solar panel use
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Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14770
Printed Date: 18 May 2024 at 1:10pm
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Topic: solar panel use
Posted By: TEDDY
Subject: solar panel use
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2021 at 7:31pm
That little plug I have on the passenger side rear of my 2017 rPod 178 - does plugging a solar panel into that go through the charge controller in the WFCO converter, or do I need a separate charge controller?
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Teddy
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Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2021 at 8:16pm
If you get something like the Renogy Solar Suitcase, it will come with a charge controller. The solar does not go through the converter. That is for 110V AC to 12V DC so yes, you will need that charge controller for your panel(s).
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 5:29am
You can get any 12v solar kit with a charge controller. You don't need to get one that says Zamp on it or one from Renogy. You can if you want.
The port on the rpod is just a connector that will connect your solar charge controller output to the battery. The WFCO charger is not involved.
Be very careful connecting to it as the SAE type connector at the port has been wired in reverse polarity from normal. Use a voltmeter before connecting to be sure your polarity is right.
Or skip using the port and just connect your solar kit directly to the battery, you will have less wire resistance losses that way. Do add a bolt on or inline fuse at the battery + terminal before you connect there. A 20 amp fuse should be fine.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 7:39am
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Thanks - I never asked the dealer about that port, and thought it might go to the WFCO charger - but wanted to make sure - and I would have been wrong!!
My WFCO converter has crapped out a few times - a friend and I found bad solder joints on the bottom of the board, fixed those, and it worked again - for a while - it's on the fritz again so I'll be replacing that board . Any suggestions about what to replace it with? It is the WFCO 55 series....
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Teddy
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 8:40am
A lot of folks like Progressive Dynamics, if you're frustrated with WFCO you could try them.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 9:10am
Is it as easy as removing the WFCO board (and 4 or 5 connections) and slipping the Progressive Dynamics board in its place? That would make me very happy!
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Teddy
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 12:29pm
Don't know personally, as I haven't had to change mine out, but others here have done it and can respond.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 12:40pm
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It is pretty straightforward and relatively easy. The hardest part is getting the wires into the right places on the fuse board and then getting it back into place. Just pay attention to which wire goes where and then making sure you put the ones from the new converter in the right places.
I have done this twice. Once was to repair a broken converter. The second time was to change out the original board for one that would work with the LiFePO4 battery I installed. Yes, they are different as there are different charging profiles needed for lead-acid and LiFePO4 batteries. The WFCO boards are not programmable.I don't know about the Progress boards.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 12:46pm
Tks - I have a good Renology 100 amp-hour AGM battery and I'll seek a converter/charger that will address the AGM's profile needs.
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Teddy
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 12:57pm
Any good controller these days will have flooded lead acid, AGM, and most likely Li charge control settings. I highly recommend Morningstar products (and no, they don't pay me anything).
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 4:56pm
You should be good to go with the stock WFCO converter and an AGM battery. Where you would need to switch is if you were to go with an LiFePO4 battery. I made that change. That is because an AGM battery is still lead-acid chemistry, even if the acid is absorbed into a glass mat (thus, AGM).
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
|
Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 5:10pm
Yes, but my experience with WFCO is not great so I'll probably choose another brand to replace it with - will be careful re AGM charging spec.
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Teddy
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2021 at 5:27pm
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Seems to me when I took out the board at the bottom of the WFCO converter/charger, the board was all I removed - it's at the bottom of the breaker/fuse array, and took maybe 4 screws and 4 wire connections to remove - just a board.
Amazon's description of the Progressive Dynamics suggests a much bigger envelope that won't slip in to replace the WFCO board. Will I have to accommodate the larger envelope somehow?
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Teddy
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2021 at 8:58pm
Since you have changed out your converter twice, perhaps you can tell me of the Progressive Dynamics converter will fit in the same envelope as the existing WFCO series 55 - pictures on Amazon make it look like I'd need to re-engineer the cubicle.
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Teddy
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2021 at 9:00pm
Since you have already replaced your WFCO with a Progressive Dynamics converter, perhaps you can tell me if it will fit in the same dimensions - the Amazon pics suggest I might need to alter the space where the WFCO is now.
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Teddy
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Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 10:48am
I'd like to piggyback on this discussion to ask this question: If you have roof-mounted solar and a PWM charge controller (I'm thinking about the Go Power system that FR optionally installs at the factory) and want to supplement that with a portable solar setup (with its own charge controller) that can be set in the sun if your camper is in shade, can it just be connected to the battery in parallel with the fixed solar controller, or is there special circuitry needed?
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Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
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Posted By: TEDDY
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 11:02am
What Renology told me was that the sum total of the parallel solar panels should be fed into a charge controller that can handle the total amps the panels can produce, and then you can clip the charge controller output to the battery terminals - they didn't mention it, but I suspect it would be safer to place and in-line fuse in the + wire between the battery clips and the charge controller. Renology's 30 amp PWM Wanderer will handle my two 100 watt panels, and would probably handle a third. The problem would be getting the panel wires into the charge controller - you might need special connectors for that, and for any extension wire used to get the panels in the sun. If this would force you into a larger charge controller, you could disconnect the FR panels from the charge controller and connect the movable panels in their stead.
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Teddy
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Posted By: Colt
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 12:46pm
Originally posted by TheBum
I'd like to piggyback on this discussion to ask this question: If you have roof-mounted solar and a PWM charge controller (I'm thinking about the Go Power system that FR optionally installs at the factory) and want to supplement that with a portable solar setup (with its own charge controller) that can be set in the sun if your camper is in shade, can it just be connected to the battery in parallel with the fixed solar controller, or is there special circuitry needed? |
If you connect the 2nd system to the battery, each system will sense battery voltage and respond accordingly. I have had to connect a charger to my home solar system during extended bad weather, both with the panels/controller disconnected and connected with no trouble either way.
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John
'16 R-Pod 180
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 1:01pm
+1 to Colt. No problem at all connecting two independent solar charge controller to the battery. Renogy is wrong if they are saying you need to run all your solar modules through one controller.
If you wanted to run a single controller with different solar module sizes or manufacturers that OK too as long as they are nominal 12V modules and you are using a PWM controller. Don't do it with an MPPT controller with modules of different voltages, you will waste energy and confuse the max power tracking software.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 1:43pm
So I just need to make sure that the portable system uses a PWM charge controller and that both are set to the same (correct) profile, correct? It makes sense that it should work if the controller output is open circuit during the off part of the PWM cycle.
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Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2021 at 1:52pm
yep. Also if the second controller was MPPT that should be fine too. You just don't want two different types of solar modules feeding into one MPPT controller. Everything else should be OK.
The battery is a voltage source/sink so will establish the voltage that both controllers see. Depending on what each ones setpoints are one controller will cut out and/or in sooner than the other but that won't cause any issues.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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