ecoflow delta pros only charging at half speed

[RobRobRob]

I have bought a couple of delta pross that are supposed to be able to charge at 1600 watts, but the most I have been able to get them to accept is about 700-800 watts. I have verified that I have current coming through the xt60i cable is 98volts and between 10 and 16 amps depending on the time of day. I have tried 4 different xt60i cables, since other posters here have said the delta pro limits charging if the cable isn't correct, but that didn't make a difference.

Ecoflow Support Says that this is normal and charging speeds just vary and that because I have a mixture of different spec solar panels this may be keeping the eco flow from charging at full speed. however this six to 800 watts is not enough to run the air conditioner so I need to either figure out a way to make this work or send these ecoflow delta pros back.

is there some device I could put between my solar panels And my ecoflow to even out the electricity or clean it up so that the ecoflow will charge at full speed?

Or would a small battery and charge controller between my panels and the ecoflow let me charge at full speed and then export the electricity at a higher speed to the ecoflow?

Anyone have ideas how to make this work?

 

[trdstarlet]

I haven't encountered this issue, but try adjusting the panel configuration while monitoring the voltage to ensure it doesn't exceed limits. Also, the angle will need to be optimized for your region and season. Ensure the wire gauge is appropriate, as too thin a wire will result in power loss. Temperature also plays a role.

 

[Brucey]

I have bought a couple of delta pross that are supposed to be able to charge at 1600 watts, but the most I have been able to get them to accept is about 700-800 watts. I have verified that I have current coming through the xt60i cable is 98volts and between 10 and 16 amps depending on the time of day. I have tried 4 different xt60i cables, since other posters here have said the delta pro limits charging if the cable isn't correct, but that didn't make a difference.

Ecoflow Support Says that this is normal and charging speeds just vary and that because I have a mixture of different spec solar panels this may be keeping the eco flow from charging at full speed. however this six to 800 watts is not enough to run the air conditioner so I need to either figure out a way to make this work or send these ecoflow delta pros back.

is there some device I could put between my solar panels And my ecoflow to even out the electricity or clean it up so that the ecoflow will charge at full speed?

Or would a small battery and charge controller between my panels and the ecoflow let me charge at full speed and then export the electricity at a higher speed to the ecoflow?

Anyone have ideas how to make this work?

What are the "mixture of different spec panels" specifically and how are they wired?

The discussion about xt60i was in regards to Delta 2 and Delta 2 max. I'm not sure if that also applies to the Delta pro series.

 

[trdstarlet]

Typically, you want to stick to the same brand of panels for your array. It's not a hard rule, but it makes life a lot easier.
For example, I use Canadian Solar panels rated at 450W with an open circuit voltage of 49.1 volts and 11.6 amps. Theoretically, I can use only 3 panels because you don't want to exceed 150 volts, and temperature in the winter will increase the voltage. However, if I create a string of 2 series and 2 parallel panels, I stay in the 100-volt range while increasing my amps to 22. The Delta Pro can handle 16 amps. This setup should give me 1600W, but remember that you have voltage losses due to cable length and size if you go too small (I net about 1400w).
What panels are you using? FYI, you hardly ever get the exact numbers you are expecting.

 

[Mattb4]

I have bought a couple of delta pross that are supposed to be able to charge at 1600 watts, but the most I have been able to get them to accept is about 700-800 watts. I have verified that I have current coming through the xt60i cable is 98volts and between 10 and 16 amps depending on the time of day. ...

Anyone have ideas how to make this work?

98vDC at 10a= 980w
98vDC at 16a=1568w

If you are connecting 2 to the same PV array they would fight each other and it would not work properly. So some more information about your setup would be necessary to figure out what is going on.

 

[trdstarlet]

Oh one more thing I did try changing via solar and ac at the same time. It's fast but Im trying to consume less from the grid. Also I don't want to stress the battery cells doing it all the time.

 

[Mike Mas]

98vDC at 10a= 980w
98vDC at 16a=1568w

If you are connecting 2 to the same PV array they would fight each other and it would not work properly. So some more information about your setup would be necessary to figure out what is going on.

