Solar for a portable panel

[Turtle]

Hi all,
Just after confirmation that i'm not barking up the wrong tree with my intended portable solar setup.
The Setec instructions say,

So what i,m proposing is

Any comments?

 

[Laurence]

Not sure about this but i will keep a close eye on you thread as i am looking at doing the same thing.
Before final sign off i am tosing up whether to set up solar the way you gave shown or get prewire to roof.
Good luck

Lb

 

[Burnsy]

Looks good to me turtle, that's how I'd do it!
Cheers.

 

[ElectricGuru]

Hi all,
Just after confirmation that i'm not barking up the wrong tree with my intended portable solar setup.
The Setec instructions say,
View attachment 7607
So what i,m proposing is
View attachment 7608
Any comments?

Turtle

Mate, you are spot on with what you are trying to do. Cool drawing too!

Is the anderson plug going to be on the drawbar for charging while driving as well? If so, make sure the cable going out there is 6B&S to ensure that you are minimising voltage drop issues. The cable from the solar panel/regulator can be left at what came with it.

Also the fuse needs to be rated to protect the cable so if it is 6B&S, make it a 30A to start with. Smaller cable sizes will have to have a smaller rated fuse as required.

Cheers

Gil

 

[Turtle]

I hadn't thought about the charge while driving aspect. I have a 12 pin setup so the fridge and trickle is covered.
Do you think the full charge of the alternater is a better option and if so do I need to disconect my aux on the 12 pin plug?

 

[ElectricGuru]

Hey Turtle

If you already have the 12 pin setup, leave as is. That makes the Anderson plug for the solar a lot simpler (and less expensive) since you only have to run a small gauge cable.

I would look at running a 12 or 14 AWG sheathed twin from the battery to the AP with a 10A fuse.

For maximum efficiency and only if you can, the closer that you can install the regulator to the battery the better. I have done that but for most cases what you are proposing, it will suffice.

Is it a complete unit or are you putting one together from parts? Post a photo of the solar panel/reg if already bought.

Regards

Gil

 

[Turtle]

It's a setup that I've had for quite a few years to run the 60L Trailblazer.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Turtle

Mate, you are spot on with what you are trying to do. Cool drawing too!

Is the anderson plug going to be on the drawbar for charging while driving as well? If so, make sure the cable going out there is 6B&S to ensure that you are minimising voltage drop issues. The cable from the solar panel/regulator can be left at what came with it.

Also the fuse needs to be rated to protect the cable so if it is 6B&S, make it a 30A to start with. Smaller cable sizes will have to have a smaller rated fuse as required.

Cheers

Gil

Hey EG
If the anderson plug as in Turtles drawing was connected to the vehicle while traveling would it still be possible to put the regulator close to the battery in the Van or would you be better off having it near the solar panel and not have the 12v from the car running through it as in the drawing
Cheers Grant

 

[Turtle]

The regulator is integral to the panel and therefore once the panel is unpluged the regulator is out of circuit and the car would be connected directly to the battery.
Regards,

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Sorry Turtle probably didn't word my comment too well what I was trying to ask was that if the regulator and solar panel were separate Items and you were to have the Regulator on the Van side of the Anderson plug nearer to the battery, as everyone seems to say this is the best place to have it for efficiency, then if you were to connect and run 12v from the vehicle through the regulator would it do any harm to the regulator or would you loose any efficiency when charging the Battery from the vehicle or wouldn't it make any difference.
Cheers Grant

 

[Turtle]

No problem Gadget,
I'm pretty sure you'd be okay as the regulator only limits the over and under voltages although the Guru would seem to be best qualified to confirm this.

 

[ElectricGuru]

Hey Turtle, nice setup.

Definitely do the job. Just make sure there are no connections between the negative of the panel and the frame as with this type of setup you could have the full solar voltage (up to 22 V) across the battery.

Capt Gadget,

There are several different types of regulators that perform differently on operation and setup. The main premise with solar regulators is that the voltage needs to be higher on the panel side since there are losses across the regulator (1-2 V) and since the panel can be fickle under various light conditions, the extra voltage is there to provide some flexibility.

