Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Solar Panels continued -
The solar cables now enter through the penthouse top.
To complete the circuit to the solar controller use two 10 gauge wires previously installed in the side of the van. While installing the final insulated wall panels I'd run these two wires knowing that they would eventually be needed.
Had to remove one wall panel and peel back a little of the insulation to find where I'd left the ends of the wires. The advantage of using the double sided tape to hold the Reflectix in place is it's easy to replace if you ever need to go exploring.
Have to run the wire through what used to be the roof of the van.
Splice together the solar cables and these wires.
Between one set of wires add an in-line fuse holder. The fuse is in the circuit before the wires enter the side of the van. This is in case there is a electrical short within the wall of the van. Without the fuse it would be a fire risk.
Protect the wires with corrugated plastic split-loom.
When installing the in-line fuse holder I was trying to decide where was the best position. Near the bottom? Near the top? When I had a "Well duh!" moment. Put it in the middle. Otherwise you couldn't access the fuse when the top was down.
How the back of the penthouse top looks with conduit now at each corner.
The label on the back of the solar panel recommends a 15 amp fuse but since the two panels are wired in parallel I'll use a 30 amp fuse. Notice there's no fuse in the holder.
Without the fuse I have an open circuit which means I can finally safely plug in the other set of parallel solar cables.
With the cable plugged in I won't have to reach in under the panels again so they can finally be bolted down.
The bolts used here are the 2" stainless steel bolts I bought from Fastenal. By adding one more washer the bottom of the bolt is even with the nut. Hopefully this will protect the canvas from the bolts.
Here's the wires to the solar panels and solar controller with it's cover removed. Before attaching the wires I need to figure out which is positive and negative.
Use the voltmeter. Tape the wires to the voltmeter probes then put the fuse in place. Meter reads (+) 27 volts. It's a 50-50 chance but I picked the right wire for positive. Mark the positive wire with yellow electrical tape.
Remove the fuse before proceeding. Connect the wires to the controller. I've added a shutoff switch to the controller. Wanted a way to turn off the power from the panels if needed.
Put the cover back on the controller. Put the fuse back in place. Turned the switch. Nothing happened. Oh No!
Wait, Everything's OK. It takes several seconds before the solar controller boots up and the "charge status" light comes on.
With the solar controller working this was soon the voltage reading for the van. I'm making electricity from the sun!
I began my "Electricity Happy Dance" which looked similar to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS7Og1zvdy8
continued -
The solar cables now enter through the penthouse top.
To complete the circuit to the solar controller use two 10 gauge wires previously installed in the side of the van. While installing the final insulated wall panels I'd run these two wires knowing that they would eventually be needed.
Had to remove one wall panel and peel back a little of the insulation to find where I'd left the ends of the wires. The advantage of using the double sided tape to hold the Reflectix in place is it's easy to replace if you ever need to go exploring.
Have to run the wire through what used to be the roof of the van.
Splice together the solar cables and these wires.
Between one set of wires add an in-line fuse holder. The fuse is in the circuit before the wires enter the side of the van. This is in case there is a electrical short within the wall of the van. Without the fuse it would be a fire risk.
Protect the wires with corrugated plastic split-loom.
When installing the in-line fuse holder I was trying to decide where was the best position. Near the bottom? Near the top? When I had a "Well duh!" moment. Put it in the middle. Otherwise you couldn't access the fuse when the top was down.
How the back of the penthouse top looks with conduit now at each corner.
The label on the back of the solar panel recommends a 15 amp fuse but since the two panels are wired in parallel I'll use a 30 amp fuse. Notice there's no fuse in the holder.
Without the fuse I have an open circuit which means I can finally safely plug in the other set of parallel solar cables.
With the cable plugged in I won't have to reach in under the panels again so they can finally be bolted down.
The bolts used here are the 2" stainless steel bolts I bought from Fastenal. By adding one more washer the bottom of the bolt is even with the nut. Hopefully this will protect the canvas from the bolts.
Here's the wires to the solar panels and solar controller with it's cover removed. Before attaching the wires I need to figure out which is positive and negative.
Use the voltmeter. Tape the wires to the voltmeter probes then put the fuse in place. Meter reads (+) 27 volts. It's a 50-50 chance but I picked the right wire for positive. Mark the positive wire with yellow electrical tape.
Remove the fuse before proceeding. Connect the wires to the controller. I've added a shutoff switch to the controller. Wanted a way to turn off the power from the panels if needed.
Put the cover back on the controller. Put the fuse back in place. Turned the switch. Nothing happened. Oh No!
Wait, Everything's OK. It takes several seconds before the solar controller boots up and the "charge status" light comes on.
With the solar controller working this was soon the voltage reading for the van. I'm making electricity from the sun!
I began my "Electricity Happy Dance" which looked similar to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS7Og1zvdy8
continued -
