LifePO battery 500-1000 Wh with more versatile 12v x 10a outputs?

SBSYNCRO

Well-known member
I have a 500Wh Lithium Ion battery pack (originally Suaoko brand, now sold by Bluetti) that has served me well for a couple of years running my Dometic CFX50 fridge. It is hard-mounted in my Jeep and I charge it via a 100w solar panel on the roof and use the ciggie plug to power the fridge. It has begun behaving strangely (shutting off randomly) so I need to plan a replacement. I want to up the capacity to give me more than 2 days of reserve (for inclement weather or camping in thick cover). My main gripes with my current setup are:

1. Solar charge controller has to be "reset" every day at the start of the day by unplugging the Anderson connecter from the panel and then re-connected.
2. Cig plug arrangement is subject to working its way loose, which then kills the fridge

What I DO like about this setup:
1. Battery does not shut down when the fridge cycles off - it remains on for at least an hour before auto-shutting down
2. Charge controller seems very efficient compared to other smaller units I have
3. Compact square form factor (no Jackery-style molded lunchbox handle to deal with)
4. Anderson PP for solar input
5. Regulated 12v output, so as the battery drains, the 12v output remains constant, thus avoiding problems with fridge shutting down due to low voltage.

Ideally I'd like to find a unit around 700-1,000 Wh that has a regulated 12v 10 amp output that I can "hard wire" to my fridge by splicing in some connectors (either APP or something else, I don't care).

Has anyone seen such a mythical beast?
 

SBSYNCRO

Well-known member
Heh, I guess the lack of responses tells me what I already suspected - I'm going to need to DIY something in a Pelican box or ammo can...
 

NatersXJ6

Explorer
I’m not sure I understand what you mean when you ask for a regulated output that can be hard-wired. But, yes, I would expect to DIY something like this. It could be very easily hard mounted and wouldn’t need to be in a case, although a system that could be quickly removed from the vehicle in case of overheats, etc… might be desirable.
 

SBSYNCRO

Well-known member
I’m not sure I understand what you mean when you ask for a regulated output that can be hard-wired. But, yes, I would expect to DIY something like this. It could be very easily hard mounted and wouldn’t need to be in a case, although a system that could be quickly removed from the vehicle in case of overheats, etc… might be desirable.


Thanks - by regulated output, I mean a voltage output that would remain constant 12v+ regardless of the SOC. I've had issues in the past with battery systems w/o regulated output where the voltage drops below 12v during discharge which then trips the low voltage cutoff of the fridge (and shuts it down). But now that I've done a bit more research on LifePO4 batteries this may not be a problem as I see that the discharge profile of a typical 12v system remains above 12v until it is more than 90% discharged. That simplifies things with not needing a voltage regulator... I'm thinking a DIY solution with a battery pack, BMS, and charge controller that will handle AC, DC, and solar inputs will suffice. Wouldn't you know I just sold off a nice 30 amp charge controller about a month ago thinking I would not need it.. (that was a bit short-sided of me)
 

oldnslow

Observer
Late to the party here, but Goal Zero has 1000WHr power stations that have an Anderson PowerPole output for 12V. I think they have bigger ones with the PowerPole connection also. That will be much better than the ciggie connectors.
 

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