesn't work when you have a bunch of different connections. Thanks for the comment.
Great video, in showing how a few extra items can improve charging of a small system. Those 100w solar panels look a bit small.. Have you seen 100w from those on a sunny day?
I've only used them on partly cloudy days. I've noticed when the sun comes out from a cloudy it shoots up to above 100w then drops to around 90w. The panels were also pretty warm. Sorry I'm not helping much.
If they get above 100w great. They might throttle back as they get warm. The lightweight ones may have less thermal mass than a fixed frame one, so increase temperature quicker? Lithium batteries are still expensive here still in NZ, so still playing with AGM here.
Is it possible to charge the power station with solar and use a inverter to charge it with 12V battery trough AC at the same time. For example my power station max solar input is 1000w. Is it possible to exceed that by using the AC entry, charging the power station trough a inverter from the 12v battery and solar.
Another question! I have a EB3a and aEB70s. I have 4 lifepo4 20 amp batteries feeding the 70 and fed with the same solar controller you have used in this video. I have 220 watts solar panel. Couldn’t I also feed the EB3a from the same battery bank. Having trouble sleeping with all the new options I have.
Yes! I believe you could connect the 12v battery bank directly to the input of the EB3A. It would only charge @ 100w, but it's something. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Off Grid Basement. I just purchased an AC180. I also have a DIY system. Can you do a video on a DC7909 y splitter? I want to use the dump load from my existing system, plus add a 100 watt solar panel to charge my AC180, but I'm nervous to try. Thanks in advance.
@@OffGridBasement the panel is 12v and the output coming from the controller is 12v too. I was hoping the voltage would increase. This is the name of the splitter --> MJPOWER-Combiner-Splitter-Parallel-Portable (B0BMXQQKBY)
@@OffGridBasement I guess what I really need is a way to split the power coming from the solar panel. one input from the solar and 2 output two the different solar controllers. Is there an adaptor for this?
Great video, For my Jackery 500 (which charges too slow to be useful for me) I've got a 36v 25ah lifepo4, using a step-down from 36v to 24v going into the jackery. But the jackery charges way to slow so I am thinking about picking up the EB3A :') this will work, but be hard to solar charge the 36v I have to use a 120v brick. I may need to pick up the 12 to 24v boost and use a 12v battery with solar attached. Thanks for the video.
Hi, Really liked the video. I got a lot of insight on the EB3A. Doesn't the Eb3A solar input have a 8.5A input limit? This buck converter says 10A. Sorry I don't know electronics too well. Also how many amps are coming from the solar panel and the battery charging together? Is it less than 8.5A. I have a 58.8V 2.55A solar panel it's much more portable than full size panels @12"x8" folded. I'd like to use it but It would take a step down converter and getting the right voltage and amps for the EB3A from it isn't automatic and would cause a blow out if I got it wrong. I also have a mini 12v 20Ah battery I can charge from too. I'm wanting a sustainable portable power solution for when I go canoeing & camping.
The EB3A input will only accept 8.5 max. So I don't believe you need to worry about the amps. I would get a small 20A solar charger controller to connect the solar panel to the battery. That would convert it to the correct voltage and amperage. Then you could connect the battery to the EB3A at the same time. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you very much. I was searching for a long time a video that can suggest me a way to expand my power station with an external battery using the solar panel. Just one question, should I put some fusible or protection on this setup?
@@OffGridBasement than you. And what about a connection with a victron mppt, should I use the mppt LOAD exit to the 12v/24v converter and power station? Instead of using the battery output
I'm no expert but I believe you could just hook both your solar charger and your wind charger to the external battery. No issue with more than one charger on a battery. Probably want the buck converter to step up to 24v to take as much advantage of the extra energy as possible.
I'm not sure if that would tell you much. The voltage would stay the same, but the amperage going to each MPPT would be cut in half. Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement I have read that the two MPPTs fight each other to find the power point and that performance suffers. I would like to know real world data but I don't want to buy a second MPPT and find that it is true.
Great video! Could I ask one favor? Any way you could repeat this video using an Ecoflow? It would help me out a lot because this is exactly what I've been looking for to use as a back up battery for the original Delta Eco flow
Can we charging it with Solar Panel, Grid/Wall, External battery and using it for load in the same time? is it safe? The idea is Bluetti use for daily Power for house while charging it in the same time so the Power will available at all time. How many types of input charging?
