diy solar

diy solar

Looking for a good 10a waterproof controller

imbuere said:
Over the next few months, I'll be buying this: https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...-watt-hood-solar-panel?variant=35028713111704

They have a controller for about $100, but I assume I can do better for cheaper. In the future, I'd like to run up to 400w on my roof, but I'd like to keep this 80w connected to my starting battery only and have the other system be completely separate for now.

Any recommendations on what to buy?
Click to expand...
Lol $547 for an 80 watt hood mounted solar panel! Wowser!
 
MBR said:
Lol $547 for an 80 watt hood mounted solar panel! Wowser!
Click to expand...
They're frequently on sale and will be paying less than their advertised price. Additionally, its a means to add solar in a manner that's a lot less attention-grabbing than a traditional panel bolted to a hood would be. For that, it's worth a premium to me.

Any helpful suggestions are appreciated.
 
MBR said:
Lol $547 for an 80 watt hood mounted solar panel! Wowser!
Click to expand...

Hey now... that's for the whole kit including the SCC! The panel is only $389!

imbuere said:
They're frequently on sale and will be paying less than their advertised price. Additionally, its a means to add solar in a manner that's a lot less attention-grabbing than a traditional panel bolted to a hood would be. For that, it's worth a premium to me.

Any helpful suggestions are appreciated.
Click to expand...

If it's really MPPT, it's damn hard to find a quality MPPT for less than $100. Personally, if I'm willing to drop that kind of crazy money on a 80W panel, I'd be inclined to buy the matching charge controller.
 
"Good, Pretty, and Cheap - pick 2 out of 3"

For functionality and price, but not style, how about this:

Amazon.com: AUECOOR 100 Watt Flexible Solar Panel Bendable Solar Panel Waterproof Monocrystalline Solar Module for RV,Boat, Trailer,Shed,12V Battery Charging Off Grid : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Buy AUECOOR 100 Watt Flexible Solar Panel Bendable Solar Panel Waterproof Monocrystalline Solar Module for RV,Boat, Trailer,Shed,12V Battery Charging Off Grid: Solar Panels - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
 
Wait a minute. Don't MPPT controllers need to have a voltage threshold above the battery voltage in order to start charging? At 80 watts and a 12 volt system, that's only 6.x volts.

Given that you plan to expand, I'm not sure I would count on this 80 watt "panel" working well in your PV landscape. It's dinky and may not play well with bigger panels.

Seems like an excessive price, but to keep things simple, I would get their controller and treat it as a distinct system from anything else you plan to add.
 
No expert. I'm finishing my first build.

I'd recommend measuring the exact panels you want for 400 watts. Unless you will be adding your own cells to panels, panels are not that customizable. Most 100 watt panels are roughly the same size as others and etc. Also becomes a challenge to add mismatched panels. To me unless the jigaw puzzle is perfect, my guess 200 watts will fit on the roof.

What is the intent of this system? I ask because what we use inverters for need different batteries than starter batteries. A couple small devices wouldn't notice it, but larger will kill a car battery. This takes up a bit of space. In my fifth wheel, I have a pass through storage space under the master bedroom, and I lost half of that to my solar installation. I had no idea it would take up that much space.

For a battery maintainer, I used a 3 Watt panel to keep my truck battery charged for six months when I traveled. Used to die after a month, one just like this https://www.amazon.com/PulseTech-SolarPulse-SP-3-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B07QPQ27FM/ref=sr_1_4?crid=12GI14QK5WPZ2&dchild=1&keywords=pulsetech+solar+battery+charger&qid=1601693012&sprefix=pulsetech+solar,aps,197&sr=8-4

Your panel could be well worth it if it really recharges a dead battery in only 20 minutes as the ad claims
 
HRTKD said:
Wait a minute. Don't MPPT controllers need to have a voltage threshold above the battery voltage in order to start charging? At 80 watts and a 12 volt system, that's only 6.x volts.
Click to expand...

