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Old 02-21-2017, 06:49 PM   #1
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Solar

I'm interested in buying a portable solar charger. My brand new Vibe trailer has this receptacle on the side. If the solar is plugged in here does it charge the batteries? Does anyone else have this? Any advice on solar systems?
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Old 02-23-2017, 08:45 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by jeffandrews55 View Post
I'm interested in buying a portable solar charger. My brand new Vibe trailer has this receptacle on the side. If the solar is plugged in here does it charge the batteries? Does anyone else have this? Any advice on solar systems?
That is a standard marine plug like you would see on a trickle charger for a motorcycle, lawnmower. If you ahve a Digital Multimeter, you can plug red into one side black into the other. If it comes up negative 12-14v reverse the plugs.
It should be standard set up so you could use a trickle charger.
They are stating the ZAMP panels as the assembly usually includes a voltage convertor/regulator. The RV dealer, ebay, amazon, etc sell solar as well.
If you are not savvy with electrical, best to have the RV dealer sell you one and show you how to hook it up.
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Old 02-23-2017, 11:20 AM   #3
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Small plugs are connected to thin gauge wire and thin wire has high voltage loss and cannot carry respectable loads (amperage).

I do not recommend "factory" installed systems as they simply aren't efficient and don't work as well. Lots of vendors that install solar also do not do calculations to determine losses and use too thin gauge wire that make expensive systems only look good and do not perform as expected.

Solar is not difficult and one can easily learn everything you know to do it yourself! Basic mechanical skills are necessary and a cheap Ebay crimper really speeds things up! If you don't want to buy a one time use crimper, solder lugs, small propane torque and heat shrink tape take longer but work as well if not better. I crimp and solder my lugs which is a little overkill but guarantees things don't get loose with vibration.

Lots of internet examples (easy to google) of solar not working like it should and a little research is all it takes to design a great system.

Just a 1/2 volt drop in too thin wire can make the difference between a trickle charge and a fast charge. 10 gauge wire to a solar controller really has no place in any solar install unless you are running panels in parallel which increases voltage and decreases losses. Many installers don't do calculations to minimize voltage drop and use a cookie cutter build to save money (thick wire is expensive).

Here is a good blog. https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/...ging-puzzle-2/

Handybob blasts commercial RV solar intallers who do not take into account voltage drops that occur with wire length and thickness. Voltage is what pushes amps into a battery and many commercial RV systems just trickle charge batteries and don't ever get a battery fully charged.

A wet cell battery typically needs as a general rule of thumb the following:

14.5-14.8 volts for the Bulk Charge which ususally takes a battery up to about 90% state of charge. Many chargers (controllers) put out 14.2 volts

The last 10% takes MUCH longer and is called Absorption charge and is between 13.6 and 13.8 volts

After battery is charged it is put into a float charge voltage which is around 13.2 volts.

You can use your Zamp plug and portable solar panels but do measure voltage at battery to see how well it is working.

Side note: Handy bob uses very expensive equipment, controllers and inverters. I don't on my installs because you can get 90% of the performance from other equipment at 1/2 the cost which is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I have a Renogy controller that puts out 14.4 volts per spec (actual is 14.2) and that is good enough although many higher end battery manufacturers recommend a higher voltage. I have a Samlex commercial grade inverter which is 1/2 the cost of a Magnum inverter and it is a true sine wave inverter. I make up for the lower cost products by minimizing losses from panels to controller and with all other wiring.
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Old 03-04-2017, 11:32 PM   #4
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The zamp outlets are wired in reverse to make them only work with zamp panels :-(

That said taking into account the previous posters note if you wanted to just maint charge your battery when in storage for example. For this to work you either need

1 a zamp panel with the controller built in and plug it in

2 another panel with a controller or seperate controller and a wire to reverse the polarity of the zamp plug. Easy to make but can be bought too.

I would always check the voltage at the battery to make sure as well before hooking it up amd take into account current as mentioned above.

Maybe a few more details like what your battery config is, how many panels, or how much power you are looking to generate etc. can give you more specific answers.

I would agree that most preinstalled systems are poorly wired and not configured properly and it is likely best to wire new so you know how it is done. For the side jack in your rv this just means getting under it to run a few cables that are the right size. For roof I dont know as I dont have that.
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