Goal Zero Yeti 400 Experiences?

[Doc Foster]

I used my Goal Zero Yeti 400 to supplement power to my ARB 50qt fridge. I usually had my fridge plugged into a standard plug in my truck when going down the road, but plugged the fridge into the 400 when out hiking during the day (often in 100+ degree desert sun) and often overnight when I forgot to unplug the fridge and recharge the 400. If performed flawlessly on a month long trip to CO, UT and NV. I recharged the 400 from a cigarette plug or overnight when I had shore power. ARB + Goal Zero provided a great combination for us.

 

[-ND4SPD-]

So I'm running into an issue and I'm hoping someone can maybe help me out here.

I got one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Foldab...5949840&sr=8-1&keywords=renogy+solar+suitcase

Without a charge controller to charge my Yeti 400. Without the charge controller, it comes with a short amount of bare wire, which looks to be either 14 or 16 AWG. I got these to give them an MC4 connection instead. I used ANCOR step down butt connectors to connect the two ends. The grape solar have 12 AWG bare wire at the end.

http://www.amazon.com/Grape-Solar-G...id=1435949921&sr=8-1&keywords=grape+solar+mc4

I then got the Goal Zero MC4 to 8mm adapter to connect to the new MC4 connections and then finally into the Yeti. I got this all wired up and put it into the sun, but the yeti is reading no input. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

I'm considering finding an electrician to take care of all the connections for me professionally maybe. I might just be doing this wrong.

Any advice would be helpful.

I'd love to know if you found a solution. I was looking at the Renogy solar suitcase the other day & like those solar panels much better then the Gaol Zero panels.

 

[fog cutter]

lacking extensive electrical skills and even at this juncture a clear need for the amount of technology i want to be burdened, i'm leaning towards a "plug 'n' play" system. is there a general consensus, whether for technology, endurance, or simply good customer support (located in the US), for either of these power blocks?

#1. Goal Zero 400
#2. Blue Sea
#3. ArkPak

i would prefer future additions be like manufactures for consistency.


thanks

 

[fog cutter]

oh; and the National Luna powerpack could go into the mix, too.

 

[Dannn]

So I'm running into an issue and I'm hoping someone can maybe help me out here.

I got one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Foldab...5949840&sr=8-1&keywords=renogy+solar+suitcase

Without a charge controller to charge my Yeti 400. Without the charge controller, it comes with a short amount of bare wire, which looks to be either 14 or 16 AWG. I got these to give them an MC4 connection instead. I used ANCOR step down butt connectors to connect the two ends. The grape solar have 12 AWG bare wire at the end.

http://www.amazon.com/Grape-Solar-G...id=1435949921&sr=8-1&keywords=grape+solar+mc4

I then got the Goal Zero MC4 to 8mm adapter to connect to the new MC4 connections and then finally into the Yeti. I got this all wired up and put it into the sun, but the yeti is reading no input. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

I'm considering finding an electrician to take care of all the connections for me professionally maybe. I might just be doing this wrong.

Any advice would be helpful.

Looks like you got the right stuff. Have you tried any other solar panel with the yeti?
I'm assuming the yeti charges fine with the AC power brick?
The panel looks to be within spec for the yeti charge controller so either you have a busted panel or the wiring is incorrect. Do you have a voltmeter to check the output of the panel?

 

[Dannn]

I can't speak for the other solutions you mentioned but Goal Zero is pretty much set up to be plug and play. Plugs and jacks are color coded and they do a good job of making sure you can't plug in things the wrong way. Some might not like goal zero because most of their plugs are a special unique size and hard to source from third parties, but if you buy everything from GZ you won't have any issues with compatibility and ease of use.

I've also only heard good stories about Goal Zero support which is in Utah. I haven't dealt with them personally but one of the reasons I went with GZ was because of their positive customer support stories.

lacking extensive electrical skills and even at this juncture a clear need for the amount of technology i want to be burdened, i'm leaning towards a "plug 'n' play" system. is there a general consensus, whether for technology, endurance, or simply good customer support (located in the US), for either of these power blocks?

#1. Goal Zero 400
#2. Blue Sea
#3. ArkPak

i would prefer future additions be like manufactures for consistency.


thanks

 

[fog cutter]

comforting to know; thanks.

i figure if "electronics" ever becomes a real interest/ hobby unto itself, i could always keep the original equipment as back up or sell it off.

 

[Dannn]

I just looked at the arkpak and it looks like you need to source your own battery and install it. This might be an advantage for some but it sounds like you need a ready to go solution.

comforting to know; thanks.

i figure if "electronics" ever becomes a real interest/ hobby unto itself, i could always keep the original equipment as back up or sell it off.

 

[Judoka]

Goal Zero is the easiest set up in my opinion. I have a Yetti 400 with 2 folding 20W panels, and also a 12 volt 8mm plug to charge from the truck while driving. I have NEVER run out of power. I have about every connector they make for the Yetti 400 too, so I use the alligator clips to run LED lights which turn camp into day and plug in the laptop for the kids to watch a movie, at the same time, and I have never been able to run it down. Solar power in the morning until I pack up, than back to 12 volt charge from truck and it starts over. The system is not cheap, but it is seamless and is adequate for anything I need. There is a lot to be said for ease of use, and it takes up little space for the entire system.