The bluetti won't come close the the maximum discharge rate of the battery. I believe that battery can do a max discharge rate of 50A. With the boost converter attached, the bluetti will still only pull 17A from the battery. Hope this helps!
I’m a 60 year old woman, trying to power a caravan shower and fridge, went to Jaycar, they told me I couldn’t do what I wanted with the Bluetti eb3a, but guess what , thanks to you I CAN, using different connectors, but the principle is the same, . The DC to DC convertor is the key, thank you. I have had to watch you video heaps of times but I think I’ve got it.🎉
I'm glad it helped you out! Thanks for the comment.
Good luck because the Bluetti I have failed. Hopefully you aren’t using it to power your fridge.
@@leemobai762 yeah it is, I have a solar panel and battery connected as well. What happened to yours and what model is it
I’m a retired EE and I wanted to say that you did a really great job here! I have been using XT 60s for many years for RC hobby use and now power stations. The 12->24 V boost converter is a great way to charge power banks more rapidly from a 12 V battery. And you can double the capacity of an EB3A or EB70S with a $100 50AH battery, which is much cheaper than buying a larger power station.
Thank you for the compliment and the comment.
I just went down this Rabbit Hole a few days ago ....and thanks to your video, i now get it!!!! Great explanation!!! My set up will be the ac500 with 2 extra battery banks....and ill use your set up with a 24v battery and 400w of solar on my roof to keep everything topped off. And the best part is, if its cloudy and no sun is available, you can connect directly to your car battery and idle charge or charge while you drive! Tons of options now!!!!
Great! Glad to help. Thanks for the comment.
Great info and still relevant. I use this approach with a Anker C1000 and my DIY 100a box. I have a 200w portable solar suitcase and a Pecron 500w dc-dc car charger. (The solar panel was just for kicks...). I added the 12-24v buck converter and it work in between them like a charm. I often refer to your videos for some great implementations. All of this replaced my gas generator which pissed me off this year when it wouldn't start. Thanks.
That's great to hear! Thanks for the support. I'm sure that setup works well.
OMIGOSH, watching this and just got a mini 12v battery and a boost converter! Need a few more things but this will be so helpful!! Thanks!
Glad I could help! Thanks for the comment!
Your enthusiasm is contagious! You've got me buying all sorts of components for my EB3A. It is so practical hooked up to big batteries at home and just take the EB3A when traveling or camping.
It really is a nice little unit. Very versatile as well! Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasementis your eb3a still working ? Do u use it everyday ?
You have no idea how long I have been looking for a video like this. I had the theory but wasn't sure it would work. I subscribed to your channel. thank you for making this video.
Glad I could help! Thanks for the sub and comment.
Dude! You're a life saver! Now i know what to do with those 3 batteries I have sitting in my shed.. Have 2 ecoflows and an anker. You ROCK! 👍👏
Get them hooked up! Glad I could help. Thanks for the comment.
I like that you put links for what you're using. Your videos are easy to follow. Thanks so much.
Glad you like them! Thanks for the comment.
This video has been the most helpful I've seen concerning conversion from solar to a power station. You the man!
I'm glad you found the video helpful! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks man you provide real value with this content. you deserve 10 times more views. Keep the good work and perhaps repeat the process with power stations of different brands (maybe ask the companies to send a review unit with a little power station of their brand)
Thanks for the idea! I'll start looking into it.
This is the "Best" video for learning to connect solar panels, battery and power station all together at the same time to harness energy freely on youtube! After watching this, I subscribed.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the sub and the comment!
Great video! Very interesting how one can have a constant power supply with just a few items. That would be nice for portability. Thank you for the video and the explanation.
I see the wagon is coming in handy. 😅
The wagon IS coming in handy! Thanks for the comment!
Great video, thank you for this information. I have an eb3a and this wiill really help in configuring my setup.
Glad it helped and thanks for the comment.
Dude! I think you just answered my one remaining question. And it's the SCC from panels to external battery. I was trying to go PV > Power Station > External Battery, while at the same time using load from the external battery > power station. Much easier to just do it in one direction and maximize power flow along the way... Thanks!
