Portable AC · Portable Power Station · Solar Panels · 8 comments · Apr 24, 2023

8 Power Supply Solutions for ZERO BREEZE Mark2 AC

There are two conventional power supply solutions for the MK2 air conditioner, namely the MK2 battery and the MK2 adapter. During the use of the MK2 air conditioner, we have found that users have various demands on how to extend the working time of the MK2 air conditioner and have tried various methods. Here, we try to sort out these solutions, which include several key elements: what objects are needed, how to connect them, what effects they bring, and what you need to pay attention to.

1. MK2 Battery for Single Battery Power Supply

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC
1 x MK2 Battery
1 x Connection cable for MK2 AC and MK2 Battery

How to connect:
Connect the MK2 AC and MK2 battery using the connection cable.What effects does it bring:The MK2 Battery has a capacity of 840Wh, and the maximum power of the MK2 AC is 240W, with a minimum power of 100W (depending on environmental temperature and humidity, working mode, and setup). The working time is approximately 3.5 to 8.4 hours, calculated by dividing the battery capacity by the power required for operation:

Ultra-fast cooling mode: 840Wh/240W=3.5h

Cooling mode: 840Wh/150W=5.6h

Sleep mode: 840Wh/100W=8.4h

Fan mode: 840Wh/20W=42h

2. Two MK2 Batteries for Dual Battery Power Supply

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC
2 x MK2 Batteries
1 x Power Extension Dock

How to connect:

Use the Power Extension Dock to connect the MK2 AC and the two MK2 Batteries.

What effects does it bring:

Each MK2 Battery has a capacity of 840Wh. In parallel mode, the power consumption of the MK2 air conditioner, which is between 100W and 240W, is evenly divided between the two batteries, so the power consumption of each battery is 50W to 120W. The working time is approximately 7 to 16.8 hours, calculated by dividing the battery capacity by the power required for operation.

3. Two MK2 batteries with a 240W adapter to achieve dual battery charge and discharge at the same time

Items that are needed:
1 x MK2 AC
2 x MK2 batteries
1 x Power Extension Dock
1 x 240W adapter

How to connect:
Use the Power Extension Dock to connect the MK2 AC and two MK2 batteries, and connect the 240W adapter at the same time.

What effect does it bring:
By achieving dual battery parallel power supply to the MK2 air conditioner, and charging with the 240W adapter, each battery can receive up to 120W of charging power, meeting the discharge power required by each battery, ensuring that the MK2 batteries are always fully charged and the MK2 air conditioner always works.

Note:
The 240W adapter needs to be plugged into a wall outlet or a mobile energy storage power source that can provide more than 240W.

4. MK2 Battery with Car Cigarette Lighter Charging

Items that are needed:
1 x MK2 AC
1 x MK2 battery
1 x Power Extension Dock
1 x 12V to 24V Converter

How to connect:
Use the Power Extension Dock to connect the MK2 AC and one MK2 battery together, and connect the 12V to 24V Converter. Insert it into the car cigarette lighter to charge the MK2 battery.

What effect does it bring:
By providing power to the MK2 AC from a single battery while also charging it through the car cigarette lighter, it can provide a maximum charging power of 120W to the battery. If the power consumption of the AC is lower than 120W, it can ensure that the MK2 battery is always fully charged, and the MK2 AC is always working. If the power consumption of the AC is high, such as reaching up to 240W, a fully charged battery can maintain the AC at maximum power for 7 hours while being charged simultaneously.

Note:
Considering that the output voltage of a conventional car cigarette lighter is 12V, and the output power is between 120W and 180W, we recommend using only one battery in this case. If two batteries are used in parallel, they will demand an output power of 240W from the cigarette lighter when charging, which could cause the cigarette lighter fuse to blow.

For the same reason, we do not recommend using the MK2 AC and the 12V to 24V Converter to work directly from the car cigarette lighter. When the power consumption of the AC exceeds the power output that the cigarette lighter can provide, it may cause the cigarette lighter fuse to blow, and the AC will not work.

