The voltage has to be very close to 58.5. The 8.2 amps x the input voltage is the approx wattage input to the AC200
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Hi, really cool ideas!!! I tried your inverter solution and the charger shuts down (apparently it’s a voltage drop)…
Alternator 180amp
Invertor 1000w continious/2000w surge
Distance from battery to inverter 1m 16mm2 cable
I cannot. understand where the problem comes from… any ideas?
This afternoon i will check if the inverter input and outputs are steady.
I am assuming you are trying to charge an AC200 series with the included AC charging brick powered by a DC to AC inverter in your vehicle.
I would first check the input voltage to the inverter under the load to insure that you have at least 12 volts with the load. Second check the output voltage of the inverter under load and make sure it matches up with the input specs of the charging brick of the AC200
If you are saying you cable form the battery to the inverter is 1 meter and the cables are 16mm in thickness, that should be way more then sufficient to carry the needed amps from battery to converter. The AC power brick is going to pull around 500 watts of AC load so a 1,000 watt inverter should be sufficient. Not sure what you mean by charger shutting down. I would also try the inverter on another load of around 500 watts and also 1,000 watts just to test the inverter / installation.
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Drive for about 15 miles and then try to start it up. Low voltage alarm came on my inverter the first time i tried to boot it up because the cars battery voltage was low
It sounds like the size of your wire feeding your inverter may be too small as well.
Now thinking about this again…
With these dc-dc converters, is there an easy way to prevent it draining the battery when the engine is not working.
I was thinking of adding it under the hood of my van, but can’t see an easy way to prevent it draining the battery. Is there something you can fit so it recognizes the higher voltage from the alternator when the engine is running and turn on?
You can add a relay switch to turn it on and off or you could wire the same switch to be triggered to the ignition on switch so it only operates when the key is on
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but trying to get my head around it.
I think I can find a power source that’s only powering when the engine is running. But, I believe it’s a 10a output. So, in theory, I can buy a 12vto24v 10a converter and get 240W charging. or a 12-48V 10a converter and get 480w. Is that correcct?
I’m planning on wiring it into the Bluetti DS050S charger. I just need an XT90 connecter straight into the bluetti from the converter?
You won’t get any more than the 10 amps at 12 volts or about 120 watts. When you double the voltage it take double the amps so you would need over 20 amps for the 24 volt and 40 plus amps for the 48 volts
Ah.
I’m now a bit confused tbh, take for an example 12-48v converter that’s 10a.
It would be pulling in 40a from the 12v source? I thought the amps would stay the same and I’d get the 10amps @ 12v being drawn and then 10amps @ 48V (minus any losses) output?
Nope. If you input 120 watts (10 amps x 12 volts) you can only output 120 watts less any conversion losses. If it were possible to input those same 10 amps and convert the 12 volts to 48 volts output, that would be turning 120 watts into 480 watts of power. It is impossible to get more output than you input. If you could, you could generate unlimited power from nothing and have free unlimited energy and electric cars would have unlimited range. The simplest way to understand is to think only in terms of watts. Voltage is the pressure and amperage is the volume. Watts = volts X amps
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Thanks Scott. That makes sense.
So it will try to pull 40a from the 12v 10a source and blow the fuse. Looks like I’m stuck with 120w then. Or learn some more about vehicle electrics !
Below is a post from the past discussing some additional fast charging methods
What is the best settings for Orion 12/25 10A and AC200P? Power Supply or Charger Mode, What Battery Mode (Lifepo4 or other)? The Detection for Running Engine is only available in Charger Mode :-/
Correct. This situation works only if you connect directly to the battery with short, thick wires and the vehicle having sufficient excess alternator capacity of around 100 amps so the alternator is not operating at full load
I don’t understand the question based on the information provided
In the Victron Connect App i have two option: Charger Mode oder Power Supply.
What is the best Mode for load the AC200P over the motor engine (alternator)?
12.8 would be what I would suggest for the engine shut down detect voltage.
Ok. This seems to be exactly what I was looking for. A friend of mine has a Bluetti that she uses in her converted skoolie for an evening power source. She generally travels 3-4 hours a day and charging over the cigarette lighter is not fast enough at 100w or so. If I were to attempt this as described by the thread starter I have some questions:
- Is the converter connected directly to the battery (always on)?
- Is the specified converter water-proof enough to mount in engine bay?
It seems relatively easy to mount the converter very close to battery with stand off tubes as well as attaching the fan for cooling. I am basically a hobbyist but this seems fairly straightforward (famous last words). My concern would be how to make this only draw when the engine is running. My friend is a bit absent minded and I have no doubt she will forget to manually switch off and drain the battery multiple times a week.
Thoughts? Am I over simplifying this?
Attach the converter to the battery but add a control line to the “ACC” signal so the converter can only power on with the engine running or in accessory mode.