You're welcome! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you great video
Last year things got really bad around the Branson Missouri area and we lost power twice during some very severe storms. So this is all new to me and I decided to get a small 40 watt solar panel thinking maybe I can bug out with it. Now my thinking is staying put and decided to get the Bluetti EB3A today so now it's a learning curve I hope that I can use this 40 watt to charge it and at least 8 hours or I might just break the bank and get me a larger solar panel what I'm going to have to figure out all of this wiring stuff that's for sure . The solar panel is made by Flex solar and has a USB and c and I think a 12-volt Barrel plug.
You will probably need an adapter for the barrel plug to fit the EB3A. Hope it works for you!
@OffGridBasement yes I will figure that one out but yesterday I decided to get the Bluetti sp 120 or pv 120 solar panel so I won't have any problems and will have a lot better experience with all of the connections and extra power . I will be watching a lot more of your videos you are pretty good at figuring things out so thanks again my friend
Excellent video. Love your enthusiasm. Thank you 👍
So nice of you! Thanks for the comment!
XT60 rules the world of electronics... great video... making things simple for us simple people to understand.... thanks.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks a lot. You just helped me avoid making a major design mistake. Much appreciated! 😀
Glad I could help! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks so much for this - I contacted Bluetti support to ask if it was possible to charge my EB55 direct from a 12 volt leisure battery and they didn't seem to be able to answer that question! The step-up transformer is a great idea, I'm trying that for sure!
I'm glad I could help give you some ideas. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for this video, too many folks want to complicate things.
That is true. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you so much for your video, you helped me learn a lot. I am looking at getting a LiFePO4 280Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery to connect to my AC200P since it would be easier to transport than the expansion batteries and you helped me learn how this could work.
That's great! You'll get more options from a basic battery rather than an expansion battery. Have fun and thanks for the comment.
I think I understand now.. thanks for showing step by step. Really appreciate this. Thank you!
You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment.
That was exactly what I was trying to figure out! Thanks.
You're welcome! I'm glad it could help. Thanks for the comment.
I just tried using my EB3A while charging with 200w solar panel as I watched it from your other video. my solar panel produce more than 150w that time and I only connected a 10w clip fan on my EB3A. battery level is fluctuating to 99% and 100% when full charge every few minutes. the question is.. am I decreasing my EB3A battery life cycle with this activity of 99% to 100% up and down charging every few minutes? I want to know because I'd like to connect a large battery at night but im afraid if it'll just have the same issue. Thank you
Thank you for the video! It was very helpful. Had the concept in my head playing for days now, and your video has proven that it works.
Question: what happens when the power station fully draws down the battery and still requires input power? Does the power station know to shutoff the solar input from the battery so the battery doesn’t draw down to 0v?
I don't believe the battery can be fully discharged. The EB3A requires a 12v minimum. Once the battery gets below that, the EB3A will stop pulling from it. Hope that helps!
I enjoyed the video. But why not charge via solar and Ac at the same time? Let say have your solar panels plugged in and also charging thru the AC ? Is that possible?
Yes. Charging from solar and AC is possible but it won't charge up the unit any faster. It will just prioritize solar.
You broke all that down nicely. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.
Great video. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for doing this video. I saw conflicting info on using and charging at same time. U absolutely sold me on this unit
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.
great job man,everything clear,this is great automated system with solar+battery+bluetty
Thank you! I really appreciate that.
I watched your battery unboxing video. Looking forward to part 2.
Thanks. It was pretty boring, but that's what they wanted. Part 2 is all the fun stuff.
Excellent explanation and cheaper than buying larger sogens or OEM expansion batteries. Thx
You're welcome and thank you for the comment.
Your videos are really helpful. This weekend I've watched at least a dozen of them.
I'm very confused about your grid tie inverter connected to your batteries, instead of to the solar panels and then to your house outlet. That's how I've used them in the past. I heard your explanation but still confused. Please consider making a video from beginning to end about why you do it this way, advantages, disadvantages, and is this way better than going straight to your house outlet? I know you want to use your batteries and keep them from sitting on float, thereby wasting a lot of power. Is that the only reason?
Anyway, I'm confused and would love to see a simple walk-thru of this part of your system. Thanks. Jim
You're correct. I mainly used the grid tie as an energy dump for when my battery was getting full. I used the smart plug because then I could control when the grid tie inverter would actually turn on. It doesn't work if it doesn't sense AC power. I could make a video and just connect it to a single 24v battery to demonstrate how it all works. I hope this was helpful. Thanks for the comment.
