New LiFe for Old Jump Starter (Spoiler alert: it’s a solar generator now)

[Bob142]

@svetz made me do it. I took the jump starter re-purpose challenge and started turning my old Duracell Powerpack 600 into a proper power station with solar charging. I still have work to do but wanted to share the progress so far.

It started life with a 26Ah AGM battery, 400W modified sine wave inverter, a wall trickle charger that took over a day to charge it, and no solar capability.


The guts of the upgrade are a 30Ah Amped Outdoors LiFePO4 battery, a 300W Giandel pure sine wave inverter, and a Renogy Wanderer Li 10A PWM SCC. I’m still waiting on a battery monitor.

The notable modifications include:

• Cut out some of the internal plastic to make the Amped Outdoors battery fit.
  
  
• Hardwired the inverter to the Duracell’s AC outlets and wired it up to the Duracell’s inverter switch (yup, Giandel warranty voided).
  
  
• Found a spot to mount the Wanderer and wired the PV input to a panel mount Anderson Powerpole connector. Power to the SCC is controlled by an external switch so it doesn’t draw down the battery when I’m not using the charging function. I used one with an LED so it'd be obvious if I left it on.
  
  
• Added an RJ12 panel mount extension so I can have external access to a Renogy BT-1 module (right now the extension is just dangling out of a hole in the side. Good enough for initial testing). Yes, you can use the BT-1 on the little PWMs.

110W out of a 150W array? I’ll take it. It’s charging almost twice as fast as my Jackery 240s & 500. Boom. (Look away, @MBR! It's a Renogy SCC and it's a PWM. Oh the horror!)



I think I just built @45North's toolbox system in a fancy suit…

To do list:

• Properly install the RJ12 panel mount.
• Add a separator between the inverter and battery to force an air gap.
• Install the battery monitor when it eventually arrives.
• Reconnect the external Anderson-like connector (it’s disconnected now since it's not needed for the initial testing). Edit: Decided to just disconnect it. I have no use case for it.
• I’m sure I’ll think of something else. Edit: I didn't.

 

[45North]

Very nice!
Power on the move. Looks a lot more portable than your other systems.
But does it have an air inflator? Seems like all the new ones have this and you don't really need or want it.

 

[Bob142]

Very nice!
Power on the move. Looks a lot more portable than your other systems.
But does it have an air inflator? Seems like all the new ones have this and you don't really need or want it.

Thanks. Yeah, this one is more like the Jackerys I have but with better charging and way more cycles. That said, this was an expensive upgrade as the battery alone was US$189. Part of doing it was the DIY fun, and part was vindication for keeping this around collecting dust for years. Mrs. 142 suggested I get rid of it on many many occasions. See, you just have to wait until a better battery chemistry comes along. Simple!

No it didn't come with an air inflator. No chance I'm going to try and cram one in there either...

 

[svetz]

No it didn't come with an air inflator. No chance I'm going to try and cram one in there either...

What's funny is mine doesn't have one either... but lately about 25% of the time I use it what's it doing? Powering a compressor.... go figure. Need to get new tires for my wife's Gorilla Cart.

 

[Bob142]

Oooh, someone just listed a newer version than mine of the old Duracell on eBay ($50 starting bid or best offer). My wife would kick me out of the house if I bought it just to spend more time and money converting it. But that doesn't mean someone else can't give it a go and convert it to LFP. This one has a radio. Still no compressor...

BRAND NEW Never Used Duracell Powerpack 600 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BRAND NEW Never Used Duracell Powerpack 600 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

(Edit: clarified that it's an old power pack but ripe for conversion to lithium)

 

[svetz]

For lead acid batteries there's a big difference between "brand new" and "never used" (aka, recharged). Duracell doesn't have them listed as a current product, and the copyright on the manual is 2007.

 

[Bob142]

For lead acid batteries there's a big difference between "brand new" and "never used" (aka, recharged). Duracell doesn't have them listed as a current product, and the copyright on the manual is 2007.

Of course. That's why you ditch the dead AGM and convert it to LFP!