Connecting same PV arrays will not fight each other it’s actually preferred.

 

[JWLV]

Keep in mind that solar panel rated wattage is theoretical. It is highly unlikely to get the rated wattage in actual use. For example, I have ten 370 watt panels. Theoretically that should give me 3700 watts. Rated specs are only accurate for the absolute ideal conditions at STC (Standard Test Conditions). That includes the temperature at 25C (77F). The most I’ve ever seen from my 10 panels was 2800 watts. This is in sunny Las Vegas with no clouds, no shading, in full sun, perpendicular sun angle at solar noon. There can be a lot of reasons for lower than expected power. For me, it’s two reasons. One, it’s hellishly hot right now at 115F. The temperature of the surface of the panels itself is above 145F. Solar panels produce far less power when it’s hot. Two, I have a long run of cables from the panels to my charge controller. It’s approx 100 ft. I expect a significant loss due to the long cables. Just these factors alone have reduced the power by 25%. If you have clouds, dirt on the panels, shading from a tree, panels at the wrong angle, or dozens of other things, they all can reduce the actual power you get.

 

[JWLV]

When you say your panels voltage is 98v is that VOC? Voltage will always drop when connected to a load or charge controller. So when you get 10 or 16 amps, the voltage is not going to be 98v. You’ll have to measure the voltage while connected to get a better idea how much power is going through.

 

[RobRobRob]

Following up... the problem is definitely my Ecoflow Pros. Both of them do not charge more than about 900 watts at most. Although briefly for a few seconds it charged around 1200 watts but then throttled itself down to 900. I just got a Bluetti AC200L and it is charging at its max of 1200 watts with no problems. So I am pretty sure the problem is that Ecoflow delta pro does not perform as advertised with regards to solar charging. They are in an air conditioned room so heat should not be an issue. I'm returning the one I still can.

 

[Michael's Turtles]

It seems highly unlikely that you have two units that both have the same weird problem that is limiting your input from solar. It's possible, but would be at incredible odds. There's almost assuredly something else going on here.

 

[Brucey]

Following up... the problem is definitely my Ecoflow Pros. Both of them do not charge more than about 900 watts at most. Although briefly for a few seconds it charged around 1200 watts but then throttled itself down to 900. I just got a Bluetti AC200L and it is charging at its max of 1200 watts with no problems. So I am pretty sure the problem is that Ecoflow delta pro does not perform as advertised with regards to solar charging. They are in an air conditioned room so heat should not be an issue. I'm returning the one I still can.

You never explained what your various sets of panels are.

Without a proper xt60i cable like the official ecoflow one, chances are your Delta pro is limiting itself to 8A (~784W), as it thinks you've got a car alternator connected.

 

[Brucey]

It seems highly unlikely that you have two units that both have the same weird problem that is limiting your input from solar. It's possible, but would be at incredible odds. There's almost assuredly something else going on here.

8A charging limit without correct xt60i connector being used is highly likely.

 

[RobRobRob]

The bluettis performance proves it is the ecoflow not my setup. I have 6 brand new solarever 450 watt panels connected in series providing about 130 volts and amps that vary depending on sun levels. The bluetti ac200L is able to use its full 1200 watt solar charge capacity all day long. The ecoflows both max out at around the same 8 to 900 watt level. I triple checked that I have a correct xt60i connector.

The idea that two identical delta pros would have the same charging limits is not a one in a million chance.

 

[Brucey]

The bluettis performance proves it is the ecoflow not my setup. I have 6 brand new solarever 450 watt panels connected in series providing about 130 volts and amps that vary depending on sun levels. The bluetti ac200L is able to use its full 1200 watt solar charge capacity all day long. The ecoflows both max out at around the same 8 to 900 watt level. I triple checked that I have a correct xt60i connector.

The idea that two identical delta pros would have the same charging limits is not a one in a million chance.

Are those panels in 3S2P? 6S must be way beyond the ac200ls voltage limits?

