This is only test run. If anyone use this method of charging please take precautions and use inline fuse. I will upload update video later in the future.
WHEN BUYING XT60I CONNECTORS ON AMAZON! Please check the description or reviews to see if center pin is connected to the negative. Most of xt60i connector including mine was listed as xt60i but center pin was not connected. But there are some out there!
I highly recommend fuses to prevent damage to your vehicle and wiring. The EcoFlo units with the Orange (not yellow) XT60i connectors charge at 8A with the i pin open or shorted to positive and 15A when shorted to negative. This can be confirmed with the XT60i car cable and MC4 cable.
Very clever. I am going to get the pecron car charger it can be used on any power station. It charges up to 500watts which is enough. You can lower it as well and its 142 bucks with the discount out the door. I would do this I just don't trust myself. Lol great video!!!
@@johnmal5975 yeah they are on backorder. Shipping sometime in August if they were ordered before July 15. If not they have no idea when they will be available again.
Thanks for the comment. As long as powerstation is rated for solar panel input I think it should work no problem. If your Pecron power station uses XT60 for solar input you don't need to buy xt60i connectors. and if it does use xt60i cable check if center pin is connected to the negative. Because my connector was listed as xt60i connector but it did not have connection between negative and center pin.
@@gunwiththewind On the pecron car charger they have mc4 connectors just like a solar panel has. So whatever you connect solar with normally you use as if you were using a solar panel.
Smart thinking. I've been looking to do something similar, except i have the Delta 2 and the River 2 Pro that only have one XT60i so i will need a 12-24 converter to make it work. I would advise checking the temperature of your alternater after charging for a while to make sure it doesn't overheat, it may reduce its lifespan.
My oe alternator was 80 amps. I upgraded to 140amps and only pulling 30 more amps from charging the battery. I haven’t checked the temperature but i think it should be fine. But i will take your word and check it before my next roadtrip next month
Guys!!! With so much power in a 12 volt car system you have to be careful with the thickness of the cable. With 400 watts and only 12v, the cable has to be a certain thickness depending on how long the cable is!! Please always use a cable thickness calculator from the internet!! Otherwise, if the cables are too thin, a cable fire will start!! And your car could burn down!!
Yes. I did use online calculator. Each cable transfers 200w to each port not 400w. I got two set of cables connected to ecoflow each port receiving 15amps. Calculation shows OFC 12gauge wire thickness. Ran test for couples weeks now everytime i drive. Wire temperature is barely over ambient temperature. On most newer cars, cigarette jack can roughly output 150w-200w and i know for sure those wires are not 12gauge.
Yes for final installation i did install inline fuse near the battery. After putting in wiring information into online calculator 12gauge was sufficient.
I would add an inline fuse to those lines for safety. Size the Fuse to the wire size. if the keep popping then you will need bigger wire for bigger fuses.
Good video. I already purchased the EcoFlow 800 charger, so I am behind the curve. I was wondering if you could show how you can daisy chain the ecoflow battery to another solar generator while being charged from your alternator. In other words, charge two solar generators at the same time. Thanks. I subscribed!!.
Thanks for subscribing to my channel. Currently ecoflow is my only powerstation. But if you want to charge two powerstation using same cable, i would splice into my current charging cable and put connector on it. Since xt60 is rated for 60 amps and i am only using 15, i dont see any problem doing it this way.
I'm concerned about the massive added draw you're pulling from that alternator if you're wanting to drive and charge at the same time, as that charging system is rated to handle the electrical demands of the trucks accessories like the A/C system, the defrost, lights, computers etc... Trying this on a newer vehicle with way more power demands can cause some serious damage to your cars electrical systems. I don't recommend doing this
Yes you are right. Many people don’t realize how much their alternators can handle before installing other accessories. My OE alternator was rated for 80amps and checked draw with clamp meter showing ~50amps, 60amps with everything on. In order for me to do this i did upgrade my alternator to 140amps ahead of time. Also i used manual isolator so i could charge my battery when i am not using other accessories.
No it did not. I will make another video of my install. xt60 is rated for 60 amps. I am only running 15amps on each connectors and my wires are full copper and thick enough for 60 amps.
I know you said an inverter has an efficiency problem but who cares if the truck is running. you can charge at 500w, 750w and so forth with an inverter. It's better than 400w
My old setup i had to install inverter in my cab and fan ran really loud and alternator I had i could only do 400-500watts on inverter anyways. If alternator can support bigger inverter i would have used inverter setup again. But point of this video is to do it cheap without purchasing other equipments.
This is my test run. Just to see if i am getting 30 amps between two lines. For the final installation i did use relay to isolate two batteries. I did not use automatic battery isolation because i want to turn it off when i am using other accessories. There are some that can be by passed using a switch but couldnt find the information about duration of the bypass.
