Submit your Question for the SOLIX F3800 Team

#1

Got a question about the SOLIX F3800? Curious how that home panel works? What you’ll need beyond a transfer switch? How to set up your whole house backup power system?

Submit your question in the comments, and then tune in at 5 p.m. PST on Feb. 20 for a live chat in the Facebook Group dedicated to this product.

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Usually, we play it fast and loose with the live chat scenarios. But this time, we want to make sure we make the most of the time with the product manager, so I’ll be organizing questions for him.

If you can’t make the live chat, don’t worry. We’d love to have you, but we’ll do what we always do – create a transcript and post it here so you won’t miss a thing, including the answer to your question.

So do it. Ask your question about the SOLIX F3800.

#2

What was the development process like for the F3800? What requirements did you set out early on and what tradeoffs did you have to make as time went on? What inspired the F3800 and where are you hoping to go with it next?

What do you see as the key differentiators between the F3800 and the X1, especially since both systems are extendable and can run off solar? Where do you see the home energy and backup power market going in the next two years? Five?

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#3

How do the XT60 solar inputs work? Tried to use a battery charger at 48v25a into each input (from same source) and with one XT60 port used it charged well at 1150w. With both inputs being used the F3800 would not charge at all. Some have speculated it is a grounding issue using one source. Can you elaborate? Thanks.

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#4

Hi! I like this question, but won’t be including it. I sense we wouldn’t be comfortable sharing details about our process (competition is fierce), but still … as a former print reporter, I do love the investigative, hyper-curious nature of this question.

The X1 system will be whole home. That’s its only function. As for the F3800, it’s capable of powering a whole house, but will require more accessories and some thoughtful planning. It is, ultimately, a portable unit … so it’s great IMO as a backup source for the home and as a power source for the camper.

Thanks @Zac8 – appreciate the thoughtful questions. Let me know if I can offer more info on the F3800. (I will, of course, be posting a transcript of the upcoming chat, so you’ll definitely get more info there.)

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#5

I’ll include this question for sure, @Alan38. I recall the ask in the FB group, too … just don’t want you to feel like I’m ignoring you. I just don’t have the answer.

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#6

I think we have to differentiate between 2 issues here:

  1. Many battery chargers must be able to sense an appropriate voltage on the battery it’s intended to charge before it will apply the charge. The DC input of the XT60 port does not have a 48V at the port (it’s probably floating, waiting for the source voltage to be applied), and therefore the charger may decide not to initiate a charge after all for safety reasons, because it interpret a floating input as an unhealthy battery to begin with.

  2. If you actually were able to apply and charge 1 XT60 port but not both, then it’s probably a common grounding issue from 1 source like you suspect. The same with applying 1 48V battery source (not battery charger source) to both ports -> the same common ground prevents the charging to take place.

Now instead of using a battery charger, you might have better luck using an AC to DC power supply instead. The power supply is not solely intended to charge batteries like the battery chargers are, and therefore, might not have the safety check to make sure there’s an appropriate voltage on the load to begin with. I’ve tried using 2 AC to DC switching power supply units rated at 60V, 25A and 1500W, and I’m able to deliver 1150W into each of the XT60 port just fine.

#7

I have a question about the ability to set the SOC limits. I just read some tips on how to optimize the life of LFP batteries by Anker in another thread on here, stating that it’s best to keep the operating SOC between 20% to 80%, meaning not to discharge below 20% and not to charge above 80% for optimal battery health.

If that’s the case, then why doesn’t Anker provide an option in the Anker app for users to set the 2 SOC upper charging and lower discharging limit. Right now, unless you manually intervene, the F3800 will charge to 100%, and will not stop discharging until the battery gets down to 1%.

#8

AC charging repurposes the bidirectional inverter that powers the left bank 120V outlets as AC to DC converters and UPS for charging and passthrough, which is fine, I guess, for cost saving. The trade-off for this is that the 240V outlets cannot be reused with just 1 leg energized, so it’s understandable that 240V outlets must be disabled.

But why not also repurpose the inverter that powers the right 120V bank the same way as the one driving the left back? That way, you can have dual AC charging ports and dual UPS/passthrough banks instead of just 1 AC charging ports. Is it because the inverter driving the right bank is not a bidirectional inverter like the left one, so that it can’t be repurposed the same as the left bidirectional inverters? Is that due to cost saving, to decide to just have 1 bidirectional inverters instead of 2?