There will come a time when you will need battery backup power for an indefinite period of time. Primarily for recharging batteries, electronics, night time lighting, operating two way radios, etc. This power must also be self recharging with a solar panel and provide power, primarily 12 and 5 volts DC continuously, day and night. It must be reliable, flexible, and easily repairable.
The MP Power Station was designed to provide emergency power for charging radios, cellphones, flashlights and lanterns, power tools, emergency lighting, oxygen concentrator, C-PAP machines, rechargeable battery chargers, and any other 5 volt USB equipment. In a grid-down scenario this box will provide important emergency backup power. This unit is primarily designed to receive its power from solar panels, wind turbines, or AC wall transformer, or all at the same time. The Charge Controller keeps the deep cycle lead acid battery maintained, fully charged, and provides +12 volts and USB +5 volts. A charging indicator will show the capacity of the battery and also display the voltage available and the status of the system. All loads are protected by fuses. The Charge Controller also monitors the battery capacity and will shut off battery to protect it if its capacity gets too low. If more capacity is needed, there is a parallel battery connector to add a second battery.
The input will receive from 14 to 24 volts in, and provides 12 volts from a cigarette lighter socket, or two 2.1mm coax power connectors. There is also a special USB socket that provides one QC3.0 and two USB-C PD30 sockets for high power USB charging, and also two USB sockets on the charge controller. There is also two extra fused outputs available on the fuse block.
There are many different types of connectors and cables that can be configured in order for this battery box to work. It will all depend on the solar panel, the power connector, which there are at least four standards. Also the cable from the panel to the power box should be kept as short as possible. A 25 foot #12 gauge or a 50 foot #10 gauge cable is the maximum distance you can efficiently run. Longer cable lengths can be used but there will be voltage drops to contend with. In permanent outside installations, weatherproof cable is required.
This unit can also be used as a power source for camping trips, picnics, summer homes, and of course trolling motors. This is also perfect for Amateur Radio "Field Day" operations.
This battery box is an important tool for preppers because if the SHTF or other disaster occurs, this box will give you the security knowing that emergency power is always available. In a worst case scenario if we are hit with an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse), the charge controller can be permanently be damaged. The solar panel and battery itself should survive the EMP. Should this ever happen, there is a spare Charge Controller (see below) inside the box wrapped in three layers of foil to provide a Faraday shield to protect the spare controller. There is also a screwdriver inside the box to allow you to replace the damaged controller. There is also a digital voltmeter wrapped in Faraday foil to allow you or anyone with basic electrical skills to test and troubleshoot any electronic parts such as fuses, wires, switches, batteries, bulbs, and other equipment. Don't open these up. These are only to be used AFTER an EMP strike. Learn more about all the features here.
A question often asked is if this will run a refrigerator. Well, yes, and no. With an AC inverter it will run it for less than 10 minutes before the battery is discharged, and require six or more days to recharge the battery (without the refrigerator connected) with a 100 watt solar panel and at least 6 hours of daily sunlight. A refrigerator is a luxury. In a grid down scenario a refrigerator must be abandoned. There is no way you can efficiently run a standard frost free refrigerator, so get that out of your vocabulary. You will see many ads on TV and websites that it will run a refrigerator and they show one solar panel on their power station in their ad. In reality you will need 30 to 50, 100 watt panels to keep the refrigerator running continuously. Keep in mind there are many times you will not see the sun come out for days at a time. Again, you must abandon any idea of a refrigerator.
There's one exception. There are coolers that use a Peltier device to cool the ice chest down to a usable temperature and they run on 12 volts. This can safely store insulin or other medicines, and some perishable foodstuffs. Koolatron™ units are available on Amazon.
There are four commonly used connectors to interface solar panels to solar charging systems. The MC4 which is the most common and professional waterproof connector, XT60, SAE auto type, and 2.1mm coaxial.
The SAE automobile bullet type is commonly used in car applications and can be seen on high power foldable solar panels. They are shown below. Note that the colors can be seen on both genders so you have to be careful to connect them up correctly.
The XT60 is also used on charge controllers and some solar panels. They are shown below:
The MC4 connectors are the most popular and are used in commercial and residential applications. They are waterproof and used on rigid aluminum exterior solar panels and some 100 watt foldable panels. The MC4 connectors are shown below.
Coax power connectors come in many different sizes, the most common is the 2.1 mm center pin type as shown below:
Some better foldable solar panels have a variety of outputs for
your convenience.
From left to right, power indicator, USB-C, QC3.0, 2.1mm 12 volt, USB-A standard
5 volt. Other higher power 100 watt panels use the MC4 connectors as shown
below.
There are a number of cables used to hook up panels and other loads. They are shown below, and what they are used for. Please study these carefully so you will get the right ones.
Note: Prices fluctuate almost daily so I would recommend getting items while
the quoted prices are stable
The parallel battery cable is used to hook another extender battery box to your main battery box. It is #12 gauge and 12 inches long, and shown below. Note the male pin on each end is not the same color.
