Solar battery charging project AROne

[erikbivens]

This past Fathers day I finished a project Ive been neglecting for the last several weeks. I Installed a 100w solar panel and controller. Instead of mounting it permanently I decided to go the route of a portable unit. This is for several reasons but mostly because where we camp it can be very shady so I wanted to be able to bring my panel into the sun and be able to rotate it for maximum efficiency. I used a Renogy solar panel with aluminum frame and digital readout PWM controller. I built folding legs out of aluminum fixture strut I had leftover from an electronics rack project I did. I also added a USB charging port and digital voltmeter and switch to the inside since I never found the 4 bar meter to be very accurate. Plus it's nice to have a dedicated 12v charging port in the camper. As you can see the panel puts out about 14V in this configuration, and today in the hot sun I was able to bump that to 15.6V by manipulating the angle slightly and rotating it directly into the sun. This was a super fun project and didn't cost a whole lot. I spent right around $200 for everything.

Can you post links to what you purchased?

[penny]

after research, I believe that the port for solar is really just a straight connection to the battery. So the charge controller is necessary. We copied your idea of mounting it on the back of the panel. I had an extra cord with the proper polarity and plug on it, so used that. I suppose it is probably too light a gauge of wire, and will be looking for something a bit heavier, especially if we want more length. Anyway, thanks for the idea!

[penny]

Hi, that looks so nice and tidy! we just bought a 16 AR one 18 QB, and I'm new here. We have the same exact charge controller and set up that we took off of the camper we are trading in. We too keep our panel portable, for the same reasons-who wants to park in the sun? I was going to just change the wire on our panel to plug right into the side, but I like your idea of running it through the charge controller to more accurately measure the battery charge and performance of the panel. I assume there is a built in charge controller if you just plug in a panel to the outside outlet? Is the charge controller weather proof? appreciate you post!

[Hondaghandi]

I see you didn't use a Zamp solar kit....did you have to do any modifications to make it work?

Nope. The camper came solar ready so I just plugged into the port on the side!

[psaladin]

I see you didn't use a Zamp solar kit....did you have to do any modifications to make it work?

[pawpaw]

Well done!
Now I have another project added to my never ending list, lol

[Hondaghandi]

This past Fathers day I finished a project Ive been neglecting for the last several weeks. I Installed a 100w solar panel and controller. Instead of mounting it permanently I decided to go the route of a portable unit. This is for several reasons but mostly because where we camp it can be very shady so I wanted to be able to bring my panel into the sun and be able to rotate it for maximum efficiency. I used a Renogy solar panel with aluminum frame and digital readout PWM controller. I built folding legs out of aluminum fixture strut I had leftover from an electronics rack project I did. I also added a USB charging port and digital voltmeter and switch to the inside since I never found the 4 bar meter to be very accurate. Plus it's nice to have a dedicated 12v charging port in the camper. As you can see the panel puts out about 14V in this configuration, and today in the hot sun I was able to bump that to 15.6V by manipulating the angle slightly and rotating it directly into the sun. This was a super fun project and didn't cost a whole lot. I spent right around $200 for everything.