Double post.....
Powering a camper from a power pack without a leisure battery?
- Thread starter Gary_M
- Start date
Hi
I'm thinking of doing just this, as I found out today now that my kitchen units are in, that the Renogy 100ah lithium battery will fit perfectly along side the EFD2. It's like it was meant to be.
So 200w solar to an MPPT, then to the LB, then to the EFD2.
My question is, what needs to go between the battery and the EFD2? I'm guessing it'll need a fuse, but other than that, will the EFD2 limit the current coming in if it's fully charged? Any charging regulator required between the battery and the EFD2?
I have had a look through some of the experiments you've done on this combo. Great info. Boggles my mind however. Can't find an answer to the above question
The EcoFlow will only draw the current it needs, it's not a direct to battery to battery connection. By default that will be around 8 amps as that's the recommended maximum sustained current a conventional "cigar lighter" type connector can take without overheating.
However any circuits on to or off the Renogy will need to be fused to protect the cable from overheating in the evening of a short.
You may be able to configure the DC input to high current as it's also used as the solar input. It will either be set to CAR (always limited current) AUTO (limited current when voltage below 15v) or SOLAR (no current limit) - for this situation you would want to set to SOLAR which will be around 15 amps.
If you do set the DC input to SOLAR do not plug it in to a "cigar lighter" 12v socket as it will overload that socket.
However any circuits on to or off the Renogy will need to be fused to protect the cable from overheating in the evening of a short.
You may be able to configure the DC input to high current as it's also used as the solar input. It will either be set to CAR (always limited current) AUTO (limited current when voltage below 15v) or SOLAR (no current limit) - for this situation you would want to set to SOLAR which will be around 15 amps.
If you do set the DC input to SOLAR do not plug it in to a "cigar lighter" 12v socket as it will overload that socket.
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If you are fitting a normal leisure battery consider if you want to feed 12v or USB loads from it more directly - many power pack devices have quite a high overhead running small loads like some lights or a phone charger.
Everything will be powered from the EFD2. The Renogy battery will just be a 'storage battery' to stop the EFD2 running flat through the night
Looking at dellmassives threads, I think I can charge the EFD2 from the Renogy storage battery using the XT60 connector, which I think is what he's doing here...
My EFD2 XT60 connection...
Looking at dellmassives threads, I think I can charge the EFD2 from the Renogy storage battery using the XT60 connector, which I think is what he's doing here...
My EFD2 XT60 connection...
Yes that is the connection I was referring to, the DC input.
Be aware that running the EFD2 overnight just to run small loads is going to waste a lot of power, especially if you leave the AC inverter on.
The all in power pack devices are brilliantly flexible but as well as slow 12v charging the other downside is all the management and power control electronics take power all the time they are enabled, even just the DC outputs.
Using the EFD for all outputs you will be wasting power in those loses and also in loses in the 12v to 12v charging process between the Roamer and EFD2
Be aware that running the EFD2 overnight just to run small loads is going to waste a lot of power, especially if you leave the AC inverter on.
The all in power pack devices are brilliantly flexible but as well as slow 12v charging the other downside is all the management and power control electronics take power all the time they are enabled, even just the DC outputs.
Using the EFD for all outputs you will be wasting power in those loses and also in loses in the 12v to 12v charging process between the Roamer and EFD2
The buffer battery approach helps when you can solar charge at a greater rate than the power pack can accept but in your case an EFD2 can accept up to 500w solar input so there is probably little advantage to using a Roamer battery unless you need to move the EFD2 about - you'll likely get the full charge rate of the 200w panels if you connected then direct without needing the Roamer or needing an MPPT controller.
The EFD2 powers the fridge 24/7. Works great. AC and USB outputs are off until the morning. I take your points about the drawbacks of the EFD2. But I think they're worth it for the ease of the electrics installation.
I'm not trying to charge the EFD2 quicker. I'm just trying to charge it at night time when the sun ain't shining, which means using the Renogy storage battery
I am essentially still dependent on sunshine however.
I'm not trying to charge the EFD2 quicker. I'm just trying to charge it at night time when the sun ain't shining, which means using the Renogy storage battery
I am essentially still dependent on sunshine however.
No extra kit needed.
You can set the Max current limit in the D2.
What I done was to make up a fused SB50 Anderson connector on the battery.
Then I made up a sb50 to XT60 connector. To make it plug and play.
