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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: LED brief review
Found my answer
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cruz-in
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10/23/12 04:44pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Blue Sea mini cut-off switches
concur with jodeb720, given the proximity to the batteries (and maybe propane), I think spending the bucks for Blue sea quality is money well spent.
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cruz-in
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10/18/12 04:42am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Blue Sea mini cut-off switches
I just used two on my solar/battery/inverter upgrade. I really like them. Here is a link to picts and description:
Blue Sea Switches on Solar/Batt/Inverter Install
used a good bit of Blue Sea hardware on the install. IMHO Blue Sea makes Very, Very nice stuff...but not cheap!
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 04:38pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Eco-worthy 20a MPPT controller
From my reading it does not do a periodic (like monthly) equalizing. Do I have that correct?
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 04:35pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Load Test, temp sensor, and Solar/Batt/inverter upgrade
Thanks for the info and the idea of using the ir to measure connection temps. I use one to check tire and battery temps but never thought to us it on the connections. Great idea! Thanks.
I was running the test and feeling everything to see that it was staying cool. Then all the sudden it hit me to use the IR sensor. Worked great. Just sat there sipping a beer pointing the sensor around checking temps....
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 04:31pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Load Test, temp sensor, and Solar/Batt/inverter upgrade
Hi cruz-in,
How low did you take the battery bank?
Darn....It would have been real nice if I had checked that but unfortunately did not. That would have been a useful data point....
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 07:44am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Load Test, temp sensor, and Solar/Batt/inverter upgrade
I should mention this test also did help me find a connection that was not as secure as it could be. Noticed it was warmer that the others. Investigated and found I did not have good contact between lug and surface. Removing a small piece of shring tubing that was little too close to the lug hole improved the connection and brought the temp right back in line with the others.
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 06:47am |
Tech Issues
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Load Test, temp sensor, and Solar/Batt/inverter upgrade
Hi Team,
While testing my solar/battery/inverter upgrade, I decided to do a longterm load test to see if anything heated up. I hooked up my 1200 watt heat gun to the inverter and ran it for over an hour. The inverter was drawing about 125 amps from the batteries. I sat there with my hand held laser heat sensor checking temps all aroung the system. Everything remained cool except the 100 amp ANL fuses on each battery bank.
Given the architecture of my system (two battery banks seperately fused and then paralleled, one can assume about 62 amps was being drawn thru each 100 amp ANL Fuse. Over the course of an hour the 100 amp ANL fuses heated up to about 110+ degrees.
Any thought on if this is what is to be expected?
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cruz-in
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10/17/12 05:49am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Eco-worthy 20a MPPT controller
Wow...nice looking unit for $100!
Am I correct in that it's max input voltage is 42 volts?
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cruz-in
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10/16/12 05:25pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Great work cruz-in! Great idea having the schematic handy on the hatch also.
Oh you noticed that! I have schematics, checklists, etc. taped behind doors all over our camper. Those plastic binder inserts work real well for this.
Although I keep having to print and replace the scematic as I give it to interested folks. Now I just travel with a few extras...:)
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cruz-in
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10/16/12 04:58am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Nothing stated like that with my Sharp poly instructions. I would expect less with time, but that is a lot in such a short time. Guess you will have to trade that trailer in 10 weeks now when you get your new Komfort :)
My Sharp 130w poly has been in the sun for six months total since last year with no change in amps output if that means anything.
Just curious, what route do you use to get the shore power cable plugged into the inverter?
I put a cable hatch (standard plastic kind found at RV shops) into the cargo bay door to pass the shore cable through. This lets me keep that cargo bay door locked while the cable is plugged into the inverter.
You might be able to get in from the side where the propane bottles go, no idea.
I need to add an access door. Right now I open the forward compartment door and plug the 120 volt line in. your post got me thinking, perhaps a smaller door in the forward access door is in my future.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 04:21pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
21 amps to 17 amps...maybe that is the 15%. As my only test was late sept, not sure what difference doing it in June would be.
Keep in mind, I ws not monitoring it for the maximum. I just checked and it was putting out 25 amps. Not sure I caught at peak or not. 25 amps made me happy so I went back about my camping.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 11:48am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Just looked at the datasheet for my panels and found the following quote:
"During the first 8-10 weeks of operation, electrical output exceeds specified ratings. Power output may be higher by 15%,..."
That could certainly explain the difference! Using 15%, as much as 3.5 Amps to the batteries could be due to this....we will see what they are producing next spring.
Is this common with all types of solar panels or unique to the Uni-solar PVL?
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 10:56am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
That sound within the ballpark of what i am seeing. 11.8 times 2 is 23.6 amps. I saw about a 1.5 amps more. If the 5% more output from new panels is accurate that about covers the difference.
Thanks for the compliment on setup choices and such. However much of it is owed to the fine folks on this forum who provided tons and tons of advice and inputs.
I do believe these panels at about $100 on ebay represent a unique value for RVs. It is my understanding that once they are gone there will be no more as the company went bankrupt.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 10:37am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Plus the panels are new. I thought I read on here that for a while new panels put out about 5% more than they do once mature....so that could also factor into it.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 09:06am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
With everything 12 volt powered turned off, only loads still on were battery powered alarms(like propane)and power for the monitor/displays, the Victron was showing a net input of 25.X amps to the batteries.
.....and of course the converter was off...
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 08:36am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Only, admittedly non-scientific, data point I have is:
1) Sunny day
2) last Day of Sept.
3) maryland
4) Batteries about 40% down
5) About mid day
Saw a charging current of slightly over 25 amps. No sure whether that was the peak as I only checked it once.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 07:55am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
One more design requirement I forget to mention. I wanted to be able to move the guts of the system to another RV if in the future we change RVs. So everything was constructed and wired on the board you see. This had two benefits:
1) I could wire up the majority of the system in the confort of my house vice huntched over in the forward compartment.
2) The board (with the guts of the system mounted on it) has four simple interfaces. The solar panel input, the battery connections, the power to the coach, and the wiring to the displays. So it can easily be moved to another RV.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 05:26am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
I like the two controllers as the panel sets will have different tilt to the sun. Vmp difference confirmed above. And since you have seen 25 amps to the battery.... that is better than the 15 limit of one controller.
Propane and battery in same compartment is typical oem, no worries.
Very nice. :)
Not sure of an experiment to prove/disprove my thought but I thought the same thing. Given different sun angle and potential shading of one vice the other, the ability to operate the left and right set of panels at different Vmp might be useful. If so, it is more a fall out of the design as the cost of the two individual ones drove the decision. It is kinda cool to be able to look at the individual historical stats for each panel set.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 05:21am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar/Battery/Inverter Upgrade Done! PICTS!
Looks very nice.. I do have some questions I could not figure out from your wiring diagram:
- Do you manually select which battery set gets charged, one or the other or both?
While one can select battery bank one, two, or both (with the switch), I have typically let the switch on all. Chatted with Morningstar TEch support and the two MPP 15L are simply both tied to the main 12 volt bus so both charge whichever set (one, two or both) of the batteries that are selected.
How do the two charge controllers work tied together?
* Chatted with Morning star tech support before implementing in this way. They sem to work great. One item, the every 28 day equalization is only enabled on one of the charge controllers (per monringstar's reccomendation).
- How is your inverter tied in to your 120v system?
* When solely using solar, I shut off the breaker to the internal converter and simply plug the 5th wheel directly into the inverter. So 120 is available everywhere in the 5th wheel.
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cruz-in
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10/15/12 05:17am |
Tech Issues
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