Portable Solar Charger

[RV8R]

So recently I cobbled together a box to basically utilize a Victron 100 | 50 MPPT Solar Charger.

Why ? ,,, Well the first 100|50 worked very well until one day when about to hook up the alligator clamps, I stood “red 2 red” & “black 2 black” & while pondering the tiny spark I was encountering as I had no switch in the line, I thought to myself I wonder if it matters which alligator clamp I put on first ,,, I know, I will try the red last this time ,,, AND for some unknown reason ( brainfart ), I switched the alligator clamps in my hands & then connected them to the battery I was going to charge up . You know reverse polarity. No magic smoke, no sound ( well other than my wallet whimpering a little ), & no real detectable anything ,,, then the wishful thinking creeped in ,,, it wasn’t long ,,, I will just rectify this & check out the Bluetooth ,,, no joy the Bluetooth was now a BlueBrick.

So that 100|50 was gently placed upon “The Healing Shelf” ,,, come on I know y’all got a Healing Shelf !! ,,, and then I moved on & purchased a new 100|50.

Thus came forth my brainstorm ,,, seriously there was a storm inside my head mad at myself ,,, a Brainstorm to overcome myself & put the new 100|50 into a box with a switch & bulkhead ports ,,, just cause. Of course leaving myself totally exposed to my own demise on the reverse polarity issue, but I tell myself this time is different ,,, Ya I’m already out the $500 CAN.


So ,,,That is Why ,,, Well that & I wanted a box to hold all the wires, etc;







So ,,, Victron wants “Fine Wire Multi Strand” & preferably “Marine Grade” less corrosion & issues that way. So #6 is as large as the screw in terminals take & there is a re-torque of the wires as they settle into their position over time. The Solar wire I had is multi strand, but not “fine wire”, so when I was at the boat store I spied this;






So I bought it & cut it in half to make 2 M / F pigtails. Here is a photo of the “tinned” Victron solar #10 wire & some older solar wire I have “copper coloured”. The photo might not be clear, but the Victron multi stranded solar wire is a fair bit finer;




Now, for you “purest” out there ,,, the holes you see in the plywood were caused by the 1st installation I built thinking I had enough room to mount the MPPT vertical ,,, I even attempted the #6 & just did not like the radius & then though of an elaborate 45 ,,, sometimes I literally over think these things & attempt to satisfy all parameters. So I submitted to the easy wire radius horizontal position & called it a day with my tail between my legs.

Some Things to Note;

#6 wire - because that is the max I can fit in ,,, in reality I will probably be hoofing around a 100W solar panel ,,, maybe 2 - 100Wers ,,, or maybe a bigger 350W ,,, I don’t think that #6 will ever see 50amps ,,, Why do it? In the scheme of things the wire is cheap & not too heavy for the estimated 3 or 4 feet of it, AND I never have to rewire it to meet the charger output.

Why no bulkhead for the Solar Panel wires ? ,,, For heat ventilation, that lid should be open & in the shade if possible. If I feel the need to do that at a later date, I guess I could cut it in



The Screenshots;









So the last “History” was actually in July or August 2023, but since this Charger is being used as a “Portable”, the Victron App thinks it was just yesterday ,,, sort of like my “old man senility” ,,, That is Victron & I both think July was “just yesterday” ,,, well one of us can get a software update to fix that .

On the first screenshot I posted, you can see 2021 Van, but the Bluetooth signal is weak ,,, the wheel in the 1st photo is my van. I would have had no problem connecting outside my van at that distance. Best to password protect your Victron Bluetooth devices.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

LOL... "healing shelf"

It likely blew a fuse that's embedded in potted sand...

 

[RV8R]

LOL... "healing shelf"

It likely blew a fuse that's embedded in potted sand...

I took the experimental dual ignition system out for one of my DIY airplanes & installed magnetos. I placed the ignition system I had ripped outta my plane on my work bench.

The next day, my Buddy AME, who has a key to my hangar had placed some blue tape on my bench with the words written in black sharpie “Healing Shelf” . Man did I laugh. I’m sure Women have such things for things, but I recalled “Andy Rooney” once monologue(ing) about Guys & Broken Electrical Tools (like a drill) or Appliances that they put on a shelf to “fix” one day while they buy a new tool & carry on.



It Is Me ,,, And I Suspect all “You Guyz” ,,, At least I have no friends that immediately throw a drill in the garbage if it won’t work ,,, “I’m gonna fix that” . Usually from my observations that timeframe of; broken to in the garbage takes a year or a decade on the Healing Shelf.



Yup ,,, that internal fuse ,,, I knew it right away.

There is even internet pages on how to cut them open & DIY repairs ,,, That sounds about as safe as me building my own helicopter ,,, the 100 | 50 with the blown fuse & maybe pot has been repurposed ( the body has been donated for medical experiments ).

“Hidden Fuse” ,,, LOL ,,, How about Victron’s security method for not getting blamed for an electrical fire . If ya gotta pry it apart & perform brain surgery ,,, Maybe Just “No”.

