There are only a few things on Aegir-Ran that require 120 volts : Starlink, laptop charging, the ice maker, and the milk foamer. Running the inverter for these items is problematic: 1) it wastes some energy, perhaps 10-20% (which is lost as heat), 2) It makes an audible noise, and 3) it creates electrical noise that interferes with some of the electronic equipment, like the VHF radio. Of these applications, Starlink is used most often, so I decided to convert it to 12 volts. My first effort was home-built, but I found the results to be unreliable. I subsequently read that Starlink is particularly sensitive to electronic noise (because the cable between the antenna and the modem is used for both power and for data). I turned to a commercial product, the XTAR-LINK.
The $200 plug-and-play XTAR-LINK comprises of: 1) a (cheap) 12 volt router, 2) a box that includes power injector (POI), a transformer that bumps 12 volts to the 48 volts that Starlink uses, and cross-over wiring that converts the proprietary wiring scheme of Starlink to the T568. Ethernet standard, and 3) a box accepts the proprietary Gen 2 Starlink router plug. Once assembled and the router was programmed, the system fired up immediately and has run for a month without incident. I have not measured the energy savings, but XTAR-LINK claims “up to 30%”, which is the result of not having to run the inverter and because the router is more energy-efficient. I have found the router that was provided operates at a longer distance than the Starlink one does, and it has the advantage of having Ethernet and USB ports (which for example can be used for a data drive).
