Connect Solar Panels To Your Beaudens 166Wh/B-1502 Power Station To Charge It
The Beaudens 166Wh/B-1502 portable power station, also known as a solar generator, is a relatively new portable battery on the market. It has a couple of features that stick out when compared to similar products, one being the lithium iron phosphate batteries that last longer than the lithium batteries usually found in other power stations.
As with most power stations, there are three ways to charge it. With the included wall charger, in the car, or with solar panels.
Related Post: What Is A Solar Generator And How Does It Work?
Today I am going to help you figure out how to connect solar panels to the Beaudens 166Wh/B-1502 and what panels are compatible. You can’t just connect the first best solar panel you find since we have to follow the limits of the solar charge controller inside the Beaudens.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will try to help you.
Solar Panels Compatible With Beaudens 166Wh
Now, let’s take a look at solar panels that are compatible, and which ones will require you to use the included MC4 to DC adapter.
Note: Scroll left/right on small screens to view all products in the table.
The panels in the table that has DC connectors can be connected to the Beaudens solar generator with one of the cables/adapters included with the solar panel and doesn’t require the use of the Beaudens adapter.
If the solar panel has MC4 connectors, use the MC4 to DC adapter included by Beaudens to connect it to the DC input.
How To Connect Compatible Solar Panels And Use Any Brand
The Beaudens has a 5.5×2.1mm DC input port. Beaudens includes an MC4 to 5.5×2.1mm DC adapter, which makes it compatible with a lot of solar panels directly out of the box.
Large solar panels from companies like Renogy, HQST, Newpowa, and Eco-Worthy use MC4 connectors, while portable foldable panels often come with several different DC connectors to make it compatible with different power station brands.
If you’ve lost the MC4 to 5.5×2.1mm DC adapter, this is the kind of adapter you need (click to view on Amazon).
What we need to think about when connecting a solar panel is the input voltage limit. This is the voltage range that the solar panel needs to stay within to charge the power station. There is a max input as well, but that is safe to go over, even though the power station won’t charge at a higher wattage than its maximum wattage, in this case, 42 watts.
Related Post: Do Solar Generators Come With Solar Panels?
A 12V solar panel like the Renogy 100W (click to view on Amazon) has a 21.6V VOC rating, which means its open-circuit voltage is 21.6V and safe to use with the Beaudens power station. The fact that it’s called a 12V solar panel only means that it generates 12V DC power.
A 100W solar panel like the Renogy isn’t 100% efficient, and usually generate between 60 and 80 watts per hour in the sunshine. So would it be a waste to use it with the Beaudens that has a 42W max input? No, not if you want to make sure the power station will charge as fast as possible even when the sun is low on the horizon or when it’s cloudy.
How To Combine Two Panels
You can combine two panels that have MC4 connectors, like the Renogy 50W Monocrystalline Solar Panel. A reason you might want to combine two panels instead of using one 100W panel is that two smaller panels are easier to deal with due to the weight and size.
To connect two panels together safely, you need to use a MC4 Y Branch (click to view on Amazon).
Take each positive male MC4 connector from both panels and connect it to the MC4 Y Branch adapter that has two female inputs and a male on the opposite side. Then do the same thing with the second adapter.
Related Post: This Solar Panel Charges Both 12V RV Batteries & Power Stations
This is called a parallel connection, where the positive and negative wires don’t meet each other and are kept separate. It doubles the amperage, but not the voltage, so it’s safe to do with the Beaudens.
When the panels have been connected in parallel, you’re going to have the MC4 male and MC4 female connector available on the MC4 Y Branch adapter, which is what you’ll plug into the MC4 to DC adapter included by Beaudens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Will It Take To Charge The Beaudens With Solar Panels?
The Beaudens power station has a battery capacity of 166 watt-hours, so if you have maxed out the input at 42W, it will charge in about 4 to 5 hours. With a 50W panel generating 30-40W to the Beaudens, it would take about 5 to 6 hours.
What Are The Best Alternatives To The Beaudens 166Wh?
I have written a post about the best power stations with MPPT charge controllers with similar watt-hours, click here to view it.
Related Post: Honda By Jackery HLS 290 Vs Rockpals 300W
How Can I Improve The Charging Efficiency When Using Solar Panels?
The easiest thing you can do is tilt the solar panel so it faces the sun directly. This will help especially when the sun is low on the horizon. It will also help when it’s cloudy.
Another thing you should do is make sure the panel isn’t shaded, not even a little bit.
Can The Beaudens B-1502/166Wh Be Used While It’s Charging?
Yes, you can use the outlets and ports while the battery is charging.
Please leave a comment down below if you have any questions.
Will a Thunderbolt 100 w solar panel work with a Beaudens?
Hi,
If I’m looking at the right Thunderbolt panel, it has SAE connectors. It should work with an SAE to 5.5×2.1mm adapter like this (click to view on Amazon). Connect the adapter straight to the solar panel, without the charge controller.
can the charger charge a 500 watt e bike battery as when I plug the battery into the charger after a few mins an alarm sounds??
No, that’s more than the 150W AC inverter in the Beaudens can handle.
Hi,
Bought the Beaudens, and the Renogy 100W Solar Panel.
The MC4 positive lead from the panel clips to the negative on the Beaudens Y adapter, (and vice Versa), but im assuming that’s not a good idea, polarity wise?
Are there any female to female and male to male adapters available anywhere to make a safer connection?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi,
Does the included MC4 to DC adapter have a sticker on it that says which is positive and which is negative? Or are you going based off of the small text on the MC4 connector? If the latter, it’s nothing to worry about and it’s just the way the MC4 connectors are made.
I have been gifted a Jackery 100w solasaga portable panel, however, it does not connect to my Beaudens 166 power station. I have the MC4 – 5.5mm – 2.1mm solar connector but need to find the type of connector to fit between the Jackery. The Jackery has an 8mm male barrel connector, so I need an 8mm female barrel connector connecting to a female + and male – MC4 connector. Is this correct? Are these available? I can’t find them on Amazon.
Hi,
If you can order from Amazon US, this adapter should do the trick (click to view on Amazon).
Hi, thanks a lot for this chat, this is really helpful!
I generally connect the solar panel directly through the 5.5×2.1mm DC-dc5524 cables, instead of using the MC4 to 5.5×2.1mm DC adapter, because the MC4 to 5.5×2.1mm DC adapter doesn t work. I tried several and I guess I am not donne ting them right? Thanks for your help
Hi,
Interesting, according to the manual it’s a 5521 input. I wonder if the adapters you have tested have the wrong polarity, which means that the positive doesn’t connect to positive and negative to negative.
hi my beaudens wont charge from my pv any more. the pv is giving 17/18 volts to the connector but nothing happens when i plug it in, no flashing signal. beaudens is at 2 bars.
Hi. I live in the shady UK. Can I use a 200W Renogy to power my Beaudens 166?
Dave
Hi,
Yes, that should work as long as the Renogy panel doesn’t have a solar charge controller.