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Old 04-10-2015, 12:18 PM   #101
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I have 3 100W Renogy Flexible panels and they are performing as promised. Look on their website.
Also you won't get any better support than you will get from Bogart Engineering. I just had an upgrade on the TM done. I paid the shipping, the update was free and they shipped it back and reimbursed me for my time and trouble.


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Old 04-10-2015, 04:13 PM   #102
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Originally Posted by gandttimes View Post
I have 3 100W Renogy Flexible panels and they are performing as promised. Look on their website.
Also you won't get any better support than you will get from Bogart Engineering. I just had an upgrade on the TM done. I paid the shipping, the update was free and they shipped it back and reimbursed me for my time and trouble.


George
George, what was the update on the TM2025 all about?
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Old 04-10-2015, 04:57 PM   #103
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George, what was the update on the TM2025 all about?
The update was for the TM2030 which I have working in conjunction with the SC2030 controller and it was more of an upgrade to allow another set point so that there would basically be a one button equalization process.


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Old 04-10-2015, 05:56 PM   #104
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I have 2 of the flexible renology panels and I store them under the mattress. MUCH better than the big solid panel that filled up the truck bed.
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Old 04-10-2015, 07:55 PM   #105
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The update was for the TM2030 which I have working in conjunction with the SC2030 controller and it was more of an upgrade to allow another set point so that there would basically be a one button equalization process.


George
OK, thanks, not for my unit.....thought I missed something.
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Old 04-10-2015, 07:59 PM   #106
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I have 2 of the flexible renology panels and I store them under the mattress. MUCH better than the big solid panel that filled up the truck bed.
Great Idea. I store my 3 on the canopy of my truck all ready to hook up!


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Old 04-12-2015, 01:41 AM   #107
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Now, about ordering a Bogart Engineering SC-2030 controller with the Trimetric 2030RV version 2.2 monitor to use initially with 3 100-watt Renogy flexible panels, but possibly with more panels added in the future, should the Bogart equipment be purchased with a 500 amp or 100 amp shunt?
http://bogartengineering.com/sites/d...SHUNTInfo2.pdf

Application Notes | Bogart Engineering

It looks, from Bogart's FAQs that 500 amp would be best in the long run:

D. Shunt Frequently Answered Questions – Click for questions
D1.Which shunt should I use in my system ?
Click for answer
The two choices are the 500 Amp/50mV shunt or 100 Amp/100mV shunt. The most common choice is the 500A/50mV shunt. The deciding factors are the MAXIMUM amps that you will either charge or discharge with your system, and the highest "amps" resolution that you want to see on your meter. Usually this is determined by your maximum loads on the battery.

The 100A/100mV shunt will likely overheat if your system if charging or discharging your batteries over 70 amps, so in that case you should use the 500A shunt. Going over this value will not harm the meter--however the shunt can overheat with too many amps. If you have an inverter, converter, or loads with a 12 volts system that exceed 800 watts (or with 24 system 1600 watts) then that will likely put you over the 70 amp limit. For example, using a microwave would usually exceed 70 amps in a 12V system. With the 500A/50mV shunt you will be able to read "amps" values down to 0.1 amp. A 0.1 amp draw in a 12V system would be represented by a 1.2 watt load. With a 24V system it would be 2.4 watts.

If you have a smaller system there is an advantage of the 100A/100mV shunt, in that you will be able to read amps values on the meter as low as 0.01 amp instead of 0.1 amp. This would hardly matter in a large system, but in a smaller system you may want to able to see really small loads. 0.01 amp would allow you to see loads down to 0.12 watt loads.

----------
Another part to purchase is the Bogart Engineering TS-2 temperature sensor, which I gather would be helpful.

Do any of you have a favorite vendor for Bogart components? Here are some:
17 Bogart Engineering SC-2030 Solar Charge Controller

TriMetric Battery Monitor

Alt E Store - Search Results for Bogart

Do you have favorite vendors for Renogy solar panels?
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:12 PM   #108
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Flexible Solar panels... Opinions?

OK, you guys have convinced me, Renogy & Trimetric.

I found my solar prewire today and both ends are terminated in crimp connections. It looks like the Renogy comes with MC4 connections, and if I cut them off I void the warranty (that may not be the main problem if I tape the panel down, since I could never get it off in one piece). Would you recommend cutting off the MC4s or cutting off the crimp connections on the prewire and adding MC4s?
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:42 PM   #109
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaineStreamer View Post
Now, about ordering a Bogart Engineering SC-2030 controller with the Trimetric 2030RV version 2.2 monitor to use initially with 3 100-watt Renogy flexible panels, but possibly with more panels added in the future, should the Bogart equipment be purchased with a 500 amp or 100 amp shunt?
http://bogartengineering.com/sites/d...SHUNTInfo2.pdf

Application Notes | Bogart Engineering

It looks, from Bogart's FAQs that 500 amp would be best in the long run:

D. Shunt Frequently Answered Questions – Click for questions
D1.Which shunt should I use in my system ?
Click for answer
The two choices are the 500 Amp/50mV shunt or 100 Amp/100mV shunt. The most common choice is the 500A/50mV shunt. The deciding factors are the MAXIMUM amps that you will either charge or discharge with your system, and the highest "amps" resolution that you want to see on your meter. Usually this is determined by your maximum loads on the battery.

