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Old 08-29-2019, 07:19 PM   #501
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Factory Installed Solar Charging System

Check both sides of that red hat looking thing on your battery. I believe that is a fuse, and also that square blob on the red wire. If you have a tester you can poke right into the wire insulation. The clip on the other end of the tester goes to battery black or any metal that connects to the frame.
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Old 08-29-2019, 07:33 PM   #502
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One more thing. I don't have solar, and I don't know if the solar controller can just cut off your batteries or your converter.
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Old 08-30-2019, 09:23 AM   #503
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Despite all the marketing, the solar panel technology actually puts out 75% of the advertised numbers. Our nine 100 watt AM Solar panels produce, under ideal conditions, about 675 watts on our 31' Classic. The same part number five solar panels on our 23D produce about 375 watts.

So the factory 160 watt panel(s) could be expected to produce about 120 watts on an ideal day. Insufficient wire size takes a toll on the amount of power going to the battery system.
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Old 08-30-2019, 01:13 PM   #504
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Suggested resolution by Airstream dealer

FYI - This is what Airstream recommended I do to try and resolve this issue, which I will test this weekend. (Assume it works unless you hear back from me.):

"From what I can tell the batteries have gotten way to low. The BO1 error indicates Batteries disconnected or below 3 vdc. The lithium batteries have a brain built in that will shut them off when they reach 8.5VDC to protect them from over discharge. The batteries will reconnect when a charge voltage is applied but once they have reached that low it will take a full day to recharge them. The solar controller likely died because there was no longer enough power coming from the panels to power the brain while disconnected from the batteries.

There is an indicator light in the batteries that will indicate normal operation or a fault. If the light is green that’s normal operation flashing red indicates empty or nearly empty 8.5VDC. If the batteries are not reconnecting when you run your generator you may need to use your tow vehicle to re start the BMS in the lithium’s. This is accomplished by plugging in the 7 way and letting the vehicle run. In tandem with that run the generator, once the batteries come back on the 7 way can be disconnected." ###

Quote:
Originally Posted by A.S. Beauty View Post
Hi all,
I'm a newbie and not sure what I'm doing. I have a 2019 23' FC with 3 solar panels installed and 2 Lithium batteries. I had been running well until the past couple of weeks where I have been boondocking for consecutive days and parked in shadier campsites. In the past week, my trailer shuts down. Sometimes I can get it back up and running if I plug in a 30amp which ran from a friend's garage.

But now I'm no longer parked at my friend's house, and I can't get it to come on at all. I bought a Honda 2200 generator yesterday - ran it for 3 hours and nothing. I ran it another 3 hours today and nothing. That was with a 30amp adaptor.

So... am I just being impatient? Should I let the generator run all day(s)?

Or... are my batteries pooped out?

Or... some other option?

Attached are photos. Equipment info & I did confirm the following:
- the generator works; I used it to power up a portable lithium (Yeti) battery where it read a 59amp input
- I've got Zamp solar panels and monitor (reads B01 error message)
- confirmed the red light is on the power cord feeding the trailer (so receiving a charge)
- 2 - Expion360 Lithium batteries have been working fine for the past 3 months; connection seem okay, but I have no idea
- I didn't disconnect the battery remotely, but it automatically did that when I ran out of juice. In the past, it has automatically started back up after plugging into my friend's garage power source.

Help!
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Old 09-03-2019, 11:34 AM   #505
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Quote:
Originally Posted by switz View Post
Despite all the marketing, the solar panel technology actually puts out 75% of the advertised numbers. Our nine 100 watt AM Solar panels produce, under ideal conditions, about 675 watts on our 31' Classic. The same part number five solar panels on our 23D produce about 375 watts.

So the factory 160 watt panel(s) could be expected to produce about 120 watts on an ideal day. Insufficient wire size takes a toll on the amount of power going to the battery system.
I am re-doing my system and expect to do quite a bit better than 75%. For example I am testing panels and was able to actually get 94 watts out of a 100W rated panel. (Newpowa NPA100-12) That's 94% of rated power and that test was done on a hot (90F) day. On a cooler day the rated 100W looks realistic. I plan on using separate MPPT converters on each panel so that each panel operates at its best MPPT point. Those converters have an efficiency of over 97% (Vin=24, Vo=14.2, 8A) and wiring losses kept below 1%. That will give me a 92% (or better system). This is not a dream, these are numbers I have actually measured. The one fly in the ointment is using panel positioning (like I used during my testing) can't be done on the roof of an Airstream.
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Old 09-04-2019, 11:00 AM   #506
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Hi

I've seen well over 95W out of my 80 or 90W rated "factory" panels. I don't see that when I'm sitting in the shade or on a cloudy day. 4 factory panels on the roof and running the stock wires down to a Victron MPPT solar charger.

