Hi,
I'm not very experienced with power electronics, so I’d really appreciate some advice or guidance from those more knowledgeable.
I’ve built a mobile connectivity system housed in a flight case. It's been put together with the help of a friend who recommended using the OpenUPS as a power manager and battery management system (BMS). Here’s what’s in the setup:
24V 6A 144W Power Supply
OpenUPS
12V 12AH LifePO4 Battery
Momentary Metal Push Button
Dejero GateWay 211 (Network Aggregator)
UniFi U6+ Access Point
12V to 24V DC-DC Boost Converter
Starlink Mini
The system is wired so that 24V input (J1) both powers the devices and charges the battery. Power is output via J3 to the Dejero GateWay 211, and then stepped up to 24V for the Starlink Mini. A momentary button connects to the OpenUPS and is used to turn the whole system on/off (with a 10s hold to shut down). Battery SOC is reported via a separate monitor/shunt.
The Issues:
1. Startup Issue with Starlink Connected
When the Starlink Mini is already connected to the DC OUT port and I try to power on the system, everything else turns on — but the GateWay never boots. I have to power everything off, disconnect Starlink, turn the kit back on, and then reconnect Starlink to get things working properly.
2. Premature Battery Shutdown
The OpenUPS is set to shut down at 11.6V, but I’m seeing it shut off early when the battery is still at around 12.7V (~30% SOC). I suspect it’s due to voltage drop across the shunt or internal sensing error — the OpenUPS seems to report 0.2–0.5V lower than the battery terminals.
3. Overheating During Charging
When both charging and powering the system, the OpenUPS reaches temperatures around 90°C. Once it gets that hot, it limits the charge current to just 50mA, slowing down charging drastically. Under normal temps, it charges at 3A (which is its max), but thermal throttling makes this unreliable.
- Handles 12-24V input and charges a 12V LiFePO₄ battery at more than 3A
- Powers the system and charges simultaneously
- Can gracefully switch between external power and battery
- Allows on/off control via a momentary button
- Reports battery SOC (State of Charge) reliably
- Ideally compact and suited to a flight case environment
I'm not very experienced with power electronics, so I’d really appreciate some advice or guidance from those more knowledgeable.
I’ve built a mobile connectivity system housed in a flight case. It's been put together with the help of a friend who recommended using the OpenUPS as a power manager and battery management system (BMS). Here’s what’s in the setup:
24V 6A 144W Power Supply
OpenUPS
12V 12AH LifePO4 Battery
Momentary Metal Push Button
Dejero GateWay 211 (Network Aggregator)
UniFi U6+ Access Point
12V to 24V DC-DC Boost Converter
Starlink Mini
The system is wired so that 24V input (J1) both powers the devices and charges the battery. Power is output via J3 to the Dejero GateWay 211, and then stepped up to 24V for the Starlink Mini. A momentary button connects to the OpenUPS and is used to turn the whole system on/off (with a 10s hold to shut down). Battery SOC is reported via a separate monitor/shunt.
The Issues:
1. Startup Issue with Starlink Connected
When the Starlink Mini is already connected to the DC OUT port and I try to power on the system, everything else turns on — but the GateWay never boots. I have to power everything off, disconnect Starlink, turn the kit back on, and then reconnect Starlink to get things working properly.
2. Premature Battery Shutdown
The OpenUPS is set to shut down at 11.6V, but I’m seeing it shut off early when the battery is still at around 12.7V (~30% SOC). I suspect it’s due to voltage drop across the shunt or internal sensing error — the OpenUPS seems to report 0.2–0.5V lower than the battery terminals.
3. Overheating During Charging
When both charging and powering the system, the OpenUPS reaches temperatures around 90°C. Once it gets that hot, it limits the charge current to just 50mA, slowing down charging drastically. Under normal temps, it charges at 3A (which is its max), but thermal throttling makes this unreliable.
What I’m Looking For:
At this point, I’m open to:
- - Optimising the current OpenUPS setup to resolve these issues, or
- Replacing the OpenUPS entirely with a better, more reliable power management system.
- Handles 12-24V input and charges a 12V LiFePO₄ battery at more than 3A
- Powers the system and charges simultaneously
- Can gracefully switch between external power and battery
- Allows on/off control via a momentary button
- Reports battery SOC (State of Charge) reliably
- Ideally compact and suited to a flight case environment
- If anyone can point me in the right direction — whether that’s reconfiguration advice or alternative hardware recommendations — I’d be extremely grateful. And if any professionals here would be willing to work with me directly on a solution, I’m happy to pay for your time.
- Let me know if you need any diagrams, logs, or photos. Thanks in advance!
