Anker F3800 - Expansion Port Holds INSANE Potential (Tested)

25 days ago
6

Unlikely as it may seem, Anker has put absolutely no effort into closing off their internal ecosystem beyond the proprietary connector which serves as its gateway. With a simple 3D-printed connector and some 5.5mm bullet connectors off of Amazon, you can tap into the onboard battery as if it were a regular 48V LiFePO4 battery... which it is!

In my testing, I found there are virtually zero limitations or disadvantages, even despite the lack of communication through the central pins on the port. The only practical difference I've noticed is the icon that indicates the number of connected battery expansion packs does not light up either on-screen or in the app. My expectation was that the system would become confused due to unexpected current flow in/out of the port, resulting in inaccurate battery % and possibly early shut-downs or errors. But it appears the system measures the net inflow / outflow of the system, including the battery port, and formulates it's % estimation based on that. So even if all your charging / discharging occurs through the battery port, the displayed % will still be accurate, despite the screen not explicitly showing the amount of watts in/out of the port. This applies for the app as well.

Assuming my testing was thorough enough, and Anker doesn't take action against it (yikes), it's hard to imagine how many possibilities such a loophole opens up. The base F3800 system offers such high value by itself - with this port, the F3800 may become the centerpiece of even hardcore DIY systems. It's certainly changed my paradigm.

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