I did not know that. Thanks! This may be the way to go.
Perhaps this is what "solar generators" like the
Bluetti AC200P are doing.
...
My old
Nature's Generator "solar generator" doesn't require a wall wart. 120VAC goes straight in. I need to tear into that thing and see how they accomplish this. I like being able to just plug an extension cord into the front of it when I'm at a campsite or public park with 120VAC available.
I imagine that the Bluetti is doing just that. All of the Solar, DC, and "AC" (AC in this case meaning DC from an AC converter), most likely go through the solar charge controller so it can "match" the charge source to battery voltage.
The Nature's Generator most likely has a small AC to DC module (like a "wall wart") built INSIDE of the unit, rather than built into the power cable.
I went a similar route as
@tim0shel for my generator box. I have a Victon MPPT solar charge controller and a separate 40 amp, Renogy, DC-DC charger. The DC charger can be fed with a car alternator / battery, or in my case, a used, $13, 63 amp, 12 volt server rack power supply (before I got the used PSU, I was using an Astron HAM power supply and the DC converter, just make sure that the power supply can provide at least 20% more power than you will ever pull from it). For shallow discharges I just use my bench power supply for charging.
If you can, I would suggest using what you may already have. Old laptop chargers, HAM radio power supplies, or old desktop computers make fantastic chargers IMHO. Find out how many amps you can produce at your batteries voltage with whatever supply you may have, and select a charge controller that can utilize those sources.
Side note: I got two dell Z750p redundant server rack power supplies for about $25, including shipping, on eBay. They put out 60+ amps EACH @ exactly 12.1 volts, about 1.5kw of 12v DC total. I spent a LOT more for a 20 amp Astron PSU for HAM radio. The power supplies are so much cheaper, and can be repurposed into battery chargers pretty easily. If you are ever in the market for a good quality, very stable power supply, check out used server supplies. They are a game changer (for lower budget, high quality designs, at least).
What are your final system specs? Battery type, battery capacity, how much power do you use per day, and how long would you like your generator to run your HAM radio equipment without any sort of charging? That info would be very helpful in deciding what size charger/s you will need.
