Just Starting Solar Research
Man, there's a lot to read and digest with possibly installing a small solar panel. I very recently replaced my original 1-stage converter/charger with the Progressive Dynamics PD4600 series conve...
Forum Discussion
The controller is not water proof- or thief proof. It needs air cooling so you can't wrap it in plastic, but you can make a tent for it from the rain.
Your fridge vent is your friend. One way I had it for a while, was the portable panel was on the roof, wires down the back of the fridge same as if panel were roof-mounted. The DC dist panel on our trailer is under the fridge. The fridge sits on a wood platform. I drilled a hole in that platform behind the fridge at the outside access panel. The access panel has vent slots in it.
I ran pos and neg wires up from the battery lugs on the DC panel through the hole I made in the floor the fridge sits on. I put the controller on the floor there behind the fridge. Now the wires down from the roof via the fridge vent go to the array side of the controller and the battery wires go down under the fridge to the DC dist panel, where they become in parallel with the converter's connection to the battery lugs.
But what if the portable panel is outside the trailer somewhere at ground level? No probs. Now your array wires to the controller go through the slots in the fridge access panel and then same as before.
The controller is out of the rain and out of sight. The distance to the battery may be overly long but perfection is not always convenient. Still gets the job done. :)
Your fridge vent is your friend. One way I had it for a while, was the portable panel was on the roof, wires down the back of the fridge same as if panel were roof-mounted. The DC dist panel on our trailer is under the fridge. The fridge sits on a wood platform. I drilled a hole in that platform behind the fridge at the outside access panel. The access panel has vent slots in it.
I ran pos and neg wires up from the battery lugs on the DC panel through the hole I made in the floor the fridge sits on. I put the controller on the floor there behind the fridge. Now the wires down from the roof via the fridge vent go to the array side of the controller and the battery wires go down under the fridge to the DC dist panel, where they become in parallel with the converter's connection to the battery lugs.
But what if the portable panel is outside the trailer somewhere at ground level? No probs. Now your array wires to the controller go through the slots in the fridge access panel and then same as before.
The controller is out of the rain and out of sight. The distance to the battery may be overly long but perfection is not always convenient. Still gets the job done. :)
