Is there a preferred way to connect a portable or foldable solar panel to an EB3A? I’m still waiting for everything to arrive, and I’m new to all this, but does the type of connection affect how fast a power station charges? I think I’ll be using a dc5521 to 8mm adapter. I’ve seen mc4, Anderson, etc…
I am thinking the most important thing would be the wire gauge. The EB3A will limit the solar source to 8.5 max anyway so the DC5521 adaptor will be the limiting factor.
Voltage is critical too. Do not wire the panels in series where it will go over 28VDC , It can blow the EB3A and brick it.
To get the max of 200W input charge you need a weird voltage/amp panel combo. You need higher voltage like 24V say at 8.5amp max to achieve closest to the 200w level. i think Bluetti SP200 portable solar panel comes closest to this ratio because the open voltage at 24 steps down to 20V/10amps. I have a fixed 200W ACOPOWER panel and i can get max 135W out of it at full sunlight above because i think the working voltage steps down to 17V. I will be adding a 50W panel in parallel to see if the extra amp boost will get me closer to 200W.
I ended getting two 100w, probably generic, 18v panels from Amazon because of a 50% off promo, which is now over. I’m not sure if I’ll keep these, but will connecting two via dc5521 Y cable work well with the EB3A?
Links for reference:
Diffith 100W Portable Solar Panel Kit for Power Station, Foldable Charger with Adjustable Kickstand Jackery/ ECOFLOW/ Flashfish/ ROCKPALS, RV Laptops Generator Van Camping Off-Grid, Diff-100W https://a.co/d/aBWIWcg
Y cable:
Solar Connectors DC Y Splitter Cable, Flashfish 1 Male to Dual Female 5.5mm x 2.1mm DC Extension Wire, Connects 2 Solar Panels (Total 200W Max) https://a.co/d/ffmb6cX
Those panels are pretty leery only producing 60w max for a 100w panel but as you state they are cheap.
So if you parallel them you may get some decent wattage to charge the EB3A. As for the adaptor, the specs state max 12amps so you should be fine.
Thank you for double checking. I’ll probably end up returning them.
yeah i would pick up some decent 100w panels and run them in parallel with MC4 connectors. Get a parallel MC4 to 8mm adaptor.
Pay attention to the max working voltage as the amps will fall in line when dealing with the odd EB3A solar input specs. I believe the EB3A has a MPPT controller so it should convert the higher voltage into usable amps and if getting two, it is recommended to get the same exact panels as the characteristics will match. You don’t want one panel pulling down the voltage from the other panel.
From what i have seen, the USB portion of the panels are pointless, i don’t think anyone uses them and they are found I think in the cheaper branded panels. Decent panels only have MC4 connectors.
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You will never get close to 200 watts no matter the combination. The 8.5 amp input limit will allow a real world input max of around 165 watts. The voltage input limit also does not let you connect two panels in series to raise the voltage to a point the will allow 200 watts at 8.5 amps. You would need a panel that is outputting 24 volts under full load to see the 200 watts and the panels will not do this. They drop to below 20 volts when under full load which is the determining factor in the 165 watt limit. If you could find a panel that would under full load output 24 to29 volts then you would see better results.
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Thank you. Besides Bluetti’s panels, are there any other more budget friendly alternatives you can recommend?
Tombox, I just received the BougeRV 130W 12V Mono Foldable Solar Panel (Lightweight and Portable) https://www.bougerv.com/collections/solar-panels/products/130w-mono-foldable-solar-panel, and really like them over the fabric folding ones. I ordered another so that I can put them in parallel with my EB3A. The panel already comes with the mc4 connector to 8mm DC7909 which plugs into the EB3A. It’s aluminum structure and not the fabric stuff and weighs 13 1/2 pounds compared to about a pound lighter on the others. Personally I hate the velcro legs on the fabric ones and much prefer the solid ones on this BougeRV. They do still have a 12% off code for the $219 panel.
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Looks good. Thank you.
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So I’ll be connecting my eb3a with those two 100w solar panels via dc5521. Is there a correct way to disconnect those solar panels to the eb3a? Am I supposed to wait until the solar panels don’t generate anymore, like during the evening? I was reading something from Reddit where a guy disconnected a live wire and somehow messed up his solar panels. Is there a “safe” way to disconnect these solar panels from a power station?
Tom, I saw that post but found it an odd thing. Once my station is charged to 100%, I just remove the 8mm cable from the EB3A and all is well. Oh, and to use the solar panels, you’ll use the 8mm cable that comes with the panel to plug into the station, the other end is MC4 which attach to your extension cable or directly to the panel, depending on how you set it up.
I think I’ll end up returning those 100w panels, but I’d still like to test them out with the EB3A . Thanks again for the recommendation. So just to be clear, it should be perfectly safe to disconnect those 5521 solar panels from my EB3A midcharge?
I’m a novice at this, Tom, so can only share what I’ve done and seen. But for all the hundreds of YouTube videos I’ve watched, these folks are constantly plugging and unplugging the solar input on their stations during their reviews and testing while the units aren’t at 100%. Good luck in whatever panels you decide to buy or keep.
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There is no harm disconnecting the panel anytime. The unit will just stop charging as no input is detected.
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Thank you. New to all this, so your info helped me learn.