Cable size for 160W portable solar panel
Have 2 trailers. Trailer #1 has an existing 30A PWM charge controller being fed by a single 160W roof mounted panel. The controller is about 2' from the 2 6v batteries with a shunt between them for th...
Forum Discussion
First off, that 160w portable's Isc is a little high for that 10a controller. Should be 8a, max. And usually, Imp is lower, not higher, than Isc.
10a thru 20' of 12ga will have a v.d. of ~ 5.5%... too much.
10a thru 30' of 10ga will have a v.d. of ~ 5%... too much.
10a thru 40' of 8ga will have a v.d. of ~ 4.3%... still a little too much.
Bump everything up two sizes, and you'll be good; thus allowing for additional losses at circuit breaker and connections, as well as temp compensated charging.
10a thru 20' of 12ga will have a v.d. of ~ 5.5%... too much.
10a thru 30' of 10ga will have a v.d. of ~ 5%... too much.
10a thru 40' of 8ga will have a v.d. of ~ 4.3%... still a little too much.
Bump everything up two sizes, and you'll be good; thus allowing for additional losses at circuit breaker and connections, as well as temp compensated charging.
