Long detailed post about electric and solar. Curious of your opinions on it.
- Thread starter jrose152
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A classic blast from the past.
Too opinionated about "new trends" like MPPT, but lots of good 101 intro stuff for noobs to get oriented.
True the Bogart Trimetric controlling SC-2030 is a near-perfect solar system for up to 62A output.
But PWM not MPPT.
Too opinionated about "new trends" like MPPT, but lots of good 101 intro stuff for noobs to get oriented.
True the Bogart Trimetric controlling SC-2030 is a near-perfect solar system for up to 62A output.
But PWM not MPPT.
Trebor English
Well-known member
One of the key points is that wire size matters. If you have a nice polite professional installation done by people who tell you that they know what they are doing with AWG 10 wire, your system might actually work well with AWG 6. Copper isn't outdated technology. Even in today's modern high tech environment ohms still resist the flow.
Handy Bob is a must read for anyone putting solar into their van/rv/truck. i do think the information is a little dated but the principles are just as solid today as they were when he wrote it. Build it the right way and you will enjoy using solar for years to come. Do a poor job and you will always be fighting an uphill battle.
High voltage panels in series and MPPT controllers do not need heavy gage wiring from the panels to the controller, the commercially available windy nation 10 gage mc4 cables are plenty. Older low voltage panels wired in parallel need huge gage wiring as the amperage is quite large and the voltage low so the voltage drop is significant. Dropping a volt or 2 on a 120volt system is negligible but on a system putting out only 15 volts with high amps it is a big deal. The article is outdated, but does still have good info. MPPT and high voltage is the way to go nowadays. All home systems have been that way for years, by using items such as microinverters.
The cables from the controller to the battery should have the largest gage the controller can handle, and be as short a run as possible, as these wires will be low voltage/high amperage (MPPT).
The cables from the controller to the battery should have the largest gage the controller can handle, and be as short a run as possible, as these wires will be low voltage/high amperage (MPPT).
frater secessus
Well-known member
I made a synopsis of that post to making digesting easier. I tried not to interject my opinions or editorialize.
Anyone planning a solar system should read the whole of Handy Bob before asking any questions. Knowledgeable questions get the best answers. Here is the best summary of Bob's series of blogs that I have found, http://therecklesschoice.com/2017/07/07/handy-bob-solar-summary/
