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hahaha! I get carried away on some threads that interest me. In this case the mention of the alternator on the same day I ordered an upgraded alternator for my MAZDA.
Holy moley!!! (I was going to say 'holy crap' but thought better.) Those are some intensive mods. Congrats on your skill level. Inspirational.
Anyway, it appears that the Ecoflow Delta will draw no more than 10 amps from ANYTHING, whether solar or a vehicle, whether direct from the battery or the accessory outlet via DC. So no worries. My mistake in thinking it could draw up to 30 amps (400 watts) from a vehicle using DC. You are correct, though - if I did significant mods (upgraded alternator, battery and wiring) and installed a high powered DC to AC inverter, I could plug my Delta into it and draw a lot more amps/watts using the Delta's AC plug. But I have no interest in doing that.
Last edited by Gerald Mucci; 07-08-2021 at 12:18 PM.
to increase the charging voltage from 12 volts (through the accessory outlet which gets very hot when running 10 amps for more than a few minutes) to 48 volts (connected to the battery) so that the Ecoflow Delta can charge at the rate of 400 watts instead of 120 watts. This will reduce the charging time from 10 hours to 4 hours.
Either that or replace the alternator with a 250 amp version, upgrade a bunch or wiring, and get a 500 watt DC to AC inverter to charge the Delta in less than 2 hours.
Last edited by Gerald Mucci; 07-09-2021 at 02:36 PM.
This is what was suggested to increase the charging voltage from 12 volts (through the accessory outlet which gets very hot when running 10 amps for more than a few minutes) to 48 volts (connected to the battery) so that the Ecoflow Delta can charge at the rate of 400 watts instead of 120 watts. This will reduce the charging time from 10 hours to 4 hours. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N8S6A6T...v_ov_lig_dp_it
Either that or replace the alternator with a 250 amp version, upgrade a bunch or wiring, and get a 500 watt DC to AC inverter to charge the Delta in less than 2 hours.
If any wire gets even warm it is to small to carry the load safely...
You either replace the wire in that complete circuit with larger gauge wire or build a stand alone power supply.
Even if you replace the alternator with a high output it will not change the laws of ohm and you would still need to replace the wire with larger gauge to handle the load.
It is more to it understanding the 12 volt system then the fuse protection circuit rating.
If any wire gets even warm it is to small to carry the load safely...
You either replace the wire in that complete circuit with larger gauge wire or build a stand alone power supply. Even if you replace the alternator with a high output it will not change the laws of ohm and you would still need to replace the wire with larger gauge to handle the load. It is more to it understanding the 12 volt system then the fuse protection circuit rating.
Yup. Fuses are more about keeping the car from burning down than protecting from less than optimal wiring. Accessory outlets are not really designed or intended for long term efficient utilization of power. Too much power lost to heat. There's probably a lot of 12 gauge where 8 or 10 gauge should be. The Delta came with an accessory plug to plug into the vehicles lighter outlet. There are many photos on the Delta "Ecoflow Club" website that show melted cigarette lighter plugs. A full 10 amps through that outlet for extended time periods is looking for trouble. Thus my search for alternative methods of charging the Delta from my CX-5.
Last edited by Gerald Mucci; 07-09-2021 at 02:07 PM.
30-40 bucks for all the parts and wire, connectors.... and maybe 2 hours(or less depending of what unit) EASY installation
12volt 120watt fused protect between 1amp to 20amp and can easily handle a 1200 watt converter. I know you can do it!!
I could. Thanks for this additional option. It's good for some. But for my "ever-so-very-occasional" uses (like once every several years) I prefer your suggestion of a 10amp, DC to DC12 volt to 48 converter attach under the hood. We don't camp or travel. This would be for SHTF emergencies which thank goodness have been rare.
My remaining question is this: What are the pros and cons to hooking up the DC to DC converter to the alternator versus the battery? Or does it matter? Since this use would be rare, I would use battery clamps. No permanent install.
If you did then you would need to add an addition large gauge wire from the alternator to the battery and an additional grounding wire. You may have seen that installation on my thread. Mazda wire was only engineered for exactly the model and not for added electrical high electrical draw accessories.
Besides your battery will thank you for the extra large wires. You can actually measure a drop in the ohms and voltage demand at start up after installing more and larger leads.
If you did then you would need to add an addition large gauge wire from the alternator to the battery and an additional grounding wire. You may have seen that installation on my thread. Mazda wire was only engineered for exactly the model and not for added electrical high electrical draw accessories.
Besides your battery will thank you for the extra large wires. You can actually measure a drop in the ohms and voltage demand at start up after installing more and larger leads.
"If you did" what? If I hooked up the converter to the battery or to the alternator? I can see your point if I hook the converter to the battery - drawing more power from the alternator could use larger wire. But If I hooked the converter to the alternator, why would I need larger wire to the battery from the alternator?
This question remains unanswered: What are the pros and cons to hooking up the DC to DC converter to the alternator versus the battery? Or does it matter? Since this use would be rare, I would use battery clamps. No permanent install.
You DO NOT connect any accessory directly on the alternator battery lead of a ECU/ECM alternator output controlled charging system.
Even the starter factory is first supplied directly from the battery and a piggyback lead to the alternator.
Your ECU in the MAZDA can not effectively adjust the charging rate of your alternator..... so I am not sure if you would damage your Alternator ,ECU or battery maybe all 3? There are some thing electrical you just don't cheat on!
Last edited by Callisto; 07-10-2021 at 03:04 PM.
Reason: left out alternator description in response
07-08-2021, 11:34 AM
