diy solar

diy solar

My little 200W system install in a camper.

Sean Steele

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Joined
Aug 28, 2020
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I hope this section is for build threads of sorts. I have installed the solar charge controller with a circuit breaker between it and the battery. I only have a little portable panel connected to it right now but I hope to have the 2 100W panels mounted on the roof tomorrow and have them connected to the controller.

I will post more as my install progresses.

I'm not in love with the way power is connected to and from the battery in this camper but I'm at a loss for how to correct the issue.

Guidance and insight are welcome.
 

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Did some straightening up in the wiring and added some heat shrink to the B+ cables. I also got the Renogy panels wired in instead of the small foldable panel I was using temporarily.
The panels are wired in series and will eventually be mounted on the roof. I'm just too chicken to get up there right now.
 

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Added my shunt the other day. Also added a busbar for the negative wires. Now I only have three wires max on any given stud like Will mentions on some of his videos.
 

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Cool, how much did it cost you?
The cost keeps going up. The 200 watt system from Renogy cost me about $500 on Amazon after I added the Bluetooth dongle. I made the tilt brackets myself at a cost of about $90. Various lugs and such have been about $10. The breaker and fuse holder were about $50. I think the busbar was $15 but it came as a Positive/Negative pair. The shunt and monitor were about $50 with the 16' wire.

My LiFePo battery is still on backorder but I got that for about $850 with Will's discount from Big Battery.
 
The cost keeps going up. The 200 watt system from Renogy cost me about $500 on Amazon after I added the Bluetooth dongle. I made the tilt brackets myself at a cost of about $90. Various lugs and such have been about $10. The breaker and fuse holder were about $50. I think the busbar was $15 but it came as a Positive/Negative pair. The shunt and monitor were about $50 with the 16' wire.

My LiFePo battery is still on backorder but I got that for about $850 with Will's discount from Big Battery.
Goddamn that's a lot for a 200 watts system, I hope that solar becomes cheaper in the future.
 
Goddamn that's a lot for a 200 watts system, I hope that solar becomes cheaper in the future.
You can do it cheaper if you gather your own components, don't let that scare you off. SanTan Solar for a kit or affordable panels if you are in AZ area. I started with the existing battery, a 200 watt panel and a renogy pmw under $250.
 
Yeah, I bought a kit that included two 100watt panels and a 40 Amp MPPT controller. I went for expandability, not cheapness.
 
Just placed an order for 1000 watts of Santana solar panels. My whole system is going to be relocated from my current fifth wheel camper to my "new to me" travel trailer in the next month or so. I think these panels are going to just about cover the available roof space on the 27' camper. I'm looking forward to being able to do a cleaner install with the battery, SCC and inverter being about 20' closer to the breaker/fuse panel.
 
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