Just got Ecoflow Delta PRO, can I use external LiFePO4 batteries to add capacity??

[Brucey]

So I got the cables (without signal pin/shorting). I've also got a Victron Smart battery sense on order so I can easily monitor the Redodo voltage so I can stop the charge without relying on the Redodo BMS low voltage cutoff (unless the d2m will stop charging once it drops below 11V).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07RTYGMBD

 

[Brucey]

I just got a Delta 2 and I was thinking about supplementing with an external LiFePo4 battery, as discussed here. I read somewhere that there's a risk of over-discharging the EF device when when simultaneously charging and discharging. If I set a discharge limit for the Delta 2, will it stop discharging when it hits that limit? Assuming that I set a discharge limit for the EF and use some kind of BMS to control the discharge on the external battery, is there anything else I need to do the protect both devices?

I think the issue is the ecoflow bms's tend to get confused if you don't regularly discharge/recharge - i.e If you use it as a UPS, permanently plugged into wall power. Setting a discharge limit may make that worse (as it never gets to 0%).

Ideally for the single 11V-60V 15A input on the Delta 2 you'd use a 48V battery to get the max 500W "solar" input. There is an ecoworthy 48V 50A battery available on Amazon but not sure what kind of quality that is.

 

[DarrylG]

Showing 104 watts looks like it is pulling 8amps x 13 volts. It is working as expected.

 

[Brucey]

Showing 104 watts looks like it is pulling 8amps x 13 volts. It is working as expected.

I got an ecoflow solar charge cable and now I'm running closer to the 15A max of the Delta 2 Max solar inputs. Considering a 2nd Redodo mini 100Ah and running them in series for 24V. Then run a second solar charge cable to the 2nd solar input. Should be good for around 360W per port and 720W input overall. Would need to get a 24v charger tho, rather then breaking them apart into 12V chunks.

 

[Marine359]

I’m thinking of adding an external 12v 200ah to my new Delta 2 Max. 200ah LFP so cheap now. I’m gonna charge the EF through it’s 12v car charging port. It’s only 8 amps max, but that’s a charge of about 100w. Slow, but good enough to supplement solar and transfer the entire external capacity to the EF in less than 24 hours. But I’m just planning it for grid down outages, which normally don’t last for more than a day. I don’t see a need to protect the external LFP, as its bms will shut it down when it hits low voltage setting. Thought about going to a 48v external, but that would use one of the pv ports, and I need both of those ports for solar. Plus if using 48v you’ve got to then buy a 48v charger. If the external is 12v, can charge it with my existing NOCO Genius, or most any inexpensive charger @ 10 amps When the grid comes back up. Not concerned about over-charging the EF. I set max SOC parameter to 90%.

 

[Brucey]

I’m thinking of adding an external 12v 200ah to my new Delta 2 Max. 200ah LFP so cheap now. I’m gonna charge the EF through it’s 12v car charging port. It’s only 8 amps max, but that’s a charge of about 100w. Slow, but good enough to supplement solar and transfer the entire external capacity to the EF in less than 24 hours. But I’m just planning it for grid down outages, which normally don’t last for more than a day. I don’t see a need to protect the external LFP, as its bms will shut it down when it hits low voltage setting. Thought about going to a 48v external, but that would use one of the pv ports, and I need both of those ports for solar. Plus if using 48v you’ve got to then buy a 48v charger. If the external is 12v, can charge it with my existing NOCO Genius, or most any inexpensive charger @ 10 amps When the grid comes back up. Not concerned about over-charging the EF. I set max SOC parameter to 90%.

The car charging cable would connect to one of the two PV inputs? Pretty sure the 12V cig lighter socket is regulated and output only? My suggestion would be use your solar panels to the two inputs, then once sun sets or if overcast day can connect up the 12v 200ah to both inputs, using the ecoflow xt60i to mc4 cables and then mc4 to 5/16 terminals. That should give you an effective 30A input (2*15A). To bump that up further instead of a 200ah battery get two 100ah and series for 24V. Should get you over 700W of input via the two inputs.

 

[Marine359]

The car charging cable would connect to one of the two PV inputs? Pretty sure the 12V cig lighter socket is regulated and output only? My suggestion would be use your solar panels to the two inputs, then once sun sets or if overcast day can connect up the 12v 200ah to both inputs, using the ecoflow xt60i to mc4 cables and then mc4 to 5/16 terminals. That should give you an effective 30A input (2*15A). To bump that up further instead of a 200ah battery get two 100ah and series for 24V. Should get you over 700W of input via the two inputs.

That sound like a grest approach. Each panel is 40 Voc, so I must use both PV ports to support them. Can I connect two sets of cables to the external battery? Both of them wired to the PV ports? I don’t think I need mc4 connection, as you can buy XT60i to ring terminal harness on Amazon. I suppose I could also add a 12 to 24v converter if I wanted a faster charge. But fast charging from external is not really need, as I’m trying to plan for a 24 hour outage. Sorry I got confused about the car charging adapter. Yes, understood now it connects to pv port. Only had this beast for a couple of weeks and I’m still leaning, please forgive. I have just wired in a 15 amp inlet on the outside of house, connected by 12/2 romex to an outlet near mains panel. The EF ac cord can plug right into this outlet. The idea is to be able to use my small propane generator in daytime if needed, or run an extension cord from my RV to the inlet at night when I don’t want to hear the generator running. My RV has a 2Kw LFP battery and 400w solar. But your approach would allow me to avoid generator use altogether, by tapping the external in daytime, then tapping the RV at night.

 

[Brucey]

That sound like a grest approach. Each panel is 40 Voc, so I must use both PV ports to support them. Can I connect two sets of cables to the external battery? Both of them wired to the PV ports? I don’t think I need mc4 connection, as you can buy XT60i to ring terminal harness on Amazon. I suppose I could also add a 12 to 24v converter if I wanted a faster charge. But fast charging from external is not really need, as I’m trying to plan for a 24 hour outage. Sorry I got confused about the car charging adapter. Yes, understood now it connects to pv port. Only had this beast for a couple of weeks and I’m still leaning, please forgive. I have just wired in a 15 amp inlet on the outside of house, connected by 12/2 romex to an outlet near mains panel. The EF ac cord can plug right into this outlet. The idea is to be able to use my small propane generator in daytime if needed, or run an extension cord from my RV to the inlet at night when I don’t want to hear the generator running. My RV has a 2Kw LFP battery and 400w solar. But your approach would allow me to avoid generator use altogether, by tapping the external in daytime, then tapping the RV at night.

Yes thats my plan, two sets of cables to same battery. You can charge the 24V series battery by connecting to each 12V battery separately (disconnect from d2m, charge batt 1, then charge batt 2). For the xt60i to ring terminals make sure the signal pin of the connector is grounded to the negative cable (this is how the ecoflow knows to take the full 15A "solar" versus 8A "vehicle" to avoid blowing vehicle accessory port fuse).

 

[Marine359]

Do you need an inline fuse on the XT60i harness?“

 

[Brucey]

Do you need an inline fuse on the XT60i harness?“

I have a strange concoction of wires to connect to d2m but yes I have a 30A fuse on the path from 12v 100Ah LFP battery to xt60i port:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B4HY29FT