5. Two MK2 batteries with solar power to achieve dual battery charging and discharging

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC
2 x MK2 batteries
1 x Power Extension Dock
2 x 100W solar panels (or 3 panels)
1 x solar panel parallel connection cable
1 x MC4 to GX16-4 (1+, 3-, 2, 4 hanging) cable

How to connect:

Use the Power Extension Dock to connect the MK2 AC and the two MK2 batteries. Use the parallel connection cable to connect the two 100W solar panels in parallel, and connect the output to the input of the Power Extension Dock using the MC4 to GX16-4 cable.

What effect does it bring:
By achieving dual battery connection for the MK2 air conditioner, and charging the batteries using a 200W solar panel under good lighting conditions, it is possible to output a charging power of 160W-180W. This can ensure that the MK2 batteries are always fully charged while the MK2 air conditioner continues to operate in normal cooling mode.

Note:
If you want to use more or higher power solar panels, you need to pay attention to the solar panel output voltage. It needs to be between 20-24V, as lower voltage may not charge the batteries and higher voltage may damage them.

There is no limit to output power, but each battery can only receive a maximum of 120W-130W charging power, and both batteries together can receive a total of 240-260W charging power.

6. Two MK2 batteries with a 12V battery bank charging

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC

2 x MK2 batteries

1 x Power Extension Dock

1 x 12V to 24V Converter

1 x 12V Battery bank

How to connect:

Connect the MK2 AC and two MK2 batteries together using the Power Extension Dock. Connect the 12V battery bank to the input of the Power Extension Dock using the 12V to 24V Converter.

What effect does it bring:

This setup enables the MK2 air conditioner to be powered by two parallel-connected MK2 batteries while charging them with an additional 12V battery (e.g., a 100Ah battery). Assuming the air conditioner is operating continuously at its maximum power of 240W, the total operating time can be calculated as (2 x 840Wh + 12 x 100 Wh )/240W = 12 hours. In reality, since the air conditioner's power is often lower than 240W, the actual operating time will exceed 12 hours.

Note:

The 12V battery bank used here is not a car engine battery but an independent battery. Using a car engine battery may prevent the vehicle from starting. Because a third-party battery is used to power the system, we cannot guarantee normal operation. There is energy loss (around 10%) when converting 12V to 24V, which affects operating time.

7. ElecHive can charge MK2 AC for over 20 hours of power

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC

1 x ElecHive Portable Power Station

1 x MK2 AC to ElecHive connection cable

How to connect:

The ElecHive Portable Power Station has a 24V dedicated output port that can be connected to the MK2 AC using the MK2 AC to ElecHive connection cable.

What effect does it bring:

The ElecHive Portable Power Station has a capacity of 2500Wh, while the maximum power of the MK2 AC is 240W, and the minimum power is 100W (depending on environmental conditions, humidity, operating mode, and setup). The operating time can be calculated as 2500Wh/240W ~ 840Wh/100W, which is approximately 10.4 to 25 hours.

Note:

We can also power the MK2 air conditioner using the Power Adapter through the AC outlet of the ElecHive or other portable power stations. However, this method has lower energy efficiency compared to powering the MK2 AC directly through the 24V DC output port of the ElecHive, as the power supply process undergoes DC to AC and then AC to DC conversion, resulting in over 30% energy loss from the battery.

8. MK2 AC with a 12V Power bank

Items that are needed:

1 x MK2 AC

1 x 12V to 24V Converter

1 x 12V Power bank

How to connect:

Connect the output of the 12V to 24V converter to the MK2 AC, and connect the input of the converter to the 12V power bank.

What effect does it bring:

A typical 12V power bank has a capacity of 100Ah with an output voltage of 12V, resulting in a capacity of 12V x 100Ah = 1200Wh. The maximum power output of the MK2 AC is 240W, so the working time can be estimated as 1200Wh/240W = 5h.

Note:

It is important to monitor the cutoff voltage of the power bank to prevent over-discharging, which can damage the battery and render it unusable. As the system uses third-party batteries, we cannot guarantee its normal operation. The 12V to 24V conversion results in energy loss (around 10%), which may affect working time.

*If you already have a mobile energy storage power supply and are unsure about how to connect it to the ZERO BREEZE Mark2 or how long it can last, please feel free to contact us for personalized guidance: support@zerobreeze.com.