New to Solar

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   Good, you can use that port to connect your solar kit it you want, or you can connect it to the battery. You can connect up to about a 200 watt system no problem. 

If you want to use the port there should be two dedicated conductors running from the port to the battery. You will need to identify them at the battery, on my rpod they are the smaller gauge pair of the four wires going to the battery, but you should be sure you have the right ones. A voltmeter will help with this and also help you be sure you know which port terminal is + and which is -. Unfortunately FR doesn’t place a fuse (at least mine didn’t have one) in the positive conductor going to the port so I would add one for safety where it connects to the battery. Without a fuse if those wires or the wires from the port to your solar system ever get shorted you would be directly shorting out the battery and could have a fire. 

You can then connect your solar charge controller output to the port being sure to connect + to + and - to - . Or, like I said, just disconnect the wires and skip the port and connect your solar system to the battery directly, again using a fuse in the + conductor. 

Good luck!

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offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Topic: New to Solar Posted: 01 Jul 2019 at 2:07pm
	Good, you can use that port to connect your solar kit it you want, or you can connect it to the battery. You can connect up to about a 200 watt system no problem. If you want to use the port there should be two dedicated conductors running from the port to the battery. You will need to identify them at the battery, on my rpod they are the smaller gauge pair of the four wires going to the battery, but you should be sure you have the right ones. A voltmeter will help with this and also help you be sure you know which port terminal is + and which is -. Unfortunately FR doesn’t place a fuse (at least mine didn’t have one) in the positive conductor going to the port so I would add one for safety where it connects to the battery. Without a fuse if those wires or the wires from the port to your solar system ever get shorted you would be directly shorting out the battery and could have a fire. You can then connect your solar charge controller output to the port being sure to connect + to + and - to - . Or, like I said, just disconnect the wires and skip the port and connect your solar system to the battery directly, again using a fuse in the + conductor. Good luck!
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Wepod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 07 Feb 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 82	Posted: 03 Jul 2019 at 9:23pm
	I got a HQST 100w suitcase panel with charge controller off Amazon three years ago and it has worked well for me. It has alligator clips that I attach directly to the battery. I also made a 15' extension cord for the panel out of a heavy duty 12ga extension cord so I can move the panel around to catch the sun. I charge two group 24 batteries with it and it takes about 5hr to fully charge the batteries after an overnight of use that includes using the heater.

tony rpod 180 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 18 Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 75	Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 7:38am
	Thank you much! All sounds pretty straight forward.
	GMC Canyon/RPoder