But if your hard wiring it in, you can skip the SB50 bit,
So just get/make a fused XT60i cable,
Ecoflow even sell a XT60i to mc4 conector, to could cut off the mc4 and wire to a fuse.
.
Ok but my point is unless there is a time in the day where the EFD2 is fully charged you don't need the Roamer.
In slower charging power packs then a storage battery that can charge faster off solar than the power pack and then slowly trickle charge makes sense.
However your EFD2 can happily accept the 200w from your solar panel - and it will happily draw that from the Roamer too - so all that will happen is that the EFD2 will be emptying the Roamer as fast as it charges during the day and come the evening the Roamer will be empty. You may as well just connect the panels directly for a far simpler system.
The Roamer only makes sense if there are times when there is solar available and the EFD2 is either full or disconnected.
If you do still want to go down this route there is a strong chance you'll be regularly running the Roamer very flat, which isn't ideal for its life. However you can help by choosing an MPPT controller with a load output (such as the well regarded Victron ones) and using that to supply the EFD2 - that way the MPPT controller will cut off the Roamer at a more ideal point (about 20% charge for lithium)
But I'd really just try with panel directly to the EFD2 first - it will likely work fine and save you a few hundred quid and some space. If not adding a Roamer/MPPT controller later is very easy.
The EFD2 was tried and tested last year on long weekends, direct from solar to EFD2. I think the worst it got was 8% on the last day of camper calling. This year the conversion is much further along. I'll have more LED lights and various other loads connected. I don't think it'll last. Plus we have a couple of longer trips planned now.
I need more capacity.
I need more capacity.
Good point. I plan to use and isolator switch at the rear of the kitchen unit. Which is where the battery will be. So just before lights out I can connect the battery to the EFD2, then disconnect in the morning.
If the EFD2 got to 8% charge over a day of good sunshine with your 200w panel attached then you need more capacity yes, but more solar capacity not storage capacity.
There isn't any magic free energy here - if you put it directly into the EFD2 and are using it (and it sounds like you are) then putting it first into the Roamer and then into a considerably more discharged EFD2 overnight isn't going to give you more energy, in fact it will give you less with losses of transfer (I'd guess around 10%). You are only going to gain if there are periods of the day when the EFD2 is fully but the solar panels could charge.
The point I was making about using a load disconnect is not to hold the charge until the evening it's about not damaging the Roamer. If you let the EFD2 drain it until the Roamer BMS cuts it off every night you're going to damage the Roamer. LiFePo is a robust technology but doing this will reduce the lifetime from several thousand cycles to a few hundred, it will also substantially increase the risk of the individual cells in the battery getting out of balance, particularly if the battery is regularly emptied but not regularly held near full charge (where the BMS will general do the balancing)
There isn't any magic free energy here - if you put it directly into the EFD2 and are using it (and it sounds like you are) then putting it first into the Roamer and then into a considerably more discharged EFD2 overnight isn't going to give you more energy, in fact it will give you less with losses of transfer (I'd guess around 10%). You are only going to gain if there are periods of the day when the EFD2 is fully but the solar panels could charge.
The point I was making about using a load disconnect is not to hold the charge until the evening it's about not damaging the Roamer. If you let the EFD2 drain it until the Roamer BMS cuts it off every night you're going to damage the Roamer. LiFePo is a robust technology but doing this will reduce the lifetime from several thousand cycles to a few hundred, it will also substantially increase the risk of the individual cells in the battery getting out of balance, particularly if the battery is regularly emptied but not regularly held near full charge (where the BMS will general do the balancing)
Not 8% over a day of good charging. 8% over a night of no charging.
"Magic free energy"?????????
No.
Capacity, yes. 82ah ish currently, 182ah potentially.
Thanks for all your advice.
Let's illustrate this another way.
A 200w panel will product a charge of about 15A under ideal conditions and let's assume 8 hours of strong cloud free day. That will produce 15 x 8 = 120Ah under absolutely ideal conditions.
Where are you going to get the additional 62Ah of charge from to fill 182Ah of capacity?
How much energy are you consuming per day at the minute? If your EFD2 is full and you don't connect the solar how much charge remains 24 hours later?
A 200w panel will product a charge of about 15A under ideal conditions and let's assume 8 hours of strong cloud free day. That will produce 15 x 8 = 120Ah under absolutely ideal conditions.
Where are you going to get the additional 62Ah of charge from to fill 182Ah of capacity?
How much energy are you consuming per day at the minute? If your EFD2 is full and you don't connect the solar how much charge remains 24 hours later?
