• Have you tried out dark mode?! Scroll to the bottom of any page to find a sun or moon icon to turn dark mode on or off!

diy solar

diy solar

Starlink from 48 volt rack battery

Bluedog225

Bluedog225

Solar Wizard
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
4,052
Location
Texas
Good evening

According to a support article on the Starlink site, the current (generation 3?), Starlink dish has a DC-DC power option. But the spec is 48V input with 56 V output. (below).

I’ve seen the power supply described but not finding on the website for sale (grrrr).

Does Starlink offer DC-input power supply options? - Starlink Help Center

www.starlink.com www.starlink.com

The dish is not particularly cheap and I don’t want to mess it up.

Options: I can get the DC-DC power supply and maybe the rack battery input voltage isn’t too high. Or I can run the dish straight off the battery and hope the voltage isn’t too low.

Which way am I less likely to shit the bed? I thought you guys might know.

Thanks

IMG_2837.png
 
Last edited:
Edit

I found the link to the product. The question remains whether it will work on voltage in the low 50s.

Starlink Shop

www.starlink.com www.starlink.com
 
Last edited:
I put in a ticket to Starlink support. Will report back.

The voltages involved are annoyingly close.
 
Bluedog225 said:
Or are you thinking run it straight off the battery?
Click to expand...
Yes but make sure you have 5A fast blow fuse in line. I doubt Starlink dish pulls more than 250 watts continuously. Ideally you want to connect it directly to cells bypassing BMS to make sure there is never a voltage surge in case BMS disconnects under high charging current. A surge could damage internal TVS diode or blow internal 20A fuse which then would require opening the case to replace those parts. The mini has 100V power mosfets internally but TVS is rated for 60V max operation.
 
AntronX said:
Yes but make sure you have 5A fast blow fuse in line. I doubt Starlink dish pulls more than 250 watts continuously. Ideally you want to connect it directly to cells bypassing BMS to make sure there is never a voltage surge in case BMS disconnects under high charging current. A surge could damage internal TVS diode or blow internal 20A fuse which then would require opening the case to replace those parts. The mini has 100V power mosfets internally but TVS is rated for 60V max operation.
Click to expand...
Mine pulls about 50-100w. I think the only time it would be higher is if snow melt is on...
 
AntronX said:
Yes but make sure you have 5A fast blow fuse in line. I doubt Starlink dish pulls more than 250 watts continuously. Ideally you want to connect it directly to cells bypassing BMS to make sure there is never a voltage surge in case BMS disconnects under high charging current. A surge could damage internal TVS diode or blow internal 20A fuse which then would require opening the case to replace those parts. The mini has 100V power mosfets internally but TVS is rated for 60V max operation.
Click to expand...

Good points. I’m not sure a direct connection to the batteries, bypassing the BMS, is possible without some pretty serious tinkering with the rack battery.
 
You could make external TVS overvoltage protection circuit that can absorb the surge without threatening internal surge protection circuit inside the dish. All it takes is a fuse in series and appropriate TVS diode (or multiple in parallel) from fuse output + to - on the dish side. This way if the surge happens then TVS clamps it or blows the fuse.
 
xtar-link.com

DC Conversion

Enhance your Starlink experience with XTAR's high-quality accessories, chargers, and power solutions. Reliable, efficient, and designed for optimal performance. Shop now!
xtar-link.com xtar-link.com
 
We run Star Link at our off grid Cabin. No issue but we run it on after the inverter on a 15 amp plug. There is a heater in the dish to melt snow that works good but we unplug the whole unit at night when we go to bed to save on the batteries draining when we don't need to watch tv or surf the net. Star Link is the only option we have since we are totally off grid and other dishes don't work near as good
 
One of the things I’m trying to accomplish is being able to view the Victron remote monitoring without keeping the inverter running 24/7 while I’m away. That drain adds up.
CommandoJoe said:
Maybe a cheap boost circuit?

Click to expand...
If that would work, it would be great.

I’m out of my depth on the electronics here.
 
Bluedog225 said:
One of the things I’m trying to accomplish is being able to view the Victron remote monitoring without keeping the inverter running 24/7 while I’m away. That drain adds up.

If that would work, it would be great.

I’m out of my depth on the electronics here.
Click to expand...
As you likely know - Starlink has on/off time windows - e.g. you can control the drain significantly thru this. When boondocking, we set our's off thru the night to reduce power drain. Maybe this feature would be enough?
 
My systems not hooked up at the moment. Had to move the conex. I can check later. But consumption was pretty normal. I turned off the solar during out last freeze to be on the safe side. The inverter and a fridge depleted by battery bank. Mostly the basic standby inverter draw as far as I can tell. 24/7 adds up.
 
Watts Happening

Thread 'The "ultimate" Starlink setup - Take ideas from it and expand as you see fit!'

I'm sure there are plenty of other awesome setups, I didn't have much of a plan going into this other than wanting to tick as many boxes for as many scenarios as possible. This is a VERY flexible setup while saving a fair bit of power which I think will help a lot of people out there trying to run on solar. This setup can run direct from your 48v lithium battery setup, or even from your 12v system. In our case we will usually run the OEM Starlink power adapter because we're so "overpowered" in our trailer/house it makes no difference consumption wise and keeps everything running perfectly...
  • Like
  • Love
  • Wow

We've had a member make this work before.
 
740GLE said:
What are you seeing for consumption with this converter and the starlink?
Click to expand...
I have not yet measured the power consumption. I can only verify that it works. It's for my camper, and being as it's winter.. But that's why I acquired it in the first place, so It's on the list.
 
Bluedog225 said:
One of the things I’m trying to accomplish is being able to view the Victron remote monitoring without keeping the inverter running 24/7 while I’m away. That drain adds up.

If that would work, it would be great.

I’m out of my depth on the electronics here.
Click to expand...
It should. Just hook up dc in, dc out, put a voltmeter on the output and adjust the voltage to what you need.
 
Here’s the response from Starlink. It sounds like they are saying either using the DC-DC power input or going directly through the battery should work. I think Antron’s points are valid though. Probably safer with the DC-DC power supply kit.

@AntronX
@HighTechLab

IMG_1952.png
 
I feel like I'm missing something; does this mean it won't work on a 51.2V LiFePO4 battery that has a maximum charging voltage of potentially 58.2Vdc?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

JBoffgrid2022
Starlink Off-Grid Setup?
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
TGPB
TGPB
O
Grounding and Starlink
Replies
23
Views
2K
offgrid-curious
O
Watts Happening
The "ultimate" Starlink setup - Take ideas from it and expand as you see fit!
Replies
13
Views
4K
Nobodybusiness
Nobodybusiness
Watts Happening
Starlink Gen3 Power Options
Replies
5
Views
2K
Watts Happening
Watts Happening
J
Starlink and POE step up converter help
Replies
6
Views
672
wpns
wpns

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top