 

[RobRobRob]

Are those panels in 3S2P? 6S must be way beyond the ac200ls voltage limits?

Nope the ac200L has a voltage limit of 145 volts. The panels are in two series of 3 each, so I"m only feeding 130-something volts. The Bluetti is handling it great today, charging at full speed all day long, unlike the Delta pros that throttled back their charging after a short time. I am using the bluetti to charge my remaining delta pro that is past the return period using AC power. At least the Delta Pro is still useful as a battery plus inverter, so it wasn't a total waste of money.

 

[Brucey]

Nope the ac200L has a voltage limit of 145 volts. The panels are in two series of 3 each, so I"m only feeding 130-something volts. The Bluetti is handling it great today, charging at full speed all day long, unlike the Delta pros that throttled back their charging after a short time. I am using the bluetti to charge my remaining delta pro that is past the return period using AC power. At least the Delta Pro is still useful as a battery plus inverter, so it wasn't a total waste of money.

Just be careful if you have a big temperature drop in the wintertime as the voltage will increase.

 

[Michael's Turtles]

The bluettis performance proves it is the ecoflow not my setup. I have 6 brand new solarever 450 watt panels connected in series providing about 130 volts and amps that vary depending on sun levels. The bluetti ac200L is able to use its full 1200 watt solar charge capacity all day long. The ecoflows both max out at around the same 8 to 900 watt level. I triple checked that I have a correct xt60i connector.

The idea that two identical delta pros would have the same charging limits is not a one in a million chance.

That might not be accurate. It *could be* but doesn't mean that it is. I'm not entirely familiar with the AC200L, but some quick looks show that it does not connect from MC4 connectors on a solar panel via an XT-60i cable like the Delta Pros do. I can't quite make out what cable they are using to connect to that secondary cable that plugs into the AC200L, though. Information via a quick google search suggests that it's actually an MC4 on one end and an XT-90, but the internet has been known to be wrong before.

Is that cable an XT-60i? If so, is it the same one you tried using to connect to the Delta Pros?

If it's a different cable, then no, the performance does not mean it is the Delta Pros and not your set up. It *could* mean that. But it doesn't mean that it's not your set up, either.

 

[RobRobRob]

I did use an xt-60i cable. I tried 3 them. None made a difference, not even the official ecoflow cable. Ecoflow support confirmed that xt60i is not necessary. I have contacted ecoflow support several times and they offered no solutions. They also told me that the low charging rate was normal and there was nothing I could do but accept it. And like I said the Bluetti is charging just fine at its maximum capacity with the exact same solar input that the Ecoflow would only accept 8-900 watts from. The Ecoflow did accept full charging for a few minutes when I first connected it, so this confirms to me that the Ecoflow is throttling its solar input. Sorry if I am offending any Ecoflow fans but the Bluetti charging just fine and the Ecoflows charging then throttling down proves that the Ecoflow is the problem.

 

[trdstarlet]

I did use an xt-60i cable. I tried 3 them. None made a difference, not even the official ecoflow cable. Ecoflow support confirmed that xt60i is not necessary. I have contacted ecoflow support several times and they offered no solutions. They also told me that the low charging rate was normal and there was nothing I could do but accept it. And like I said the Bluetti is charging just fine at its maximum capacity with the exact same solar input that the Ecoflow would only accept 8-900 watts from. The Ecoflow did accept full charging for a few minutes when I first connected it, so this confirms to me that the Ecoflow is throttling its solar input. Sorry if I am offending any Ecoflow fans but the Bluetti charging just fine and the Ecoflows charging then throttling down proves that the Ecoflow is the problem.

You may be correct; there could be an issue, or there may not be. One thing I can tell you from experience is that temperature also plays a role. I'm glad you got things sorted out in your favor. If I could redo my current systems, I would keep one Ecoflow Pro for road portability. The 18Kpv runs circles around the Ecoflow Pro, but it isn’t portable. However, they both serve their purpose for me.