I'd rather not.
I'm not much of a keyboard warrior. Sorry to disappoint.
Dellmassive has linked various informative threads above showing his tried and tested techniques on the subject.
I just wanted to ask him about the cable between the battery and the EFD2.
But again, thanks for your advice.
Not disappointed and not trying to be any kind of keyboard warrior, apologies if that's how it seemed.
Just trying to help you spend the money in the right place so you get the most out of your van
Just trying to help you spend the money in the right place so you get the most out of your van
zad0101
New Member
Hi there. Im in the process of converting my kombi and im really interested in this as well. I only need of grid for maybe 2 to 3 days max. Just for fridge and led lights mainly. The delta 2 portable is on offer at the moment. So it looks pretty good when bought with solar and the 800w dc charger.
We only go away a few times a year to camp so I run a modular system, I literally lift in the Powerstation and Alpicool fridge/freezer and three big stackable boxes which has everything we need for a few days away. I didn't even bother with a bed system in the end. The van and floor is so will insulated now, we just roll out a memory foam mattress and sleep on the floor, its been great and its a bigger bed than a rocknroll style seat/bed. I use the van for MTBing and Kitesurfing so love the fact I still have a big empty space in the back all the time. It works really well for us. I had a T5 full camper conversion for 15 years and don't miss it all, what we have now is so much more versatile.
The "Delta 2 Max" is what I use (along with the 800w Alternator Charger and 400w Renogy Solar suitcase) and yes that unit is now £500 cheaper than when I bought back in May. Now just £1,399. Bargain!
but annoying for me! 
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tammo
New Member
Hi folks
I too am looking at a modular power setup and what's been discussed here is perfect. I posted the question below on a thread that appears dead so if it's ok i'm reposting here.
I'm looking to install the Ecoflow Alternator charger into my 2024 LHD SWB VWT6.1 Shuttle. What I was hoping to do is pre-install a battery cable run from my starter battery to under the driver seat (LHD in my case) and have a positive and negative busbar there (or similar, any suggestions welcome) so I can spur off the official 5m Ecoflow Alternator Charger cable to the Ecoflow Alternator Charger which in turn charges the Delta 2 Power Station. The reason is that I don't want to plumb in the 5m Ecoflow Alternator Charger cable directly to the starter battery so that I can remove the whole Ecoflow wiring easily as well as leave the battery cable run from the starter battery to under the driver seat ready for a future leisure battery setup.
My question is, will the additional length of the cable run from the starter battery including busbars cause any problems and/or loss in charging performance? Will the draw on the alternator be a problem? See schematic below with inline fuses and circuit breaker..
Also, for those who have this setup with a diesel heater: i've heard of people having problems with the initial draw required by the glowplugs when the heater is first switched on. Are you finding this too?
Any thoughts? Thanks!
I too am looking at a modular power setup and what's been discussed here is perfect. I posted the question below on a thread that appears dead so if it's ok i'm reposting here.
I'm looking to install the Ecoflow Alternator charger into my 2024 LHD SWB VWT6.1 Shuttle. What I was hoping to do is pre-install a battery cable run from my starter battery to under the driver seat (LHD in my case) and have a positive and negative busbar there (or similar, any suggestions welcome) so I can spur off the official 5m Ecoflow Alternator Charger cable to the Ecoflow Alternator Charger which in turn charges the Delta 2 Power Station. The reason is that I don't want to plumb in the 5m Ecoflow Alternator Charger cable directly to the starter battery so that I can remove the whole Ecoflow wiring easily as well as leave the battery cable run from the starter battery to under the driver seat ready for a future leisure battery setup.
My question is, will the additional length of the cable run from the starter battery including busbars cause any problems and/or loss in charging performance? Will the draw on the alternator be a problem? See schematic below with inline fuses and circuit breaker..
Also, for those who have this setup with a diesel heater: i've heard of people having problems with the initial draw required by the glowplugs when the heater is first switched on. Are you finding this too?
Any thoughts? Thanks!
Answered on your other post here @tammo :
www.t6forum.com
It's best to not duplicate post to keep the forum tidy and discussions in one place, you can always add a link to the post from other relevant threads if you need
Ecoflow Alternator Charger 800W
Thanks for that how long did delivery take? You'll need to ask them that before you order.
It's best to not duplicate post to keep the forum tidy and discussions in one place, you can always add a link to the post from other relevant threads if you need
