R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > Non-pod Discussion Forums > Mods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Any upgrade the solar in a 190?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedAny upgrade the solar in a 190?
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message Reverse Sort Order
  Share Topic Share Topic  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Any upgrade the solar in a 190?
    Posted: 01 Mar 2019 at 12:01pm
For myself, I don't plan to use either. I plan to attach using vertical auminum plates screwed to the sides of the end frames of the modules and to the top inch of the rpod sides. The trick is to get modules that are the same length as the pod is wide. I haven't done my solar install yet because I want to remove the a/c and the lead acid batteries with Li ion as part of that project. 

Both of the products you've selected would have some issues. You'll need to hit the roof crossmembers with the screw in ones. Those are aluminum tubes on the flat part of the roof and wood in the curved portions. The glue on ones would restrict you to a smaller module and you'd need to be careful with surface prep to be sure you get good adhesion. You should expect to have an uplift force on the modules somewhere around 35-50 lbs per square foot. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
texman View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 24 Jul 2014
Location: TeXas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Mar 2019 at 9:26am
Sorry if i have hijacked the thread.  Embarrassed
but as far as roof placement of panels, are you using the no holes version and adhesive:
Renogy Solar Panel Roof Drill-Free Corner Bracket Mount for RV, Boats, Corner Bracket Corner Bracket

or the hard mounted version and drilling into the roof ?

Renogy 4 Sets of Solar Panel Mounting Z Brackets for RV, Boat, Wall and Other Off Gird Roof Installation, 4 Pack

or something else for permanent mounting?
TexMan 2015 182g
2018 Sequoia
TexManMods
Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Mar 2019 at 7:05am
Originally posted by GlueGuy

If you're going to use a single panel, I would definitely go with a 12V panel and a PWM controller. That would be the most economical path. However, if for any reason you decide to get a second panel, then I would lean toward an MPPT controller and run the panels in series. In fact, if you're going that far, I'd probably go for a couple of 24V panels (which actually run voltages in the 35V zone) in series with an MPPT controller. This would afford you to use smaller gauge wire and lower current. It would also mean you would probably get better use in marginal sun conditions.

I think the decision is tied to both rated power but also whether you want a portable system or a roof mount system.  For the best bang for the buck I'd go with the following:

Roof mount: get a 72 cell utility module or more than one with an MPPT controller. That will get you over 300 watts each and can mount edge to edge on an rPod. 

Portable < about 180- 200 watts: get a single 12V (36 cell) module and a PWM controller. 180-200 watts is about the highest power you can get in a 12V module using standard 6 inch solar cells. 

Portable > about 180-200 watts: get one or more 60 cell residential modules and an MPPT controller. 

In all cases mount the controllers in the rPod. 

The 72 cell utility modules weigh a bit over 50 lbs and are about 78 inches long so are really too big to be considered one person portable. The 60 cell modules weigh about 40 lbs and are about 66 inches long so not too bad to lug around. And as GlueGuy says once you get over about 200 watts you are running a lot of current at 12V so its best to be at a higher voltage to reduce wiring size and losses. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
furpod View Drop Down
Moderator Group - pHp
Moderator Group - pHp
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 3:47pm
Originally posted by PeterK2003

Does anyone have the wiring diagram for the 2019 190?


No such thing exists.
Back to Top
PeterK2003 View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 26 Feb 2019
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 15 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 3:15pm
Does anyone have the wiring diagram for the 2019 190?
Back to Top
GlueGuy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2660 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 11:33am
If you're going to use a single panel, I would definitely go with a 12V panel and a PWM controller. That would be the most economical path. However, if for any reason you decide to get a second panel, then I would lean toward an MPPT controller and run the panels in series. In fact, if you're going that far, I'd probably go for a couple of 24V panels (which actually run voltages in the 35V zone) in series with an MPPT controller. This would afford you to use smaller gauge wire and lower current. It would also mean you would probably get better use in marginal sun conditions.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 10:23am
Yeah, well, the electrons don't care if there's a suitcase or not.Wink Best to put the controller near the battery anyway. Its regulating the battery voltage and does a temperature adjustment so will be more accurate that way. You could mount it out of the weather in the storage compartment and run to the batteries from there.  

There is another Renogy PWM controller on Amazon for $30 which doesn't do any metering but it occurs to me that you have already put in metering anyway so that might work fine for you. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
texman View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 24 Jul 2014
Location: TeXas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 10:14am
i guess the suitcase models are a premium, but are supposed to be waterproof controllers.  must be a nice suitcase. Confused
TexMan 2015 182g
2018 Sequoia
TexManMods
Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 10:01am
If you get a 100 watt 36 cell (nominal 12V battery charging) module you don't need an MPPT controller, in fact it might not work for you because it has to step the voltage down to charge the battery so its really designed to work with higher voltage modules. 

A lower cost PWM controller would work fine. I don't have first hand knowledge of the reliability of the various controllers but one benfit of Amazon is you can review the customer ratings and comments and see what kind of problems folks have run into. 

For the module any of them will probably be fine as long as they are glass front. If you like Renogy they have their 100w 12V modules on Amazon for $120 and 20A PWM controllers for $60 so you can get the two for $180. There are other PWM controllers as low as $15. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
texman View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 24 Jul 2014
Location: TeXas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Feb 2019 at 9:33am
would anyone have a recommendation or a warning on the various MPPT controllers available to purchase?  Also same question on solar panels.  i want to add at least a 100watt to my existing 80 watt.  i need a package (panel and controller)  i was thinking to just buy a renogy 100watt package, but looking at ebay i can get a controller and panel for around $150 instead of the $ 350 for the renogy.  a few deals on amazon as well.  i would rather spend the $350 and have something decent than $150 for trash.  IYKWIM.
TexMan 2015 182g
2018 Sequoia
TexManMods
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz