Forum Discussion
BFL13
Feb 29, 2020Explorer II
You can use the trailer's 7-pin, but it is not ideal. Tried that at ISTR time2roll's suggestion some years ago. You make an adapter using the part same as on the back of the truck but just with two wires pos (pin 4) and neg.
Then you rig up a way to connect those two wires to your solar controller output wires--or the panel wires if no controller, and connect the two 7-pin parts.
If you have no controller, you have to watch your trailer battery voltage and disconnect the solar when voltage gets to 15v.
You should have the 20 amp controller, not the 10 amp. The usual rule is to have at least a 25% margin above the panel's rating.
130w can deliver 8.3 amps (same as its Isc) to the battery, so 10 amps is very tight. Controllers heat up when operating close to their max amps, which is not good for them over the long run.
As was mentioned, you need long wire for a ground-based solar panel so the trailer itself does not shade the panel for part of the time. You might have to shift the panel over to the other side of the trailer as the sun moves around. (at 15 degrees an hour)
You might find that where you want to put the panel is in the next guy's site! Roof mounting avoids that situation, but then you can't park in the shade.
Then you rig up a way to connect those two wires to your solar controller output wires--or the panel wires if no controller, and connect the two 7-pin parts.
If you have no controller, you have to watch your trailer battery voltage and disconnect the solar when voltage gets to 15v.
You should have the 20 amp controller, not the 10 amp. The usual rule is to have at least a 25% margin above the panel's rating.
130w can deliver 8.3 amps (same as its Isc) to the battery, so 10 amps is very tight. Controllers heat up when operating close to their max amps, which is not good for them over the long run.
As was mentioned, you need long wire for a ground-based solar panel so the trailer itself does not shade the panel for part of the time. You might have to shift the panel over to the other side of the trailer as the sun moves around. (at 15 degrees an hour)
You might find that where you want to put the panel is in the next guy's site! Roof mounting avoids that situation, but then you can't park in the shade.
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