Solar Question on the 1550 - Page 2

mainah · 03-26-2019, 06:49 AM

Everything Anderson, https://powerwerx.com/anderson-power...SAAEgI2nvD_BwE
I would go with the 30 amp ones they are easy to handle and will accept up to a #10 wire easly. The wire from your battery to the camper is a #8 (30 amps) it supplies the battery feed to the converter/charger, lights etc. When I started redoing the camper I was checking loads just to see what I was dealing with the silly little thing had 13 incandescent bulbs with all of them on it drew 23 amps! My 15 leds drew about 4! OK my controller is not totally waterproof it lives inside of the aluminum angle this provides a nice little roof at pretty much any angle. If it's pouring rain I'm not going to get much solar gain so I just fold it up and slide it under the camper. As far as wire it is what I had the panel is wired with #10 SJ wire only because I had 10 or 12 feet of it the SJ is nice because it is very flexible. a #12 is more than adequate it will handle twice the current than the panel will produce and short enough for little voltage loss. If you want to go overboard there are many little water tight electrical boxes with screw on covers that any big box should have if you use an SJ cable they make waterproof 1/2" connectors also for the cable. The picture is with the panel face down so standing up the controller is covered by the angle on the top and side.

Photokit · 03-26-2019, 08:10 AM

I see. thanks...I originally mounted my controller near the battery box and did NOT keep it out of the very infrequent rain out here in Southern Colorado. As you might assume, it got wet and that was the end of that controller. I was originally using a flex solar panel and mounted it wherever needed and also it fit well on the bug guard. I now have a 175w panel with room for the controller like yours so I may move it. The thing is that I like the extra load for charging my phone, and I like to see the readout from inside the camper, so that's why I positioned it under the dinette bench. I have, on hand, a waterproof outlet box and I may mount that and run the wires from the panel/to the controller.
Yep, I too changed out the watt eating bulbs for led.

Photokit · 03-26-2019, 08:12 AM

Taking the rig out this weekend, dry camping in Utah, so will test the new system, and this time I'll be conservative with that furnace.

175W Solar
30A charge controller
Group 24 Battery
Down Blankets

Tinstaafl · 03-26-2019, 08:38 AM

Thank you! Nice fit. Yes, I've used those "project boxes" before. Wasn't thinking in those terms for this, because depending on what controller I wind up with, I may want easy access for punching buttons or seeing a readout. Plus, I don't have a feel for what kind of heat needs to be dissipated.

As for sizing, I'm pretty confident that one 100W panel will be plenty, but I need to get de-winterized and do a couple of backyard overnighters to get a baseline. Not quite warm enough yet.

The difference between incandescent and LED is just astounding. That's the very first thing I did after getting this thing home.

mainah · 03-26-2019, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Photokit

I see. thanks...I originally mounted my controller near the battery box and did NOT keep it out of the very infrequent rain out here in Southern Colorado. As you might assume, it got wet and that was the end of that controller. I was originally using a flex solar panel and mounted it wherever needed and also it fit well on the bug guard. I now have a 175w panel with room for the controller like yours so I may move it. The thing is that I like the extra load for charging my phone, and I like to see the readout from inside the camper, so that's why I positioned it under the dinette bench. I have, on hand, a waterproof outlet box and I may mount that and run the wires from the panel/to the controller.
Yep, I too changed out the watt eating bulbs for led.

For the tiny amount a phone charger uses it's hardly worth being able to see it! As far as a cell phone charger the best (and quickest) method is charging it with a lighter socket. The main reason my controller is on the panel I can use it anywhere I can charge the truck battery, I can charge a deep cycle as long as I have something battery powered I have regulated charge voltage. I am a ham radio guy we do a thing called field day generators are allowed battery power gets extra points as does a thing called GOTA it allows non or inactive ham people an opportunity to get on the air a couple of years ago we (the club) actually won the event for NH primarily because of the solar powered site! In the summer I often sit outside in the evening with my ham gear and contact people all over the world with my solar charged battery. The plus side to a controller near the battery is voltage, a panel will produce about 22 volts in direct sun so the cable loss will be a bit less than regulated voltage in the 13.4-14 volt range