Ordered my Flexopower Lithium444

[OutdoorsBen]

3 days so far having it charge while I drive. I have 1 bar indicator left.

 

[OutdoorsBen]

So the total with charging while driving was 4 days and 5 hours. I went from DC to AC and that is being run right now.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Where did you get this info? Not to be contentious, but AH rating is AH rating. Discharging a lithium battery too far can cause issues. Trust me, I design battery solutions for military and space. The battery should shut down to prevent discharging too far, since this can be dangerous, as in it may catch fire and explode when you recharge. That is why every battery pack carries an onboard computer that monitors the charge state and is supposed to shut down if it is charged too fast, overcharged too far or discharged too far.

I will look into these battery packs and get back with further "FACTS"

Back with facts... This unit will give you that number of AHs before protecting itself. 40AH is not that much capacity and is based upon the battery voltage, not 120V. So it will not give you 40 amps at 120v for an hour.

If you read the fine print, it is 444 watt hours. If your cooler pulls a constant 3 amps at 12 volts you should be able to run for approximately 444/(3x12)= 12.3 hours under ideal conditions. Now you have to figure in the duty cycle of the fridge, in other words how much of the time is it actually "on". If it is actually providing cooling one third of the time, then you should be able to run around 37 hours if running from the 12v outlet. If running from the 120v volt outlet, it will be less due to the losses in the conversion process. I would estimate the losses to be around 20% for a well designed inverter, with 90% being exceptional.

While it is a very nice, small, and handy unit, it is not the answer to everybody's needs. For what it costs, if you have the space, you could put an additional dual deep cycle battery setup in your rig and have several times more capacity, and add an inverter for the 120v.

Keep talking Old_Man i'm listening but still don't understand the technical lingo. I want to buy a solar set up but know nothing about what to buy. I need to know how many batteries (and what size-type) are needed for say 200 Watts of power from a solar devise. I have a small generator (900 watts) and canto run it a couple of hours a day. How much good would the gas generator be in addition to the 200 w solar devise, If I am only running a refer and say a computer. I currently have only one deep cycle marine battery (24ms) 1000 amp hr. @1A. I plan to get another one the same size at Walmart because they are only $79 each currently, down from $129 last year. Am I going in the right direction, could I go with say 100 w solar panels or do I need more.

 

[old_man]

In order to size a setup, you first have to know what you are going to run and how much power it needs. From there you figure out what the maximum amount of time you will be using it each day. For instance, a powerful laptop might pull 120 watts. Skipping the formulas, 120 watts @ 12 volts equals 10 amps. A 100 watt solar panel can theoretically charge at roughly 8 amps, but depending on cloud cover, time of day etc, you should probably figure no more than 5 amps average. So simply put, if you are using your laptop at full power for 8 hours, you would consume 80 amp/hours. I would expect around 50 amp hours in a day from a 100 W solar panel. Your battery is pretty good size but solar alone will most likely not keep it charged in every circumstance. Now if you limit the amount of run time on the laptop and use it in battery saver mode, you would probably be OK. Now, you have to additional charge options, first is your vehicle, which will provide probably 30 amps of charge which will recharge a battery pretty quick. If you are traveling every day, you would not even need the solar. The second option is to use your generator if your battery gets low.

If you have the room and the hauling capacity, I would recommend a second battery. That way you start with plenty of reserve. If it is cloudy one day, no problem, and if it is, the vehicle or generator will refill both of them. You could add another panel, but as far as bang for the buck, the battery is your best bet.

 

[OutdoorsBen]

4 1/2 days was the final tally with charging while driving. Not bad. Of course YMMV for whoever is reading this. Lots of variables here such as fridge size, insulation, how often it's opened, vehicle, location of user etc...

 

[old_man]

I'm surprised it didn't last indefinitely if you were recharging while driving.

 

[Viking1204]

Keep talking Old_Man i'm listening but still don't understand the technical lingo. I want to buy a solar set up but know nothing about what to buy. I need to know how many batteries (and what size-type) are needed for say 200 Watts of power from a solar devise. I have a small generator (900 watts) and canto run it a couple of hours a day. How much good would the gas generator be in addition to the 200 w solar devise, If I am only running a refer and say a computer. I currently have only one deep cycle marine battery (24ms) 1000 amp hr. @1A. I plan to get another one the same size at Walmart because they are only $79 each currently, down from $129 last year. Am I going in the right direction, could I go with say 100 w solar panels or do I need more.

Check out the thread below, it might help you. I read through it and then ordered the book from the guy in the video posted by Jim SoG on the 2nd page. I bought the book since it wasn't too expensive and can use it as a reference when I start building my solar setup, I'm just learning about solar now too.

SOLAR PANELS AND CHARGERS

Im seriously thnking of dropping a few hundred on some solar equipment just for the convenience of keeping car batteries and personal electronics charged up. What kind of Solar equipment do you use, and what Brand of solar equipment do you recommend for toughness, reliability,etc?...how much...

www.overlandbound.com

 

[OutdoorsBen]

I'm surprised it didn't last indefinitely if you were recharging while driving.

My commute is very short, it’s 8 miles with no stop lights or stop signs.

 

[Jim SoG]

Goal Zero has a Buck/Boost adapter that regulates the output voltage to a constant 12V. The Lithium battery will then control when it shuts off. Kind of expensive at $40 though and it may need to be fitted with a connector compatible with your battery. It wouldn't be hard to make one if you have some experience with electronics.

Yeti Lithium 12V Regulated Cable Yeti Lithium 12V Regulated Cable

Yep that did the trick, keeps on going, best $40 bucks, well actually I had to but anothger adapter thingy to go from Anderson powerpole connector to male cig plug, also from GZero. By the way I did buy a male cig lighter plug with an Anderson Powerplug on a wire and that thing melted when the fridge went to cucle and this thing was not a "cheapy", needless to say it is going back. The GZero stuff looks to be top notch quality and work great with the Flexopower.

jim

 

[OutdoorsBen]

Yep that did the trick, keeps on going, best $40 bucks, well actually I had to but anothger adapter thingy to go from Anderson powerpole connector to male cig plug, also from GZero. By the way I did buy a male cig lighter plug with an Anderson Powerplug on a wire and that thing melted when the fridge went to cucle and this thing was not a "cheapy", needless to say it is going back. The GZero stuff looks to be top notch quality and work great with the Flexopower.

jim

Care to link parts for your setup to help those that read this in the future.

 

[Jim SoG]

Here ya go:
12v regulated: Yeti Lithium 12V Regulated Cable Yeti Lithium 12V Regulated Cable
Adapter set: 12V Max Current Cable for the Yeti Lithium Power Stations

well worth the money when you consider this will allow you to utilize the lithium to its drained abilities.....

Jim
PS they ship faster than what the delivery said on site....Also google for free ship over $49 I think it was.

 

[Baughb]

Ok, I just ordered my 444 today and I went with the Yeti cables suggested as well. I'm looking forward to seeing my real world experience with this and my fridge... except that its maximum operating temperature is stated as 104 degrees F. That sure is not much. It regularly hits that for weeks at a time in Western US during summer and fall. So if this is in my truck or wagon and the inside of the locked vehicle exceeds that, should I expect catastrophic failure and fire?

Face it, people will steal your sh*t and I don't want $$$ of kit sitting in my truck with the windows open or a Lithium power pack sitting in the shade underneath the vehicle.

Suggestions for safely insulating this unit from heat and not exposing it to being stolen?

Bob

 

[Jim SoG]

Aint got that far yet....LOL

Jim

 

[OutdoorsBen]

1 pattern I've noticed so far is that the battery indicator on the top is not accurate at all in 3 out of 5 instances. I've noticed in those instances that it went from 5 full lights to E1 on the fridge and low voltage cutoff. The 2 times that it did work it was being charged as I drove. Anyone else having that same issue?

 

[Jim SoG]

When my fridge drained almost all the power using the adapter cords I still showed full LEDs, pressed the buttom few times got 1, done this test twice, emailed the company yeserday and they said bad LEDs, sending new unit and return label Monday. I think they have a known issue with the LED.s, not sure....

Jim

 

[Viking1204]

Well after a couple of weeks researching building my own Solar Power Generator and adding a second battery to my truck I decided to purchase the Flexopower Lithium444! Purchased it online this morning and received an email that it has shipped within 30 minutes or so, that's awesome. When I weighed the cost of building a solar generator myself or adding a second battery to the back of my truck I didn't see any significant cost difference to buying the Flexopower. When you consider having to purchase the battery, inverter, MPPT Solar controller, wiring, and all the connectors to make it work it just wasn't worth it to me. Not to mention it's summer time in Florida and having to work outside in the heat to say add a second battery to my truck was just not something I looked forward to. Another plus I see with the Flexopower is it is portable so if I need to use it to run power tools at my hunting lease I can take it with me on my ATV and have portable power in the field. I can charge it on a cigarette lighter plug in the back seat of my truck or the one on my ATV.

@Jim SoG Any chance you can post a picture of how your setup works with those Goal Zero cables you ordered? I don't have a portable refrigerator but just curious to how your setup looks so I know what I need to do when I get my fridge.

 

[stickel]

Wondering if I have bad LEDs too or if it was a problem with my fridge (Whynter from Home Depot). While I was at Expo West this year the fridge kept cutting off. Either it wasn't reading the output from the Flexopower correctly or the Flexopower wasn't showing the correct charge via the LEDs. Either way, I was lucky to get power for my fridge for a couple of hours. Even starting and running my rig each morning wasn't enough to charge up the unit so it could keep the fridge running. Wasn't too impressed with my fridge or the Flexopower after that weekend/trip.

 

[Jim SoG]

Well after a couple of weeks researching building my own Solar Power Generator and adding a second battery to my truck I decided to purchase the Flexopower Lithium444! Purchased it online this morning and received an email that it has shipped within 30 minutes or so, that's awesome. When I weighed the cost of building a solar generator myself or adding a second battery to the back of my truck I didn't see any significant cost difference to buying the Flexopower. When you consider having to purchase the battery, inverter, MPPT Solar controller, wiring, and all the connectors to make it work it just wasn't worth it to me. Not to mention it's summer time in Florida and having to work outside in the heat to say add a second battery to my truck was just not something I looked forward to. Another plus I see with the Flexopower is it is portable so if I need to use it to run power tools at my hunting lease I can take it with me on my ATV and have portable power in the field. I can charge it on a cigarette lighter plug in the back seat of my truck or the one on my ATV.

@Jim SoG Any chance you can post a picture of how your setup works with those Goal Zero cables you ordered? I don't have a portable refrigerator but just curious to how your setup looks so I know what I need to do when I get my fridge.

Yes I could but am packed for a week at the GC Nrth rim, but they are straigt forward, I use cig lighter to cig lighter (male/female)..........

Jim

 

[Jim SoG]

Wondering if I have bad LEDs too or if it was a problem with my fridge (Whynter from Home Depot). While I was at Expo West this year the fridge kept cutting off. Either it wasn't reading the output from the Flexopower correctly or the Flexopower wasn't showing the correct charge via the LEDs. Either way, I was lucky to get power for my fridge for a couple of hours. Even starting and running my rig each morning wasn't enough to charge up the unit so it could keep the fridge running. Wasn't too impressed with my fridge or the Flexopower after that weekend/trip.

If the fridge has a protection feature to not drain your battery (your car battery so you can start and drive away) it will cut off the fridge, that is why I had to get the gola zero cable thingy, it tells the fridge that the battery is a full 12v's and thus the fridge does not cut off, utilizing the lithium value of drawing down the power, and after testing it, works great.


Jim

 

[stickel]

If the fridge has a protection feature to not drain your battery (your car battery so you can start and drive away) it will cut off the fridge, that is why I had to get the gola zero cable thingy, it tells the fridge that the battery is a full 12v's and thus the fridge does not cut off, utilizing the lithium value of drawing down the power, and after testing it, works great.

Thanks. Too bad the regulated cable is back ordered everywhere.