I was just about to blow $550 tonight on an 800w expansion battery for my totally off-grid EB3A. Then found this video. FANTASTIC!!!
Planning on:
1. Buying a 24v 150ah LifePo4 battery $400: No need for step-up, and EB3A can handled the 24v. Any issues with the 150ah?
2. Connecting existing panels (MC4) to a Battery controller (assuming I can make a connector for this). Is the 20amp controller enough?
3. Connect the battery to the EB3A and will get something crazy like 3,600Wh
Few questions:
1. Would you not need MPS? To manage the LifePo4 battery?
2. How and where to connect the fuses?
3. Wonder if it would be possible to connect two batteries down the road?
Thanks so much for this video.. Life changing at best (emergency) wallet saving at worst.. ;)
Glad to hear the video helped. 150ah is no problem. Wire any additional batteries in parallel. If possible, wire a fuse on the positive side of the wire going from the battery to the EB3A. Calculate the fuse size based on the wire gauge you use. You should use at least 12 awg wire.
Hope it all works out for you!
Man, thank you for his amazing video. I am from Patagonia CHile, and this video helped me
Glad it helped! Thanks for the comment.
❤ thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge with us I really appreciate this video and I hope to put it into practice one day soon
You are so welcome! Thanks for the comment!
This was great! Good job. It helped me make some decisions.
Thanks for the comment!
Does this setup only work on sunny days and with LFP batteries with an integrated BMS? Because the BMS will cut off the load when the battery voltage drops under a specified value? Does it also work with an AGM battery without an undervoltage protection? Or will the bluetti cut off the input if it was below 12v?
If the voltage goes under 12v the Bluetti won't accept the input any longer. Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment.
Great video! You covered all the info I needed to find. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.
This was very informative. I'm planning on getting the Bluetti. I have an Ecoflow that uses M60 connections. I also have Jackery which uses the 8 mm car charger. I'm set. I also have a portable Renogy 100 watts and an adapter from Mc4 to 8 mm.
Glad it was helpful! I just want to show how versatile the Bluetti is. Thanks for the comment.
Great idea... but have u mentioned about the input current limit? Good job mate.
I know the current limit for the EB3A is 8.5A. I don't know if I mentioned it in the video.
Just what i was looking for, thanks for showing all this.
Glad I could help! Thanks for the comment.
Wouldn't it be much easier to connect the solar panels to the bluetti DC input and charge the batter from the bluetti cigarette lighter socket or the two 12v DC 10amp outlets?
No. The DC sockets wouldn't produce enough voltage to charge the lifepo4 battery to full. Battery needs 14.2v and those outlets only produce 13v at most.
Excellent video, tons of useful information for my EB3A. 😮 The 24 volt mod is insane, as well as adding the battery. Amazon thanks you. 😅 Maybe do an updated video with anything new you've discovered. Thanks ⚡☀️⚡
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment!
thanks i have a video where i did almost the same thing. BUT i didnt know about the boost converter thanks going the amazon now.
No problem. I'll find you on UA-cam. Thanks for the comment.
Could you do this set up with an Anker Solix 300. I like your Solar videos, keep up the good work!
Not sure if I'll get one, but I will look into it. Thanks for the comment.
I have a battery clip to barrel (8mm I believe) connector and charge my EB70s with an AGM battery. Question: When does the charging stop from the external battery? 12.0V, 12.5v or lower and the MPPT on the receiving end boosts voltage to keep charging?
It would stop when the voltage drops to 12v coming from the battery.
I really appreciate all the effort you put into making this video and sharing it with us. This is very valuable information! Questions: I have 18 gauge wire. Could I use this to connect to the battery instead of the 16 gauge wire you used? If not, would you explain? Also, would you mind sharing the link to that splitter wire you used? Thanks again. :-)
I wouldn't use 18awg wire. It's too thin. 16awg would be the thinnest wire I would go. The Bluetti can accept up to 8.5A and 18awg might get too hot. If you're going to get wiring, go thicker than 16awg. 12awg would be the best. Hope this helps.
@@OffGridBasement Thank you for your response. :-)
Looking to buy an eb3a , saw your video and subscribed 👍
Awesome! Thank you!
Good video, thanks. Is it possible to add more batteries and connect them in series?
You could connect up to 24v. Anything beyond that would damage the EB3A. Thanks for the comment.
Assuming you continue to draw solar panel, what happens with the charge controller when the Bluetti AND the batter are both full? Where does the extra power go from the solar panels?