Mmmmm im confused. Ive seem someone on here charge their ecoflow delta with the eco 800w charger from a battery with no alternator ,, so just a battery and still get 800w
Your cars alternator is controlled by ECU to produce amount of charge depending on the load you are putting in the system. If the load goes over the amount that alternator can produce you will probably blow fusible link between alternator and the battery to prevent your car from burning down or damaging electrical components. Without alternator you don’t have to worry about producing charge for your battery and your car burning down from overloading alternator. So it can run as long as battery has enough power and keep up the voltage. Most of the car starter battery can’t run 800w for long time without proper alternator because voltage will drop under 12v and ecoflow alternator charger will shut off. It makes more sense to use if you use deep cycle battery.
There are ways to run full 800w with small alternator but it will cost more money. 1. Buy auxiliary deep cycle battery. 2. Buy DC to DC charger to control the charge into auxiliary battery. But it will only work until your auxiliary battery has power. Since 800w 12v is 66amp and most of the deep cycle battery is 100amp. With 20amp dc to dc charger your system will work for about 2 hours or less while your car is on. Or Just lower the charging speed on ecoflow app according to what your alternator can produce. And at that point is alternator charger really worth it?
WHEN BUYING XT60I CONNECTORS ON AMAZON! Please check the description or reviews to see if center pin is connected to the negative. Most of xt60i connector including mine was listed as xt60i but center pin was not connected. But there are some out there!
Or connect it yourself when you put the connector on the wires.
I highly recommend fuses to prevent damage to your vehicle and wiring. The EcoFlo units with the Orange (not yellow) XT60i connectors charge at 8A with the i pin open or shorted to positive and 15A when shorted to negative. This can be confirmed with the XT60i car cable and MC4 cable.
Thank you for the comment! And yes i did add the inline fuse to my final installation.
Very clever. I am going to get the pecron car charger it can be used on any power station. It charges up to 500watts which is enough. You can lower it as well and its 142 bucks with the discount out the door. I would do this I just don't trust myself. Lol great video!!!
I'm having a hard time finding one.
@@NigelNaughton Go to their website.
@@johnmal5975 yeah they are on backorder. Shipping sometime in August if they were ordered before July 15. If not they have no idea when they will be available again.
Thanks for the comment. As long as powerstation is rated for solar panel input I think it should work no problem. If your Pecron power station uses XT60 for solar input you don't need to buy xt60i connectors. and if it does use xt60i cable check if center pin is connected to the negative. Because my connector was listed as xt60i connector but it did not have connection between negative and center pin.
@@gunwiththewind On the pecron car charger they have mc4 connectors just like a solar panel has. So whatever you connect solar with normally you use as if you were using a solar panel.
I had been thinking about this for weeks but you did it first! Great job, thanks for sharing
Thanks for your comment. I will try to upload update video sometime this week.
Smart thinking. I've been looking to do something similar, except i have the Delta 2 and the River 2 Pro that only have one XT60i so i will need a 12-24 converter to make it work. I would advise checking the temperature of your alternater after charging for a while to make sure it doesn't overheat, it may reduce its lifespan.
My oe alternator was 80 amps. I upgraded to 140amps and only pulling 30 more amps from charging the battery. I haven’t checked the temperature but i think it should be fine. But i will take your word and check it before my next roadtrip next month
Yep, and with a separate 12-24 on each input of the D2M we would see 800 watts total input/or same as the EF alternator charger.
This also makes using external 12V batteries for capacity expansion 2x as practical. Nice!
This is BRILLIANT my brother!!! Wowwwww BRILLIANT!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽SUBSCRIBED!
Thank you so much for your support!
Thx for this work around 💪🏽💪🏽
No problem!!
Man, great job!
Hey, thanks!
Guys!!! With so much power in a 12 volt car system you have to be careful with the thickness of the cable. With 400 watts and only 12v, the cable has to be a certain thickness depending on how long the cable is!! Please always use a cable thickness calculator from the internet!! Otherwise, if the cables are too thin, a cable fire will start!! And your car could burn down!!
Yes. I did use online calculator. Each cable transfers 200w to each port not 400w. I got two set of cables connected to ecoflow each port receiving 15amps. Calculation shows OFC 12gauge wire thickness. Ran test for couples weeks now everytime i drive. Wire temperature is barely over ambient temperature. On most newer cars, cigarette jack can roughly output 150w-200w and i know for sure those wires are not 12gauge.
I bet your heart stopped for a second after the screen turned off when you were checking if it worked.