 

[Michael's Turtles]

I did use an xt-60i cable. I tried 3 them. None made a difference, not even the official ecoflow cable. Ecoflow support confirmed that xt60i is not necessary. I have contacted ecoflow support several times and they offered no solutions. They also told me that the low charging rate was normal and there was nothing I could do but accept it. And like I said the Bluetti is charging just fine at its maximum capacity with the exact same solar input that the Ecoflow would only accept 8-900 watts from. The Ecoflow did accept full charging for a few minutes when I first connected it, so this confirms to me that the Ecoflow is throttling its solar input. Sorry if I am offending any Ecoflow fans but the Bluetti charging just fine and the Ecoflows charging then throttling down proves that the Ecoflow is the problem.

The Delta Pro doesn't require the XT60i cable, but it does if you want to get full solar. The regular XT60 cable will limit your input.

That said, you continue to say that your Bluetti getting more solar input proves the Ecoflow "is the problem", when that simply is not true. Again - it could be true - but it does not guarantee that it's true.

The problem could lie in your cable(s). It could lie in some setting you have that you don't realize you have turn on. It could lie in something as simple as different sun conditions, locations of the panels/time of the day/sky conditions when you tested the units.

I'll state it again - the odds that you have acquired two "broken" Ecoflow Delta Pro's with an obscure weird limiting of the solar input in the same way are flat out astronomical. It's possible, but we're talking the odds of you winning a 7-figure lottery kind of luck here. If this were a known issue, the odds would make more sense and be lower. But this isn't some known issue or this thread probably wouldn't exist as you'd have searched google for "why is my DP not charging at full capacity" and found the solution/answer in about 15 seconds.

The reason they may have told you the low charging rate was normal could be as simple as they understand that where you are located, how many panels you have, how far your cable run is, the conditions of the sky, the tilt of your panels, the temperature outside - all of that matters to have much power your panels will produce. As an example - for about 2 hours a day my panels peak around 94% of their rated output on a perfectly sunny day. I don't have them dialed in for the current angle of the sun - just pretty close. Starting around 10am I'm only getting about 60% of the rated input for those panels. It increases from there until about 1pm when I peak, and it stays at the peak for about 2 hours, then until about 5:30pm it slowly drops back down to that 60% range. After that it drops off big due to trees and shadows.

All of my stuff is working fine. But if I do a "test" on two different systems and run one at 2pm and one at 10am, I'm going to get very, very different results. It doesn't mean one is not working right. And if I went to customer service and said "I'm only getting this amount of solar" they would be correct in telling me that's normal even if I didn't detail to them my entire set up, how my panels were angled to the sun, my location, the sky outlook, etc.

I don't think you are offending any "ecoflow fans". We're just trying to help you figure out what's going on and or explain what *could* be causing the issues you are coming across.

 

[JWLV]

Just by chance I came across this Youtube video talking about the XT60i and the XT60 cables, and how one limits the wattage and one does not. And on the XT60i cable, the middle trigger pin can be wired to either the negative side or the positive side and it would limit the amperage allowed.

 

[JWLV]

I just started looking through some XT60i cables on Amazon and several reviews say that the charge limit is 8 amps if you don't have the right cable. With the correct XT60i cable, you can get the full 15 amps. I also read reviews of a few "fake" XT60i cables, that the center pin is not connected to the negative side, which makes it not a real XT60i cable and still limits the charge rate to 8 amps.

Now I'm wondering which XT60 cable I have on my Delta Pro. I always thought that my solar panels should be providing more power than I've been getting. I'm also curious if it's possible to just make a jumper from the center pin to the negative line.

 

[JWLV]

Wow! So apparently I have the wrong cable too! My cable doesn't even have a middle pin.
I'm ordering a new cable from Amazon right now.

 

[Brucey]

Wow! So apparently I have the wrong cable too! My cable doesn't even have a middle pin.
I'm ordering a new cable from Amazon right now.

View attachment 231302

Just be aware there's many that show the middle sense pin on the connector but it's not connected to the negative so effectively same as what you have there now.