The 100A/100mV shunt will likely overheat if your system if charging or discharging your batteries over 70 amps, so in that case you should use the 500A shunt. Going over this value will not harm the meter--however the shunt can overheat with too many amps. If you have an inverter, converter, or loads with a 12 volts system that exceed 800 watts (or with 24 system 1600 watts) then that will likely put you over the 70 amp limit. For example, using a microwave would usually exceed 70 amps in a 12V system. With the 500A/50mV shunt you will be able to read "amps" values down to 0.1 amp. A 0.1 amp draw in a 12V system would be represented by a 1.2 watt load. With a 24V system it would be 2.4 watts.

If you have a smaller system there is an advantage of the 100A/100mV shunt, in that you will be able to read amps values on the meter as low as 0.01 amp instead of 0.1 amp. This would hardly matter in a large system, but in a smaller system you may want to able to see really small loads. 0.01 amp would allow you to see loads down to 0.12 watt loads.

----------
Another part to purchase is the Bogart Engineering TS-2 temperature sensor, which I gather would be helpful.

Do any of you have a favorite vendor for Bogart components? Here are some:
17 Bogart Engineering SC-2030 Solar Charge Controller

TriMetric Battery Monitor

Alt E Store - Search Results for Bogart

Do you have favorite vendors for Renogy solar panels?

When I ordered my TM2025, Randy recommended the 500Amp shunt, but I can't remember all the whys. You are correct that the resolution of the 500amp is only to the tenth, whereas the 100amp is to the hundredth.

You may want to call Randy, at bestconverter.com to discuss.
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Old 04-12-2015, 09:13 PM   #110
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Marty, your 300-watt Renogy setup with the TM2030 and the Bogart SC-2030 sounds like just what I am planning to install, except I'm going with rigid panels. All things being equal, what battery setup will you have? I want to leave room for expansion (and a possible inverter) in the future. Also either two of the Lifeline GPL-4CT or two of the GPL-6CT AGMs. Is this enough? We don't plan on using the air conditioning or microwave when boondocking; have all LED lighting and catalytic heater. Thought I'd leave room to expand to four of the six-volt AGMs if need be. I'm curious to know how you will configure yours.
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Old 04-13-2015, 04:35 AM   #111
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This is interesting: Flexible RV Solar Issues Revealed - Our One Year Review

Of course, a year earlier, the Wynns were dancing around on the flexible panels, which was abusive: Powerful and Flexible RV Solar Panels
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Old 04-13-2015, 04:38 AM   #112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dznf0g View Post
When I ordered my TM2025, Randy recommended the 500Amp shunt, but I can't remember all the whys. You are correct that the resolution of the 500amp is only to the tenth, whereas the 100amp is to the hundredth.

You may want to call Randy, at bestconverter.com to discuss.
Are you happy with www.bestconverter.com as your supplier for these technology items and guidance?
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Old 04-13-2015, 04:56 AM   #113
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Originally Posted by youngpeck View Post
Marty, your 300-watt Renogy setup with the TM2030 and the Bogart SC-2030 sounds like just what I am planning to install, except I'm going with rigid panels. All things being equal, what battery setup will you have? I want to leave room for expansion (and a possible inverter) in the future. Also either two of the Lifeline GPL-4CT or two of the GPL-6CT AGMs. Is this enough? We don't plan on using the air conditioning or microwave when boondocking; have all LED lighting and catalytic heater. Thought I'd leave room to expand to four of the six-volt AGMs if need be. I'm curious to know how you will configure yours.
Initially, my batteries are just the 2 ACDelco Voyager II 12-volt deep cycle batteries (manufactured November 2012) that came with my 2007 Safari when I got it last fall. Placement of a larger battery bank is something I don't want to deal with at this time, until I learn from others and gain experience using my Airstream.
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:22 AM   #114
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I like my flexible panels. I have 3 120 watt panels. It's been only 3 months since I installed them, but what I like is they conform to the roof so not only are they not visible from the ground, but because the roof is curved water runs off and does not puddle nor do they collect dirt. The jury's still out and it's too early to comment on whether they will get scratched or last 10 years, but so far so good.

