I am planning on using the AC200MAX as the heart of my van build electrical system. See attached diagram.
My requirements:
Dual charging from my 150A Van Alternator and a 400W Solar Panel
15A Shore Power
My Questions:
1)
How do I ground this system? Ive read a bit about generators/vans/grounding and don’t understand why its not important to have a battery generator grounded. There isn’t much guidance on using this type of product in a semi-permanent install.
Please let me know if it works…especially with the alternator charging setup…DC to AC ? The killing switch is on this double circuit (Alternator or shore power) is On/Off or you are planning to switch manually from shore to alternator depending on situation?
I bought this same unit 2 months ago and used the 30A DC outlet to feed up my Blue Sea 12V fuse box. All my DC devices works Ok except Espar Diesel Heater! I dont know why (maybe the OEM Espar wires are too long or maybe i should plug the Espar directly on the AC200MAX skipping the fuse box (since there is already a fuse on OEM positive wire) ?? Or maybe the unit is not producing a constant 12V current (current drop) that trigger an error code on Espar heater. BTW, when plugging the Espar directly on a 12 battery terminals, it works fine!!!
Any luck figuring this out? I just plugged my Espar into the 30 amp DC port on my brand new AC200MAX for the first time yesterday (with and without a 15 amp fuse box in the middle) and had the same problem. The heater works fine in the shop when it’s hooked up to a different 12V lithium battery, but not the Bluetti. I’m debating whether to return the Bluetti at this point, since the whole reason I switched from my Jackery was to get a DC port running >10 amps to power the heater.
Hi Tim. Sorry for the late reply. I was trying to fix this problem with Bluetti technical support but they finally told me it’s a hardware problem they cant fix. Basically, it is a voltage drop that triggers an error code on the Espar Diesel Heater. Hopefully they will fix this issue in next generation. Too bad, because it would have been perfect for my needs.
I’d like to do exactly the same thing. How did this work for you - have you tried it?
Did you figure out an answer to the grounding question. (I assumed everything was “chassis” ground and the shore power cable provided the only true “ground” which only functions when plugged in. Anyone in the van is safe with the chassis ground, and someone stepping between the van and the earth isn’t completing any type of circuit so a true ground isn’t important unless it is plugged into shore power.)
My three thoughts are all about the alternator portion of the solution…
Taking alternator DC power, converting it to AC then having the Bluetti re-convert it back to DC would result in a lot of loss. Maybe you end up with 70%… which means your alternator has to produce a lot of amps that get wasted and turned into heat in the van. What about - instead of an alternator - using something like a Victron DCDC charger which is about $250. It would also take care of the isolation function (I believe). And then pair it up to the solar side of the layout, with a 1/2/OFF switch on that side instead. But unfortunately that would mean, while driving, you are getting either solar or alternator, whereas with your solution you would be getting both solar and alternator.
What size inverter? My understanding is that, going through the AC adapter as you’ve mapped out, it would draw up to 500 amps. So are you thinking a 600 amp (or thereabouts) inverter? Certainly can’t be less than 500 amps, right? If someone is looking at an AC200L it can draw 2,400 watts - does it limit itself? I mean, if plugged in a standard wall 15amp outlet, 2,400/120 is 20 amps so it would blow the fuse. It would definitely need to limit its own draw if trying to pull off the alternator (500 watts sure, maybe 800 watts max?), right? (Lots of question marks because I genuinely am not certain or don’t know.)
My concern with the alternator portion is drawing too much on the alternator when it isn’t up to full speed (e.g. at idle). The alternator (to the best of my understanding) is only cooled by integrated fan blades that spin at the speed of the alternator which is tied to the motor. At full motor speeds (e.g. driving), the alternator spins quickly, cooling quickly, and all is fine. But at lower motor speeds (e.g. idling, long traffic, etc.), the alternator spins slowly and with a heavy amp draw could quickly overheat. There is a good video circulating about that problem.
I suppose one last thought would be the shore power … putting a fuse/breaker on it where it enters the vehicle and having a shut-off within 10 feet of where it enters the vehicle are both good safety measures. One could rely on the external fuse and simply unplugging it if there is an issue, I guess, but I’d like the additional safety. My thought was to have the shore power connect under the vehicle very close to the cab and have the entire alternator setup be in roughly that same spot. So all the power stuff is directly behind the driver’s seat. Which also makes it accessible in the van and keeps the weight forward on the drive wheels (as little as the entire setup might be - 75-ish pounds).
LAST - I think your graphic is key and if tested and any issues/concerns addressed, should be a key sticky for this site and all the van build sites.
(EDIT: Sorry to add, noticed a 40 amp breaker on the alternator side. If the Bluetti can pull 500 watts and so your inverter should be at least 500 watts, wouldn’t 40 amp be low? If it is 500 watts output after conversion loss (15%?), that is 590 watts going into the inverter - 590 at 12 volts would be 49.2 amps.).
The alternator thing. My setup is for redundancy and safety. I also have a 150A alternator, A 60A ANL fuse between the battery post and the cutoff switch. From the cut-off switch to the isolator (I have the same one). From the isolator to a 40A DC-DC charger which goes to a 200AH LIP battery. From the 200AH battery I will have a DC voltage converter that will send 15A at 24V to the Bluetti AC200 MAX Fused of course. The reason for the separate battery (which can be 100A as well) is that I feel it is safer that way than having the charge go directly to the Bluetti. Also, with the AC200 Max, I can use the D050S battery charging enhancer to supply the inter-battery charging. My solar is coming from two CIGS 150W panels installed on the top of my truck shell.
