Solar Questions |
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mle
Newbie Joined: 11 May 2017 Location: San Diego Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Topic: Solar Questions Posted: 19 May 2017 at 1:54pm |
What solar controllers are you using? Did you get the recommended Zamp or are you running different brands? Any preferences on controller and/or panels?
Did you get an inverter too?
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john in idaho
Senior Member Joined: 04 Nov 2014 Location: Eagle Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 611 |
Posted: 19 May 2017 at 2:45pm |
The Zamp came ready to go, and since i am not an electrical engineer, It works fine. Amazon had them on sale for 600.
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sailor323
Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281 |
Posted: 19 May 2017 at 8:54pm |
The question is, 'Do you want "plug and play" or do you want something else?" I have installed 280 watts of solar power on our Pod for much less than the cost of Zamp. There are alternatives that fit everyone's needs
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2654 |
Posted: 20 May 2017 at 12:54pm |
I'm very familiar with DC solar systems. I have been building my own for remote communications facilities for over a decade.
I presume the zamp connector on an R-pod is connected directly to the battery (or batteries) with probably a fuse in between? If that's the case, then any external solar controller would probably work fine. I've got a few spare solar panels laying around, and they are all nominally 24V panels (they actually put out between 30 and 37 volts, depending on manufacturer and load, etc). My intention is to use one of my 150 watt panels, and connect it through a small MPPT controller set for a 12V system.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 20 May 2017 at 3:28pm |
Mine came with the wiring, but the connections were lacking. There are two wires, positive and negative that connect to the Zamp connector, but were never connected to the battery terminals. They were just wrapped with electrical tape. As far as I know, there is no fuse inline. If they are connected, the panels would need to have a charge controller. Your plan to use a controller is sound.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
Posted: 21 May 2017 at 8:46am |
I put my controller for my solar panel in a little plastic tool box that can sit right on top of the battery boxes when in use. I've got short pigtails off the battery to connect to short pigtails off the controller with mc4 connectors. I put circuit breakers on the + from the panel to the controller and from the controller to the battery, per Windy Nation instructions. The last three things I need to do are to drill some vent holes in the box, adjust the controller, and sacrifice a chicken.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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yakinator
Newbie Joined: 15 Feb 2017 Location: Houston, TX. Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 21 May 2017 at 3:00pm |
Add bbq sauce to chicken and grill to desire. Then it's a win win.
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2017 RPOD 180 named VentuRpod
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mle
Newbie Joined: 11 May 2017 Location: San Diego Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Posted: 22 May 2017 at 12:23pm |
Either is fine with me, I'm fair with electrical work. In the pod we are getting it has the camper friendly package; which apparently now a days that means it has a plug on the back and the wires that run to the battery. That's it. The dealer said, when I asked about the controller: "We don't have them anymore, but you can get them from other places pretty easily." I'm looking at the Renogy 200w (two 100w panels) with the Renogy wanderer controller. Will probably add in a fuse to that, and wondering if I should get an inverter too. I saw a really nice motor home setup in some of the Amazon reviews. But I'm a n00b when it comes to solar. Car wiring, I'll grumble but get it done.. Solar is new fangled stuff to me. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Solar-Starter-Wanderer/dp/B00BCRG22A/
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mle
Newbie Joined: 11 May 2017 Location: San Diego Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
Posted: 22 May 2017 at 12:32pm |
When I looked at the wiring in the pod we are getting, it had an input plug on the outside, two wires that went in (prob about a foot long) and those connected to two other wires and were covered; I assume those are to go into the controller, no fuse. The other two wires went across the back of the trailer (behind the wood panel that covers the taillight wires), and ran around the side to the front, up to the batteries. Pretty simple setup. To be honest, I was kind of annoyed that they called this 'Solar Ready' and I was told by one of the sales guys that all I needed was the panels multiple times. Then to see how the wiring actually was, it was pretty irritating. Glad I found it before we brought it home though.
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2654 |
Posted: 22 May 2017 at 12:32pm |
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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