I tried following the guide from here: https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/the-minimalist-great-for-small-vans-and-cars.html
tl;dr: The main issue is that it suggests connecting 5/16” ends to the #10 studs on the blue sea fuse block. It should probably suggest getting a bus bar. Would also be nice if there were more specifics about which cables to buy.
The inverter comes with a cable that’s 5/16” on one side and 3/8” on the other. The 400w guide also links to a pair of windy nation inverter cables with 3/8” on one side and 5/16” on the other. However, the battery studs and connection to the ANL fuse is 5/16”. The inverter also has 5/16” studs, so you need 2x red cables (at least 4 awg) with 5/16” on both ends.
It also seems to suggest connecting the blue sea fuse box with a #10 stud directly to the inverter cable with a 5/16” end. That’s not a very snug fit. I’m also having a hard time finding lugs to connect a 4 awg wire to a #10 stud (most kits just have 1/4” connectors and up).
There’s also lot of missing detail around the connection with the renogy shunt. You need two black cables (at least 4 awg) with 3/8” on one side (for the shunt) and 5/16” on the other.
I ended up ordering a blue sea 250a bus bar with 4x 5/16” studs to avoid connecting all the 5/16” ring terminals to the #10 studs on the blue sea fuse block. This is what Will Prowse’s 400w guide suggests, and I’ll probably use the bus bar when I expand into a bigger system anyway.
In summary, I ordered these pairs of pre-made wires from windy nation on Amazon (because I used the battery monitor and since the pairs were cheaper and 2/0 was similarly priced to 4 awg):
* 2/0 awg - 5/16” on both ends - 2x pairs red/black
* 2/0 awg - 3/8” on one end and 5/16” on the other - 2x pairs red/black
Do these seem like good solutions to issues with the guide? Anything I could have done better (keep in mind I’m a beginner wanting to build a small/cheap/minimal system)?
tl;dr: The main issue is that it suggests connecting 5/16” ends to the #10 studs on the blue sea fuse block. It should probably suggest getting a bus bar. Would also be nice if there were more specifics about which cables to buy.
The inverter comes with a cable that’s 5/16” on one side and 3/8” on the other. The 400w guide also links to a pair of windy nation inverter cables with 3/8” on one side and 5/16” on the other. However, the battery studs and connection to the ANL fuse is 5/16”. The inverter also has 5/16” studs, so you need 2x red cables (at least 4 awg) with 5/16” on both ends.
It also seems to suggest connecting the blue sea fuse box with a #10 stud directly to the inverter cable with a 5/16” end. That’s not a very snug fit. I’m also having a hard time finding lugs to connect a 4 awg wire to a #10 stud (most kits just have 1/4” connectors and up).
There’s also lot of missing detail around the connection with the renogy shunt. You need two black cables (at least 4 awg) with 3/8” on one side (for the shunt) and 5/16” on the other.
I ended up ordering a blue sea 250a bus bar with 4x 5/16” studs to avoid connecting all the 5/16” ring terminals to the #10 studs on the blue sea fuse block. This is what Will Prowse’s 400w guide suggests, and I’ll probably use the bus bar when I expand into a bigger system anyway.
In summary, I ordered these pairs of pre-made wires from windy nation on Amazon (because I used the battery monitor and since the pairs were cheaper and 2/0 was similarly priced to 4 awg):
* 2/0 awg - 5/16” on both ends - 2x pairs red/black
* 2/0 awg - 3/8” on one end and 5/16” on the other - 2x pairs red/black
Do these seem like good solutions to issues with the guide? Anything I could have done better (keep in mind I’m a beginner wanting to build a small/cheap/minimal system)?
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