The solar panels will power whatever the Bluetti is powering. If the Bluetti isn't powering anything then the Solar charge controller will stop and your panels won't power anything.
subscribed,
great information, still daunting, amps, volts, watts and how they work together.
i have a few power stations. new to this. its fun
It all can be very confusing. Just keep trying to understand. It will finally snap into place in your brain! Thanks for the comment and Sub!
Is it possible to charge the Bluetty with an AGM battery 12v 70A ,, with no fuses? Thanks so much for your help video
Yes, but the Bluetti requires at least 12v. I don't know how much you will get from the AGM battery.
Good work and GREAT video. Are you at all concerned that when you step up the volts into the EB3A, its only rated for 8.5A and the 12V/24V step up you're using is 10A. I noticed there is a 3A version as well and wondering if that's a safer option but may affect speed of charge. Just curious your thoughts.
No. The boost converter can handle up to 10A, but the EB3A will max out at 8.5A. the EB3A won't pull more than it's rated. Hope this helps!
Pretty cool 😎👍
Thanks!
Hi great video it helps me a lot totally new at this. My question is I have been looking for BLUETTI solar panel extension but want to use exact same cable that came with my Eb3a for solar. I just want to connect it to 20 ft extension but can’t find on Amazon. Also the red and black wires say 16awg but wondering if 10 or 12 awg would work without blowing up the Eb3a, sorry in advance I don’t know anything about this and all I have done is buy the Eb3a with 200w solar panels, thank you.
Connecting a lower awg wire won't hurt anything! Just don't use anything higher than 16awg. Hope this helps!
Thanks
Great video. I suggest adding some fuses between the components.
Great suggestion! Thanks for the comment.
LOVE THIS! Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome! Thanks for the comment.
How do we know the Amps that the battery is outputting ? Bluetty has 10 Amps limit
Thanks for your video
The Bluetti can actually accept up to 8.5A. So without the Boost converter there's 8.5A getting pulled from the battery. With the boost converter it's doubled. So about 17A from the battery. Mind you, the solar panels are putting in 150w. That's roughly 12A @ 12.8v going into the battery. I hope this helps.
does this have a relationship with a discharge rate of the battery ?
very good explanation. One question; when disconnected from solar will it use the external battery power first then the internal battery power?
Not in a true pass thru sense. It will keep the internal charged to 100%, but I believe the unit always uses the internal first and whatever is plugged into the charge port just charges the internal battery. So the external will be depleted first, then the internal will start to deplete. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for the comment.
That's a lot of help. Using a 12.8 Volt LiFePo4 100 Amp battery as a back up only allows 100 watts charge. If you get a 12 to 24 volt inverter, what amperage do you suggest and do you fuse the feed?
I believe I used a 10a boost converter and it works fine. It does get hot though. Using a 20a would probably reduce the amount of heat generated. A 10a inline fuse would be a good idea. Thanks for the comment.
Have you compared capacity differences when using the step up converter? It would good info to see the loss of efficiency. Only saw one other test where 12v 12v was low 90% efficient but with the 12-24 it dropped to low 80% high 70%.
Seems like most of the converters are cheap and get real hot.
I could definitely do this test. It would be interesting to see the results. Thanks for the comment and info.
Would you mind sharing the link to where you got that splitter from?
Everything I used in the video is listed in the description. Hope this helps.
@@OffGridBasement The link to the splitter is not there in the description.
Thank you so much for your videos. Could you model and shoot a video at what minimum power from the solar panel starts charging at the pv port? And do I need to observe the current limit of 8.5A when buying a non-original panel or will Eb3a itself not take any more? Your authoritative opinion is very important to me. We are preparing for blackouts in Ukraine, I purchased an Eb3a and I don’t know how to select the maximum panel to work with at least a low charging current in a cloudy winter.
The EB3A will limit the amps. It's max is 8.5A. the thing you need to keep in range is the voltage. Don't go over the max voltage or it could damage the unit. Any panels you connect to it will probably need to be connected in parallel and not in series. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment and take care.
When your battery is connected to your solar generator and you connect a charge controller on to the external battery, are you making sure you dont exceed the max VDC, AMP and Wattage of the onboard charge controller of your solar generator?
No. The battery is after the charge controller so it's going to be the voltage of the battery. The amperage will be maxed out from the battery, so the charge controller won't do anything. I hope this helps.