 

[mymorph]

300W Giandel pure sine wave inverter - on my radar. be interested to hear your opinion.
interesting project.

 

[elewis33]

@svetz made me do it. I took the jump starter re-purpose challenge and started turning my old Duracell Powerpack 600 into a proper power station with solar charging. I still have work to do but wanted to share the progress so far.

It started life with a 26Ah AGM battery, 400W modified sine wave inverter, a wall trickle charger that took over a day to charge it, and no solar capability.
View attachment 15638

The guts of the upgrade are a 30Ah Amped Outdoors LiFePO4 battery, a 300W Giandel pure sine wave inverter, and a Renogy Wanderer Li 10A PWM SCC. I’m still waiting on a battery monitor.

The notable modifications include:

• Cut out some of the internal plastic to make the Amped Outdoors battery fit.
  
  
• Hardwired the inverter to the Duracell’s AC outlets and wired it up to the Duracell’s inverter switch (yup, Giandel warrantee voided).
  
  
• Found a spot to mount the Wanderer and wired the PV input to a panel mount Anderson Powerpole connector. Power to the SCC is controlled by an external switch so it doesn’t draw down the battery when I’m not using the charging function. I used one with an LED so it'd be obvious if I left it on.
  
  
• Added an RJ12 panel mount extension so I can have external access to a Renogy BT-1 module (right now the extension is just dangling out of a hole in the side. Good enough for initial testing). Yes, you can use the BT-1 on the little PWMs.

110W out of a 150W array? I’ll take it. It’s charging almost twice as fast as my Jackery 240s & 500. Boom. (Look away, @MBR! It's a Renogy SCC and it's a PWM. Oh the horror!)
View attachment 15639View attachment 15642View attachment 15643View attachment 15646View attachment 15647


I think I just built @45North's toolbox system in a fancy suit…

To do list:

• Properly install the RJ12 panel mount.
• Add a separator between the inverter and battery to force an air gap.
• Install the battery monitor when it eventually arrives.
• Reconnect the external Anderson-like connector (it’s disconnected now since it's not needed for the initial testing).
• I’m sure I’ll think of something else.

Much handier carrying case than the battery box that I put mine together with. Now that I've had mine for a couple weeks I'm finding it really needs a carry handle.

 

[Bob142]

Sounds like the dentist, smells like burning, and looks like I’m gonna have a battery monitor/watt meter installed soon.

 

[Bob142]

Some final testing before I button everything up. The old GZ Sherpa 50 is getting some charging love via the AC output of the rebuilt Duracell.



For about the same money, I like this battery monitor much better than the AiLi's I've used in my other systems. You get all the info you need on one screen and it's easy to set up.

Search the interweb for TF03K Battery Tester and you'll find it on Alibaba, AliExpress, eBay, Amazon etc. There are two variants to the display but they are functionally equivalent. I'm pretty sure that the Point Zero Titan solar generator uses both the TF03K-A and TF03K-B (depending on when it was made). The battery monitor that Renogy is currently selling appears to be the TF03K-B as well (but they only offer the 500A version). Example seller that has a bunch of info on them:

42.64US $ 18% OFF|120v Tf03k Coulomb Counter Meter Battery Capacity Indicator Voltage Current Display Ttl232 Lithium Lifepo4 Lead Acid Ebike Car - Battery Accessories & Charger Accessories - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

(Edited for typos)

 

[Bob142]

All done and buttoned up. It works great and it's now my go-to portable (sorry Jackerys).




Here are the final specs:

384Wh power station - using a 30Ah Amped Outdoors LiFePO4 battery

Outputs:

• 3 AC outlets (original to unit) powered by a hard wired 300W Giandel pure sine wave inverter (wired into unit's original AC on/off switch).
• 2 USB ports (original to the unit).
• 1 12V cigarette lighter port (original to the unit).

Inputs:

• Anderson Powerpole panel mount feeding Renogy Wanderer Li 10A PWM SCC. Switch controlled. Achieving 110W from 150W array.
• 12V cigarette lighter port and original car charging cable to connect a Noco wall charger.

