When I head up to the Beta Site I take the StarLink setup with me because a) its nice to be able to have some form of contact in case something goes wrong, and b) it is exceptionally handy to have access to YouTube for finding videos on how to do whatever it is I’m up there doing.
StarLink Mini is native 12v which means it runs off of any 12v power source you can come up with. I go with batteries, although there are plenty of people who run it off of other off-grid sources like solar and hydro…and at some point I’ll be one of those people.
StarLink comes with several cables and adapters to allow you to draw power from whatever source you’ve got handy. One of those adaptors is your classic cigarette lighter type. You plug the adapter into your vehicles cigarette lighter (if your vehicle has one…different times, man), plug the USB-C cable into the adapter, plug the other end into your StarLink and youre off to the races.
For the creatively minded, this means all you need to run StarLink off of a 12v marine battery is a female cigarette lighter socket and some battery clamps. Something like this. Affix the clamps to the battery terminals and youre good to go.
Well, when I go up to the Beta Site, I usually have a bunch of Milwaukee M18 tools with me…Sawzall, chainsaw, drill, tire inflator, etc. Could I not simply run StarLink off one of the half dozen batteries I bring with me? Well, actualy, yes…yes you can.
Turns out there are devices out there to let you run cigarette-lighter-style 12v sockets off of your tool batteries. In this case, off of Milwaukee M18 batts. How well does it work? Well, I let the thing power StarLink all night and it still had juice in the morning. More importantly though, it streamlines my logistics train by using the M18 batteries I was already bringing up there. If you’re a Dewalt or Ryobi kinda guy, there are similar adaptors as well.
As I looked around, there appears to be a thriving aftermarket ecosystem of products out there that allow you to use your tool batteries for other purposes. Lehman’s, for example, offers a light that runs on tool batteries. And, as you dig around, you find more and more things tailored to use these handy power sources.
Anyway, I mention all this because if youre going to be off the beaten path and need to power something, you may want to investigate the possibilities afforded by these battery systems.
Commander Zero,
i have a starlink mini and use it ALL THE TIME! during storms or off-grid needs i use a small Jackery or Ecoflow river 3 (with extra battery) these run for 7-9 hrs straight. i have powered it with our SXS, LR Defender and even a 100W solar panel (attached to a small BRICK BATTERY for when the sun goes behind a cloud). i used the tool batteries but have to change out every 2 hrs.
L8r ………………… OUT!!!!
As you said….There is a whole eco system of these battery adapter gizmos. I have 2 adapters with just fused wire leads. I plan to wire them in parallel to a starlink socket. This will allow me to hot swap batteries without dropping power to the starlink mini. If I had 3 batteries, charge 1 while the other 2 supply power and rotate batteries as needed.
I had boot/connection/bandwidth issues with my mini when voltage was around 12 (engine off, even with two big batteries in parallel on my Powerstroke). It behaved much better at 14 (alternator on). They apparently accept up to something like 36 (check that), so tool batteries with higher voltages might be just the thing. Google is your friend on this. My long term plan is to plumb it to 2 twelve volt batteries in series, where it works great and I can recharge in parallel or individually. Also beware of power use when temps go down and snow melt comes on. 60 W or so additional load – you can fiddle with settings in the app.
Stacking functions. This is the way. And if you like to tinker you can build your own.
Had no idea tool battery adapters like that were a thing, looks like a amazon search episode is in the plan. Looks to be a solid, fallback redundant system.
Hey CZ,
The Starlink Mini is native 12-48V. (wall wart plug outputs about 30V)
It actually runs better on higher voltage (it can drop in and out as the 12V starts to sag as battery drains.)
You can gain some efficiency by getting one of the “dumb” milwaukee battery connectors without the 12v conversion on amazon and giving it straight 18V.
I’m a Ryobi guy. It is absolutely amazing how many tools are made for their 18 volt system, Home Depot puts them on sale a lot. I found that the batteries are damaged by cold weather, so I bring them in the house every winter.
Depending on how many watts it takes to run your Starlink setup think about going with something like a Jackery Refurbished Explorer 500 Portable Power Station, 508Wh Battery off Ebay. I think their going for around $200 with 12vdc, USB, and 120vac pure sine wave outputs to run other equipment or charge M18 batteries. Add a solar panel to charge it and you can handle a wide verity of needs off the grid.
Search Amazon for 18v to 12v step down converters for a DIY solution. I bought one and wired it with a dual 12v plug receptacle. Can now use my Ryobi for my air compressor carried in the truck, my 12 fuel transfer pump, and in an emergency, my CPAP machine…
For the Starlink mini you don’t actually want the step down voltage. They run better at 18-24v than they do at 12v. The input power spec is actually 12v to 48VDC. Consumption is 25-40 watts.
So a 5AH 18v tool battery (=92 watt/hour) will run it for about 4,5 hours.
Handy little units. We love ours.
I’ll be buying one of these once they release a “Plus” in FDE…
https://star-batt.com/