Who knows what it really is but there is the possibility of it being a boost charger rather than the typical buck type so even if the panel is bang on 12V it can still be used to charge a nominal 12V battery.
 
That six amps of power will charge a starter battery from dead in 30 minutes. Must be a special six amps. The reviews also say it powers split fridges overnight. Must provide more power than I thought.
 
chrisski said:
That six amps of power will charge a starter battery from dead in 30 minutes. Must be a special six amps.
Click to expand...

6A for 30 minutes might give you 600A for 15 seconds. Good enough for me.

Actually, just letting the battery rest sometimes does the trick. But adding 7% of a charge could make quite a difference.
How long can you crank trying to start, if something else is wrong? And how quickly does it start when things are correct?
 
A solar panel located on top of a hot engine? Yeah, that's going to work out well unless there is a good amount of insulation.
 
HRTKD said:
A solar panel located on top of a hot engine? Yeah, that's going to work out well unless there is a good amount of insulation.
Click to expand...

If the engine was running, they wouldn't need the solar panel to recharge the dead battery in order to start the engine. Duh!

And did you notice this setup has an adjustable tilting panel mount?
Just park the car facing the correct direction before leaving your lights on and running the battery down.
 
Hedges said:
6A for 30 minutes might give you 600A for 15 seconds. Good enough for me.

Actually, just letting the battery rest sometimes does the trick. But adding 7% of a charge could make quite a difference.
How long can you crank trying to start, if something else is wrong? And how quickly does it start when things are correct?
Click to expand...
If this is the scenario a capacitor bank booster would be a far better way. Unless the battery is completely and totally dead, far beyond just not cranking where this level of charge wouldn't help anyway, these things work by slowly drawing current from the battery and storing it in a capacitor bank via a switching power supply. There's quite a lot of energy in what people consider to be a flat battery but the battery can't produce enough amps to crank the engine over etc.
 
Hedges said:
"Good, Pretty, and Cheap - pick 2 out of 3"

For functionality and price, but not style, how about this:

Amazon.com: AUECOOR 100 Watt Flexible Solar Panel Bendable Solar Panel Waterproof Monocrystalline Solar Module for RV,Boat, Trailer,Shed,12V Battery Charging Off Grid : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Buy AUECOOR 100 Watt Flexible Solar Panel Bendable Solar Panel Waterproof Monocrystalline Solar Module for RV,Boat, Trailer,Shed,12V Battery Charging Off Grid: Solar Panels - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...

Not looking for a panel, just the charge controller. I figured I could do better and cheaper than what was offered as a kit... seems many recommend just sticking with what they sell.

HRTKD said:
Wait a minute. Don't MPPT controllers need to have a voltage threshold above the battery voltage in order to start charging? At 80 watts and a 12 volt system, that's only 6.x volts.

Given that you plan to expand, I'm not sure I would count on this 80 watt "panel" working well in your PV landscape. It's dinky and may not play well with bigger panels.

Seems like an excessive price, but to keep things simple, I would get their controller and treat it as a distinct system from anything else you plan to add.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. Thanks.

HRTKD said:
A solar panel located on top of a hot engine? Yeah, that's going to work out well unless there is a good amount of insulation.
Click to expand...
There's insulation between the engine and hood, the hood itself is somewhat like a double pane with two layers, and the material the panel sits on is isolating. I can touch the hood after a long drive at night and it's barely warm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Cascadia/Lensun Hood Panels
Replies
2
Views
196
0truck0
0truck0
Rednecktek
Looking for a small (physically) MPPT controller maybe?
Replies
10
Views
880
seneysolar
seneysolar
X
Looking for a simple diagram
Replies
1
Views
151
Supervstech
Supervstech
A
Lensun Solar MPPT Controller Question and other Lensun Solar Product Question
Replies
3
Views
223
mikefitz
mikefitz
A
Tell me how please
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
Daddy Tanuki
Daddy Tanuki
Back
Top