Ecoflow, actual hacking? Bluetooth, extra battery port, etc.

[mosafet]

For all the marketing given to supposed electronics enthusiasts there seems to be a complete lack of any real hacking on these devices.

I managed to acquire a damaged Delta 2 and have been trying to make it work better. eg. Has anyone figured out the Bluetooth protocol so we don't have to use  the "cloud" BS?

Has anyone figured out the extra battery attachments? For example mine has an extra battery port that has a small 6-pin connector presumably to identify the battery or whatever. If we knew how that works then we could make extra batteries ourselves instead of the overpriced stuff.  I know there are other ways to plug in extra batteries but I don't know if they integrate with the built-in firmware. For example using the solar/car port won't be able to charge the extra battery, only discharge. Connecting extra batteries internally works but does the firmware handle that gracefully?

I can't find any information on this stuff. Yes, I know they're pushing social media stuff which is annoying but that sometimes means we get lots of cheap broken stuff when regular people buy in. I was hoping there would be more people hacking on this.  If I can find a broken cheap extra battery I'll figure out how it works but until then I'm hoping someone that has this stuff (maybe given it free.... hint) will help figure it out.

I'm looking at the Bluetooth right now but I don't have much experience with decoding BT so I have much to learn. Internally it looks like the Bluetooth uses the standard cheap serial adapters. If I know the protocol then maybe I can convert it to USB and disable the insecure Bluetooth completely.

Or maybe hack the Wifi to work with local services. The Ecoflow Wifi is a joke, it won't even accept a full WPA2 password which makes in unusable on properly configured networks.

[50ShadesOfDirt]

The eternal tussle between manufacturers (product lock-in) and users (don't want to pay every other day for another printer cartridge).

These "solar generators" are packaged for convenience and expansion, but come at a huge price, with many lock-in characteristics and costs.

I'd just build your own solar generator (youtube vids abound), and you'll come out way ahead, in terms of making it do what you want, and being able to infinitely expand it. This takes diy skills, but I think it is not unlike building a PC desktop, vs buying one from Dell or whomever. A long time ago, I switched from buying desktops, to building my own, as I can save a ton of money, and pump that money back into the specific components I want, all much cheaper and/or better than a Dell-badged desktop.

I can't help with the hacking ... seems to be lots of youtube vids, but I didn't poke through them. Other hacks out there for diy tricks to fake the bluetti out with external batteries instead of solar panels, fed thru panel connectors. Perhaps your model has these as well ...

I wouldn't mind getting ahold of a Bluetti or similar "solar generator", supposedly used/dead, but it would be just to take it apart and see what was in it for myself. I already know that the vendor made a lot of trade-offs to get it conveniently packaged (like smaller batteries and such) and feature-rich (lots of ports, shiny leds), but they most likely wouldn't be the trade-offs I'd make. Still, folks buy these things, so the purchaser crowd with money seems far larger than the diy crowd who wants more from their product, without the restrictions (cloud, etc.)

Hope this helps ...