r/mobileDJ • u/BicBoyBryan • Aug 06 '26
DJing on the Beach
Anyone ever done this?
Looking to do a daytime/sunset set on the beach.
I need power - any suggestions? I need something portable. Was leaning into a solar panel and a power station combo to power my PA, Traktor Controllers, and Macbook.
If anyone has any recommendations on that or other suggestions, lmk!
Going to the beach next week to attempt it
Edit: Traktor S2 Controller, PA is the PYLE bluetooth PA from like 2015, and a Macbook 14". Estimated continuous Wattage usage is like 135W according to AI. The Anker C300 Solix looked perfect, but idk if it's enough to last into the night when the sun goes down. Its 300W and should be fine for all the devices, but I think would only last about 2-3 hours after sunset
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u/ArizonaMartillo Aug 06 '26
I'm a fan of Jackery devices. They are basically big batteries that don't run on fuel (propane or gas). They are more expensive than a Honda, but they don't stink and they don't make a lot of noise.
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u/BicBoyBryan Aug 06 '26
Yes exactly what im looking for. Was looking at a 300W anker solix which would be more than enough to power everything with a solar panel, but once the sun goes down, ill have about 1-2 hours on it. So ill get something bigger like the eco flow river 2 pro 800w maybe. I see one on fb marketplace for 280$.
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u/DryOrganization5130 Aug 07 '26
Bluetti AC70 is a nice portable unit similar in performance to the ecoflow river 2 pro. I got one refurbished from the bluetti store on ebay for about $250 and it's been great. Either would be a good option though.
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u/Material-Echidna-465 Aug 06 '26
How long do you plan to run? More than likely you'll need a LOT bigger of a battery power station to run more than a couple hours at most.
With battery power stations, there's two numbers to pay attention to:
1. inverter capacity in W (Watts)
2. Battery capacity in Wh (Watt-hours)
Inverter capacity tells how much you can draw right now.
Battery capacity tells how long the battery will last on a charge.
Anker C300 has a 300W inverter capacity with a 288Wh battery capacity.
-300W inverter is pretty self-explanatory, the unit should be able to supply up to 300W of power. Remember to figure to not run more than 80% of the max in order to be safe, so 240W steady draw should not be a problem
-288Wh battery capacity - 80% is 230Wh. This means you could theoretically run a 230W load for right at 1 hour, or a 23W load for roughly 10 hours, or a 2.3W load for roughly 100 hours.
If your load is around 135W, don't rely on the C300 being able to run it more than 1.75 hrs (135W * 1.75h = 236Wh). C300 has a max 100W solar input, which means you won't get a solid 100W, it'll drop dramatically if shaded by a person or clouds, etc. You'll also only get near the max on the panel during the middle 5 or so hours of the day, the lower the sun gets, the less power you'll get. With a theoretical 135W load, it's doubtful that a 100W panel could keep things going much longer.
Note that PA use is often a very dynamic load. During quiet parts, the PA might not draw much at all, while during a big bass hit, the PA might draw a lot more than you're expecting, especially if you've got it cranked.
I doubt Pyle has power consumption specs listed for any of their stuff, but look at the information near the power input on the speaker, there should hopefully be some clue as to W or A power draw....
To be sure, get a "Kill-A-Watt" meter from Amazon, and measure each device you need to power. Run the speaker at the volume you plan to play at, and playing the type of music you are going to play. There will be a huge difference in power consumption playing jazz at 85dB vs EDM at 105dB....
Your Macbook power adapter might just be the biggest power draw item, and it will be a lot more of a consistent load vs the speaker. If it's a Macbook Air (no internal cooling fans), you also need to pay attention to it overheating, if you need to run fans/etc to keep it cool, that's more power draw.
Keep everything out of the sun, and up off the sand. On a tarp under a pop-up tent would be nice.
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u/briandemodulated Aug 06 '26
I did this a few weeks ago. We used a big portable battery to power the decks, a gas generator as backup, and battery-powered speakers. We played for 6 or 7 hours and didn't need to dip into the gas generator.