@@OffGridBasement I might not have been clear on my question, you have a solar generator with its own onboard solar charger, the generator is connected to an external battery, which is connected to an external charge controller, that would make the output from the external charger controller in parallel with the external battery and the onboard charge controller in the solar generator, is there an issue with exceeding the max volts and amps going into the onboard solar charger coming from the external solar charger. I hope thats clear lol
Marvelous! Question - I connected a SAE wire to my Victron solar controller( which draws solar from a 200w panel up top) to my Ecoflow power station. It was drawing up to 150w which is 12.5A. The ecoflow only allows 8A of current and unsurprisingly I fried the small (14 gauge maybe?) SAE wire. What do you recommend in this case? TIA!
You definitely need a thicker wire. Try to find a SAE to mc4 adapter then use a mc4 solar cable for the run to the solar panel. Hope this helps!
@@OffGridBasement I got the connector mixeed up its an XT60 to SAE. But the point is I need a thicker wire. Thanks!
Just found your channel and love it. Great videos and information. Do you know if the buck or boost converter would double the 81 Watt charging the Jackery explorer? Bought them before bluetti had come out with the newer power banks years ago.
I don't own a jackery so I can't be certain. It depends on what the max voltage for the input is. What is the input voltage to get 81w? Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
Question. Have BLUETTI 2000 and 6x100watt panels. I have 2 6v batteries in as 12v. What do you recommend “how to setup” the panels, 2x6v running as 12 v and the bluetti 2000. It has adapter on side for solar panels and has output 20amp
The max input voltage for the Bluetti is 150v, correct? If each panel is 20v then wire then all in series. Make sure you don't go over the max voltage of the Bluetti!
I have a question how would you go about hooking in a mini fridge 12volt without using a cigarette style adapter but rather a xt60 connector some how
You could cut the wire and connect an xt60 connector. The cigarette lighter adapter has a built in fuse so you should get an inline fuse if you do this.
Great video! Which side of xt60 parts go on Bluitti side of connectors? Looks like the female side? Thanks
I try to have the female on the side where the power comes from. Less of a chance to short the connections. Hope that helps.
Thank you I just finished heat shrinking all the stuff you shown! Great Job!
Thanks for the good video. The question is how can I charge an extra battery without buying a new mppt controller.
My point is I have an ecoflow delta 2 it has a solar input of 600w. And I'm a camper van with panels on the roof. As an additional battery, I have thought of buying an additional 100Ah battery. When I borrow ecoflow with the sun. And then from the dc output directly add a 12v dc to 14v dc converter to the battery. Then I will have a much simpler system. And when the ecoflow runs out, add back from the battery with a 12v to 24v converter directly from the battery to the ecoflow.
You could buy a cheap pwm CC for $30 or so. Either that or an AC battery charger. I don't think a DC to DC charger would work connected to the power station. Good luck and thanks for the comment.
Thank you for the informative video. I hope you are still finding the Bluetti EB3A still quite useful. I was hoping you would do another video revisiting this item, using it to charge a car battery (ultimately jump a vehicle) via the cigarette inlet to cigarette inlet, the 3B3A cigarette option to battery clamps, and the 3B3A battery option to SAE connector that's mounted to the car battery. Please?
I honestly don't think the EB3A has enough output amperage to jump a car battery.
@@OffGridBasement
Thank you for your reply. Actually, I was more interested in a way to charge up a fading battery in a vehicle - In my case I have two batteries (one does the starting - but both don't charge up together after a mechanic changed them) and one battery opens two doors and manages a wheelchair lift. I am constantly needing to charge up that door/lift battery. I'd like to see that Bluetti EB3A utilize a 2amp or 5amp charger, while using say a 50 watt solar panel. I'd like to see how that could be handled. That, or the EB3A with such a panel, utilizing a cigarette to van cigarette inlet to charge over time. I am not so much meaning a quick jump -- rather like a trickle charge over 3 to 6 hours maybe. Thoughts?
@@yoohootooboo you can definitely use an AC charger while gathering power from a solar panel. A 5A charger will take about 70w so you might think about using a 100w panel.
Interesting to see whether you are using 12v 200A lithium battery to test, is it doable?
Definitely! Since the voltage is the same all you will get is more capacity. the 50A battery was just for demonstration. Hope this helps!