Most regulator types bleed off the excess voltage as heat and the rest goes into the battery. Not sure what the minimum input is for the regulator to actually switch on but I would guess that it is around the 15-16 V mark.

The reason for having the regulator closer to the battery is that the output is set at 14.25 V (boost mode) in this case and the further away the battery from the regulator, the more losses that you will encounter getting that power to the battery.

Having the regulator in circuit with car may not actually do anything since the voltage is only about 13 V from the car to the van. If you are looking for an inline device, look at a DC-DC converter like a CTek D250S Dual. They are a great unit that can charge the battery from a lower voltage and also accept solar direct (no regulator required) from the panel through an MPPT conversion (most efficient).

What I have done on my van is taken the mounted solar regulator off the fold away panel and installed it next to the battery. Then I ran out another circuit with a different connector so no confusion. I still have the Anderson plug from the car that charges the battery and runs the fridge.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Gil

 

[Kingy]

Thanks Electricguru,sounds straight forward however would you mind posting a diagram including cable sizes, that would be really appreciated.

 

[ElectricGuru]

Thanks Electricguru,sounds straight forward however would you mind posting a diagram including cable sizes, that would be really appreciated.

Working on it Kingy...

 

[Drizzlingje]

Sorry to dumb this thread right down...but...can I just buy one of the folding solar panels with built in regulator and run it through the van window straight to the battery and expect it to charge?

Cheers

 

[Jim and Tab]

Gday Drizzlingje
do you have an anderson plug from the car to the battery?
if you do.you can simply run your folding solar panel to that and it will charge your battery.
if you dont have an anderson plug for the car just run some h/d wire from the battery through the clear plug on the floor next to the battery and mount it front/rear or both ends of the van
then put an anderson plug on your solar panel lead
Cheers Jim Tab and Diamond

 

[boots33]

Sorry to dumb this thread right down...but...can I just buy one of the folding solar panels with built in regulator and run it through the van window straight to the battery and expect it to charge?

Cheers

While you could just hook it up like that to charge your van battery I think you would soon tire of lifting up your seat etc to hook it up each time. You would also need to make sure there was no sun on the panel when you connect up so as not to cause sparks at your battery, never a good thing even with sealed batteries.
If you don't want to run a seperate cable for the panel then the quickest solution is to do as Jim and tab have suggested and use what you already have available to you. Even if you don't have an anderson plug fitted your trailer plug will most likely already be wired to charge your van battery from the tow vehicle. So all you need to do is fit the same type of connector to the lead from your panel and plug it into the vans trailer connector. The normal wiring for a trailer plug will have the positive on pin 2 and negative on pin 3 but you should check before you wire it up just to make sure.

 

[Drizzlingje]

Thanks guys. I tossing up whether I will really need it at this stage. I have just converted the lights to LED and the fridge I run off gas when off the grid. I have dual battery in the car running the engel. I should be fairly self supportive for a while with that set up? How long do ppl generally get out of their batteries before requiring solar to boost things along with general light use?

 

[ElectricGuru]

Thanks Electricguru,sounds straight forward however would you mind posting a diagram including cable sizes, that would be really appreciated.

Hey Kingy,

Apologies for this taking a bit. Have been caught up with work stuff and finally got a chance to sort this out last night.

Wiring diagram of what I have in my van as requested.



Let me know if this is ok. Reply back with any other questions.

Cheers

Gil

 

[ElectricGuru]

Thanks guys. I tossing up whether I will really need it at this stage. I have just converted the lights to LED and the fridge I run off gas when off the grid. I have dual battery in the car running the engel. I should be fairly self supportive for a while with that set up? How long do ppl generally get out of their batteries before requiring solar to boost things along with general light use?

Hey DL

With the battery fully charged, you should get 3-4 days usage with lights and accessories, more if you are careful.

All depends on what you are using. Have you got anything that really uses the juice?