Visit our Popular Forums

**DKB_SATX** · 06-12-2017, 02:51 PM

I wasn't sure if I should put this here or in a section for the modern trailers that come with this, but I suspect it's potentially a more general problem than, say, on 26U Flying Clouds like mine so I'd need to cross-post, which we try to discourage.

Earlier this year I picked up our new 26U at Colonial. I started with a new company at the beginning of the year so I don't have a ton of vacation banked and had a fairly busy "working from the road" trip home with the Flying Cloud, and while it went well overall, I didn't have as much time to play with the toys and extras as I'd have liked. Then our camping trips after that were hot, rain or both so I just hadn't taken the time to fiddle with the Zamp 160w portable system I arranged to get with the trailer.

This past weekend I was playing with some new toys ... er.. testing out my new Briggs & Stratton P2200 generators, and I hauled the Zamp over to the storage spot as well to make sure that does what I expect as well. We're going up to Wyoming in August for the eclipse, with a boondocking site at a country campground up on Casper Mountain, so I want to be covered for power, especially with all these fiddly modern battery demands like propane detectors and 12v brains in the fridge and water heater.

I had made up a reversed-connection patch cable for the Zamp connector at the battery box so I could use a battery-tender smart charger while the trailer sits at storage, but hadn't gotten around to using that yet (I'd been using the charger with alligator clamps until Sunday.) I expected to be able to plug the Zamp in directly, and need the patch cable for the smart-charger.

WRONG!

Airstream wired the Zamp connector in the SAE-standard way, rather than the Zamp reversed way. When I plugged in the Zamp for the very first time (first time I'd every played with any of their products) I was having fits trying to figure out why it wasn't working like I expected. After I unplugged it from the Zamp inlet and plugged in the provided alligator clamps and put those on the batteries, it was perfectly happy. A little testing with the multimeter proved to me that the Zamp inlet on *my* trailer is wired up with the "standard" SAE connector polarity rather than the Zamp reversed polarity, so now I'll use the patch cable for the solar and I'll be able to plug the smart charger in directly. Sure enough, swapping in the patch cable between the Zamp controller and the inlet resolved the problem... 7.7A of charging with sun on the panel, confirmed with my new DC-amp-clamp multimeter. The joys of toys!

**DKB_SATX** · 06-12-2017, 02:54 PM

You may be wondering why I didn't just swap the wires in the battery box. When Airstream made up the wires, the connected one line off the Zamp connector to a big red wire with a 30A inline fuse, and connected that to the + battery terminal. I figured I was more likely to forget that "big red wire in this one instance goes to -" than "Zamp needs patch cord."

martin300662 · 06-12-2017, 03:06 PM

Until Zamp fix the actual issue (that they reverse the SAE standard), anyone using the same SAE connector for a battery tender and the panel, will need a gender changing patch chord. If anyone has it 'wrong' it's Zamp.

**DKB_SATX** · 06-12-2017, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin300662

Until Zamp fix the actual issue (that they reverse the SAE standard), anyone using the same SAE connector for a battery tender and the panel, will need a gender changing patch chord. If anyone has it 'wrong' it's Zamp.

This is apocryphal (some internet user on an RV solar forum wrote it, rather than a Zamp rep) but I read that Zamp set up the polarity that way because their controller could be zapped if the other conductor is exposed and contacts the frame of the panels when they're in the sun. I've no idea if there's any truth to that, but it's the only thing I've seen expressed as an actual reason for their non-standard use of the SAE connector.

martin300662 · 06-12-2017, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

This is apocryphal (some internet user on an RV solar forum wrote it, rather than a Zamp rep) but I read that Zamp set up the polarity that way because their controller could be zapped if the other conductor is exposed and contacts the frame of the panels when they're in the sun. I've no idea if there's any truth to that, but it's the only thing I've seen expressed as an actual reason for their non-standard use of the SAE connector.

I believe that is true....but in doing so they leave the positive connector from the battery/batteries exposed. If so, the actual problem is the Zamp controller.

Mattirs · 06-12-2017, 07:16 PM

The reverse polarity on Solar Controllers seems to be standard. When I hooked up my Midnite Brat controller, l had problems be for I remembered to switch the wires coming from the panels at the controller. Got that while reading about a third controller.

AWCHIEF · 06-12-2017, 07:39 PM

It had the same reverse polarity issue with my Renogy suitcase the first time I used it. Starting to thank that is the industry standard for solar panels.

NoResults · 06-12-2017, 09:40 PM

Just picked up my Zamp 160 suitcase today for a great price. This thread has me confused. Do I need to do something different when hooking directly up to my battery with the alligator clamps?

If I purchase the Zamp connector for the battery box do I just cut off the alligator clamps.??

Dave

**DKB_SATX** · 06-12-2017, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoResults

Just picked up my Zamp 160 suitcase today for a great price. This thread has me confused. Do I need to do something different when hooking directly up to my battery with the alligator clamps?

If I purchase the Zamp connector for the battery box do I just cut off the alligator clamps.??

Dave

If your Zamp is the same as my Zamp 160w suitcase, the alligator clips just plug into the end of the cord coming off the controller, and that plug is what would connect to the Zamp connector if you install one (or have one factory-installed on a newer trailer.) You don't have to cut anything, just unplug the alligator clamps and plug into the installed inlet.

ONLY use the Zamp's alligator clamps if you're plugging in w/ that Zamp connector. For example, my smart-charger uses the SAE plug (but arranged in the standard orientation) and has a set of alligator clamps, but if I plugged those into the Zamp connector + and - would be reversed (compared to the color of the clamps.)

NordSailOne · 06-13-2017, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoResults

Just picked up my Zamp 160 suitcase today for a great price. This thread has me confused. Do I need to do something different when hooking directly up to my battery with the alligator clamps?

If I purchase the Zamp connector for the battery box do I just cut off the alligator clamps.??

Dave

May I ask where you bought it?