Can I just charge the external 50 amp battery with a charger plugged in to the BLUETTI eb3a while charging the BLUETTI with solar?
Yes. The EB3A has passthrough charging. 10a charger would work well. Thanks for the comment.
I’m really enjoying your videos. I am seeing that the xt60 is very versatile but do you have a rule of thumb for when to use the male or female connection. Right now I am using a EB70S to run a converted cargo trailer. You have just shown me a way to just about double my power and can’t run my refrigerator for days! Thank you!
I'm glad the video helped you out! As for XT60 the male end is connected to the item giving power and the female end is for receiving power. That is at least what I try to do, but sometimes it just doesn't work when you have a bunch of different connections. Thanks for the comment.
Will this also work with my Bluetti AC 180 ? I have 200 watts of solar that I can connect to the 12 volt lifepo4 battery. Thanks for your help.
If the solar input voltage is 12v, then Yes!
Great video, in showing how a few extra items can improve charging of a small system. Those 100w solar panels look a bit small.. Have you seen 100w from those on a sunny day?
I've only used them on partly cloudy days. I've noticed when the sun comes out from a cloudy it shoots up to above 100w then drops to around 90w. The panels were also pretty warm. Sorry I'm not helping much.
If they get above 100w great. They might throttle back as they get warm. The lightweight ones may have less thermal mass than a fixed frame one, so increase temperature quicker? Lithium batteries are still expensive here still in NZ, so still playing with AGM here.
Is it possible to charge the power station with solar and use a inverter to charge it with 12V battery trough AC at the same time.
For example my power station max solar input is 1000w. Is it possible to exceed that by using the AC entry, charging the power station trough a inverter from the 12v battery and solar.
Yes. The unit will prioritize solar, but you could do that with no problem. Thanks for the question and the comment.
Another question! I have a EB3a and aEB70s. I have 4 lifepo4 20 amp batteries feeding the 70 and fed with the same solar controller you have used in this video. I have 220 watts solar panel. Couldn’t I also feed the EB3a from the same battery bank. Having trouble sleeping with all the new options I have.
Yes! I believe you could connect the 12v battery bank directly to the input of the EB3A. It would only charge @ 100w, but it's something. Thanks for the comment.
Amazing info, thank you so much ❤
You are so welcome! Thanks for the comment.
Hi Off Grid Basement. I just purchased an AC180. I also have a DIY system. Can you do a video on a DC7909 y splitter? I want to use the dump load from my existing system, plus add a 100 watt solar panel to charge my AC180, but I'm nervous to try. Thanks in advance.
That's an interesting idea. Not sure how to go about making sure one of the devices doesn't get cooked from over voltage.
@@OffGridBasement the panel is 12v and the output coming from the controller is 12v too. I was hoping the voltage would increase. This is the name of the splitter --> MJPOWER-Combiner-Splitter-Parallel-Portable (B0BMXQQKBY)
@@OffGridBasement I guess what I really need is a way to split the power coming from the solar panel. one input from the solar and 2 output two the different solar controllers. Is there an adaptor for this?
Can I use a solar powered trickle charger on my bluetti? Can't find info anywhere
It would work as long as the voltage on the solar panel is high enough. Over 15v open circuit and you should be good. Thanks for the comment.
Could i daisy chain multiple batteries and have one big storage bank to use for the whole week?
Yes. Just make sure to connect them in parallel. Positive to positive and negative to negative.
@@OffGridBasement okay, do you know what materials I need to do that? Thanks again
Great video, For my Jackery 500 (which charges too slow to be useful for me) I've got a 36v 25ah lifepo4, using a step-down from 36v to 24v going into the jackery. But the jackery charges way to slow so I am thinking about picking up the EB3A :')
this will work, but be hard to solar charge the 36v I have to use a 120v brick. I may need to pick up the 12 to 24v boost and use a 12v battery with solar attached. Thanks for the video.
You're very welcome and thanks for the comment.
Good job explaining all that awesome very informative.
Thank you☮️👍
You are so welcome and thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement are you still back feeding that’s when I started watching you.
@@billbaumea3420 not anymore. I bought a 6 circuit transfer switch so I don't need to back feed to dump energy.
