[Guide] Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It -

For the battery box to Ecoflow connection, are you using a fused XT60 and direct to battery (e.g. crocodile clip or terminal) arrangement? I guess as your battery box has such a large capacity, there's no chance of the Ecoflow draining it

If you were using a battery that was smaller than the Ecoflow, there's a risk that it could drain the battery to too low a voltage? I'm partly thinking of using LiPo batteries that I have for RC car use, seeing as I have them. I wouldn't want to drop the voltage in them too much as it will kill them and there is no low voltage protection in the circuitry. Also wondering if batteries for tools might work (e.g. DeWalt or Makita), a 18v 3Ah battery would have 54Wh to put into a battery pack, that's the equivalent of running the fridge for a few hours once it's cycling on and off
 
yeh,

the Bluetti AC200max i had, (now sold.) - that had twin DC MPPT inputs.

so i did have solar string and 12v dc CAR charging. . .


but it had the issues of loosing 1% soc per hour. - 24% per day. - 4x days just sitting there and it was flat.

that wasnt good.

you needed a fair amount of power to overcome the internal losses, then add your loads . . . and anfd and.

++++++++++++++


i think its due to the internal cell packs being 48v or 56v DC. (15s4p) or (18s4p)

so input or output either USB or 12v needs the boost/buck conversion.


++++++++++++++++
 
@benp1

im using a MIDI fusebox thats connected to the battery,


1689172567481.png

in that fuse box i have two 50A Anderson connectors.



1689172560445.png1689172601690.png

then i made up a SB50 to XT60 cable.

1689172619366.png


see here:

www.t6forum.com

4173Wh (330Ah) Lithium Battery Box -- How I Done It --

4173Wh (330Ah) Lithium Battery Box -- How I Done It -- its that time again. . . battery box build time. but this time i need MORE POWER, were off camping for a 4/5dayer at the racing track - But the weather is not looking so good. that means Solar will be poor for the recharge. . . . . and...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com


+++++++++++++++++

both these batteries use Lifepo4 cell tech, and have internal BMS for safety.


I've had/got RC gear, and have used LIPO cells in the past...

but wouldn't recommend using them (LIPO) as they have no BMS and can be unstable if under or over charged.

...

i also wouldnt use 18v tool batteries, for the same reasons above - no BMS for cell contrrol and saftey.


+++++++++++++++++


if lithiujm lifepo4 was out the budget,

i would just use a decent AGM battery as the storage batteru.


ie



this 12V 110AH Xtreme AGM Leisure Battery (XR1750) NCC Class A
I've run two of these in the past . . .


www.alpha-batteries.co.uk

12V 110AH Xtreme AGM Leisure Battery (XR1750) NCC Class A - Alpha Batteries

12V 110Ah fit-and-forget AGM lead-acid battery for multiple applications (LOW-FIT). Also suitable for use as a starter battery (dual-purpose) – […]
www.alpha-batteries.co.uk www.alpha-batteries.co.uk



110ah capacity, but being SLA you can only use 50% DoD - so effective 55Ah, ( thats still 660wh )

two of these 110ah will give you 220ah - but being SLA you can only use 50% DoD - so effective 110Ah, ( thats still 1220wh )

but two of these would be £320.


and for £400 ish you can have a lifpo4 - - they price gap per Wh is closing every year.




1689172913284.png


++++++++++++++++


so use your solar to dump power into your AGM, ( storage battery )

then have that feed the Delta2 ( or other portable power pack )


++++++++++++++++



.
 
No I wouldn't use RC packs in the van either, they can get a bit too excitable for something I have the family in. I make my own for the RC models that do have BMS and balanced charging but that's because I build the cells into the models.

Currently I have a lifepo4 based small Beaudens power pack. With our modest use if I was to go down the install route I'd be looking at a lifepo4 based battery and DC-DC - the small 50aH ones are now very reasonable and might not take several hours of patiently moving all the van electric looms to get enough room. The irony is I'd probably spend more on the charger than the battery...
 
Slightly off topic seeing as it's not specifically about solar panels, but it's linked to the chat above. I'm slowly mulling over charging options for an EF power station. I don't want to use the 12v socket too much because
1 - I might melt it if I charge at 8A
2 - It's not ignition switched so I risk draining the battery

I'm wondering whether to fit a female XT60 plug using a piggybank fuse from the middle fuse board (for me it's behind the bottle cooler in the comfort dash)

The plug would be something like this mounted say in the passenger footwell somewhere - XT60 Connector Male or Female Threaded Panel Mount Housing w Nut & Spanner Cover | eBay

I can then use a longer XT60 cable to connect to this and plug it into the power station, or wire up an XT60-female 12v if I wanted to just have the fridge powered by the van

It might also give me the option of setting a higher amperage input compared with the normal 12v if I was to limit the current to 10a (combo of piggyback fuse and tweaking the input on the EF to pretend it's solar)

Any thoughts on that? Any risk of too much draw?
 
