Alloy
Well-known member
A touch of silicone grease will prolong the life.
Weather proof Bulkhead connector for solar panels?
- Thread starter SBSYNCRO
- Start date
A touch of silicone grease will prolong the life.
rayra
Expedition Leader
And costs $350
rayra
Expedition Leader
Hell I'm probably going to wind up using the same thing. The bulkhead fitting mounted vertically to the inner face of the rear shoe of my roof rack. I'll cut that wire rig in half and splice the bulkhead end to more zip wire passing down thru one of the rack mount bolt holes into the ceiling and down the D pillar. And I'll put another splice on the other half and run it into the panel mounting frame, terminating in an APP that I can plug the panel into.
SBSYNCRO
Well-known member
Thats pretty much exactly my plan. The bulkhead connector passes through the top of my fiberglass hardtop (Jeep) and then down to an Anderson connector inside the Jeep. I've made up an Anderson-to-Anderson cable to plug into my Suaoki battery and I also made a 30' long 10AWG extension cable that is SAE on one end (to plug directly to the panel's lead) and Anderson on the other end (to plug into the Suaoki battery pack) when I want to park/camp in the shade but deploy the panel in the sun.
Of course now that I've finished this and spent hours sourcing everything it dawned on me that I should have just used McMaster Carr...
McMaster-Carr
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SBSYNCRO
Well-known member
Unfortunately, nothing I found was "perfect" so I solved for the external features of the SAE connector - extremely low profile. As you can see from the photo, it is very close to the roofline and more or less "disappears" when not in use. I'd like to cover the back side of that bulkhead connector on the interior to make it look a bit more OEM, but for now I'm making a gentle bend and routing the wire to some adhesive wire tie mounts.
Once I decide on a final mounting position of the aux battery, I'll affix the Anderson plug nearby either via a panel mount that I got on eBay or by screwing it down to a panel for a horizontal mounting position.
Hillbilly Heaven
Explorer
???While I wait for the Why is my connector turning green, how do I clean it, and it is weeping water inside.
SBSYNCRO
Well-known member
haha. Yea, well the generous goop of RTV around the outside bulkhead flange and the dielectric grease inside the connector should buy me some time.
Do a google image search - I guarantee that if you eliminate MC4 connectors, 80%+ of what you'll see for solar panel connections will be SAE connectors for some reason.
The actual unit I received is even better-finished than the one in the images. I'm pretty impressed for something that was 3D printed. The APP connector does need to be glued in place) or there is a provision to drive a roll pin all the way down through it as well.
Threaded Panel Mount Adapter, Compatible With Anderson PowerPole PP15-PP45 | eBay
A threaded panel mount for Anderson PowerPole connectors! This is a revised version which includes the pin hole for retaining the connector shells in place instead of having to glue it in. (retaining pin is not included).
www.ebay.com
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Sorry I'd inferred that you saw something better for your use case than that SAE unit on the McMasters site.
If so, linking to it might benefit others reading this thread in the future.
If not, then at least people won't waste time looking for it.
SBSYNCRO
Well-known member
Sorry for the confusion. I used the item I posted in my original post . https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...onnector-for-solar-panels.213241/post-2747056
They are a dime a dozen pretty much anywhere you look. The one I ended up with wasn't particularly noteworthy - I picked it based on the fact that it used 12 AWG wire instead of 10, which would have been overkill and more difficult to work with.
Here's my final parts list:
Bulkhead connector (2-pack) $12
Ten Pack 10 AWG Anderson contacts for the #1327 housings - $10
10 AWG SAE connector (or 30' extension cable) - $10
14 AWG SAE connector (for Panel connection to bulkhead) - $9
10 Pair Anderson Powerpole connectors with contacts (30 amp) - $17
50 ft. Spool of 14/2 tinned duplex wire - $21
The wiring plan is as follows:
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rayra
Expedition Leader
Looks like a good plan to me, I did much the same
www.expeditionportal.com
My rooftop solar has been 'temporarily' wired for over a year. Still need the proper bulkhead connector and routing thru my roof rack footing into the ceiling, down the D pillas and into my rear power module where I have the PWC controller installed.
My rooftop solar panel is a folding / portable panel kit, which I built a custom locking frame for on the roof deck. But I've also made provision for setting the panel on the ground far from the vehicle, presuming I can find a shady spot to park the vehicle in the desert southwest. In which case I use a long tether cable and jack into a PP15 on the rear face of my power module.