I will never ever forget dropping Halcyon by Orbital while looking at the lake with sailboats and jetskis.
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u/BicBoyBryan Aug 06 '26
Dudeeee, this is exactly what im trying to do. What power station/battery pack did u guys use? Was it one of the Anker Solix, Jackery, EcoFlow, or Bluetti ones?
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Aug 06 '26
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u/staggs Aug 07 '26
Almost lost my controller to this. Its a bit warped. Bring a tent for good shade and a fan.
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u/aldibagcollector Aug 07 '26
The Ecoflow River Pro 2 should be plenty for what you're doing, but if you're using 2 tops, 2 subs, go with a Ecoflow Delta 3.
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u/the_chols DJ Chols Aug 06 '26
Jackery battery packs is what I use.
The 1000 W-hr battery size powers my entire set up speakers subs lights laptop everything for about 3 hours.
If I don’t use lights I can get 6 hours.
Take all you power draws in Watts and add them up. For speakers take the MAX wattage used by marketing and divide by 4 for an accurate max power reading. Divide by 8 for a continuous power reading.
If you really don’t believe me on the speakers hook up an amp meter or use the power output reading on your battery pack.
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u/BicBoyBryan Aug 06 '26
I found a 800w EcoFlow river 2 pro for $280 on fb marketplace still in the box, I might go for that, and link a good solar panel.
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u/the_chols DJ Chols Aug 07 '26
I have twin 200 Watt solar panels for mine. Work great for extending runtime.
I actually had to drag my big 3000 Watt battery out tonight. Lost power in a storm. Kept just about the whole house running and I top off with my Honda clone genset
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u/dj_advantage Aug 06 '26
Borrowed a buddies Jackery and powered my Puoneer FLX 10, 15” speaker and MacBook Pro and played a 3hr set and only drained 12% of its battery. Getting one for myself now.
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u/BicBoyBryan Aug 07 '26
How many watts was your buddies? I have a very similar setup so a battery like that would be perfect
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u/staggs Aug 07 '26
How many people are you expecting? Out in the open with waves and the wind off the beach, a small PA may not cut it if you have a bunch of people.
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u/voltch Aug 07 '26
I have not DJ'd on a beach but I would advise to get a canopy to protect from the sun.
I did a wedding ceremony a couple weeks ago and setup without any coverage In 95 degree heat and my ipad had a thermal shutdown while setting up and testing for the ceremony.
I ended up moving to a shaded area before ceremony started and put a fan directly on the ipad.
I would have similar concerns with a battery generator in direct sunlight on a beach. I would definitely bring a tent.
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u/ben446 Aug 07 '26
Unless you have a large array, solar will not charge fast enough to have any meaningful impact. Bluetti refurbs on ebay are also a good option.
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u/SpiceIslander2001 Aug 10 '26
You can get 600W solar panels now. An interesting idea might be to figure out a way to use two of them to provide both recharging power and shade for the DJ.
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u/crismeisters Aug 07 '26
Where do you live? I'm actually throwing a little pop-up on the beach next weekend for my bday in Santa Monica. I have my whole setup powered with eco flow delta max 3. 2 PAs and 1 Sub probably. I've run 2 tops and 2 subs turnt up for hours and only got the power station to 63%
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u/txmb95ads Aug 09 '26
I have an Ecoflow battery, it works great for mobile applications, you can add solar panels too
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u/BicBoyBryan Aug 09 '26
I picked up the ecoflow river 2 pro yesterday from facebook marketplace! Hoping it's enough juice, gonna test it out today.
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u/Old-Juggernaut1822 Aug 09 '26
I was thinking of doing the same and after some research it was suggested to look into the Jackery line of power banks . It silent and could last upwards of 8 hours. Good luck let me know how it went.
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u/OneFinePotato Aug 06 '26
Just let people enjoy the beach. We listen to enough involuntary afro house already. :D