There is no problem if you mount your Starlink Mini on your car, boat, rv and any other self-powered vehicle but when you are trying off-grid, it's very difficult to run Starlink Mini long.
As I thought we can use solar panels to power up Starlink Mini, Let's breakdown everything about Starlink Mini power consumption first.
First, we talk about the power requirement that Starlink Mini needs to start or boot up.
- It needs 12-48VDC, 60 Watts to operate, That's the official power ratings from Starlink. Hence it operates in 40 Watts.
- When you are using a USB-PD, Starlink says it will need 100W or 20V/5A. They clearly mentioned that Mini will not run if you use it with a rating of 65W or lower.
The long cable in the box can’t handle 12.6 to 14 volts DC from your car because Starlink requires up to 60 watts of power. At 12 volts, this means 5 amps. Over 50 feet, the thin wires cause resistance, dropping the voltage by 10-20%, likely below the 12-volt minimum needed for Mini.
My advice is to use a shorter cable when you are using DC sources like battery, powerbank, car's cigarette port or even solar power. Hence it will work also with long cable but you've compromised in performance caused by power draw.
It typically consumes around 20-40W of electricity per hour, which translates to 480Wh - 960Wh per day when used continuously for 24 hours.
How is it possible with Solar power?
There are 2 options either you can go for only Solar power or with Solar+Batter=Endless running. (When it's dark, it completely relies on battery power).
If you are running only with Solar power at day, May clouds can interrupt your power supply and it leads to down your Mini.
Best suggestion is to use a battery backup along with solar. A 100 watts solar panel and a perfect power backup according to your needs. Solar will run Mini the whole day and at night power backup will run till next day.
Let me know if you want suggestions of battery+solar setup according to your need. There are also max capacity batteries allowed for air travel. There are also many solar power generators in the market.
If you tried this setup let us explain some queries and help other people by sharing your story.
- Have you used Starlink Mini with a solar power setup? If so, what has your experience been like?
- What challenges did you face while setting up Starlink Mini with solar power, and how did you overcome them?
- What solar power kit do you recommend for Starlink Mini, and why?
- How do you manage power consumption to ensure uninterrupted service, especially during cloudy days or at night?
- What are the best practices for maintaining the solar panels and battery backup to ensure optimal performance?
