Parking Battery-Power Station, 3X capacity and 3X cheaper than dedicated options + extra functionality

[TonyM]

That’s a nice temp range! The EcoFlow tops out at 45c, your is 55c.

If I'm reading the manual correctly, the temperature range might be -10C to 40C for discharging the PS, and 0c to 55C for charging the PS?

However the manual is not entirely consistent within itself and mentions ranges of 23F-122F, 0C-131F and 14F-104F. I think the important thing is that it monitors the temperatures and has protections in place.

 

[EricSan]

I thought the temp protections of the EcoFlow would protect my River2 as well, but I was wrong. It all depends on precisely WHERE the temp probe is located. With EcoFlow, the temp probe is in the battery array (I opened it up to look). It is not attached to the circuity that regulates the 5v USB power supply. The USB output voltage regulator will generate thermal rise above the ambient temp while it operates. My guess is that the temp sensor in the battery array was at or below the thermal protection cutoff point so it didn't shut down the unit, but the elevated heat of the output regulator was above it's safe operating area and it fried.

That's a curious set of temperature ranges for your power station. I would typically assume that the charging temp range would be more narrow and the discharge temp range would be wider. Since the temp range is identical for charging and discharging, it makes sense that charging is reserved for positive temps.

 

[TonyM]

It appears that my CTECHi GT200 is a very inefficient power station 🙁 It's stated capacity is 320Wh. I have measured a full charge twice, at 322Wh and 329Wh.

However on a full discharge I'm only getting 160-170Wh.

My first discharge test was to an almost constant power device - from the USB-C PD port directly to a 5V USB desktop fan (5.1V, 0.65A).

My second test was with the A139 and the HK3-C, as it would be set up in the car. So 15V from the USB-C port converted to 5V by the hardwire kit. Both tests yielded 160-170Wh.

I bought this PS a few years ago as a camping accessory and now I'm trying to get some more use out of it, rather than have it sit in the garage for most for the year. It's a cheaper option than buying a new PS for parking mode. It should give approx 48 hours run time with my A139 which is enough for a working week.

I have a much smaller 185Wh powerbank that I ran a discharge test on and it also delivered 160Wh. I have not yet checked whether it can function as a set-and-forget parking battery. If it does, I'll return here with an update.

 

[EricSan]

Bummer! I guess you are dealing with depleted battery capacity at this point if it’s been sitting around for an extended period of time. 50% seems quite low just as an “efficiency” measurement. The EcoFlow units say that they need to be charged to at least 60% every 4-6 months or you lose the warranty coverage.

 

[TonyM]

I guess you are dealing with depleted battery capacity at this point if it’s been sitting around for an extended period of time.

I bought it in Jan 2023 for use as a portable power supply for astrophotography & camping. It's been used perhaps 3 times a year and normally stored after a full charge. Maybe that's not enough to keep it in good condition. TBH I did not check the capacity when I bought it. Wish I had.

 

[Nigel]

and normally stored after a full charge.

That is not good for a lithium battery, if you are not going to use it for a while, store all lithium batteries at 50% charge, never empty or they die, and not full as they lose capacity.

Not sure that is what the issue is though. Where is all the power going? Does it get hot when charging/discharging? If you put power in. it has to go somewhere...

Good lithium cells should not get hot when charging/discharging at normal currents, the charger electronics may get hot, but the cells shouldn't.

 

[TonyM]

Not sure that is what the issue is though. Where is all the power going? Does it get hot when charging/discharging? If you put power in. it has to go somewhere...

I wondered about that. It doesn't get warm at all. Although the metal shell probably dissipates heat very well.

if you are not going to use it for a while, store all lithium batteries at 50% charge, never empty or they die, and not full as they lose capacity.

There were no instructions on how to store the device

 

[Nigel]

I wondered about that. It doesn't get warm at all. Although the metal shell probably dissipates heat very well.

Maybe it is powering up the AC inverter and wasting it?

Given that you can put about the right amount of power in, I imagine the battery cell capacity is still close to what the specification says, so the power is being wasted somewhere.

I doubt that you are measuring it wrong, since you have measured the output in two very different setups.

I'd be tempted to disable the inverter if I didn't want to use it!

There were no instructions on how to store the device

It's the same for all lithium batteries, don't store them above 80% or below 20%, 50% is ideal for long term storage.

 

[TonyM]

Maybe it is powering up the AC inverter and wasting it?

Given that you can put about the right amount of power in, I imagine the battery cell capacity is still close to what the specification says, so the power is being wasted somewhere.

I doubt that you are measuring it wrong, since you have measured the output in two very different setups.

I'd be tempted to disable the inverter if I didn't want to use it!

I'd have to press a button to enable AC output, so I doubt that's it.

I've even measured with 2No USB meters in series to rule out measurement error.

I can try the 12V output rather than USB just for capacity verification, although that won't work for the parking battery setup.

 

[TonyM]

I moved my battery setup to the car. My driveway test (not driving) shows an issue with my choice of ACC signal. Every time the camera exits parking mode, it goes to normal recording then immediately back to parking mode for a second then back to normal.

I've spliced the yellow ACC cable of the HW kit to the positive line from the CLA-to-12V adapter that I'm using to charge the PS. I suspect there is a momentary drop in voltage on the car side shortly after I switch on the accessory socket. I've tested that adapter on my bench setup and it worked OK, so the only change is moving it to the car 12V socket.

So I think I need a more reliable ACC trigger. Maybe I will have to go into the fuse box after all.

 

[TonyM]

I moved my battery setup to the car. My driveway test (not driving) shows an issue with my choice of ACC signal. Every time the camera exits parking mode, it goes to normal recording then immediately back to parking mode for a second then back to normal.

I've spliced the yellow ACC cable of the HW kit to the positive line from the CLA-to-12V adapter that I'm using to charge the PS. I suspect there is a momentary drop in voltage on the car side shortly after I switch on the accessory socket. I've tested that adapter on my bench setup and it worked OK, so the only change is moving it to the car 12V socket.

So I think I need a more reliable ACC trigger. Maybe I will have to go into the fuse box after all.

I fixed the problem by simplifying the connection. I cut the end off the CLA power cable supplied with the power station and used that for the 12V +/- and ACC. Now everything seems to be working, at least during ignition on/off testing on the driveway.

Thanks for the inspiration and support in this thread. I feel like I'm almost there with this setup.

 

[EricSan]

Awesome to hear that you’ve solved it! Bonus that working with the CLA wire skips the needs for a fuse tap. It seems this behavior varies widely from car to car. My son’s CLA stayed live 100% of the time, though it wasn’t capable of very much output current with the engine off. The current would fluctuate up and down rather than holding steady.

 

[GPak]

I fixed the problem by simplifying the connection. I cut the end off the CLA power cable supplied with the power station and used that for the 12V +/- and ACC. Now everything seems to be working, at least during ignition on/off testing on the driveway.

Thanks for the inspiration and support in this thread. I feel like I'm almost there with this setup.

Sorry, I am not quite clear what you mean by "I fixed the problem by simplifying the connection".
I assume you chose a more reliable ACC source, perhaps in the fuse box, as you mentioned earlier, right?
In any case, I'm glad it worked.

 

[TonyM]

Sorry, I am not quite clear what you mean by "I fixed the problem by simplifying the connection".
I assume you chose a more reliable ACC source, perhaps in the fuse box, as you mentioned earlier, right?

The simple connection is:
- Original PS 12V charging cable plugged into the car's accessory socket, with the 7.9x0.9 plug removed. Pos + neg connected to the 12V input on the power station, re-using the original plug. ACC cable spliced onto the positive cable.
- USB-C PD to 15V cable from PS to HK3-C
- Not using the fuse box at all

The previous setup was:
- 45W USB-C PD adapter in car's accessory socket https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B0C3LVWHLK
- USB-C PD to 12V cable from the adapter to the power station, with ACC spliced onto the positive cable
- USB-C PD to 15V cable from PS to HK3-C

I think the direct "non-smart" charging cable is better for immediate and constant power, whereas the 45W USB-C PD adapter output fluctuates as it negotiates with the attached devices. The HW kit sensed the drop on the ACC line and switched back and forth between normal and parking modes.

The only downside is this setup occupies the only CLA socket in my car. If I want USB power sockets for passengers or other devices I'll have to add them separately.

 

[GPak]

Thanks @TonyM
I had the impression that this (the diagram above) was your original setup.

As for the CLA socket, many cigarette lighter splitters are available in different shapes and types.

 

[EricSan]

Do watch the amperage rating on any CLA splitters that you buy. Many are only rated for 3 amps which is not enough for battery charging.

 

[TonyM]

Do watch the amperage rating on any CLA splitters that you buy. Many are only rated for 3 amps which is not enough for battery charging.

Thanks for the advice. I don't drive much so I will be charging indoors no matter what current I can draw in the car.

 

[Shiwarrior]

the river 2 has an update (Wi-Fi stability issues)

 

[GPak]

I think my R2 was updated automatically.
it shows:
V0.1.0.0
V2.1.5.74(Wi-Fi)
The version is up to date

 

[GPak]

I received my Ecoflow Rever 3 Plus a couple of days ago and did some preliminary testing.

I tested the new port memory setting in the App and yes, if the 12VDC port is enabled, with port memory enabled it will turn 12VDC On the next time the R3 is turned On.
There is one caveat though: when the 12VDC port is enabled, the R3+ will not timeout if configured to timeout.
However, the R3 App does have a new feature - a 'power switch' that turns off the R3 when needed, which alleviates the timeout issue somewhat (very useful for turning off the R3 and dash cam(s) in a garage where parking recording is not needed).

The R3+ is exactly the same height and about the same length and width as the R2 with the handle (the regular R3 is noticeably smaller)

I would prefer and recommend the R3 over the R2 because of the smaller size, the port status memory (allows for another wiring option), and especially for the ability to turn it Off from the App.

Otherwise, the performance of R3 and R2 is basically the same.