Another wiring diagram from a noob....

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
Ha. You are a glass half full kinda person. :hmmm:

I always say the manufactures numbers is simply commercialism. I am a glass half empty guy and the water is evaporating.

I will trust your expertise though.
I knew and was anticipation your rebut.....

....no, reputable manufactures do not adhere to or practice that way with the STC.

Why? Because of reputation in a very competitive industry.

Plus, controller manufactures rely on this information too. PV performance equates to controller performance. Victron doesn't need to hear/read that their controller cannot produce a rated or decent current with xxxx watts of pv.





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bored

Well-known member
I planned my budget and appliances based on worst case scenarios and life style.


I will need to make sacrifices on hot days when the A/C is running but I don't plan on staying in those climates for very long.

Truly, I could use another 100ah Battery but at nearly 1k each I think the most I can budget for is 3.

Orion is my choice on a Gen.

Thanks for the input.


The challenge for planning a electrical budget in a van is that there is relatively limited ability to average solar charging over an extended period of time.

If you have a large LiFe battery bank and a generator back up (Orion for example) this averaging concept can work.

Look at the weather in the SF bay area this past week. Typical SF bay area weather for winter - multiple days of heavy overcast.

Your battery bank is very decent, but still not "large".

For winter time use energy budget planning in this area, I use the following formula as an estimate:

(panel rated capacity ) x (50%) x (6 hrs / day) = approximate power generated each day.

It isn't a perfect estimate, but it isn't terrible either.
 

bored

Well-known member
Interesting. This is good to know.

I assumed like most industries that if results were not met they simply blamed the end user and said the product was not installed correctly.

This will give me confidence in products that seem expensive.

I knew and was anticipation your rebut.....

....no, reputable manufactures do not adhere to or practice that way with the STC.

Why? Because of reputation in a very competitive industry.

Plus, controller manufactures rely on this information too. PV performance equates to controller performance. Victron doesn't need to hear/read that their controller cannot produce a rated or decent current with xxxx watts of pv.

.
 

bored

Well-known member
Sterling Pro Batt Ultra Battery to Battery Charger

30amp or 70amp???

I read somewhere that the max output the alternator can push to a house battery bank is 40amps.

That would eliminate the need of the 70amp correct?

Stock Alternator for now unit this one burns up. Then I will upgrade. Still hoping to find the "unicorn" dual alternator bracket I have read about that supposedly RV's used somewhere.

If anyone can recommend a better unit I would love to hear about it so I can make a good choice.
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
I have been reading about controllers...
Spent some time here
Everyone seems to have opinions as to which controller is best.
I am considering a Morningstar TS-60 Tristar-60 Amp. Victron seems tried and true so I am still torn.
What would be the advantages and disadvantage of splitting the panels?
I would recommend a Victron 150/35 controller. More than adequate for your needs and half the price of the Morningstar. The Morningstar is an excellent controller but overkill for your situation.

I have 600 watts of solar wired in series to my Victron 150/35 and it is a rare day that the panels will exceed 500 watts.



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bored

Well-known member
That controller would work if the panels are in series because the amperage would drop.

I plan on running the panels parallel because I have read that is when panels are the most efficient when harvesting energy on cloudy days.

Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150/60-TR Solar Charge Controller was another choice....I might pull the plug if I can find a good deal on either on Cyber Monday.

Still not decided...

I would recommend a Victron 150/35 controller. More than adequate for your needs and half the price of the Morningstar. The Morningstar is an excellent controller but overkill for your situation.

I have 600 watts of solar wired in series to my Victron 150/35 and it is a rare day that the panels will exceed 500 watts.



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OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
I would recommend a Victron 150/35 controller. More than adequate for your needs and half the price of the Morningstar. The Morningstar is an excellent controller but overkill for your situation.

I have 600 watts of solar wired in series to my Victron 150/35 and it is a rare day that the panels will exceed 500 watts.

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:eek:

:lol:

The Victron 100/35 is undersized for 600W of PV.

It is rated for 500W.

It is 'clipping' the additional potential wattage of your panels, that is why you are only seeing 500W.


I have the same 600w panels and the Tristar MPPT 60. I can and do get over 500W .In fact I can get over 600W.....


z-1.2-opt.gif
 

OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
That controller would work if the panels are in series because the amperage would drop.

I plan on running the panels parallel because I have read that is when panels are the most efficient when harvesting energy on cloudy days.

Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150/60-TR Solar Charge Controller was another choice....I might pull the plug if I can find a good deal on either on Cyber Monday.

Still not decided...
You have it backwards.

You want the panels in series.

Why?

Cause, in low light conditions or times, the array voltage is higher or rises quicker than if the panels are in parallel. This is what the controller wants or needs to create output current.

20 panels and in parallel, each lit up' to/outputting at 4V, are still 4V. This may represent an input current of 20A, but as far as the controller needs it is unusable.





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HarryN

Well-known member
Agree with Orion on these last 2 posts. :thinking:

Going a bit further, if you take a typical RV panel - run it through a victron mppt controller - into battery - it won't work very well. IIRC the panel voltage needs to be at least 5 volts higher than the battery voltage to work at all.

Look back at my explanation earlier that if you go for panels in parallel on a 12 volt system, the correct controller type is pwm or similar.
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
The Victron 100/35 is undersized for 600W of PV.
It is rated for 500W.
It is 'clipping' the additional potential wattage of your panels, that is why you are only seeing 500W.
I have the same 600w panels and the Tristar MPPT 60. I can and do get over 500W .In fact I can get over 600W....
]
Yes, a Victron 150/35 has the potential to clip output above 500 watts, however, your lost solar production will be less than 1%, more like 0.1%.

No reason to oversize your controller for the extra 1%.

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OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
Yes, a Victron 150/35 has the potential to clip output above 500 watts, however, your lost solar production will be less than 1%, more like 0.1%.

No reason to oversize your controller for the extra 1%.

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I'm not following you....

How did you come to this loss conclusion? :thinking:

In my case, I loose 100W, the equivalent of 1 panel worth or 17%.
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
I'm not following you....
How did you come to this loss conclusion? :thinking:
In my case, I loose 100W, the equivalent of 1 panel worth or 17%.
You appear to have some very special panels on your van to exceed their rated output on a regular basis. And in Canada of all places.

My Renogy Eclipse panels are more typical and rarely exceed 80% of their rating. And I am in sunny San Diego.

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OrioN

2008 2500 170" EXT
You appear to have some very special panels on your van to exceed their rated output on a regular basis. And in Canada of all places.

My Renogy Eclipse panels are more typical and rarely exceed 80% of their rating. And I am in sunny San Diego.

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Let me rephrase or try a different question....

How are you getting your measurements?


Did you look at my controller output image? As you can see, my array was outputting 600+ watts, or ~42A @13.1V.





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gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
Let me rephrase or try a different question....
How are you getting your measurements?
Did you look at my controller output image? As you can see, my array was outputting 600+ watts, or ~42A @13.1V..
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Output measured via the Victron Smart Solar MPPT. Pmax recorded daily.

I originally had 500 watts of panels before recently adding a sixth panel. In the first two years the 500 watt panels exceeded 400 watts once. This occurred in the best possible conditions, summer, clear skies, high altitude, cold weather, and with depleted batteries.

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Ulter

Member
Let me rephrase or try a different question....

How are you getting your measurements?


Did you look at my controller output image? As you can see, my array was outputting 600+ watts, or ~42A @13.1V.





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42 amps with 600W solar? Doesn’t happen.
 

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