Some Guyz ,,, Remind Me of This;

 

[RV8R]

I couldn’t find the broken electrical appliance video of Andy’s, but this one also rings true;

 

[HarryN]

@RV8R Looks really good.

Thanks for really doing the deep dive on the victron wire / termination details.

It is really strange that they require a wire strand design that is different than just about every pre-made MC-4 cable on the market. I am guessing that it is all about the race between solar charger companies to make the overall box size as small as possible - so they use the smallest possible terminal block that can meet the rating.

A few years ago I requested midnight solar to go to a larger terminal block or to a ring terminal design, but surprisingly many of their other customers on their forum disagreed, so what do I know ?

I really like your charger there. Roughly how big is it?

I have started to take photos of stuff next to a dual metric / english units yard stick ( can't find the meter long version here easily )



Harry

 

[Supervstech]

So recently I cobbled together a box to basically utilize a Victron 100 | 50 MPPT Solar Charger.

Why ? ,,, Well the first 100|50 worked very well until one day when about to hook up the alligator clamps, I stood “red 2 red” & “black 2 black” & while pondering the tiny spark I was encountering as I had no switch in the line, I thought to myself I wonder if it matters which alligator clamp I put on first ,,, I know, I will try the red last this time ,,, AND for some unknown reason ( brainfart ), I switched the alligator clamps in my hands & then connected them to the battery I was going to charge up . You know reverse polarity. No magic smoke, no sound ( well other than my wallet whimpering a little ), & no real detectable anything ,,, then the wishful thinking creeped in ,,, it wasn’t long ,,, I will just rectify this & check out the Bluetooth ,,, no joy the Bluetooth was now a BlueBrick.

So that 100|50 was gently placed upon “The Healing Shelf” ,,, come on I know y’all got a Healing Shelf !! ,,, and then I moved on & purchased a new 100|50.

Thus came forth my brainstorm ,,, seriously there was a storm inside my head mad at myself ,,, a Brainstorm to overcome myself & put the new 100|50 into a box with a switch & bulkhead ports ,,, just cause. Of course leaving myself totally exposed to my own demise on the reverse polarity issue, but I tell myself this time is different ,,, Ya I’m already out the $500 CAN.


So ,,,That is Why ,,, Well that & I wanted a box to hold all the wires, etc;

View attachment 197848

View attachment 197849

View attachment 197850

So ,,, Victron wants “Fine Wire Multi Strand” & preferably “Marine Grade” less corrosion & issues that way. So #6 is as large as the screw in terminals take & there is a re-torque of the wires as they settle into their position over time. The Solar wire I had is multi strand, but not “fine wire”, so when I was at the boat store I spied this;

View attachment 197851

View attachment 197855


So I bought it & cut it in half to make 2 M / F pigtails. Here is a photo of the “tinned” Victron solar #10 wire & some older solar wire I have “copper coloured”. The photo might not be clear, but the Victron multi stranded solar wire is a fair bit finer;

View attachment 197852


Now, for you “purest” out there ,,, the holes you see in the plywood were caused by the 1st installation I built thinking I had enough room to mount the MPPT vertical ,,, I even attempted the #6 & just did not like the radius & then though of an elaborate 45 ,,, sometimes I literally over think these things & attempt to satisfy all parameters. So I submitted to the easy wire radius horizontal position & called it a day with my tail between my legs.

Some Things to Note;

#6 wire - because that is the max I can fit in ,,, in reality I will probably be hoofing around a 100W solar panel ,,, maybe 2 - 100Wers ,,, or maybe a bigger 350W ,,, I don’t think that #6 will ever see 50amps ,,, Why do it? In the scheme of things the wire is cheap & not too heavy for the estimated 3 or 4 feet of it, AND I never have to rewire it to meet the charger output.

Why no bulkhead for the Solar Panel wires ? ,,, For heat ventilation, that lid should be open & in the shade if possible. If I feel the need to do that at a later date, I guess I could cut it in



The Screenshots;

View attachment 197856


View attachment 197857

View attachment 197858


So the last “History” was actually in July or August 2023, but since this Charger is being used as a “Portable”, the Victron App thinks it was just yesterday ,,, sort of like my “old man senility” ,,, That is Victron & I both think July was “just yesterday” ,,, well one of us can get a software update to fix that .

On the first screenshot I posted, you can see 2021 Van, but the Bluetooth signal is weak ,,, the wheel in the 1st photo is my van. I would have had no problem connecting outside my van at that distance. Best to password protect your Victron Bluetooth devices.

That victron wire falls between the 1st and second NO count of wires... certainly not fine stranded...

I love the phrase "healing shelf"
I call mine broken parts storage...

 

[RV8R]

@RV8R Looks really good.

Thanks for really doing the deep dive on the victron wire / termination details.

It is really strange that they require a wire strand design that is different than just about every pre-made MC-4 cable on the market. I am guessing that it is all about the race between solar charger companies to make the overall box size as small as possible - so they use the smallest possible terminal block that can meet the rating.

A few years ago I requested midnight solar to go to a larger terminal block or to a ring terminal design, but surprisingly many of their other customers on their forum disagreed, so what do I know ?

I really like your charger there. Roughly how big is it?

