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Solar panels

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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mjlrpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Solar panels
    Posted: 18 Sep 2022 at 11:14am
Just bought a Jackery 1000w solar generator. It came with 2 100w solar panels to charge it. It can also be charged with an electric source, or the car adapter. I was wondering if anyone knows if that 100w panel could be used to charge the camper battery somehow. I would need to get some sort of adaptor I think. I will have an 80 watt panel on the roof already, I just thought this would help. Not sure if I would try to tie the 100w panel directly to battery, or try to tie it to 80w panel that is wired on the roof.

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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2022 at 2:45pm
Yes. A lot depends on what the panels have. Is the charge controller built into the Jackery or is is separate? If it is separate (or attached to one of the panels), is it fused? As for using it in conjunction with the one on the roof, it sounds like you have a charge controller. I'm going to defer to Offgrid for this, since he is the subject matter expert here. He can give you the particulars.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote gpokluda Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2022 at 4:33pm
Can't help you with the compatibility question, but I can tell you that you will really enjoy the Jackery. My daughter and her husband, who do lots of boondocking in there Tacoma with a rooftop tent, bought a Jackery and love it. It came with two solar panels and they had another solar panel already from a yard sale and wanted to add it to the array, but the Jackery has proprietary plugs? There are lots of reviews and videos on YouTube. Good luck and enjoy!
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2022 at 6:27pm
All solar modules are made up of strings of solar cells, with each cell producing about 0.5Vdc. The total voltage the modules produce is proportional to how many cells are connected in series.

So yes you should be able to use your Jackery solar modules to directly charge your trailer battery. You will need to determine the solar module voltage though so you can get the proper charge controller.

Doing that direct connection is a good idea as that will be much more efficient than indirectly using the modules to charge the Jackery battery, then discharging the Jackery battery through it's inverter, only to convert the Jackery 120Vac output back to 14-15Vdc via the rpod WFCO converter to charge the 12V battery.
   

So the first thing you need to do is determine what voltage the Jackery solar modules produce. If you either have the specs or model of the solar modules that came with the Jackery system, or using a multimeter you can measure the voltage produced by the modules (when placed in direct sun of course) that would be enough to tell what's needed. If it's around 17-18Vdc (pretty likely) that is a typical solar module designed for 12V battery charging and any standard PWM type charge controller capable of handling 200 watts will work. If it's a higher voltage you'll need an MPPT type controller to step the voltage down.

You will also need to either get a mating connector for the ones of the Jackery modules so you can connect them to the charge controller, or cut off the connectors and replace them with new ones of your choice, taking care to keep track of you polarity of the connections.   

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