SAE Bullet on both ends
$12.00
Note: Other third party portable power stations like the GOFORT
use the 2.1 mm circular coax jack as the input from the solar panel. SAE Automobile
type on left end plugs into the panel or extension cable "E or L" and the 2.1 mm plug on the
right end plugs into the Power Station using the "H" cable. DO NOT get this cable mixed up with the
cable below. It has the polarity reversed. Optional 25 foot SAE bullet extension
cables "E, F, or L", are shown below. Note: The shrouded bullet pin of the
SAE connector is connected to the center pin of the round 2.1mm connector.
$12.00
2.1 mm coaxial on left end plugs into a 60 watt or less solar
panel and the SAE Auto on the right end plugs into the power station through
cable "E, F, or L". Note: DO NOT confuse this cable with the one above. It has the polarity reversed on the
bullet end. Note: The center pin of the round 2.1 mm connector is connected to
the male bullet end of the SAE connector.
$12.00
SAE Bullet type on both ends with a 2.1 mm tap. This custom cable will allow you to charge both
the MP Box and a third party Portable Power Station at the same time. You will need cable
"H"
to go to the Portable Power Station. Note: The cable is a standard SAE
crossover extension with a pick-off for the 2.1 mm coaxial connector.
$12.00
SAE Bullet on both ends
Note: All these extension cables are typically crossover type which means the
bare bullet end of each end goes to the shrouded female on the other end.
$35.00
SAE Bullet on both ends
If you need to run a longer length of cable, more than 25 feet, you can use the
10 gauge cable to prevent voltage losses.
Note: All these extension cables are typically crossover type which means the
bare bullet end of each end goes to the shrouded female on the other end.
$45.00
MC4 connectors on one end of UV resistant
outdoor cable and SAE Bullet on the other. This cable connects to the solar
panel with the MC4 connectors, to the MP Battery box SAE solar input.
$45.00
2.1 mm on both ends. Note: This cable is used
to connect the battery box to AA or AAA battery chargers using either of
the two 2.1 mm connectors on the battery box. It is also used to connect Cable
"D"
to the Portable Power Station charger input. Remember the Prepper's motto.
"Two is one and one is none". Always have a spare.
$14.00 a pair.
$45.00
This heavy duty commercial cable is for permanent installations where it could be exposed to harsh weather or extreme sunlight.
$20.00
The charge controller is the heart of the battery box. It will charge up the battery from a solar panel, wall adapter, or wind turbine and prevent it from overcharging. It will also monitor the battery during discharge and shut down the load if the voltage gets too low. There are other voltage parameters that can be changed if you know what you are doing. It is described in the PDF of manual here.
If you have the optional Renogy Lithium Ion charge controller, get the user manual here
SAE Bullet on both ends
Note: if you don't need the typical 25 foot cable and want to keep voltage
losses at a minimum, you can use the shorter 12 foot cable.
Note: All these extension cables are typically crossover type which means the
bare bullet end of each end goes to the shrouded female on the other end.
$25.00
This adapter will couple two solar panels that
have SAE outputs.
$20.00
Picture to follow
This coupler will connect two foldable panels
with 2.1mm jacks to an SAE connector to run to your battery box via a typical
"E" cable.
$20.00
6 ft span
If your two panels have MC4 connectors on them and you need to parallel connect
both panels together to get twice the power, use this coupling cable which will
give you a single output to your battery box via an extension cable using cable
"X".
$30.00
If you are not planning on using solar power
and want to have a means of keeping your battery box charged and topped off, you
can use this power adapter permanently connected to the battery box.
Note: This is a stock picture with a round power connector. The actual cable has
an SAE connector on the end.
$20.00
Note: This is a stock picture with a round
power connector. The actual cable has an SAE connector on the end.
Use this transformer if you have a constant heavier load such as a base station
radio that draws more power.
$40.00
With 10 ft #12 ga Anderson Power Pole cable
$55.00
Runs off 5 volt USB cable
Some chargers have 12 volt 2.1 mm round
connector and some have USB micro or C connector inputs.
$16.00
$25.00
Some solar panels have Anderson Powerpole output plugs and this will convert it to standard SAE connector.
$12.00
$15.00
(Pix to follow)
This cable is a heavy duty commercial grade power cable to connect your solar
array to the portable power station using Cable Y
$45.00
This cable will convert your MC4 cable to SAE
so it will plug into the battery box. Note: MC4 female goes to the Red positive
bullet end of the SAE cable.
$20.00
This cable can connect your radios or other equipment to the
Anderson distribution box "S"
$15.00
pix
Should you need intermittent high current for operating an Amateur Radio transmitter, this cable will allow the Anderson Powerpole strip to provide up to 30 amps on an intermittent basis.
$xx.00
Enclosed in this box is a spare charge controller wrapped in layers of tin foil to prevent an EMP from destroying it.