I have started to take photos of stuff next to a dual metric / english units yard stick ( can't find the meter long version here easily )



Harry

Thanks @HarryN

More of a “hack” job in comparison to your very professional emergency / disaster power center AIOs.

Oddly enough, “Go Power” solar cables were also sold @ tye boat shop & tye sales guy told me they had the same fine wire. I didn’t buy one & cut it open so can not comment on the validity of his statement.

So the Victron Smart 100 | 50 size h x w x d = 130 x 186 x 70 = 5.11” x 7.32” x 2.76”

The









The box;

https://www.princessauto.com/large-ammo-utility-poly-storage-crate/product/PA0008747214

 

[HarryN]

The only thing that I would consider to change is that I personally like to mark the solar (+) wires with yellow tape - because it reminds me of sunshine.

I am less likely to make wire errors when I have yellow tape on all wires with this path - and I definitely have made errors.

Hey - aren't you supposed to be using a metric tape measure ? lol

 

[RV8R]

The only thing that I would consider to change is that I personally like to mark the solar (+) wires with yellow tape - because it reminds me of sunshine.

I am less likely to make wire errors when I have yellow tape on all wires with this path - and I definitely have made errors.

I like that colour choice also

I was going to buy yellow wire @ the boat store & ABYC got brought up & I purchased that black Victron solar wire ,,, so ;

Electrical regulations and standards that apply to boat builders and recreational boats. Wiring Color Codes

Electrical regulations and standards that apply to boat builders and recreational boats. Wiring Color Codes

newboatbuilders.com

 

[RV8R]

You know how it goes @HarryN one thing leads to spending money on another

I think the following is last years panels, but they are dropping down to close to 50 cents CAN now per W ;

 

[HarryN]

I like your setup and color charts.

Wire color codes can get tricky for meaning.

That chart is the suggested color for use, but does not discuss what voltage is inside.

I tend to use the color coding systems in vans that are by voltage.

Since many times there is both AC and DC in vans, I even attempted to color code three phase and DC wiring by voltage to be unique - and failed....

A lot of RVs seem to just use white wire for everything.

The real pros at color coding resolution are the traditional telephone wire techs. Step one at getting a job on that line was a test for wire color coding and color resolution. I tried it for fun a few years ago and could not do it. One of my buddies worked for the telephone company and his color vision is amazing.

 

[RV8R]

I like your setup and color charts.

Wire color codes can get tricky for meaning.

That chart is the suggested color for use, but does not discuss what voltage is inside.

I tend to use the color coding systems in vans that are by voltage.

Since many times there is both AC and DC in vans, I even attempted to color code three phase and DC wiring by voltage to be unique - and failed....

A lot of RVs seem to just use white wire for everything.

The real pros at color coding resolution are the traditional telephone wire techs. Step one at getting a job on that line was a test for wire color coding and color resolution. I tried it for fun a few years ago and could not do it. One of my buddies worked for the telephone company and his color vision is amazing.

Ya ,,, I have heard the statement “That’s not to Code” many times in my career & it always makes me chuckle to which my typical response(s) are;

1) “Which Code”
2) “But is it what You Designed” ,,, Which opens up a different can-O-worms
3) “Which part of What Code”
4) “Do You Want it Right ,,, Or to Code ”


The BC Leaky Condo Crisis “Was A Code Issue”, despite what “The Government” has attempted to float out there as “The Truth”;




Funny Thing about “Authority & Responsibility” ,,, They go hand in hand right up to but excluding “Government” where they are the Authority & You are Responsible .



On my DIY Projects, where there are no Codes & Inspectors, I will try to adopt @HarryN Code as it is logical to me “Sun” is Yellow ,,, Solar Panel Positive = Yellow .

Other DC Voltage positives to colours other than red also a great idea .

 

[highwaypirate]

They should have wires where the outer casing is either the red or black... but then having that extra inner casing with a small number showing you what voltage it's tied into.

BTW I absolutely love the box build and layout! I also have a little collection of electricals to revive from the dead... or to use on a future experiment. It literally fills the under-storage under my Honda's pickic table, lol.

 

[RV8R]

Proof of Concept:

So I am at my remote cabin, & connected the portable solar charger up to my hydraulic dump trailer battery;



As this battery is FLA, I set the Absorption @ 14.4v.





The wonderful thing about “Bluetooth” is one can perform a “drive by” check on how the maintenance charge is going ;







Now, I just have to figure out the various settings for all the “mostly” FLA & AGM vehicle / trailer batteries I am tasked with maintaining .

In reading the Victron manual, I assume the chargers presets are mostly for AGMs & LFP. So then my assumption is to limit the amps & the voltage ( Absorption Stage ) to mimic the alternator & the have the battery go to float @ 13.8v for maintenance charging.

Unless some of you have any different ideas / suggestions.

 

[RV8R]

For Flooded Lead Acid ;

I have a Kisae 1250 installed on my van for my AGMs ,,, So no FLA experience setting it ,,, However they have a “spec” for it & with my lack of specs on the various FLA batteries I have to remotely maintain there is these parameters from Kisae ?;





I would only “manually” set “Equalization” stage once in awhile.