Monitoring:

• TF03K shunt-based battery monitor to provide state of charge (SoC), battery voltage, net amps in/out, net watts in/out etc.
• RJ12 panel mount allows quick connection of Renogy BT-1 Bluetooth module for app monitoring of solar input.

Dregs:

• 1 fairly dim LED lamp (original to the unit).
• 1 useless battery level indicator (original to the unit - used voltage to determine SoC for the AGM battery).
• 1 no longer active, fake Anderson SB style connector that wasn't worth the trouble.

 

[svetz]

Nice job! Did you by chance keep track of all the parts costs to get a final $/kWh?

 

[Bob142]

Nice job! Did you by chance keep track of all the parts costs to get a final $/kWh?

Thanks. Is too many $ / kWh an acceptable answer?

It's slightly more expensive than buying a small commercial portable power station. But it was more fun to build, it's LFP rather than NMC, and charges from solar MUCH faster than roughly comparable commercial versions.

Cost breakdown for just the bigger parts (ignoring wires, lugs, switches, tool costs, etc.) are as follows:

Item	Cost	Notes
Original Duracell Powerpack 600	$0 132.47​	Included here since I paid for it at some point years ago.
Amped Outdoors 30Ah LiFePO4 battery	$189.99​	Could maybe DIY a battery w/BMS for cheaper but I wasn't interested in that.
Giandel 300W Pure Sine Wave Inverter	$47.96​
Renogy Wanderer 10A PWM SCC	$16.99​
TF03K Battery Capacity Monitor & 100A Shunt	$45.99​	Love it. I'll buy this over AiLi from now on. More info in this thread, posts 3,5,&6.
Powerpole Panel Mount Connector	$19.99​
RJ12 Extension Panel Mount Jack	$8.00​
Busbars	$34.28​
Renogy BT-1	$39.11​	Shared between this system and another, so maybe not fair to include full cost.
Total	US$402.31 534.78​

Edited cuz I like @svetz's way of thinking in the next post.

 

[svetz]

I think the first line item counts as $0 since it was dead box taking up space.

 

[Santa]

Cool Bob!

 

[svetz]

...Renogy Wanderer 10A PWM SCC...

Now that you've been playing with it for a couple of weeks... How are you liking the 10 amp Renogy SCC?
Anything you'd do differently?

 

[Bob142]

Now that you've been playing with it for a couple of weeks... How are you liking the 10 amp Renogy SCC?
Anything you'd do differently?

So far I wouldn't change a thing. I love how it turned out.

The Renogy Wanderer has been great for this project. There are a lot of people who have had very negative experiences with Renogy but I'm not one of them. I have no trouble programming and monitoring it with the BT-1 module and the iPhone app. I found that putting one of my 100W HQST mono panels in parallel with a Renogy 50W mono panel is a nice array size. It keeps me at or under 8 amps so it's not pushing the controller to the limit and is a nice charge rate for the 30Ah battery that lets me recharge in a reasonable amount of time. The one gripe with the Wanderer is that on the lithium setting it sets the float to the same value as the boost voltage. I set boost to 14.0V and once it hits that I just turn off the charging circuit and I'm good to go. If this was an unattended system, I wouldn't want my LFP battery sitting at that voltage (I suppose I'd drop the boost setting down in a different use case, but I haven't bothered thinking much about it since that's not what I'm doing.)

The Giandel 300W inverter has worked very well. I've noticed that the fan comes on at times to cool it down and the built-in ventilation grates of the Duracell case appears to accommodate the air flow nicely.

The Amped Outdoors 30Ah battery has been delivering on its capacity. Zero complaints so far. I consider it money well spent.

The real headliner lesson learned is the TF03K battery monitor. As I mentioned in post #11 I like it much better than the AiLi monitors I installed in a couple other systems. I decided to take a chance on this one and I'm glad I did. I highly recommend it. I'm planning on replacing the two AiLi's I have and also using it in my Yeti system to replace the near-useless Drok hall effect monitor.