Should an EMP strike and destroy the attached charge controller, wait until the threat of any other EMPs is over and install the spare charge controller using the #1 Phillips screwdriver enclosed to replace damaged controller. Make sure to loosen the set screws enough to insert the wires completely in the terminal strip. Replace the mounting screws by observing the way the screws are currently attached. Depending on the type of battery in the box you will have to set the configuration to B1, B2, or B3. B1 setting is for sealed lead acid (SLA), B2 setting is for GEL cells, and B3 is for flooded lead acid batteries. The charge controller is fully automatic and will keep the battery completely charged without overcharging, and protect the battery from too deep of a discharge. You can leave the solar panel connected or any generator connected without damage to the controller or battery. With a summing cable you can connect two sources of power simultaneously to the box and either or both will provide sufficient charge.
A simple way of maintaining a charge during normal times is to use a 15 volt DC wall charger between 3 and 6 amps, and keep it connected. This way you can use this battery as an emergency uninterruptible power supply for keeping your ham station or base station radio from loosing power, and LED lighting during a grid power failure.
Another way of using this battery box is for Amateur Radio "Field Day" where you can take the box out to a park or on top a mountain, hook a solar panel up and operate your rig and lights all day and night.
Still another way of using this battery box is if you go camping, you can keep it under your picnic table, hook up a solar panel, and have power to charge up cellphones, laptop, iPhones, lights, and even a 12 volt cooler to keep food from spoiling.
There are some people that have to be tethered to a C-PAP machine or oxygen concentrator for sleeping. This should provide enough power as long as you don't have the heater option on in the C-PAP machine.
Study The Thinking Prepper book for how this box is used.
Here are some configurations you may use:
Foldable Solar Panel to Battery Box to Radios or Battery Chargers
AC outlet to wall transformer to Battery Box, to Base Station Radio
Fixed Exterior Solar Panel to Battery Box to Anderson Powerpole Distribution
Block
Also enclosed in the battery box and also wrapped in Faraday tin foil is a digital volt meter for troubleshooting, checking batteries, wires, switches, lights, etc. Leave this undisturbed unless you know how to use it or know of someone that does. If you would like a Digital Voltmeter like this, search on Amazon for "Plusivo". Approx $12.00.
This should be only used in an emergency so keep it protected at all times. It uses two AA batteries that are enclosed and is activated when you pull the plastic tab.
Battery - Deep cycle battery 625 to 1000CCA, 12 volts. Prefer Group 24 size. Typical marine trolling battery. Estimated price $78 to $150
Input power - 12 to 25 volts DC up to 25 amps input
Output power - 12 volt parallel battery port, 10 amp cigarette lighter socket, two 2.1mm coax 12 volt jacks, one QC3.0 two high power PD30 USB-C outputs.
Quiescent power draw with charge controller on, 16 ma
Weight -
Charge controller programmable for Sealed Lead Acid, Gel type, Flooded Lead Acid. Programmable low voltage dropout.
Parts Kit
The following parts are included in the battery box:
Spare cigarette lighter fuse, 10 amp
Spare ATO fuses 1- 3 amp, 2- 2 amp, 1- 10 amp, 1- 5 amp
Screwdriver multi bit
Spare shielded charge controller
Shielded digital volt meter Plusivo brand
The following items are optional depending on your needs:
Solar extension cables
USB cable(s)
Splitter combiner cables
Special combiner cable and adapters
15 VDC wall transformer
(Gets updated often)
Important instructions
Remember, this box is not 100% waterproof. Keep out of the weather. A quick storm front can come from nowhere and damage your charge controller.
1) NEVER connect solar panel or wall transformer until you turn switch on first! Doing so may put the controller into 24 volt mode and damage the battery or any equipment connected to the box.
2) The system will automatically disconnect loads if the battery charge is too low.
3) Any red lights on fuse block will tell you which fuse is blown.
4) Leaving the switch on will discharge the battery very slowly so it is ok unless you are storing the battery box for a long time.
The procedure for connecting, powering up, and monitoring the system is as follows:
Always turn the power switch on first. The display will show the battery volts, and battery charge. A fully charged battery should show around 12.9 to 13.3 volts. There should be a little arrow to the right of the battery icon pointing to the bulb on the right. This shows that the power is coming out of the battery and is providing power to the two 2.1mm 12 volt jacks and the USB ports. There are three buttons under the display. If you hit the right button, the arrow will extinguish and no power will be present on the USB outlets and the 2.1mm jacks. Pressing the button again will illuminate the arrow and power is sent to the outputs.
Make sure you have the proper cables to connect the solar panel. When you set the panel up facing the sun and plug the panel into the connector on the left, you should see a small solar panel icon and an arrow flashing pointing to the battery.
If you don't see the solar panel icon and the flashing arrow pointing to the battery, you have an issue with connections coming from the panel. Check that you have the proper cables and they are connected properly. If you are not using a solar panel but want to use the battery box as a backup 12 volt power source you can use the 15 volt wall transformer shown in Q and R above. When you plug the transformer into the solar connector on the left, you should see the solar panel and arrow flashing. This will show the wall transformer is acting like a solar panel and it can be left on continuously.
To learn more about setting other options, download the user manual.
To learn more about other solar projects, obtain The Thinking Prepper book.
All prices listed are subject to change due the instability of the market.
To order or make an inquiry, please email Rick at rixy308(at)hotmail(dot)com
Version 0.93 June 17, 2024 (updated often)
Copyright ©2024 TTP