2205S Owners Thread

[18LT]

It needed to be squared away. I’m not done yet but I have the lifepo4 batteries mocked up and operational. The keys words are “mocked up and operational”. I’m waiting for a couple of parts to finish up the electrical cabling. Then I can get everything positioned and secured.
So far, I’m extremely happy with the lithium iron phosphate batteries.

[WanderMore]

Looking good!

[18LT]

There are a couple of gaps I need to seal up, one at each end of the rear wall of the pass through compartment. These should be visible from the underside. My primary reason for sealing these is heat retention but I’d also like to keep insects and road grime out.
I have no idea why my pictures turn when I post them.

[18LT]

Crappy weather today so I have “Battle Of The Bulge” in the DVD player with ginger ale and cheezits for snacks and beverage.

[18LT]

It’s a cold but mostly sunny day here so I’ve been watching the solar charge controller display as well as the inexpensive battery monitor display.
These were peak readings I was able to get pictures of, depending where I was at the time I noticed the solar panel’s output.

[CivEngPE]

Here is one I took here in Texas last week. it just went down from 22 as I snapped the photo. We have 2 - 190W panels.

[CivEngPE]

Originally Posted by 18LT

It needed to be squared away. I’m not done yet but I have the lifepo4 batteries mocked up and operational. The keys words are “mocked up and operational”. I’m waiting for a couple of parts to finish up the electrical cabling. Then I can get everything positioned and secured.
So far, I’m extremely happy with the lithium iron phosphate batteries.

I have been contemplating upgrading to an MPPT controller and was wondering if you might know a couple of answers. What is the routing of the cables from the existing solar controller to the battery? Do they go through the space by the inverter? Also, how hard would it be to run a cable from the inverter area to the location under the television?

Thanks!

[18LT]

From what I can see on mine, the leads from the controller do not enter the pass through compartment. It looks to me like the black negative 8 gauge wire from the controller goes the the trailer frame, as there isn’t a black 8 gauge wire running through the harness under the front of the trailer. The red 8 gauge wire from the controller appears to be an add-on to the standard wire bundle exiting the belly and running along the inside of the left frame rail and to the battery switch, attached to the hot (unswitched) side, which allows the solar system to charge the battery when the switch is off. Any of this make sense?
Running the existing positive controller lead into the pass through compartment will be relatively easy but running a negative lead from the present controller (assuming you intend to attach the existing 10 ga. solar panel leads to the 8ga. controller output leads) into the pass through will require dropping the belly pan, which doesn’t appear to be a huge deal, but is just a pita.
But I ran wood through a machine for 30 years, so I could be way wrong.
The red wire running above the junction box appears to be the red wire from the charge controller, which connects to a circuit breaker and runs forward to the battery switch. The negative battery terminal has an 8 gauge wire attached to the trailer frame, which is why I suspect the controller negative runs to the trailer frame. But I could be wrong. I quite often am.

[18LT]

Originally Posted by CivEngPE

Here is one I took here in Texas last week. it just went down from 22 as I snapped the photo. We have 2 - 190W panels.

That’s why I’m planning on adding another panel. Gosh, 21 amps!
If I didn’t have a thing about heights, I’d be up on the roof trying to figure out a hinge setup to angle the panel toward the sun’s elevation.

[WanderMore]

Nobody has ever been hurt from being up too high. It’s always the sudden stop at a lower point that gets you.

[18LT]

Originally Posted by WanderMore

Nobody has ever been hurt from being up too high. It’s always the sudden stop at a lower point that gets you.

Wile E. Coyote and Yosemite Sam suffered from that every Saturday morning.
My Lifepo4 batteries have a low temperature charge cutoff, which many of the lower priced batteries, like mine, do not have.
One battery’s BMS temp sensor seems to be a degree or two off from the other battery's sensor, allowing one to accept a charge while the other is still on charge cutoff. I guess this would be one reason to buy a single 200-amp hour battery instead of two 100-ah batteries.
Because last night’s forecast called for a low of 20F, I isolated the batteries from the solar panel and converter last evening to avoid any potential imbalance between the two batteries. It isn’t difficult to top balance them again but being fairly new to lithium iron phosphate batteries in cold weather conditions I’d rather be on the cautious side than to risk damaging the batteries.

[18LT]

I just installed a light dimmer. The process is different than as outlined in another thread because of the new app-controlled wireless controller/switchboard. The microwave has to be removed to gain access to the wiring but the switch panel does not need to be removed.
I sure wish I could figure out how to get my pictures upright.

[CivEngPE]

Originally Posted by 18LT

I just installed a light dimmer. The process is different than as outlined in another thread because of the new app-controlled wireless controller/switchboard. The microwave has to be removed to gain access to the wiring but the switch panel does not need to be removed.
I sure wish I could figure out how to get my pictures upright.

I am very interested in the details of how you did this. Do you have any more specifics?

Also, do you have any info on how to dim the switch lights?

Thanks!

[18LT]

I don't know how to dim the switch lights. I suspect the internal switch lights cannot be controlled.
Installing a ceiling light dimmer requires removing the microwave, which slides out after removing the four bezel screws. The microwave cord is long enough so you can set it on the sink covers. It isn't terribly heavy but it wouldn't hurt to have assistance, especially when sliding it back in and securing it.
The red\white ceiling light wires drop from a hole in the ceiling. The red is attached to the Unity X1 controller while the white is attached to a ground crimp connector.
I cut the red wire. The end running to the ceiling is now attached to the black dimmer wire while the end running to the X1 controller is attached to the red and white dimmer wires. Sounds confusing, doesn't it? It's really not. Basically, the slide, awning, and lighting switches act as triggers for the brain box. So instead of connecting the dimmer to the wires attached to the switches, the dimmer needs to be connected to the brain box lighting output.
I used the dimmer suggested in another thread about bright ceiling lights. I don't mind having the knob, although others may prefer something less visible. The 2205S panel location is out of the way, so bumping into the knob isn't an issue for me. I drilled a 9\32 hole in the panel, using my cordless drill at a fairly slow speed, and very light pressure to avoid cracking the panel.
Hope this helps.
https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Dimmer-L...7376505&sr=8-3

[flyflotrtim]

Does the 2205 have any in-line fuses between the batteries and the inside circuit breakers?

[18LT]

Originally Posted by flyflotrtim

Does the 2205 have any in-line fuses between the batteries and the inside circuit breakers?

There are some auto-reset (I think) breakers located on the inside of the left frame rail, just aft of the tongue.
I have not yet traced each to find out what they feed, although one appears to be a breaker for the solar charge controller output. But I could be wrong about that. My wife says I’ve been known to be wrong, but not often (HAH!).
I may trace some circuits tomorrow if the weather is ok.
Hope this helps.

[18LT]

This is the Lippert Unity X1 controller. The ceiling light output is the white wire in the #4 location on the plug labeled “5A latch”. The plug has white, green, yellow and gray. Knowing white is the output for the ceiling lights, the green, yellow and gray are probably awning lights, porch light and step light, not necessarily in that order.

[WanderMore]

Mooch-docking at the grandkids house in NC for Easter.

[18LT]

Originally Posted by CivEngPE

Here is one I took here in Texas last week. it just went down from 22 as I snapped the photo. We have 2 - 190W panels.

Any chance you could post a picture of your two solar panels and how close together they are mounted?

[CivEngPE]

Here you go!

I do wish that the panel closest to the middle was set back just a bit more. I'm afraid that if I install a cover over the forward hatch, it will partially shade the panel.