Bob
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Old 09-05-2019, 05:30 AM   #507
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With the 650-watt array on Rocinante, we have on occasion seen as much as the rated wattage coming from those panels. So, if you’re getting significantly less than the rated watts under conditions that otherwise appear ideal, it may be due to other factors, such as the gauge of the wiring, the length of the run from the panels to the controller, or something else.
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Old 09-06-2019, 10:04 AM   #508
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Hi

In terms of "less watts" there are a lot of things that can contribute:

1) You can calculate exactly the 2 or 4% your wiring contributes.

2) When was the last time you washed off your panels? There's a pretty thick coating of Montana on most of the trailer right now

3) How hot are things sitting out in the sun? A 10 or 20% hit is not at all unheard of. Again if you know the temperature of the actual panels you can calculate the hit.

4) How clear is it *really* It does not take much haze to get you a 20% hit.

5) Which way are you parked? Especially with large arrays, something it going to shade a panel at some point. They may or may not be tipped a bit. Unless you climb up and look, it can be hard to guess how much sun is hitting the array.

6) Is it really solar noon right now? US time zones are a bit interesting. You can be pretty far from solar time at various points in the US.

7) Is the battery bank able to take a full load from the solar? With lithiums it probably can. With lead acid .... maybe not so much. Either way, a full battery isn't going to pull much of anything.

8) What kind of controller do you have? Some are better at what they do ( = MPPT) than others.

9) What is the efficiency of your controller? If you have one that shows you input and output power, that's pretty easy to work out. If yours is a bit less fancy an DVM will be required. Hopefully it's up above 90% .... It will vary with input voltage, temperature and load ....

10) Who did your panels come from? The idea that everybody makes them the same is ok. The idea that they *label* them the same .... maybe not so much. If brand A calls a panel that tests at 105 to 110W a 100W panel and brand B calls a panel that tests at 99 to 104 a 100W panel 100W ... that gets into all this.

No that's not a full list, it's just a few of the possibilities. Yes there are a lot of 5 to 10% sort of issues there.

Bob
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Old 01-29-2020, 03:19 PM   #509
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Factory installed and portable solar combined

We have the factory installed solar (180 watts I believe) and the Atkinson/Sunexplorer controller/display. We also have 200 watt Zamp portable. After viewing an Airstream video about the factory solar, it appears that the factory solar stops/slows down charging when it's above 12.6 volts. So if I have the portable connected it's going to show above 12.6 volts and presumably keep the rooftop panels from charging. Is this correct? What i would like to do is get a controller/charger that would support both, combining their input without them fighting each other's controller. Is this possible?
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Old 01-29-2020, 03:40 PM   #510
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The best thing you could possibly do is get rid of that factory solar charger and quite possibly the 120volt converter charger. I unplugged my converter charger and replaced the solar charger. Now I just charge the batteries with the solar charger and nothing else. Winter or summer it works fine. I just clear the snow off the panels when it snows. 12.6 volts is a good way to ruin your batteries. You need the proper voltages for charging your type of batteries. If not start there. 300 watts of solar and 4 batteries is all I have and 100 watts of solar is what was on the unit when I got it. I go at least 3 weeks at a time off grid and have never run out of power, even camping in the shade. A good battery monitor will help you control your usage.
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Old 01-29-2020, 04:23 PM   #511
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wareaglewalt View Post
We have the factory installed solar (180 watts I believe) and the Atkinson/Sunexplorer controller/display. We also have 200 watt Zamp portable. After viewing an Airstream video about the factory solar, it appears that the factory solar stops/slows down charging when it's above 12.6 volts. So if I have the portable connected it's going to show above 12.6 volts and presumably keep the rooftop panels from charging. Is this correct? What i would like to do is get a controller/charger that would support both, combining their input without them fighting each other's controller. Is this possible?
You could run the Zamp thru the 7pin umbilical and use the Zamp controller.
I run 2 180w Zamp panels, each panel has it's own controller.
The only thing I learned is to plug each panel into the Y connector and then plug into the 7pin.

Here is a photo of one 140w panel & one 180w panel playing very well together thru the 7pin. Two separate controllers at different rates.



Bob
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Old 01-29-2020, 07:17 PM   #512
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I misspoke. The Airstream video says the Atkinson/Sunexporer controller will kick in when the voltage gets 12.4 volts or below. So that was why it seemed if the Zamp portable was keeping the voltage well above 12.4 volts while charging, the rooftop panels wouldn't come into play for charging.
Thanks for the youtube video. I'm prolly gonna have to watch it several times to get it. I'm a newbie to all this stuff.
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Old 02-13-2020, 06:23 PM   #513
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Looking for Lewster! 2016 Airstream Intrrstate needing solar upgrade in Ft Myers, FL
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Old 02-22-2020, 10:04 AM   #514
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I am installing a BVM-712 on my 2019 FC 30RB. I am wondering if anyone knows the best way to get into the 12 volt enclosure on this model. It is mounted on the front wall of the trailer and can be seen through an opening under the front lounge. Unfortunately it is close quarters me to reach it. Any pointers on removing the couch?
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Old 02-23-2020, 09:12 AM   #515
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gator.bigfoot View Post
The best thing you could possibly do is get rid of that factory solar charger and quite possibly the 120volt converter charger. I unplugged my converter charger and replaced the solar charger. Now I just charge the batteries with the solar charger and nothing else. Winter or summer it works fine. I just clear the snow off the panels when it snows. 12.6 volts is a good way to ruin your batteries. You need the proper voltages for charging your type of batteries. If not start there. 300 watts of solar and 4 batteries is all I have and 100 watts of solar is what was on the unit when I got it. I go at least 3 weeks at a time off grid and have never run out of power, even camping in the shade. A good battery monitor will help you control your usage.
How do you charge in the shade?
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Old 02-24-2020, 06:58 AM   #516
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Originally Posted by wareaglewalt View Post
How do you charge in the shade?
Panels wired in parallel is key. Good panels are also key along with large enough wire to minimize the losses (1%). Pure dark shade is obviously a no go. You do need some light on them. But one thing I've noticed is that on cloudy days where there is no shadows cast my output is actually much better than when heavy shadows are cast on the panels.

With the AGM batteries that I use (4 of them) not going less than 85% is key. If you go below that you will not charge them the next day. The battery monitor is key to figuring out how to use less. Unless your made of money and have 800 watts plus lithium then you can use a lot more. But for my needs I find that the 300 watts (well barely 300 since 2 of the panels are those lousy 50 watt panels that came with the trailer) and 4 batteries works just fine. In the day I've got all the fans running and it will still charge. I'm also using an older PWM controller since with the panels in mostly shade there wouldn't be much use in using a MPPT since the voltage isn't high enough. Would a MPPT be better? Of course, since most MPPT controllers switch to PWM when the voltage is too low so you have best of both worlds.
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Old 02-24-2020, 08:59 AM   #517
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Hi

There are a *lot* of different levels of "shade". If you get deep into dense trees, it can get pretty dark. In a more open situation, there can be quite a bit of light, even in the "shade". Without a more exact definition of how obstructed things are ( I'm in the shade when I'm in the garage ....) there is no way to really quantify the impact on your solar.

We have been in campsites that made it difficult to hit 10% of our normal solar power levels in a day. Indeed, there also have been a few that actually provided *more* (1.7 KWH) than what I would call normal.

In our case if we don't get 50AH into the batteries in a day, we are falling behind, no matter what. At 100AH we would keep up with just about any normal set of activities in a day. With 5 panels on the roof, we usually get above the 50AH level.

Time of year, level of overcast, position of trailer, dirt on the panels, temperature, ... lots of things other than shade have an impact on solar.

Bob
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Old 02-24-2020, 10:38 PM   #518
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How do you charge in the shade?
You don't.
So there is a summer dilemma here. Sun to charge batteries or shade for a cooler trailer. We always go for shade!
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Old 02-25-2020, 08:36 AM   #519
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Very few campsites are in total darkness of shade. Most have filtered light or where the sun will at least shine on one or 2 panels for an hour. Those are the ones I like. Total darkness is no fun. Luckily I've never had one of those for more than a night.
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Old 02-26-2020, 06:46 AM   #520
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Originally Posted by gator.bigfoot View Post
Very few campsites are in total darkness of shade. Most have filtered light or where the sun will at least shine on one or 2 panels for an hour. Those are the ones I like. Total darkness is no fun. Luckily I've never had one of those for more than a night.
Hi

We have stayed at a number of campsites where the panels dropped to near nothing for most of the day. Pretty much no sun on any panel outside a 1 or 2 hour window.

Bob
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