Also, because the roof is curved the panels wrap around and catch the sun's rays earlier and later in the day than if they were flat.

They work just fine and are more than adequate for my needs.
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:57 AM   #115
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I like my flexible panels. I have 3 120 watt panels. It's been only 3 months since I installed them, but what I like is they conform to the roof so not only are they not visible from the ground, but because the roof is curved water runs off and does not puddle nor do they collect dirt. The jury's still out and it's too early to comment on whether they will get scratched or last 10 years, but so far so good.

Also, because the roof is curved the panels wrap around and catch the sun's rays earlier and later in the day than if they were flat.

They work just fine and are more than adequate for my needs.
Fred,

Glad that you are happy with your flex panels. Just for clarification; we did a study on the output from the sun as it moves across the curvature of the panels. While the outer edge of left side may be facing the sun for a better angle, the opposite edge (right side) is facing away and receives considerably less solar radiance. It sort of evens out..........more for one side but less for the other.

In addition, we also found that any flex panel, regardless of manufacturer, is less sensitive than a hard panel of the same wattage rating. I have 5-100 watt flex panels on the roof of my service van (they replaced 5-100 watt hard panels), and while they still charge my 200 amp/hour lithium battery quickly, I never get the same amount of amperage from these panels as I was getting from my hard panels.

Example: when needed, the 500 watts of hard panels would put up to 35 amps into the batteries during solar noon (thru a Blue Sky 3024iL controller and iPN-PRO remote). I have never seen more than 24 amps from the flex panels thru the same electronics. They simply are not as sensitive as hard panels.

I believe this is due to their coating. If you look at your photo, the reflection from the surface of the panels is easily visible. Hard panels do not exhibit this, and I feel that this reflectivity contributes to the lack of sensitivity. In addition, the surface mounting of the flex panels causes them to operate at a higher temperature, as cooling air can not reach the back. I believe that both of these factors contribute directly to the loss of efficiency seen in the flex panels.

We did a test a while back on flex vs. hard panels (both from Grape Solar) and found that there was a 93 watt output from a hard panel where the flex panel showed a maximum of 75 watts. This was a side-by-side test.

They do look great on a roof....though.
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Old 04-13-2015, 06:28 AM   #116
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Lewster,

I don't doubt what you're saying. I'm just saying they keep my 2 Grp27 lead acid batteries fully charged and do so early in the day. Yes, I plan to replace these with either 2 6v or 3 Grp27 AGMs when these peter out.

I have a 1000 watt inverter which meets my needs. My Midnite Solar Kid controller has completely adjustable charging parameters for each of the 4 charging stages. Also, the Midnite has replacement fuses which the Blue Sky I had did not. How do I know this. I got careless and shorted my Blue Sky while I was installing it.....should have been more careful, but bottom line is that it killed the controller and it was a total loss. I can't help but believe a fuse would have blown in the Midnite Solar thus saving it. Expensive lesson.
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Old 04-13-2015, 06:43 AM   #117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acstokes View Post
I like my flexible panels. I have 3 120 watt panels. It's been only 3 months since I installed them, but what I like is they conform to the roof so not only are they not visible from the ground, but because the roof is curved water runs off and does not puddle nor do they collect dirt. The jury's still out and it's too early to comment on whether they will get scratched or last 10 years, but so far so good.

Also, because the roof is curved the panels wrap around and catch the sun's rays earlier and later in the day than if they were flat.

They work just fine and are more than adequate for my needs.
Fred - What brand are your 3 flexible solar panels? Where did you buy them and are you happy with the vendor?
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Old 04-13-2015, 07:00 AM   #118
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When mentioning four Lifeline model 6ct 6Vdc at 300 amp hour batteries, one needs to consider where the 372 pounds of batteries will be placed.
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Old 04-13-2015, 07:08 AM   #119
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Marty,

I bought these off eBay:

100 watt Solar Panel

As I said above, I've only had them about 3 months and I'm very pleased with them so far. At this point I can only say for certain that they work and are quite a bit less expensive than some other brands I researched. The company's service was good and they arrived promptly.

As a commercial vendor I feel I should say I'm in no way affiliated or endorsing this company or their products.

P. S. Just noticed this link is for 100 watt panels and mine are 120 watt. Same company, but different product.
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Old 04-13-2015, 10:59 AM   #120
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Are you happy with www.bestconverter.com as your supplier for these technology items and guidance?
Yes, pricing is competitive...but perhaps more importantly, Randy is always available for advice and recommendations on a variety of equipment. I have purchased the TriMetric, Iota converter, and some other items from him. I have an order in now with him for the SeeLevel monitoring system and he has advised me on a couple of phone calls now on questions relative to that purchase and install.
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