We’ve had our Bluetti for 3+ years and it has been FLAWLESS!!! Now, I’d like to connect our Starlink Standard (not Mini) to our Bluetti AC200MAX. Starlink has a DC-DC unit that steps up 12v to the required 57v. I’ve already got the DC fridge running on 12v 30amp output and a CPAP running on the 12v 10amp cigarette lighter output. Can I run the Starlink on the 12v 3 amp output using the DC-DC unit from Starlink? Do I need to use the cigarette lighter instead (12v 10amp)?
@bluetti_mbelanger0502rogerscom
What is the power of the Starlink? If you have already purchased it, just plug it in and give it a try; it should work under not overload conditions. If it doesn’t work, I recommend buying a fuse box to connect to the RV port of the AC200M, which will allow you to support multiple loads simultaneously.
Hi @bluetti_mbelanger0502rogerscom
Which Starlink you have? Doesnt it have a AC plug?
I know the Starlink Mini draws about 100W and the big one nearly 3 times as much when i remember right.
I have a EP500Pro and using the Charger 1 on its 12V 30A outlet. Voltage is high and current is low on the output side, but on the Powerstation side, voltage is low and current very high.
Depending on the model, it could be really difficult to let it work.
greetings
Erik
Thank you Admin. I can buy a step up dc unit that brings my 12v up to 57v (which Starlink requires). Will it be “overload conditions” if the dc unit is 4.5 amps and the output on the bluetti is 3 amps from the DC5221? I’m thinking not, but just want to confirm. If that doesn’t work, I’ll research the fusebox idea - I didn’t realize that we could even do that! So… thank you
It does have an AC plug, but we’re off grid and want to reduce the load on the Bluetti. Starlink can go DC-DC to use 30-40% less watts. On AC we have observed that it draws about 70 watts when active. (It’s the standard one - not mini). I’m hoping Admin’s ideas work for us. Thanks for your feedback - every little bit helps.
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Sure, no problem. Good luck with you setup!
For the AC200MAX, you have a number of DC out. The following values are for the US version and they may vary elsewhere.
If using the Aviation plug, it’s 12v at 30A, so should be plenty, even if you step it up to 57v, you’ll get at least 6 amps.
There is also the Cig and DC5521 plugs that have 10A, but if stepped up to 57V, would only be about 2 amps at best.
If the Starlink pulls 57V at 4.5 amps, your only real option is the Aviation plug.
My suggestion is use the VAC power brick for Starlink and the inverter of the 200MAX. I have Starlink Mini, it will run from my AC70, AC180 or Elite 100 v2’s USB-C 100W outlet. Providing you use a 3-5M maximum cable length.
The reason for the higher voltage of the Larger Starlink antennas and even the Mini with the 15M (50’) cable is voltage drop over such a distance with the gauge cable provided.
I’ve just returned from a remote camping trip and noted the Mini draws an average of only 25W. It is therefore well suited to USB-C @ 5A and up to 20VDC. (My cable is the 5M variant).
Added to this, I had the mini flat on my Prado dashboard, powered by an AC70 USB-C PD and placed on the floor of the vehicle. Noted speed when driving was up to 165MB/S. That’s 3 times faster than my home fibre internet.
Thank you Mike. This is interesting to me. Right off the bat, I think that I should move my Starlink. I believe the reception would be as good, and I could reduce the cable between the Starlink and the modem to 7m. Does that make sense? I’ll try some of the solutions mentioned - I won’t be off grid again until next week - if I can’t get it using less than 70 watts on DC, I’ll invest in the Power Brick.
Wow. Thank you Richard. Sounds like you really understand this stuff THANK YOU. Can I run multiple things in the aviation plug? We currently have our DC fridge running on it. Admin mentioned a fuse box.
The Starlink DC-DC adapter is rated for 12 V 30 A input, which tells you it’s designed to pull a lot of current under certain conditions.
Realistically it pulls around 10 A of current on startup, after it will set at around 4-5 A steady with slight fluctuations during signal transmission phases.
In snow melt mode power draw can hit around 14.2 ampere, which is well over what a typical cigarette lighter port can handle safely.
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From a technical standpoint its internal DC/DC converter will run a startup procedure to detect input stability and it will fail to boot properly if voltage drop is detected during start-up. On Bluetti side the DC outputs are protected against overcurrent so it’s pretty much safe to try it if you’re not sure, as @BLUETTI recommended.
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Anyway, as already said, the AC200MAX 30A 12V aviation port it’s built for higher current and it’s recommended.
I have a generation 1 and using it daily from 5 years, it worked on many occasions with both the AC300 and AC200MAX 12 V rail without any problem.
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@bluetti_mbelanger0502rogerscom As I only have the Mini, my knowledge of other Starlink models is only garnered from Youtube & Google.
This logic applies to all these versions; Re Gen 2/3 the long cable from the Antenna to the WiFi Router, does 2 things, it routes the Data signal from the antenna to the Router. The external router is the device that is plugged into power, generally via a power brick with AC volts/amps. However, that power is also routed down the longer data cable to power the antenna.
With the mini, the power brick connects directly to the long cable which powers the antenna and the inbuilt router. The Mini has a separate data port on the rear of the antenna, for an external Router connection.
What is common to all versions, is the power via the 50’ (15M cable). This is why the power brick output voltage is 57VDC to provide for voltage drop.
The Mini I have will work from 20V - 5A USB-C PD (100W), but it recommends no more than 15’ (5M) of cable length. The biggest difference is the Mini has a far lower power consumption than the larger Gen 2/3 antennas and the Standard is higher again.
Googling Gen 2 - it draws 50-75W when in use and 20W at idle. Gen 3 draws 35-100W in use and 20W idle. Standard draws 50-75 in use and up to 100W when motors are active.
This means Gen 3 and Standard are at the limit of 100W USB-C PD (20V-5A). However, the new Bluetti Elite 100 V2 has a 140W PD output (28V - 5A), which should work with all variants of Starlink, providing the correct cable is used.
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Thank you for sharing your knowledge Mandeep. If I can’t get it going, I will consider buying an additional, small(ish) Bluetti. I head up tomorrow, so I’ll have an update shortly I hope.
SUCCESS Standar Starlink with gen 3 Router on AC200Max. I am in Canada and cannot buy Starlink’s own DC-DC unit, so I bought the following and have complete success using the 12v 10amp 5221DC output. We were drawing on average 75 watts using Starlink on AC and now are averaging 45 watts. Thank you for all your suggestions. I learned a lot from your responses
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