Mobile DJ Booth Stepvan - need solar power guidance!

[hotsteppa]

Hey everyone meet the Hot Steppa. This is our new Mobile DJ Booth and Popup shop. It is in the process of getting cleaned up and ready for the road now.



I would love to get some guidance on your all suggested solution for powering our mobile sound system (this will be outside of the van, and we will be DJing inside).

My initial idea was to put a roof rack on top (roughly 6 x 11') and throw some of the Santan Solar panels on top, and run them into a Bluetti AC200P. This way we could top off at home before we left, and top off from the 12V (or install an inverter on the van battery system), as well as the solar panels.

I have done rough math based on the draw of our sound system (2 18" subs, 2 12" tops, 2 8" tops, some other monitors and DJ Gear) and am hoping that I can get 3-4 hrs. I can't tell for sure until I get it and do a real world test but rough math figures around that. If needed I could add additional B300 batteries.

After some thought, we are concerned the roof might need additional reinforcement if we did that, so was considering going for the package with the 3 PV200 panels. While they are pricy, the upside would be no roof rack needed which saves a bunch, and we could position and angle them on the roof to get maximum output. It also solves issues with security concerns about panels and having to cut a hole in the roof.

With that in mind, I was drawn to these mobile solar generators bc we can easily remove it from the van for security purposes, and for some events we may be outside of the van and want to move the power and use the van for vending.

First question is, are these systems going to hold up if they are used hard on a regular basis (a few days a week @ 6 hrs), or are they more designed for occasional backup use?

Second question, is there something else out there better/more economical that will cover all the above concerns?

I have seen some of the newer MPP systems that Will has posted recently but they seem like they are more designed for permanent installation.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[jberger]

Post up your load calculations, I'd be concerned that your amp draws will trip out the inverter. Amp loads are rarely continuous, but rather peaks and it's the peaks that can be a real issue.
I can see the appeal of the Bluetti. but you can probably piece together a system for less $$ that will be a better fit for the application.

 

[hotsteppa]

Post up your load calculations, I'd be concerned that your amp draws will trip out the inverter. Amp loads are rarely continuous, but rather peaks and it's the peaks that can be a real issue.
I can see the appeal of the Bluetti. but you can probably piece together a system for less $$ that will be a better fit for the application.

I appreciate your feedback, I wasn't confident that this would meet our needs.

TBH I have only done some basic math using a killawatt meter to arrive at 400-500W draw. The speakers say they draw 1KW each but we don't run them wide open (rarely over 35%) and we all know speaker mfg tend to fudge numbers on datasheets. I figured if there is inrush when I first turn them on, I can limit that by only turning them on one at a time (which we do anyway). I will look again and try to add up the actual amps.

Do you have any suggestions of something else to look at instead? I know I can DIY something for half the cost, just not sure if I have the time right now. I have seen some of the prebuilt systems popping up, but like I mentioned earlier most seem like they need to be permanently installed and/or not fit for a mobile application.

 

[hotsteppa]

According to the datasheets I would be right @ 12A continuous adding up all the speakers. However real world I have been told its probably half that. Plus a few more for other gear.



I looked on Bluetti's site but don't see the max Amps on the inverter. Do you have any idea what they are rated for? assuming 15A?

 

[jberger]

Bluetti says 2200W with 4800W surge.
That Kilawatt meter is great for overall power use, but it doesn't have the resolution to who show the surge current. You would need to use a meter that can see and record the max surge.

QSC makes good stuff and those are using digital amps so the power supply in the amp will probably smooth things out and not overload the bluetti.
I would just get concerned that you would load up lights, PA and sources, then the first bass heavy run would trip out the inverter.
They were selling some refurb units a while back, you might want to start with one of those and see how well it performs with everything running over 30-60 mins with some bass heavy notes.

 

[hotsteppa]

Bluetti says 2200W with 4800W surge.
That Kilawatt meter is great for overall power use, but it doesn't have the resolution to who show the surge current. You would need to use a meter that can see and record the max surge.

QSC makes good stuff and those are using digital amps so the power supply in the amp will probably smooth things out and not overload the bluetti.
I would just get concerned that you would load up lights, PA and sources, then the first bass heavy run would trip out the inverter.
They were selling some refurb units a while back, you might want to start with one of those and see how well it performs with everything running over 30-60 mins with some bass heavy notes.

thank you for the suggestion. we play mostly reggae and hip hop so its pretty much all bass.