 

[fog cutter]

kudos to that. my OCD tendency is to go into things 200% more than necessary. this venture, i'm starting on the low end of need and seeing if in fact that isn't enough. there's always "more".

 

[snowblind]

kudos to that. my OCD tendency is to go into things 200% more than necessary. this venture, i'm starting on the low end of need and seeing if in fact that isn't enough. there's always "more".

Hey fogcutter.

I'm the original thread starter and have a good bit of experience with the Yeti 400. Hopefully I can help.

You left out a HUGE detail in your original post. What do you want to power? The answer usually breaks down to two main needs. #1 - Camp lighting and phone/device charging or #2 - Running a fridge.

The Goal Zero products are very easy to set up and use. They are perhaps similar in design to Apple products in that they use certain proprietary connecters and forgo certain industry standards in an effort to achieve better usability.

In my experience Goal Zero products have EXCELLENT customer service. I am local to them in SLC, Utah and I honestly could not ask for better customer service and product support.

The Yeti 150 might be able to handle your needs if you're not running a fridge. The Yeti 400 will handle everything AND a fridge but will need charging every 12-24-hrs.

I recommend a minimum of 30 watts solar for the Yeti 150 and a minimum of 60 watts solar for the Yeti 400 . I prefer multiple 15 watt panels because they are small and easy to store. I also prefer non-vehicle mounting so I can park in the shade and move the panels to the sun.



Matt

 

[fog cutter]

i appreciate the heads-up, but ... sorry - but i could only include what i know and that isn't much at this point! i have to let the need dictate, understood, but i'm not sure what the need (in wattage) will be yet. kind of peeing into the wind at this point. cannot ever see needing a fridge, but maybe a sureflo pump for a shower. i'm sure as i get deeper into this i'll be able to refine the use, but right now i'm still in the stall waiting for the bell to ring.

truly admire those who can go through multiple sources and get all the gadgets tied together and working in a sophisticated manner, but that ain't me.

 

[snowblind]

i appreciate the heads-up, but ... sorry - but i could only include what i know and that isn't much at this point! i have to let the need dictate, understood, but i'm not sure what the need (in wattage) will be yet. kind of peeing into the wind at this point. cannot ever see needing a fridge, but maybe a sureflo pump for a shower. i'm sure as i get deeper into this i'll be able to refine the use, but right now i'm still in the stall waiting for the bell to ring.

truly admire those who can go through multiple sources and get all the gadgets tied together and working in a sophisticated manner, but that ain't me.

Relax foggy. You don't need to know every future need. Just put down a couple of current needs that you do know. Right now we have "possible 12v pump" as a need. I'm guessing recharging phones or tablets might be another need. Any others?



Matt

 

[Longtallsally]

Quick update on our setup with the Yeti 400 hooked up to the Renogy 100w solar suitcase setup:

I finally fabbed up a harness with the Anderson connectors and the like to plug into the side of the Yeti. Works perfect. However, a couple things to be mindful of:

1) There will be no "Input" wattage or voltage that will show up on the Yet (DUH, due to having the charge controller on the Renogy, but thought I'd mention)
2) Despite having good sunlight for a number of hours and a couple pretty good loads on the battery (charging a radio and a fan: ~120 watts output) to pull it down, and then removing the loads, the percentage full on the Yeti did not update.

I read in this thread or elsewhere that a few hours of strong sunlight should charge the battery back up to full, so I was a little surprise that it didn't update. So I decided to leave the battery hooked up to the panel this morning and see what happened. After a couple hours of decent light, I checked again and sure enough, it had not updated.

Since I'm in a controlled environment doing testing at home, I decided to see what would happen if I just plugged the Yeti into regular 110v and see. Sure enough, it popped all the way almost to full (from 20%) immediately.

My point is that this shows a need to FULLY trust the charge controller on the Renogy panel and that the internal system in the Yeti might struggle with showing an actual figure. The charge controller in the Renogy panel only shows input voltage and amps, so I'm going to monitor over the next couple hours to see if it tapers off.

I'm not convinced I need to be concerned, but certainly worth noting.

 

[jpgrove]

I had terrible trouble with my Yeti 400 (Purchased in the EU) the inverter was faulty on delivery, apparently this was common with a certain batch. Either way i had to return it for a refund. But the product was fantastic.

The one issue i did notice is that the display didn't register any input until the input wattage reached around 50Watts, so if you trying to charge from a small panel then you may have issues, as there is no real way to determine if the power going into the unit is making its way to the battery, unless you place a meter inline.

IMHO i wouldn't use the goal zero solar panels i would go for folding solar panels with Bosch or equivalent cells in, as they are more accurate in there specified output. For the 400 i modified the goral zero 8mm input cable and added a anderson connector to it, and this can go straight into the solar panel output, you must keep in mind the rated input on the charger on the 400 as i think its low, so anyone expecting to add a 300W panel to it expecting it to charge quicker will be disappointed, the same applies to the Yeti 1250 which i am soon to purchase, i believe that is limited to 250W unless anyone knows any different?

Regards from the UK

Edit the Yeti 1250 has a maximum 240 Watts Solar input, anymore and the power is dumped and not sent to the battery.
Edit the Yeti 400 has a maximum 120W (combined) input, which i believe is the limit of the 8mm connector, and the same would apply to the Yeti 1250.