Quick & stupid solar question

[hidesertwheelin]

I'm going to look at a used set of panels that fold up an come with the charger attached. The charger has a digital display on it, so if I set them up and it shows voltage, I should be good to go right? Or do I need to connect a battery to it?

 

[Neal A. Tew]

I'm going to look at a used set of panels that fold up an come with the charger attached. The charger has a digital display on it, so if I set them up and it shows voltage, I should be good to go right? Or do I need to connect a battery to it?

In full sun with no load or battery you should have around 16-18V. With battery around 13-14V.

Do you know their wattage rating?

 

[hidesertwheelin]

In full sun with no load or battery you should have around 16-18V. With battery around 13-14V.

Do you know their wattage rating?

I hooked it up to my vehicle battery and it was reading 14.4v. It was 200 watts. I ended up buying it.

 

[Neal A. Tew]

200 watts isn't shabby. Good job.

 

[Road]

Cool - 200 watt panel will provide a lot of power for you. To make things easier to understand perhaps, it's not a charger that it comes with but a charge controller. It just controls the power coming from the panels, which is actually doing the charging.

You might want to look into setting up a deep cycle battery to hook the panels to, instead of your starting battery.

Here's a bit more about charge controllers and adding Solar to a vehicle, though doesn't go into adding battery systems:

Adding Solar To Your Setup - ROADDUDE

Here’s what I’ve learned about setting up solar power. I don’t pretend to be an expert with all the answers, but am happy to share what I’ve learned over the years of using solar as my primary power source while full-timing it on the road and camping around North America. NOTE: This same set-up...

roaddude.com

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[grubworm]

i installed 200w solar on my tear-drop and hooked it up to a 100ah AGM battery (amazon for $130) and it gives me a lot of power for running led lights, 12v dometic fridge and water pump when off-grid. the panels will output during a sunny day, but i like the battery for use on cloudy days or running 12v items at night.

amazon has a charge controller for under $20

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Cool - 200 watt panel will provide a lot of power for you. To make things easier to understand perhaps, it's not a charger that it comes with but a charge controller. It just controls the power coming from the panels, which is actually doing the charging.

You might want to look into setting up a deep cycle battery to hook the panels to, instead of your starting battery.

Here's a bit more about charge controllers and adding Solar to a vehicle, though doesn't go into adding battery systems:

Adding Solar To Your Setup - ROADDUDE

Here’s what I’ve learned about setting up solar power. I don’t pretend to be an expert with all the answers, but am happy to share what I’ve learned over the years of using solar as my primary power source while full-timing it on the road and camping around North America. NOTE: This same set-up...

roaddude.com

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

Road, your info is always so right on. Thanks for that picture of your solar box set up. That is exactly what I will be trying to duplicate for my Scamp trailer rig.
I don't know what all the items are that you have but I'll get it figuered out someday. I really like your neatness and organizational work. Obviously you KNOW what your doing.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I'm going to look at a used set of panels that fold up an come with the charger attached. The charger has a digital display on it, so if I set them up and it shows voltage, I should be good to go right? Or do I need to connect a battery to it?

There are no stupid questions. This is not everyones forte. I think someone will be able to give you some good answers. All my set up is still in the boxes so I cant run a test for you. Not all charge controllers have a display, but in my case it does. Not sure what it shows me but I think it shows the amps coming from the solar panels. The instructions say my 100w solar panel will produce between zero and 6.5 amps depending on the sun and depending on the length of the 10g cable going to the battery. Amps are lost over a long length of run. Also the more Amps you produce the cable size may have to be enlarged I'm told. I'm assuming that a 200w panel would produce zero to 13 amps depending on the sun and you would need a charge controller that will handle the 13 + amps. So in your case a 20a solar charger would be needed. Hope this helps some and I am watching this thread to learn more myself.

 

[Road]

Road, your info is always so right on. Thanks for that picture of your solar box set up. That is exactly what I will be trying to duplicate for my Scamp trailer rig.
I don't know what all the items are that you have but I'll get it figuered out someday. I really like your neatness and organizational work. Obviously you KNOW what your doing.

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Thanks, Jim. Some of it came that way, some of it I added after, though with help.

If I can manage to get my act together on get on out of here--coast of Maine--soon, I'm headed to West Texas and then up into NM and will stop and show ya in person.

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

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Thanks, Jim. Some of it came that way, some of it I added after, though with help.

If I can manage to get my act together on get on out of here--coast of Maine--soon, I'm headed to West Texas and then up into NM and will stop and show ya in person.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

That would be awesome for me. Have you ever been up here or drive through the GILA forest ? I think it's a pretty nice place to wheel around but haven't yet myself, at least not the trails in the forest. Maybe by the time you get here we might be able to travel a few of those trails together while your here. It sounds like you have a special place in Texas you want to go, any clues ? West Texas is my old stomping grounds and recently saw quite a few OB'ers posting in the forums from all over Texas. Let me know when you get close by and we'll go get some fine Mexican food either here of in Deming.

 

[hidesertwheelin]

Cool - 200 watt panel will provide a lot of power for you. To make things easier to understand perhaps, it's not a charger that it comes with but a charge controller. It just controls the power coming from the panels, which is actually doing the charging.

You might want to look into setting up a deep cycle battery to hook the panels to, instead of your starting battery.

Here's a bit more about charge controllers and adding Solar to a vehicle, though doesn't go into adding battery systems:

Adding Solar To Your Setup - ROADDUDE

Here’s what I’ve learned about setting up solar power. I don’t pretend to be an expert with all the answers, but am happy to share what I’ve learned over the years of using solar as my primary power source while full-timing it on the road and camping around North America. NOTE: This same set-up...

roaddude.com

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

I just used my starting battery to test the panel. The charge controller wouldn't turn on so I could check it out unless it was connected to a battery.