Big.mac said:
Test number 3 completed today.
This was with the Bluefusion 50W panel connected directly the the CTEK250SE installed in my van, not using the controller that was supplied with the solar panels.

To start with I had to make up some cables as follows:
  1. I cut the cable between the solar panel and the solar controller supplied with it and inserted a pair of powerpole connectors on each of the cut ends
  2. I made a new extension cable from 14AWG red/black and terminated each end in a pair of powerpole connectors
  3. I made a short cable from 14AWG cable terminated in a pair of powerpole connectors on one end and M8 eyelets on the other. This connects to the CTEK
This enables me to connect the original controller to the panels or to disconnect the original controller and connect via the extension cable to the CTEK, thus giving me the flexibility to connect to other stuff if i need to (e.g. direct to the Starter battery or to one of my motorcycle batteries).

The cables look like this:
View attachment 71894

Connected to the original controller:
View attachment 71895

Bypassing the original controller:
View attachment 71896

And the short connector added to the CTEK: I then just poked the connector through so it is easily accessible from under the front of the drivers seat.
View attachment 71897

So with the cabling made up I started the test in the same way as the previous two.
I connected the panel a little before 7AM this morning and laid it on the roof. At this time there is no sun on the van.

BM2 reading from before connecting up:
View attachment 71898

The sun gets on to the van around 9.30AM. You will see in the trace below that there was a very small charge up until around 9.30 and from then it increased significantly and continued to climb pretty much all day. This looks much less peaky than the two previous tests. I moved the panel onto the front of the van up against the windscreen but I can’t remember exactly when. I think it was where the slight dip is at 14:30ish. It was obviously catching more light from then on as the graph gets a little steeper.
Unfortunately I had to go out in the van at 3PM hence the test ending then. I’d have like to have got to the point where the CTEK started to trickle charge the starter battery but I didn’t get that far.
View attachment 71899

At 3PM I took my dog for a walk on the beach (I live very close). While I was there I thought I’d stick the panel on again but this time inside the windscreen. Later in the day, laid flatter and behind the glass so probably not the optimal setup but worth a go and a rel life situation. This is the trace extended to include that period. The two high peaks are the drive there and the drive back, the flat section where it is around 13.5V is the period the panel was connected up in this way:
View attachment 71901

As I said, I’d like to have got to the point where the CTEK started to trickle charge the starter battery but other than that I am very pleased with the results.
I set out to test whether a cheapish portable solar panel would be capable of charging starter or leisure batteries for periods where the van is not in use or whilst remote and parked up. I’m happy that it will do this given decent sunshine. What I have learned is that the CTEK appears to be the better way of charging the leisure battery. I’d like to test the reverse charge of the starter battery but will need to find a suitable window where I can leave the van for longer to do this. A higher output panel would obviously do this more quickly but i think for my personal needs what I have works.
Click to expand...

This setup is exactly what I would like to do. I've had my 100W bluefushion panel plugged into cigarette lighter and trickle charging my starter for 2 years now and it's been great but would like longer than 1 day of (compressor) fridge time out of my factory leisure battery when not hooked up.

I've been able to rig this up as a test, but it's still going via the built-in PWM so having proved it works I want to bypass the PWM. @Big.mac Can you link to a decent and correctly specced set of power pole connectors and cables, please? I have googled but there seem to be many options and sizes and I don't want to engineer a fire hazard into the van...
 
You're looking for Anderson Power Pole connectors

Anderson Powerpole Connectors | 12 Volt Planet

Anderson Powerpole connectors up to 240A for model railway, robotics, amateur ham radio, race car and other applications.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk

For 100w you should be able to use the smallest size and the 15amp terminals with 1.5mm2 cable, though using he 30amp terminals and 2mm2 cable will give you a bit more headroom. You'll need an appropriate crimper.

Alternatively you could use the Anderson SB50 - it's a bit bulkier but less options as it's a fixed 2 way shell so a little simpler. Lots of folks use them as general battery connectors.
 
roadtripper said:
You're looking for Anderson Power Pole connectors

Anderson Powerpole Connectors | 12 Volt Planet

Anderson Powerpole connectors up to 240A for model railway, robotics, amateur ham radio, race car and other applications.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk

For 100w you should be able to use the smallest size and the 15amp terminals with 1.5mm2 cable, though using he 30amp terminals and 2mm2 cable will give you a bit more headroom. You'll need an appropriate crimper.

Alternatively you could use the Anderson SB50 - it's a bit bulkier but less options as it's a fixed 2 way shell so a little simpler. Lots of folks use them as general battery connectors.
Click to expand...
Thanks again. After a number of failed attempts due to crappy crimping, it is finally set up and working! Charging is much improved. I used to have my solar trickle charging my starter battery via front cigarette lighter, but now the CTEK is charging the leisure first and will only trickle charge the starter once the leisure battery is fully charged. Will be interesting to see if my leisure ever gets to full charge in order to allow the starter to charge - and this may become another challenge especially during winter months when the van is rarely used... I'll be keeping an eye on this.
 
Noob question...
Brought the bluefusion 50w kit to keep the main battery topped up.

Having seen lots of pics with this on the dash, I naively assumed it would plug straight into a 12v cigarette socket.
However reading the small print it's crocodile clips.

How are people connecting this up with the panels in the cab?

What am I missing?
Thanks
 
Last edited:
A bit of a logic check please; I’ve read this Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It – thread from cover to cover and watched @Dellmassive excellent video, so I think I have got the basics in my head.

We’re going on to Scandinavia for a month in July and I want to get a suitcase style panel that will help power my loads and keep the battery topped up potentially for 3-4 days between moving to a new location.

I have an 85ah AGM battery supplying the following loads:

60w (6a) Bodega camping fridge – plugged in all day, but probably drawing power for only 7-8 hours
LED lights (4w)– on at most for 15 minutes per day
2 x USB for phone charging (I guess 3a each for 2 devices)

We are pretty lo-fi campers, so we don’t run coffee machines or toasters, kettles, hair straighteners etc. No kids either so no PS4 or iPads etc.
So probably about 50-55w per day total load, therefore more than the battery can handle assuming we are staying put for a few days with no DC-DC charge.

Am looking at the Renogy 200w suitcase that comes with the PWM controller but will probably swap the controller for the Victron 75|15 MPPT. Assuming 6 hours of decent sunlight (obviously not guaranteed!) with about 10-12a from the panel per hour, I’m working on the assumption that if my panel supplies more power to the battery than the loads take from it, everything should work even though the battery capacity is pretty small. Does this sound about right, or should I be looking at a 300w (or higher) panel?

We are going to replace the battery at some point in the future when cashflow allows, probably for a lithium 100ah, so I also need to make sure I have future-proofed the system. If any of you experts have any pertinent advice or experience, I’d love to hear it.

Thanks a million!
 
Matching charging capacity to battery size is a bit of a juggling act. If you have a large capacity solar panel/B2B/mains charger, they can only supply what the battery & load will absorb. Ergo, a high capacity solar panel might be overkill if you only have a smaller capacity battery. But it isn’t as simple as that, lead acid batteries have a relatively small charge rate compared to Lithium. So Lead Acid needs a lower charging current over a longer period. Lithium batteries will literally take anything you throw at them, they’re the velociraptors of the battery world.
Solar brings another basket of variables to the party, people assume that a xxxW solar panel will produce xxxWatts of power, this is very rarely the case, in fact @Dellmassive is the only person I know who's managed to get the full rated output out of a panel & that was in absolute perfect conditions for a very brief period. Expect to average xxx/2W from a solar setup in middling conditions.
So what’s my point? If you were going to stick with your current battery, a 200W panel would be fine. If, however you intend to go Lithium in the future, then go as big as you can afford/carry and add a degree of future proofing to your setup.
Just my two penneth.
 
Samiguel said:
A bit of a logic check please; I’ve read this Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It – thread from cover to cover and watched @Dellmassive excellent video, so I think I have got the basics in my head.

We’re going on to Scandinavia for a month in July and I want to get a suitcase style panel that will help power my loads and keep the battery topped up potentially for 3-4 days between moving to a new location.

I have an 85ah AGM battery supplying the following loads:

60w (6a) Bodega camping fridge – plugged in all day, but probably drawing power for only 7-8 hours
LED lights (4w)– on at most for 15 minutes per day
2 x USB for phone charging (I guess 3a each for 2 devices)

We are pretty lo-fi campers, so we don’t run coffee machines or toasters, kettles, hair straighteners etc. No kids either so no PS4 or iPads etc.
So probably about 50-55w per day total load, therefore more than the battery can handle assuming we are staying put for a few days with no DC-DC charge.

Am looking at the Renogy 200w suitcase that comes with the PWM controller but will probably swap the controller for the Victron 75|15 MPPT. Assuming 6 hours of decent sunlight (obviously not guaranteed!) with about 10-12a from the panel per hour, I’m working on the assumption that if my panel supplies more power to the battery than the loads take from it, everything should work even though the battery capacity is pretty small. Does this sound about right, or should I be looking at a 300w (or higher) panel?

