Anyone move to the Starlink Mini in your FWC?

[GflGdog]

Curious to your setup and how you manage the power requirements of the SL mini.

 

[Vic Harder]

As opposed to a standard Starlink? How many hours a day of use? I have an "older" Starlink setup that works well.

 

[GflGdog]

As opposed to a standard Starlink? How many hours a day of use? I have an "older" Starlink setup that works well.

From my reading, the starlink mini consumes 20-40 watts whereas the older models are more like 75-100 watts. Hours per day, unknown yet as I am still in the research phase lol.

 

[rubberlegs]

36 watts at 12 volts is 3 amps. So if you run 3 amps for 5 hours, you'll use 15 amp-hrs. For a 100 ah lithium battery, that uses 15% of its total energy. For a 100 ah AGM battery it's about 1/3 the battery capacity.

 

[Vic Harder]

36 watts at 12 volts is 3 amps. So if you run 3 amps for 5 hours, you'll use 15 amp-hrs. For a 100 ah battery, that uses 15% of its total energy.

Yup, if it is a lithium battery. AGM/FLA that would be 30% of the battery's usable power. The mini is much more battery friendly than the older/more powerful units. WITHOUT Starlink, most of us are using around 45AH a day of battery. Add the mini and your typical 75AH AGM in a FWC hasn't got much of a chance. 200AH Lithium is a nice middle of the road power supply. It is likely overkill in the SW where the sun shines a lot, but in the PNW or further north... We get by very nicely with 200AH of LiFePo4 using our induction cooktop when down south, but need to stop using it if we are up by my brother's place in Prince George, BC.

 

[rubberlegs]

Good point! I've edited to make sure it's a lithium battery comment.

 

[GflGdog]

This is exactly the information I was hoping for. Thank you!

 

[jiminruskin]

I have 400 watts of solar on the roof of my FWC Hawk along with 200 amp-hours worth of battle born lithium batteries. My main power consumers are an Engel 60 liter fridge freezer and the Starlink Mini. With at least a half day to 3/4 days of winter sun I could probably run indefinitely without needing to use my shore power charger or dc-dc charger. Living in the Tampa, Florida area I do not need to use the propane furnace all that much.

 

[Seattle Mitch]

I tossed my starlink.

 

[Seattle Mitch]

Out in the highway

 

[kmacafee]

If you are running Starlink directly off a 12 volt battery, there's a good chance that it will not provide enough power, especially if you are using the long cable that comes with it. I installed a Victron 12v converter (Amazon.com) to boost 12v to 25-30 between the battery and Starlink. 12v alone might power Starlink with a shorter cable.

Check out this site (Bantha Overland). He has written a free downloadable guide to Starlink and has some excellent ideas and products to get best use from it.

 

[Vic Harder]

Good call @kmacafee. That was the hardest part of getting mine to work (again, this is not the mini) and the issue was always voltage drop over the ethernet cables. I'm using a Xaosheng made power supply for the much bigger (54V, Yaosheng 220W) professional dish to supply it over 150m of outdoor CAT 7 cables.

 

[rjap]

I am not Starlink knowledgeable, but my 2025 Hawk came with an external DC Starlink Mini port. Inside the cabinets on the passenger side is a Victron DC/DC Converter, Orion-Tr-12|24-5. FWC said it was needed to power the Starlink Mini.

 

[kmacafee]

I am not Starlink knowledgeable, but my 2025 Hawk came with an external DC Starlink Mini port. Inside the cabinets on the passenger side is a Victron DC/DC Converter, Orion-Tr-12|24-5. FWC said it was needed to power the Starlink Mini.View attachment 1068429

Yep - that's what I put in.

 

[Vic Harder]

That's a nice converter!

 

[GflGdog]

I see the mini pulls 2 amps, so that converter would be sufficient. Any reason to go to the 10 amp version? Or is that just overkill? Additionally, should it be isolated or non isolated? Sorry rookie questions I know.

 

[jiminruskin]

Here is what my 400 watt solar system, 200 AH Battle Born batteries is doing with full Florida sun, Starlink Mini on, Engel 60 liter fridge/freezer on and 1 roof fan running in my FWC hawk.



.

 

[superduty]

With the mini, you can run it from a 12v lithium battery without a converter. You just need to use a larger gauge wire. The factory cable was not meant to run from 12v. Don't waste money and space on a converter.

I've run my mini for countless hours with no issues from a lithium battery.

 

[Vic Harder]

I see the mini pulls 2 amps, so that converter would be sufficient. Any reason to go to the 10 amp version? Or is that just overkill? Additionally, should it be isolated or non isolated? Sorry rookie questions I know.

10A would be handy because you want to charge something else at 24V as well? Not sure what? Non-isolated. If you get an isolated one by accident, it is no big deal, because you are going to bond the grounds anyway and make it non-isolated.

 

[GflGdog]

Another rookie question, the photo above is of a 12/24-5 isolated. So I understand that I can just go with a non isolated and not have to bond the grounds. But in a FWC, nothing is 24V. Why wouldnt they put in a 12/12 dc2dc instead?