Simple genius
probably want to oversize cables of that length. and as others have mentioned, fuse the hot nearest the power source for safety
Yes for final installation i did install inline fuse near the battery. After putting in wiring information into online calculator 12gauge was sufficient.
I would add an inline fuse to those lines for safety. Size the Fuse to the wire size. if the keep popping then you will need bigger wire for bigger fuses.
Thanks for the comment. I did use inline 80amp fuse for the final installation. Thank you
Subscriber #301 here. Thanks for the Ecoflow hack!
Thank you so much! I have it fully installed in my car now. I will try to make an update video this week. Thank you again.
Good video. I already purchased the EcoFlow 800 charger, so I am behind the curve. I was wondering if you could show how you can daisy chain the ecoflow battery to another solar generator while being charged from your alternator. In other words, charge two solar generators at the same time. Thanks. I subscribed!!.
Thanks for subscribing to my channel. Currently ecoflow is my only powerstation. But if you want to charge two powerstation using same cable, i would splice into my current charging cable and put connector on it. Since xt60 is rated for 60 amps and i am only using 15, i dont see any problem doing it this way.
I'm concerned about the massive added draw you're pulling from that alternator if you're wanting to drive and charge at the same time, as that charging system is rated to handle the electrical demands of the trucks accessories like the A/C system, the defrost, lights, computers etc... Trying this on a newer vehicle with way more power demands can cause some serious damage to your cars electrical systems. I don't recommend doing this
Yes you are right. Many people don’t realize how much their alternators can handle before installing other accessories.
My OE alternator was rated for 80amps and checked draw with clamp meter showing ~50amps, 60amps with everything on. In order for me to do this i did upgrade my alternator to 140amps ahead of time. Also i used manual isolator so i could charge my battery when i am not using other accessories.
👍
I would suggest watching Gadget John's experience with ecoflow in his van build before buying/ installing anything
Great idea. By any chance did either the cables or the converter emit sufficient heat to be concerned?
No it did not. I will make another video of my install. xt60 is rated for 60 amps. I am only running 15amps on each connectors and my wires are full copper and thick enough for 60 amps.
I know you said an inverter has an efficiency problem but who cares if the truck is running. you can charge at 500w, 750w and so forth with an inverter. It's better than 400w
My old setup i had to install inverter in my cab and fan ran really loud and alternator I had i could only do 400-500watts on inverter anyways. If alternator can support bigger inverter i would have used inverter setup again. But point of this video is to do it cheap without purchasing other equipments.
Outstanding! How can I make this work on a Delta pro?
I wonder if I can do this on my Anker?
I don't see why not. If Anker uses regular xt60 instead of xt60i then there is no need to modify the cable.
Hi can you explain why you didn’t use a battery isolated and then hook up the wires? I don’t really understand
This is my test run. Just to see if i am getting 30 amps between two lines. For the final installation i did use relay to isolate two batteries. I did not use automatic battery isolation because i want to turn it off when i am using other accessories. There are some that can be by passed using a switch but couldnt find the information about duration of the bypass.
Mmmmm im confused. Ive seem someone on here charge their ecoflow delta with the eco 800w charger from a battery with no alternator ,, so just a battery and still get 800w
Your cars alternator is controlled by ECU to produce amount of charge depending on the load you are putting in the system. If the load goes over the amount that alternator can produce you will probably blow fusible link between alternator and the battery to prevent your car from burning down or damaging electrical components.
Without alternator you don’t have to worry about producing charge for your battery and your car burning down from overloading alternator. So it can run as long as battery has enough power and keep up the voltage.
Most of the car starter battery can’t run 800w for long time without proper alternator because voltage will drop under 12v and ecoflow alternator charger will shut off. It makes more sense to use if you use deep cycle battery.
There are ways to run full 800w with small alternator but it will cost more money.
1. Buy auxiliary deep cycle battery.
2. Buy DC to DC charger to control the charge into auxiliary battery.
But it will only work until your auxiliary battery has power. Since 800w 12v is 66amp and most of the deep cycle battery is 100amp. With 20amp dc to dc charger your system will work for about 2 hours or less while your car is on.
Or
Just lower the charging speed on ecoflow app according to what your alternator can produce. And at that point is alternator charger really worth it?
What happens if you just connect one xt60i plug?
Since ecoflow limit each solar input at 15amps. I will only average around 200watts with single connector.
Considering that you use 2 cables, you only increased charge rate per cable from 12v 8A to 24v 8A
You should use 8awg wire. 12 is to small. Be carefull!
Maximum wire gauge thickness for xt60 cable is 10 gauge. After doing calculation 12gauge wire was sufficient for my install.
Umm charge it from your outlet at home, 120V. Come on now
Thats way too easy haha
What if you have a power outage?
Iota makes nice small chargers