So as seen in the above pic, I've got a variety of cabling / connection options to support different configurations. The panel itself originally had the PWC mounted on the back side of the panel's tilting leg framing and was wired with SAE connections. So I have the shorter SAE to PP plugged into the panel and the long lead with PP15 connectors on both ends running back and down along my liftgate and into the power box . All I have to do is unlock the roof frame and take the panel down and set it within 30' of the vehicle.
eta I've got room on my roof, what I'd like to do is re-make my roof mount and have a permanently mounted panel forward of existing panel and keep the rear folding panel at the rear, relocatable. but I have to find a fixed panel that's <44" long. I already have a 'Y' connector (PP15s) on the input of the PWC. As well as a newer PWC
Los Angeles -Class Attack Sub(urban), Build / Collected Werks topic - '02 k1500 Z71
Fiddled around with vehicle solar today, still waiting on mailorder parts. Been using powerwerx.com for Anderson Power Pole (APP) connectors and other electrical connection tidbits. I got this bargain used folding panel kit last year and have been (very slowly) working to integrate it with my...
www.expeditionportal.com
My rooftop solar has been 'temporarily' wired for over a year. Still need the proper bulkhead connector and routing thru my roof rack footing into the ceiling, down the D pillas and into my rear power module where I have the PWC controller installed.
My rooftop solar panel is a folding / portable panel kit, which I built a custom locking frame for on the roof deck. But I've also made provision for setting the panel on the ground far from the vehicle, presuming I can find a shady spot to park the vehicle in the desert southwest. In which case I use a long tether cable and jack into a PP15 on the rear face of my power module.
So as seen in the above pic, I've got a variety of cabling / connection options to support different configurations. The panel itself originally had the PWC mounted on the back side of the panel's tilting leg framing and was wired with SAE connections. So I have the shorter SAE to PP plugged into the panel and the long lead with PP15 connectors on both ends running back and down along my liftgate and into the power box . All I have to do is unlock the roof frame and take the panel down and set it within 30' of the vehicle.
eta I've got room on my roof, what I'd like to do is re-make my roof mount and have a permanently mounted panel forward of existing panel and keep the rear folding panel at the rear, relocatable. but I have to find a fixed panel that's <44" long. I already have a 'Y' connector (PP15s) on the input of the PWC. As well as a newer PWC
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Alloy
Well-known member
If used in the cold the 10ga duplex wire might be hard to coil....and the jacket adds allot of bulk.
Alloy
Well-known member
haha. Yea, well the generous goop of RTV around the outside bulkhead flange and the dielectric grease inside the connector should buy me some time.
Do a google image search - I guarantee that if you eliminate MC4 connectors, 80%+ of what you'll see for solar panel connections will be SAE connectors for some reason.
The actual unit I received is even better-finished than the one in the images. I'm pretty impressed for something that was 3D printed. The APP connector does need to be glued in place) or there is a provision to drive a roll pin all the way down through it as well.
Threaded Panel Mount Adapter, Compatible With Anderson PowerPole PP15-PP45 | eBay
A threaded panel mount for Anderson PowerPole connectors! This is a revised version which includes the pin hole for retaining the connector shells in place instead of having to glue it in. (retaining pin is not included).www.ebay.com
Would use black 3M 5200 Fast Dry instead of RTV.
SAE are cheap and will last a 2 years if used 1-2 times a month. The easier it becomes to use a SAE connector the higher the electrical resistance.
SBSYNCRO
Well-known member
I thought about 5200 but based on exactly your other point, I wanted something that would perform a gasket function more than an adhesive function, since I’ll likely be replacing every couple years.
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Alloy
Well-known member
5200 should make a gasket also but 5200 shouldn't break loose as easily as RTV when the plug is used. Myself I'd rather take a chance it needs to be cut off vs. have it leak on a trip.
Another option is a min. 1/8" silicone gasket with a little RTV. Depends if the surface is curved.
A washer that is larger than the clamp nut and placed on the inside under the clamp nut will reduce the amount that the socket can move when being used.
When installing put masking tape circle on the roof that is 1/8"- 3/16" larger on both sides of the socket/gasket. It will keep the sealant from spreading and looks better. Take the masking off when the sealant becomes tacky. Take the masking off too soon and the sealant will form long strings.
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