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Topic Closed80 watt Zamp Solar ?
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Rustler View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 May 2016
Location: S. Oregon Coast
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Posts: 100 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: 80 watt Zamp Solar ?
    Posted: 31 Mar 2017 at 12:53am
Originally posted by Podinaroundbc

We just bought two 40 watt panels. I would like to connect them together. What is better? In series to up the wattage or in parallel to up the amperage?

Whether you wire them in parallel or series, the maximum watts will be 80. What changes is the volts and amps. Wired in series the volts double and the amps stay the same. In parallel the volts stay the same and the amps double. In both cases amps X volts = power. 

How you wire them up depends on what kind of charge controller you have. If you have a Pulse Width Modulating (PWM) controller on each panel, I would wire them in parallel. That way each controller would see battery voltage and adjust amperage appropriately.

If you have a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller the panels can be wired in series to keep the same amps but doubling the voltage. To do this your controller must be able to handle the increased voltage. In this method the controller should be near the battery and the panels could be at some distance from the camper. You could also wire the panels in parallel with a MPPT controller. 

As an example I have a MPPT controller using two 24-volt panels wired in parallel. The operating voltage is 36 volts. The controller converts that voltage to what the 12- battery needs for charging. If I had two 12-volt panels (18-volts operating) I could have wired them in series. The controller would make the necessary voltage changes to charge the battery.

However you decide to connect them, be sure to follow the directions that come with your charge controller. You must have one of these to avoid destroying your battery.
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Posts: 320 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Mar 2017 at 8:53pm
Hi Texan! We boondock a lot as full-timers and use 100w Renogy portable solar panels. We have 2 6v golf cart batteries. With a good amount of sunny days we have gone 2 to 3 weeks with minimal usage of TV & lights. We typically don't use the AC and heat but if we do it's just briefly to take the edge off the heat or cold. If the sun doesn't shine enough we will charge with the car running & 7 pin plugged in.
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Posts: 34 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Mar 2017 at 7:38pm
We just bought two 40 watt panels. I would like to connect them together. What is better? In series to up the wattage or in parallel to up the amperage?
Art & Brenda

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texman View Drop Down
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Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Mar 2017 at 10:34am
i went three days with the 80 watt zamp and the two GC 6v batteries of boondocking.  Just the wife and i and the Shepherd.  I ran everything as normal and didn't really scrimp, just made sure stuff was off when we weren't using it.  Heater ran during the night and used the inverter to inflate and deflate a queen air mattress in the kitchen area.  (that bed is good as well) The bed inflater draws 105 watts and runs for about 5 minutes to inflate or deflate, so no real usage.  The solar control indicted FUL usually by 11 am , so not even really a danger at all of discharge.  I did not even take the generator.  Clap

I think i am set for the "boondocks".  My lesson learned is to make sure that you start your trip with batteries at close to 100% state of charge and monitor the SOC as you camp.

Thank you for the education from this forum. Smile
TexMan 2015 182g
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Posts: 3331 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Mar 2017 at 9:50am
We purchased our 2  group size 24 batteries in March 2011 and are still using them.  We boondock a lot and expect a minimum of 3 days/battery under cold conditions before switching to the other, and that is w/o any solar to extend its life.  I keep an eye on the panel in the pod and when it shows 1/3 battery life left, I switch to the other.  As furpod stated above, we can easily go 7 days, although we have 2 batteries, during the summer w/o having to recharge.
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Posts: 471 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Mar 2017 at 2:08am
Just for reference,I have two g24 batteries I plan to use them til I kill em ,and then upgrade to 2-6v. I Can get 4 days being careful and 3 with nighttime furnace use and and not trying to hard to conserve. Unless you spend your days in the pod using power all day, I would think with 2-6v batteries and 80w solar and a Genny for a bump during any heavy use and to charge for awhile when the sun goes down, you should be fine boondocking almost full time.
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Posts: 2595 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Mar 2017 at 6:45pm
We just got a WindyNation 100 amp flexible solar panel and an adjustable output PWM controller as part of the spring mod projects we're doing.  I plan on putting the controller in a little plastic tool box next to our single 12v battery, for both convenience and to keep the distance between the controller and the battery short to avoid any significant voltage drop.  We've got another length of cable to connect the panel to the controller so we can position it either on or by the trailer, depending on where we're parked.

We only use led lights, the heater as needed, maybe a phone charge or MacBook charge every once in a while, and the refrigerator fan, so our power needs are limited.  From my past experience on a sail boat, you can squeeze quite a bit out of a single house battery before having to charge if you keep your usage under control.  It's kind of nice to keep the lights dim at night.

When we get it set up and working, I'll report back.  But for the time being, there's so much snow in the Sierras that we're going to have to wait a bit for things to thaw and dry out.
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Posts: 34 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Mar 2017 at 5:33pm
We can dry camp for 5 days without charging. We use very little excess power and think we could go 7 days between charges.
Art & Brenda

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Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Mar 2017 at 3:15pm
Good Call.  That is what i was thinking too.  Generator insurance. 

I was a bit "green" i should say when i bought my generator.  The Dealer had a 2000 watt kipor and then said" but you will need 2 of these to run the a/c" (which is true)  But to my Texan brain at the time,  he said "get the 4.3 kilowatt model that weighs 165 pounds.  So, I can run the whole pod no problem at least. Embarrassed

At least i hope i offer some comic relief around here.
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Mar 2017 at 2:47pm
We did 7 days under those conditions, with dual 6v's, and never recharged. 80 watts of solar will extend your time for sure. But 120 would be better, allowing a faster recharge if you get behind the curve after a couple cloudy days.

We have members who have done a week on a single group 24.

Until you get out there and see what YOUR usage is like, it's all a guess. Since you have a generator, just take it along, if you run out of aH's, and the panels don't cut it, just fire it up and plug the pod in.
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