I've been doing some extensive research on the available options for a portable power pack / solar generator (whichever you prefer to call it) and the option of building it myself. I'm looking for something close to 100AH of available power and that comes with a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) battery.
Based upon my research, the only unit that comes close to this is the Renogy Lycan, but I've read reviews that the fan is extremely loud and the inverter puts out very low amounts (600w continuous, 1200w peak). I looked at others such as the Goal Zero Yeti Lithium or the Inergy Kodiak, but they use Li-Ion NMC batteries which aren't as efficient as LiFePo4 batteries. This has led me to wanting to build my own Portable Power Pack / Solar Generator. My plan is to buy the individual components and then house them in a Pelican Case. Before I go down this path, I wanted to see what others thoughts are on my proposed setup. Here's what I'm considering:
BATTERY
I'm undecided on whether I go with the Battle Born 100AH LiFePo4 12V battery or the K2 Energy Pro Series 111AH battery. The K2 is more expensive, but I was told that Battle Born uses Chinese parts and assembles the battery in the US whereas K2 uses purely American Made parts.
Battle Born - https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/
K2 Energy - https://k2battery.com/product/k2-auxiliary-battery-12-8v-111ah/
AC CHARGER
I came across the Progressive Dynamics 45A LiFePo4 battery charger on the Battle Born website. This should fully charge the 100AH battery in 2.2 hours. From what I've read these are great chargers.
https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/progressive-dynamics-45-amp-lifepo4-battery-charger/
PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER
I'm not sure which one of these I'll go with, but 1500w continuous should be good for my needs. I'm more concerned with space and the ability to remotely switch the inverter on/off (this way I can mount a switch on the case and not constantly draw power to the inverter). Looking for any suggestions on this.
MPPT SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
I have a 100W Renogy Eclipse Solar Panel mounted on my vehicle's roof that is currently fed to a Zamp Solar 15A Solar Charge Controller that is mounted under the hood. This is used to keep my Odyssey 31-PC2150 battery topped off (I run a Dometic Fridge/Freezer). My plans are to install a switch between the panel and the charge controllers so that I can direct the solar energy towards the main battery or a port in the rear that I can use to connect this portable kit to. I'm planning on putting an MPPT controller in because it's more efficient than PWM. I'll also probably want to add another panel (mobile/foldable style) and then link the panels in series.
I'm considering the BlueSolar MPPT 100/30 - https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/bluesolar-mppt-10030/
DC CHARGING
I'd like the option to charge the power pack via a 12V connection in my vehicle. This way I can recharge it while driving. I could use something like a DC-DC Charger to keep the portable power generator charged while driving, but I've also thought about converting DC to AC via an inverter and then charging it through the AC Charging port (using the AC Charger mentioned above). Not sure which option is better/cost effective. Looking for inputs here.
MISC ITEMS
There are other various items that I'll need to get to complete this (Display, Fuses, Bus Bar, Cable, etc.) I haven't figured out which display I'm going to use to monitor voltage/amperage/wattage (open to suggestions). As far as the other items, I'll end up using Blue Sea components and Ancor Marine wire (have a lot of these items left over from an extensive wiring job I did under the hood of my FJ).
Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions on this. Appreciate the help and looking forward to this build!
Based upon my research, the only unit that comes close to this is the Renogy Lycan, but I've read reviews that the fan is extremely loud and the inverter puts out very low amounts (600w continuous, 1200w peak). I looked at others such as the Goal Zero Yeti Lithium or the Inergy Kodiak, but they use Li-Ion NMC batteries which aren't as efficient as LiFePo4 batteries. This has led me to wanting to build my own Portable Power Pack / Solar Generator. My plan is to buy the individual components and then house them in a Pelican Case. Before I go down this path, I wanted to see what others thoughts are on my proposed setup. Here's what I'm considering:
BATTERY
I'm undecided on whether I go with the Battle Born 100AH LiFePo4 12V battery or the K2 Energy Pro Series 111AH battery. The K2 is more expensive, but I was told that Battle Born uses Chinese parts and assembles the battery in the US whereas K2 uses purely American Made parts.
Battle Born - https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/
K2 Energy - https://k2battery.com/product/k2-auxiliary-battery-12-8v-111ah/
AC CHARGER
I came across the Progressive Dynamics 45A LiFePo4 battery charger on the Battle Born website. This should fully charge the 100AH battery in 2.2 hours. From what I've read these are great chargers.
https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/progressive-dynamics-45-amp-lifepo4-battery-charger/
PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER
I'm not sure which one of these I'll go with, but 1500w continuous should be good for my needs. I'm more concerned with space and the ability to remotely switch the inverter on/off (this way I can mount a switch on the case and not constantly draw power to the inverter). Looking for any suggestions on this.
MPPT SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
I have a 100W Renogy Eclipse Solar Panel mounted on my vehicle's roof that is currently fed to a Zamp Solar 15A Solar Charge Controller that is mounted under the hood. This is used to keep my Odyssey 31-PC2150 battery topped off (I run a Dometic Fridge/Freezer). My plans are to install a switch between the panel and the charge controllers so that I can direct the solar energy towards the main battery or a port in the rear that I can use to connect this portable kit to. I'm planning on putting an MPPT controller in because it's more efficient than PWM. I'll also probably want to add another panel (mobile/foldable style) and then link the panels in series.
I'm considering the BlueSolar MPPT 100/30 - https://battlebornbatteries.com/shop/bluesolar-mppt-10030/
DC CHARGING
I'd like the option to charge the power pack via a 12V connection in my vehicle. This way I can recharge it while driving. I could use something like a DC-DC Charger to keep the portable power generator charged while driving, but I've also thought about converting DC to AC via an inverter and then charging it through the AC Charging port (using the AC Charger mentioned above). Not sure which option is better/cost effective. Looking for inputs here.
MISC ITEMS
There are other various items that I'll need to get to complete this (Display, Fuses, Bus Bar, Cable, etc.) I haven't figured out which display I'm going to use to monitor voltage/amperage/wattage (open to suggestions). As far as the other items, I'll end up using Blue Sea components and Ancor Marine wire (have a lot of these items left over from an extensive wiring job I did under the hood of my FJ).
Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions on this. Appreciate the help and looking forward to this build!