people with portable solar panels...

[john61ct]

I really like this stuff myself.

10-2 AWG Gauge Marine Wire Tinned Copper Boat Cable Flat Duplex

10 AWG Gauge 2 conductor marine wiring is flat duplex DC boat wire Made in the USA and flexible with fine stranded tinned copper

www.genuinedealz.com

View attachment 542651

Yep that be good stuff, made by Pacer I believe.

http://www.bestboatwire.com sister company

3-4 sizes a roll each, some good crimpers, set for life

 

[67cj5]

A couple of weeks ago I bought the DOKIO Mono 100w portable folding panel and when I tested it It went from 13.8 to 14.4 in no time at all, The battery was fully charged reading about 13.2 / 13.3, but it only took about 20 minutes to get to 14.4, So far I am impressed and the price was a heck of a lot cheaper than the Solar Shops sell them for. I have 400w of panels 2 X 150w + 1 X 100w I am going to fix to the roof of the camper but I bought the portable for topping up the Trucks battery and my spare battery.

DOKIO Foldable Portable Solar Panel 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Suitcase with Waterproof Charge Controller : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

DOKIO Foldable Portable Solar Panel 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Suitcase with Waterproof Charge Controller : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Rbertalotto]

Here is my aux/portable solar system

www.rvbprecision.com

 

[cruxarche]

I ended up making my own. That way I can configure it for whatever setup i need. Just under half the weight of the Renogy, same 100 Watts. I keep my wires, adapters, solar controller etc. in the bag. Maybe takes a a minute more to set up.

 

[Swiftone]

cruxarche I like the looks of that set up. Nice and clean. Love the aluminum frame.

I took the advice of a "well-known member" and went to a Victron MPPT to gain all possible charging power from my Renogy 100 watt panel. I also rewired the panel with 10 GA Zip wire to keep it simple and easy to hook up.

The controller plugs into my dash Anderson Power Pole connector which is a fused run to my starter battery a mere 3 feet away. Panel gets plugged in and I use the Bluetooth app to set the panel for max wattage. Nice thing about using a "portable" solar controller is I can also use it with my homemade LiFeP04 battery box with a simple battery type change on the app. A bit of Velcro on the back of the panel keeps it all together in the hard sided case I made to carry the panel.

I also bought a second Victron for the permanent solar panel on my sons jeep that powers his Dometic CF 35 . Prior to using the MPPT we were not getting enough Fall/winter sun to keep his 20 ah LiFeP04 battery charged. Now it gets a full charge in about 4.5 hours. I guess you can call me a believer in Victron products.

 

[cruxarche]

swiftone we have basically the same setup. I use the same Victron, and use powerpoles. I also have a Victron battery monitor installed on my trailer when I use the portable solar with the trailer. Overkill!! for a 100w setup but it works perfectly.

 

[Rbertalotto]

I just bought an ECO Worthy 120w folding panel. I don't understand why it folds with the panels on the outside, suseptable to damage. I'm going to turn the hinges around. You can read all about my system here www.rvbprecision.com

 

[dreadlocks]

Tempered Glass is extremely durable, usually more so than the coroplast backing on the rear of the panel.. these things take hail just fine.. a folding would be about hardest surface and most protection for the cells outwards.. which would be glass out, a canvas case would be more worthwhile for a bit of padding.

 

[shade]

As long as the edges are protected and you don't go after it with a BB gun or a window punch, tempered glass is tough stuff.

 

[john61ct]

but scuffing & scratching does reduce output over time, keep protected in a bag or. . .

 

[dreadlocks]

Harbor Freight sells moving blankets, thats what I been using interim while I carry my portable inside the trailer.. I plan on mounting it to the side and carrying it outside eventually.. Could probably sew the sides together and make a nice sleeve for it.. tho a waxed canvas would be more durable for the long haul, the HF blanket was super cheap so I could toss it if it got gross.

 

[Swiftone]

And here I was wondering why I kept picking up those cheap moving blankets when they went on sale....(off to find my large curved needle and some waxed thread)

 

[shade]

Slip a few sweatshirts over them if it's a concern and you don't want to pop for a bag. Tempered glass doesn't scratch easily. Consider how much abuse a windshield can take.

 

[dreadlocks]

I think the idea is more for abrasion from storage floating in a trailer or back of a truck.. especially when going down a rough road.. dont need much though to prevent that, heavy duty cardboard could get the job done til it gets wet.. but its sacrifical anyhow.. coroplast is waterproof and would last forever as a scratch guard for exposed glass.

The guy above who made his own frame, was using flexi panels w/no protection.. he used his custom rigid frame to protect the panels during travel and made a glass-free portable setup.. which I admit, using flexi's as portables is alot better of an idea than using em as fixed panels.. if you keep em out of the sun most of the time the'll probably last a reasonable time heh.

 

[john61ct]

as long as you don't actually flex them, semi or otherwise