So it's time to add a solar panel...

I'm running a National Luna Power pack in my passenger area (pulled the back seat and built a platform..........never carry passengers...just the wife and me...and I can tie her on the roof if it get's bad.....no she doesn't read this!!!!!) Exide Deep cycle in the power pack, tied into my front battery for charging while driving.

Stationary, I throw out a 60W Goal Zero panel set (4 X 15W panels.......I have an Escape 150 I use for camp, USB and RTT lighting) hooked up to the Goal Zero charge controller and into the power pack. Running an ARB 50qt fridge......I have no prob keeping ahead of it. I plan on putting in a fuse panel from Blue Sea to charge my USB stuff, 2M/70cm radio and interior lighting upgrades...stock lighting sucks for the back.
 
The set up......can't fit a second battery under hood of T without serious surgery.......

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I already have my rear compartment made for a second battery, I just have to choose one, and get it in there, and get things wired up. I am not a fan of the National Luna boxes because I believe they're overpriced for what they are, and don't even include a battery. I can do the same for a lot less money.

As for the direction I went, I logged on to SolarBlvd.com and bought two 45W panels and a SunSaver10 Charge Controller.
Then I went to Home Depot and picked up some hinges and some rivets, and grabbed some wire and connectors from my supply.

And here's how it came together..
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Pinned hinges for easy separation
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The wiring needs a couple fixes, like here to go around the kickstand, and a plug for separating the panels
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The kickstand, a piece of L shaped aluminum, a bolt and a nylon spacer
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Wired and set up
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The Charge Controller, currently attached to the solar panel, but needs to be near the battery, and will go inside when I finish that project.
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There you have it..
 
Mitch, looks good! I went with the power pack because it had the smart solenoid built in and I wouldn't have to manually change anything over (wouldn't kill my starting battery). Figured by the time I priced in solenoid, gauges, wiring, outputs, and battery box i would be close to what the power pack cost.
 
I copied Mitch's set up.

To amuse myself yesterday, I set mine up in the back yard, connected to an old jumper battery that I couldn't get to hold a charge. The panels may be bringing the damn thing back to life. I checked the power delivery with a Fluke, a little over 20 volts from the panels to the charge controller, a little over 15 volts coming out of the charge controller.
 
Blown fuse in the Amp meter side of my Fluke.

Just went out and checked the battery pack I was using for a load. It looks like 3 days on the cells has brought it back to life, it now indicates 100% charge, it was 100% dead when I started. Keep in mind the cells are laying flat on some chairs in my back yard. No attempt to track the sun with them. The battery pack is rated at 600CA, 22Ah for what that's worth.

A scientific test...not by a long shot, a real world test for my intended use, absolutely!:cool:

A dead Optima is the next test!
 
Sweet. I still need to build up my stuff. I have the panels and a controller. Originally was getting them ready for OVX13 but when the engine went in my '64 Nova wagon, that cancelled the trip and in turn focused my time to that project.

As this point I am debating if I am going to make them portable or hard mount them to the camper. Only downside of the camper is that it's not pre-wired for solar like later models.
 
It doesn't need to be... Just wire the controller into the fuse box inside the camper, and the panels to the controller
 
Anything wrong with using conventional extension cords for the wiring? (Current set up is cobbled together). I want to wire male connectors to the ends of the panels, gang style multiple female end of an extension cord with the cord going to the charge controller, female end coming off of charge controller to battery connectors.

I was going to order Weatherpak style connectors until that brain storm popped into my head. Using conventional 120v connectors would make it easier for any one "helping" to not inadvertently screw something up, reversing polarity, etc, and they are virtually indestructable. I've got a grandson that is 3, if he see's something done once, he thinks he's a professional at it.

You can argue that a 3 year old shouldn't be messing with electrical connections, and you'd be right...the reality of the matter is it takes 3 seconds of inattention (on MY watch)for him to find something to mess with, minimizing collateral damage can be just as important as prevention.
 
What got me thinking about it was using a heavy duty extension cord (25") as the wire to go from the panels to the controller.
 
Mitch said:
It doesn't need to be... Just wire the controller into the fuse box inside the camper, and the panels to the controller
Click to expand...

Great idea... if it wasn't a pop up camper. The pre-wired FWC have the wiring running on the backside of the front lift panel and ran inside the headliner (which is not easily removable without major damage). I have seen a few people add wiring but it never seems to be as clean as the factory installed wiring.
 
I've considered using a good extension cord with the solar panel(s). My biggest concern is somebody plugging it into 120VAC without realizing what it is. I use SJOOW cord for some wiring on vehicles (exterior 12VDC LED floodlights for example), just not the typical 120VAC plugs and receptacles. Problem with using weatherpack connectors is that the largest wire they're designed to take is 12ga., which is too small for much of anything solar.
Wiring on our Phoenix comes down in the LR corner of the camper. I've added a weatherproof junction box to the top which I hope will make it easy to add the solar wiring when I get to that project.
 
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