 

[Snubeazy]

Thanks. Is too many $ / kWh an acceptable answer?

It's slightly more expensive than buying a small commercial portable power station. But it was more fun to build, it's LFP rather than NMC, and charges from solar MUCH faster than roughly comparable commercial versions.

Cost breakdown for just the bigger parts (ignoring wires, lugs, switches, tool costs, etc.) are as follows:

Item	Cost	Notes
Original Duracell Powerpack 600	$0 132.47​	Included here since I paid for it at some point years ago.
Amped Outdoors 30Ah LiFePO4 battery	$189.99​	Could maybe DIY a battery w/BMS for cheaper but I wasn't interested in that.
Giandel 300W Pure Sine Wave Inverter	$47.96​
Renogy Wanderer 10A PWM SCC	$16.99​
TF03K Battery Capacity Monitor & 100A Shunt	$45.99​	Love it. I'll buy this over AiLi from now on. More info in this thread, posts 3,5,&6.
Powerpole Panel Mount Connector	$19.99​
RJ12 Extension Panel Mount Jack	$8.00​
Busbars	$34.28​
Renogy BT-1	$39.11​	Shared between this system and another, so maybe not fair to include full cost.
Total	US$402.31 534.78​

Edited cuz I like @svetz's way of thinking in the next post.

Hello Bob142,

I'm new to this forum. I'm also trying to learn the basics of solar through people like Will Prowse. Its quite a learning curve for me. I'm trying to balance my deliberative research and taking action. I can't afford to make many mistakes in my purchases since I don't have a whole lot to draw from. I am finding myself increasingly upping my budget to get a decent small scale solar generator going. I really like your lunch box! I have been looking at cheap lithium batteries (18-30Ah). Its between Eco-worthy or Amped Outdoors and I can only find people talking about Amped Outdoors fishing batteries (which is what led me to your lunch box). Walmart had 5 Bluetti AC20 portable solar generators for $250 last time I checked a month ago; I held off hoping I could find more bang for my buck and now they are sold out. Will Prowse came out with a video about a system for under $300, but I wanted lithium and pure sine wave. I was thinking $400 was where I wanted to be for the portable solar generator, solar panel, inverter, SSC, & wiring/electrical comp.

I actually found someone selling the exact Duracel powerpack 600 with a dead battery for $15. I'm considering replicating your build, but I might want to hold off on certain things you put into it to cut some costs. Do I NEED a TF03K Battery Capacity Monitor & 100A Shunt, RJ12 Extension Panel Mount Jack OR a Renogy BT-1? What did you need the Busbars for? Isn't that only needed for when you build your own LiFePO4 battery? Can I get away with using a small volt indicator screen?

I'm living out of a small sedan. The more space I can save, the better, but I would like some capacity at the same time. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Bob142]

Hello Bob142,

I'm new to this forum.

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I actually found someone selling the exact Duracel powerpack 600 with a dead battery for $15. I'm considering replicating your build, but I might want to hold off on certain things you put into it to cut some costs. Do I NEED a TF03K Battery Capacity Monitor & 100A Shunt, RJ12 Extension Panel Mount Jack OR a Renogy BT-1?

Technically you can get away without the shunt-based capacity monitor but then you'd have no good way of knowing your battery state of charge (SoC). It's almost impossible to just use battery voltage to determine SoC for LFP due to the flat charge/discharge voltage curve. I don't recommend skipping this part of the build.

The RJ12 extension jack and Renogy-BT1 are definitely not necessary. Especially if you have a battery capacity monitor since that will tell you how much power is coming in when you're charging.

What did you need the Busbars for?

I used these busbars so that I only had one connection to each of the battery terminals then everything else connected to the busbars that are positioned above the battery. With the 30Ah Amped Outdoors battery on its side there isn't enough room to connect more than one lug and wire to the battery terminals.

Can I get away with using a small volt indicator screen?

See comments about battery monitor above.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck figuring out the best build/system for you.