Newbie here. I have minimal experience with electricity so forgive my lack of knowledge. However, I’m looking for some guidance.
I am building out a camper van and would like to have a setup where I can charge my connected AC200L & B230 with both solar and alternator without having to climb into the back of the van to unplug and plug the DC input cables before driving. I’ve seen somewhat similar questions regarding dual-charging Bluetti products and it seems that with AC200L it’s tricky/technical to set up solar charging while simultaneously charging from the alternator while the van is running.
My thought, which I would love some expert opinion on is to run solar power to the AC200L unit and then connect the B230 to a Victron Energy Orion-Tr 48/12-30A (360W) Isolated DC-DC Converter that is connecting to the car battery of the Ford Transit.
My thought process is that the alternator would charge the B230 as needed and the solar panels would charge the AC200L. Then I don’t need to worry about a complicated setup of dual charging the AC200L.
If you would like to charge both the AC200L and B230 simultaneously by using the two separate solar and alternator sources you could connect your solar grid to the AC200L and use a D050S to charge your B230 by the car alternator. That will remove the complexity of wiring a DC/DC converter.
Your only concern will be to connect the van’s 12V system to the D050S via a relay that switches off when the engine is turned off, to avoid drawing current from the 12V battery when the alternator is not running. If you have a cigarette lighter socket that switches off when the van is turned off, you can use that to power the D050S without having to wire anything.
.
Solar panels → AC200L
Cigarette socket → D050S → B230
.
The D050S is not much of a resistive load and will not significantly spark a relay when disconnected during charge, if for instance you will turn off the van while it is charging, that will make any relay turning on and off frequently not a real concern.
Also, since the 12-60 V input range to the D050S will be about 14.8 V in your case by the alternator, the current draw will not reach the advertised maximum power and that will have less impact on your van electrical system.
.
Please share more information about your system if you would like to have more detailed suggestions.
@Bradylh
BLUETTI has a new product coming out at the end of September, an Alternator DC Charger that fits your needs and usage scenarios perfectly.
Here’s how you can use:
AC200L and B230 each connect to PV and Alternator DC Charger.
B230 connects to the solar panels for charging, and the AC200L connects to the Alternator Charger for fast charging while driving.
We will publish an overview of this new product on September 20th, keep an eye out for it.
Thank you @ndwr, it sounds like Bluetti is releasing a new product for this scenario that should solve it. Your solution would be a great alternative. Thank you kindly for your time!