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Firelime's avatar
Firelime
Explorer
Mar 15, 2017

Started Solar Array

I have to few lose ends to tie up but overall it came together good. The system will eventually have up to 5 panels totaling 800 watts and 4 EGC2 batteries. I have not yet decided if that will include 2 SC-2030's or a TriStar MPPT 60. We'll have to see when we get there.
The system currently includes:
- Trimetric 2030
- SC2030
- 1 Solar Cenergy 160 watt panel

First was to build the bus bars and panel mounts. The panel mounts use nylon washers to add some tension to the pivot end while allowing it to pivot freely and not gouge.




The combiner box on the roof has plenty of room to expand.


The 1st panel mounted up. The wires will be held down with tan Eternabond tape (all I currently have is white). The panel tilts at 5° on the roof now; so I need to build some risers to tilt the panels to 30°.


Trimetric mounted up.


The SC-2030 wired up. I need to cut and re-crimp the phone cable so there is not excess. I'm really digging the hydraulic crimper. I makes very nice crimps.


I'm looking forward to not having to take the generator to the places we only need it for charging.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2017
    Nice work, you have good skills to work in detail!
    One suggestion: If you can, make covers for the bus bars/shunt. Maybe Lexan, formed with heat and drilled/bent to allow for cable entry. I know most folks will say, "I'm never going to put anything metal in there..." Never is a long time and just one inadvertent contact can make for a miserable day.
  • Firelime's avatar
    Firelime
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2017
    That is a good idea, thanks. I think I have some lexan lying around. I also need to build some for the combiner box
  • scrubjaysnest's avatar
    scrubjaysnest
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2017
    Nice job. When I did the portable portion of ours all exposed wiring was run in split tubing. Plan to start the roof panel mounts today. Like your tilt mounts.
  • hedge's avatar
    hedge
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2017
    Nice neat job, I'm jealous of you guys with bigger trailers that have all the room to lay out the wiring nice and tidy. I have a truck camper so things are tight.
  • Almot's avatar
    Almot
    Explorer III
    Mar 15, 2017
    Wires on the roof need to be covered. PWM and parallel install (?) complicates the wiring, and those red-black cables probably don't have same level of UV protection as MC4 cable.

    I think leaving generator home will be doable, where you are. As long as you don't need A/C. Or there is no snow on the panel :)...

    You'll probably end up not using tilting often. Too much pain unless you stay put for a week or longer. 800W is a lot of solar, and you are not that far North.
  • Unyalli's avatar
    Unyalli
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2017
    Nice job so far. Might I ask do you know about flooded lead acid battery charging? Specifically getting the absorb phase correct?

    - Jeff
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Mar 15, 2017
    I am considering a second controller for the TT's back panels. Any opinions?
  • Searching_Ut's avatar
    Searching_Ut
    Explorer
    Mar 16, 2017
    Nice start. Weather here in Utah is starting to get to the point where I should be climbing on the roof and finishing mine up in the next few weeks. Got the RV pad poured just prior to the weather turning bad in the fall, so now I have some place to work on the rig, which is too big to fit in the driveway. I'm going the dual SC 2030 route and have everything in the garage for upgrading to 10 Grape 100 Watt panels in two banks of 500 watts. Keeping all 10 panels in parallel should work out great for the widely varied sort of camping we do.

    Keep posting with updates as you progress.
  • Firelime's avatar
    Firelime
    Explorer
    Mar 16, 2017
    Searching_Ut wrote:
    Nice start. Weather here in Utah is starting to get to the point where I should be climbing on the roof and finishing mine up in the next few weeks. Got the RV pad poured just prior to the weather turning bad in the fall, so now I have some place to work on the rig, which is too big to fit in the driveway. I'm going the dual SC 2030 route and have everything in the garage for upgrading to 10 Grape 100 Watt panels in two banks of 500 watts. Keeping all 10 panels in parallel should work out great for the widely varied sort of camping we do.

    Keep posting with updates as you progress.


    Where in Utah are ya, if you don't mind? I'm up in the Roy area. Yeah the weather has been awesome this week in the 70's. Stark change from the 30's a week or so ago. Makes it hard to go to work.

    I was originally go to put 24 volt panels on the roof. On this roof however, the placement and angles wouldn't work as well as I would like. Putting the 160's on will still allow me to walk around the roof and if I decide to go with the Tristar MPPT instead of the dual SC-2030's I can still run series-parallel. I agree with the camping. Down in Moab we won't really see shading, but up in the Uinta's partial array shading will likely occur.
  • Firelime's avatar
    Firelime
    Explorer
    Mar 16, 2017
    Unyalli wrote:
    Nice job so far. Might I ask do you know about flooded lead acid battery charging? Specifically getting the absorb phase correct?

    - Jeff


    I pulled the charging specs for the batteries and have entered those into the Trimetric. But I am always open to learning and advice.

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