Hello I’m getting the new charger 1.
2014 Ford E350 Self converted camper van
Bluetti Ac200 P
200x2 watts solar panels
I want to be able to connect to the Charger 1 and the solar at the same time. Do I need an aviator to MC 4 Cable ? Or a split MC4 cable? What’s the best way. Thanks
@Paulabow Sorry, Charger 1 does not support PV input. When charging, you can only choose one: either connect the solar panel for PV charging or connect Charger 1 for car charging.
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Thanks but doesn’t it use the aviation chord? It’s plugging in like shore power, right?
The Charger 1 is designed for getting a steady 12V or 24V DC Source. Its very different to a charging controller that take a wide input range
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Aviation port is no needed; the installation process only requires connecting the MC4 port.
I want the ability to switch between the charger 1 and solar as needed without unplugging the solar cable. We are going to unplug the charger 1 and the solar with the xt90
Hi @Paulabow
If you wanna use the both sources independently from each other, this could work. You could connect the solarpanels to the PV Input via MC4 XT90 Adapter as usual and connect the Charger 1 to the “AC” Input of the AC200P.
The AC Input is a DC Input in reality, it just called that, because you normally connect a AC Charger there. Have a look at the original AC Charger and search for the voltage its provide. Mostly on the underside of the adapter. Set the same voltage as output on your charger 1 and you ready to go.
@BLUETTI Just to be 100% sure. Can this work?
greetings
Erik
You will need to unplug it if you want solar charging.
Or you can choose to add another MC4-XT90 cable.
Charger1 is always connected to the MC4-XT90 and the other MC4-XT90 to the solar panel. Unplug the XT90 when solar chaging.
Can you use the BLUETTI D050S at the same time as the BLUETTI Charger 1 for both solar and alternator charging without unplugging anything? (AC200Max)
This is what I use so I never have to plug the solar cables and Charger 1 cable ever: You can connect the Charger 1 and solar at the same time to your unit using a MC4 splitter, however once you start you vehicle the Charger 1 will charge your unit and your solar will be disregarded until the vehicle is off then solar will kick in.
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@BLUETTI_CARE would this cable work, or do you have to unplug solar when the car is started and the Charger 1 is working?
MOSTLY NO… You’ll damage the solar panel.
Say you have a Bluetti PV350 operating at 38V/10A, and the Charger 1 operating at 56V/10A
When you connect two sources in parallel with different voltages, the higher-voltage source will force current backward into the lower-voltage source. In the example above, the Charger 1 running at 56V will try to push more current into the lower voltage PV350 panel, causing potential damage or worse, excessive heat into the y splitter and burn up/catch fire. It may work or seem to work perfectly fine, but you risk damaging your solar panel when the vehicle is running. The solar generator MPPT will reject anything over 10A and it will appear fine, but the process will generate a ton of heat on the panel which is bad. Additionally the Y splitter cable is passive, so it doesn’t regulate (like the MPPT controller on Bluetti AC200P does) anything meaning you risk backfeeding which again can cause the junction box on the panel to fail or other internal circuitry to “burn out”.
YES in the aspect of, you can use the y splitter cable to have a termination point where you can manually switch between the two. I own the same Y splitter cable in my Moonlander and I physically unplug the solar panel cable, then hook up the DC7909 barrel connector from my Bluetti T200S charger that car charges it while I’m driving at 200 watts, but I never have them both plugged in at the same time. The only time I will ever connect two sources into the same cable is when I’m pairing like/identical panels, such as my two Bluetti PV350s together.
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This is what I use so I never have to plug the solar cables and Charger 1 cable ever: You can connect the Charger 1 and solar at the same time to your unit using a MC4 splitter, however once you start you vehicle the Charger 1 will charge your unit and your solar will be disregarded until the vehicle is off then solar will kick in.
The Y splitter is passive which means it does not regulate the flow of electricity going into both sources. It just connects the wires together. Electricity flows from a higher voltage source to a lower voltage source. In the case of say a Bluetti PV350 vs Charger 1, the Charger 1 (56V) will try to force current backward into the lower voltage PV350 (36V). The only thing protecting the panel is a blocking diode to prevent backflow. The solar generator meanwhile regulates what it sees and you are none the wiser. Everything on the Bluetti app appears fine.
Think about the flow of electricity like water flow. Both devices output a current of 10 amps, what’s the big deal? Your household sink can output 1 gallon of water per minute, but so can a fire hydrant. I can get to 1 GPM MUCH faster. Voltage is water pressure. Amperage or current is how much water is flowing. So its not so much how much gets delivered in the end, its HOW fast. Solar panel cannot keep up and would get damaged unless some blocking diode steps in to prevent the flow, but it could eventually wear down and fail which would kill the panel eventually. Another way to look at it would be like a parent vs their toddler. The parent could walk at any pace the toddler could, but the toddler exerts a lot of energy at a certain pace, it would eventually tire and burn out if you pushed them too long for too far.
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Hi @gjenkins19, You may purchase this Y splitter cable, but please do not connect two DC power sources simultaneously, namely the solar panel or Charger 1. That’s right, you need to unplug the solar panel when using the car charger.
Thanks to @sealy1986 for the detailed explanation. Since the DC input range is limited, the superposition of two-way inputs will damage the machine.
Hello, @BLUETTI_CARE
Thank you for the reply. I wanted an official statement, because I knew it is a bad idea.
PS. I think this feature would be widely used. A simple automatic switch that would select the Charger 1 whenever it is running, otherwise the solar.
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Hi @gjenkins19, Thank you for getting back to us so quickly.
Your suggestion is very meaningful and appears highly practical. We have forwarded it to the R&D department for them to conduct a feasibility analysis. Thank you for sharing your valuable input!