Ecoflow Delta 1300 Automatic Generator start?

[Nolan]

Hello Friends
I hope you are having a really great day.
This forum is new but already it has been incredibly useful. Most of the time you are several steps ahead of me and from the search feature I see that there has been discussion about the Delta power system.
This looks like it could be the answer to so many projects like our van and the tiny cabins at the farm.
The all in one Delta from Ecoflow is fast charging with inputs from solar, 12V car and 120V, comes with a big Lithium battery and an inverter! All for not much more money than a Battle Born battery. For me it checks off so many boxes. It looks perfect for the cabins with micro hydro and solar as the inputs with a generator to charge as back up.
Plug and play, not much space, easily portable. Way cool!
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...dia&utm_medium=KOL&utm_campaign=Silver Cymbal

https://ecoflow.com/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ecoflow

As I check off the boxes for what would make the perfect all in one power system this looks so very close except for one detail.
I have sent a request to Ecoflow for an automatic generator starting feature. Does anyone know if this is already included?


All my best,
Nolan

 

[erik.calco]

That looks sweet. @Will Prowse needs to review one when it comes out (next month) if he can get his hands on one.

It's hard to do that with the 18650s they use. I suspect they have a regulator, because you typically do those 3S, which is 10.8-11.1V nominal. You need to do some boost to get a wider range of capacity? Anyone have any more expertise on using a converter or regulator to increase available 12V range of 3S 18650s? Not sure I calculated correctly, but I think you'd need over 160 18650s at 2.1Ah with 3S. You can get that for under $400 on ebay.

Their price is really good. It is comparable to the Lion Energy UT200 batteries alone at the $650 Costco price in terms of capacity, perhaps a little better. The UT1200 is LiFePO4, though and packs 1152Wh in 4 large cells.

In the end, as long as the quality is good, considering their features, it looks like it could be a good deal. Need's to pass Will's tests, though. Is 12V regulated? Does it have low temperature protection?

 

[Nolan]

Hello Erik,
I am particularly looking forward to an in depth review. I would also like to learn more about the specific details like what kind of charger(s) comes in it. Is there a separate charger for the 120V input and the 12V input? I would like to use this in a very simple 100W micro hydro project with a Honda Eu3000i electric start inverter/generator in the UPS plug as back up when the hydro doesn't keep up.

I have a special talent for starting projects. I have a very talented friend that is great at finishing projects. He suggested that I just build something similar from quality components. I am looking at it and seeing that if it is rock solid, the form factor would be wonderful. For me, it will really come down to features like Automatic Generator start and the actual quality of the internals.

All my best,
Nolan

 

[scout]

i've been trying to get a straight answer from ecoflow regarding the 12v plug-in on the 1000 or 1300. i simply asked if it was regulated. took them 11 days to answer and all they said was if the fridge was 300 watts it would be ok??? so i called. they said yes 'we think so' and followed up with pics from the website that say nothing about it being regulated just an output of 13.6. the customer service isn't great.

does anyone have any info on if it is regulated? how did you find this out?

 

[erik.calco]

i've been trying to get a straight answer from ecoflow regarding the 12v plug-in on the 1000 or 1300. i simply asked if it was regulated. took them 11 days to answer and all they said was if the fridge was 300 watts it would be ok??? so i called. they said yes 'we think so' and followed up with pics from the website that say nothing about it being regulated just an output of 13.6. the customer service isn't great.

does anyone have any info on if it is regulated? how did you find this out?

In Will's videos when reviewing the portable units, IIRC, the primary test is to just test the voltage when it is full vs low. If not regulated, it will drop when the capacity is low. You'll also have things with a hard cutoff drop out, like an inverter with a higher cutoff than what would be low for the battery. Lights tend to keep working at the lower voltage, but get dimmer.

A regulated one will maintain voltage even when the battery is near the low end of its capacity.

The challenge with measuring is potential difference with and without load.

It is hard to tell with LFPs because the range from 20-100% is vary narrow, 13-13.3V with 4S.

 

[scout]

In Will's videos when reviewing the portable units, IIRC, the primary test is to just test the voltage when it is full vs low. If not regulated, it will drop when the capacity is low. You'll also have things with a hard cutoff drop out, like an inverter with a higher cutoff than what would be low for the battery. Lights tend to keep working at the lower voltage, but get dimmer.

A regulated one will maintain voltage even when the battery is near the low end of its capacity.

The challenge with measuring is potential difference with and without load.

It is hard to tell with LFPs because the range from 20-100% is vary narrow, 13-13.3V with 4S.

right, i understand the concept of the port being regulated - i'm just trying to find out if the delta 12v is regulated or not...can't get a definitive answer on that. guess i'll wait to decide on it until i see will's review - my concern is my 12v fridge. notorious for requiring a regulated 12v.