I have had great success so far with the MultiCooler running from the B70 battery. However, my attempts to solar charge the B70 whilst fitted into the cooler have so far failed. I’m hopeful that someone can tell me the correct method to get it working if I have done something wrong.
I connected 2 X PV120 panels in Parallel to keep within the OCV range. The fridge display came on and showed the battery icon on screen, and the app showed that the battery was charging with around 21 to 23 volts input. The starting SoC was 15%. After an hour it had not moved from 15%, so I waited another hour but still no additional charge and the battery remained on 15%.
I put my inline meter in to see what might be happening. There was the same amount of volts indicated in the app, but the B70 appeared to be drawing no amps, and therefore there was 0 watts of input according to the meter.
I then tried the panels on another power station and they were working fine, so the issue must have been with the fridge or B70 battery. I then connected the fridge to the AC adaptor and within minutes the SoC started increasing, so the B70 was fine with that input
I am baffled why it wouldn’t take any charge from the solar panels, as I’m sure I had everything correct. I even tried again with just 1 PV120, but that didn’t result in any input either. Has anyone been able to successfully charge the B70 from solar whilst inside the cooler who can perhaps tell me what I’m doing wrong please?
Note: I tried with the fridge not running and then again when it was. No difference. I don’t have the AC180T.
Hi @Erebus, Based on your description, the PV120 can charge other power stations but cannot charge the MultiCooler, while the MultiCooler can charge normally using the AC adapter. We suspect that the issue lies with the MultiCooler’s solar charging cable.
Please contact the seller to arrange for a replacement charging cable. This should resolve the problem.
@BLUETTI_CARE as always, thank you so much for your prompt response. I really hope that the solution is as simple as a replacement solar cable. I shall follow this up as soon as possible and update accordingly in due course.
@BLUETTI_CARE Unfortunately I have been advised that there are no replacement solar cables available currently, with no ETA, so if that is the reason for the B70 not taking any charge from solar when the B70 is inside the F045D, I have no way of testing with another cable.
I note on the Indiegogo page that someone else has reported the exact same issue. Is it possible it could be a fault with the B70’s BMS? I can connect to a 12v source and the B70 charges perfectly whilst inside the cooler, and as mentioned previously, AC charging also works. It is only solar input that appears to be the issue. I assume there is no possibility of updating the B70 firmware without an AC180T?
Hi @Erebus, We have reported this issue to the R&D department. Currently, without the AC180T, it’s indeed impossible to upgrade the B70 through the Multi-cooler.
Could you please try connecting the Multi-cooler and then log into the app or use a multimeter to test the PV input voltage? If there is voltage, it indicates that the cable is functioning properly.
We are also working on a solution for this matter. We will contact you again when we get an answer.
This was the reported voltage when connected to 2 X PV120 panels in Parallel in full winter sun. It varied between 21 and 24v but the battery capacity never increased.
Hi @Erebus, Based on the current situation, we believe that the Multi-cooler is indeed malfunctioning, which is causing the inability to charge via solar power. We recommend that you contact the seller for a return and repair. Their email address is crowdfunding@bluetti.com.
I appreciate your kind understanding and patience.
@BLUETTI_CARE Further to this, I have another query if I may? Will the forthcoming B70 Stand/Charger have solar charging input? If so, then this would negate the need for me to solar charge through the F045D.
Hi @Erebus, I appreciate your kind understanding and patience.
The B70 charger is still under development and is unlikely to be released in the short term. We’ve tried to gather more information about its function, but we haven’t received any specific updates yet, so we can’t provide a definite answer at this time.
We’d like to analyze the issue further. Could you record a video of the solar charging process, including the status of the solar panels and the Multi-Cooler? Please upload the video to a cloud service and share the link with us.