We are going to replace the battery at some point in the future when cashflow allows, probably for a lithium 100ah, so I also need to make sure I have future-proofed the system. If any of you experts have any pertinent advice or experience, I’d love to hear it.

Thanks a million!
Click to expand...
sound like good logic to me,

that fridge is a compressor style so very low power when down to temp.

the victron 75/15 is a good upgrade,

your 85Ah AGM is your weakest link, giving you only around 42Ah of usable power - but as you plan to upgrade later thats all good.

if you have a DC-DC you can always run the engine for 30mins in a pinch?

the Renogy 200w panel is great and can get you up to 15A charge rate into the battery in bulk with a 75/15.


as seen here: Portable Power Packs - LifePo4 Battery Boxes -- How I done It --





.
 
Salty Spuds said:
Matching charging capacity to battery size is a bit of a juggling act. If you have a large capacity solar panel/B2B/mains charger, they can only supply what the battery & load will absorb. Ergo, a high capacity solar panel might be overkill if you only have a smaller capacity battery. But it isn’t as simple as that, lead acid batteries have a relatively small charge rate compared to Lithium. So Lead Acid needs a lower charging current over a longer period. Lithium batteries will literally take anything you throw at them, they’re the velociraptors of the battery world.
Solar brings another basket of variables to the party, people assume that a xxxW solar panel will produce xxxWatts of power, this is very rarely the case, in fact @Dellmassive is the only person I know who's managed to get the full rated output out of a panel & that was in absolute perfect conditions for a very brief period. Expect to average xxx/2W from a solar setup in middling conditions.
So what’s my point? If you were going to stick with your current battery, a 200W panel would be fine. If, however you intend to go Lithium in the future, then go as big as you can afford/carry and add a degree of future proofing to your setup.
Just my two penneth.
Click to expand...
Thank you - very helpful
 
Dellmassive said:
sound like good logic to me,

that fridge is a compressor style so very low power when down to temp.

the victron 75/15 is a good upgrade,

your 85Ah AGM is your weakest link, giving you only around 42Ah of usable power - but as you plan to upgrade later thats all good.

if you have a DC-DC you can always run the engine for 30mins in a pinch?

the Renogy 200w panel is great and can get you up to 15A charge rate into the battery in bulk with a 75/15.


as seen here: Portable Power Packs - LifePo4 Battery Boxes -- How I done It --





.
Click to expand...
Thank you - Renogy it is then (especially with your discount link!)
 
Definitely get the Victron MPPT.
I’ve always used the mppt built into my ctek until it went bandit recently. The most I ever saw in summer direct sun was 5A from my 100w panel.
I bought a Victron 100/15 in Spain as a temp solution and regularly see 7.5A.
I have a similar power use to you, albeit I’ve got a LiFePo battery, and on Saturday in sunny Bala my battery was back to 100% by about 11am.
On Sunday in the rain it started at 88% and was fully charged by mid afternoon.
A 200w should smash your needs, but in my non scientific experience the Victron unit makes a big difference.
 
Samiguel said:
Thank you - very helpful
Click to expand...
Don't forget you can always turn down the charging rate. So if you had a Victron 50a DC-DC and a Victron 20a solar charger, yes it could theoretically do 70a peak which would be waaaaaay more than an 85Ah AGM battery could take, but you can turn them down until you get a LiFePO4 and are ready to unleash the amps!

But if you fit a 10a DC-DC and a 10a MPPT based on your current battery, you can't turn it up when you fit a 200Ah LiFePO4.
 
Bigsidavies said:
Definitely get the Victron MPPT.
I’ve always used the mppt built into my ctek until it went bandit recently. The most I ever saw in summer direct sun was 5A from my 100w panel.
I bought a Victron 100/15 in Spain as a temp solution and regularly see 7.5A.
I have a similar power use to you, albeit I’ve got a LiFePo battery, and on Saturday in sunny Bala my battery was back to 100% by about 11am.
On Sunday in the rain it started at 88% and was fully charged by mid afternoon.
A 200w should smash your needs, but in my non scientific experience the Victron unit makes a big difference.
Click to expand...
Brilliant feedback - thank you
 
Worth remembering that even LiFePo doesn't actually like extreme charging current - it's just that it's lifetime on quality cells is so high the damage it does is less noticeable.

So if you have 50A chargers it's a good idea to back them off for the everyday, they'll run cooler and your battery will be happier, but you can pop into the app and open the taps for the couple of weeks a year you're doing off grid stuff and need it.
 
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