Cool 👍
Hi, Really liked the video. I got a lot of insight on the EB3A. Doesn't the Eb3A solar input have a 8.5A input limit? This buck converter says 10A. Sorry I don't know electronics too well. Also how many amps are coming from the solar panel and the battery charging together? Is it less than 8.5A. I have a 58.8V 2.55A solar panel it's much more portable than full size panels @12"x8" folded. I'd like to use it but It would take a step down converter and getting the right voltage and amps for the EB3A from it isn't automatic and would cause a blow out if I got it wrong. I also have a mini 12v 20Ah battery I can charge from too. I'm wanting a sustainable portable power solution for when I go canoeing & camping.
The EB3A input will only accept 8.5 max. So I don't believe you need to worry about the amps. I would get a small 20A solar charger controller to connect the solar panel to the battery. That would convert it to the correct voltage and amperage. Then you could connect the battery to the EB3A at the same time. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you so much for your quick replies... I'm confused because If any battery has a lot of amps it may damage bluetiie's Limit of 10 amps
The battery will only give out what the Bluetti can accept. It's just like over panelling. Hope this helps.
I appreciate your kindness answering my questions
In that case why do people use fuses or MPPTs?
God Bless
I appreciate your kindness answering my questions ... God Bless
In that case why do people use fuses ?T@@OffGridBasement
The 12 to 24v stepup is how many amps? 10 or 20
Thanks
It's a 10A step up. A 20a would stay cooler.
Thank you very much. I was searching for a long time a video that can suggest me a way to expand my power station with an external battery using the solar panel. Just one question, should I put some fusible or protection on this setup?
If it's going to be a permanent setup then I would get a fuse for the battery connection.
@@OffGridBasement than you. And what about a connection with a victron mppt, should I use the mppt LOAD exit to the 12v/24v converter and power station? Instead of using the battery output
I want to input solar and wind at the same time. My wind runs to a small 12 volt battery. What would I need to do to make this happen?
Wind is another monster and beyond the scope of this video. Sorry I can't help.
I'm no expert but I believe you could just hook both your solar charger and your wind charger to the external battery. No issue with more than one charger on a battery. Probably want the buck converter to step up to 24v to take as much advantage of the extra energy as possible.
Hi boss!! Just ask waht is better for my 2pc 100watts solar panel.. Prallel or series? For my bluetti ?
You definitely want to wire in parallel. Wiring two 100w panels on series to the EB3A might damage the unit due to over voltage.
@OffGridBasement thank you
Would you be able to show us the behavior of two mppts connected in parallel to the same solar array?
I'm not sure if that would tell you much. The voltage would stay the same, but the amperage going to each MPPT would be cut in half. Thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridBasement I have read that the two MPPTs fight each other to find the power point and that performance suffers. I would like to know real world data but I don't want to buy a second MPPT and find that it is true.
@@UnknownUser-zt8tlWill Prowse did a test showing 2 mppts don’t fight each other.
Great video! Could I ask one favor? Any way you could repeat this video using an Ecoflow? It would help me out a lot because this is exactly what I've been looking for to use as a back up battery for the original Delta Eco flow
I would love to but I don't have any Ecoflow products. When I do I'll be sure to do this experiment.
Does your bluetti make a strange sound when charging. It sounds like a fan with a grinding sound. Is that normal?
There shouldn't be a grinding sound. More of a loud hum.
Can I charge EB3A in my UPS that is connected to battery and solar panel? But what UPS wattage is needed to charge EB3A? Any idea?
I believe input is between 12v and 26v with up to 8 amps. As long as the voltage is high enough you should be good.
Thank you for your reply. My UPS is APC back-UPS 625. Outlet is 2.85a and battery back up outlet is 325w. Is this good?
nice a have ideas for my home solar set up
Good luck! Thanks for the comment.
Hello sir do you think the eb3a will power a Chinese diesel heater through the 12v socket.
Yes. I believe it would because the DC output is regulated. Hope that helps and thanks for the comment.
Can we charging it with Solar Panel, Grid/Wall, External battery and using it for load in the same time? is it safe? The idea is Bluetti use for daily Power for house while charging it in the same time so the Power will available at all time. How many types of input charging?
Yes. It supports all of that. I believe it will use the battery first though. I need to test to make sure. Thanks for the comment.
Does this have a relationship with a discharge rate of the battery
The bluetti won't come close the the maximum discharge rate of the battery. I believe that battery can do a max discharge rate of 50A. With the boost converter attached, the bluetti will still only pull 17A from the battery. Hope this helps!