Upgrade factory solar controller

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by FishByFly

I need to reset the pin to my Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20. I see on the app where to reset. I understand that the PUK code is on the packaging. Which number is that code?

I think the default code you need is all zeros. I believe its six zeros. Try entering all zeros.

[Nelsonsrus]

[QUOTE=uncle_bob;2306049]Hi

The key phrase is "....chassis grounding is permitted....". In other words they do not hook the outer shell of the unit to anything internally. Since it's floating relative to all the other connections, no multiple ground issue is created by the connection to the ground lug.

Bob,

I've mounted the unit under the sofa by tapping two holes into the cross frame of the center seat section and screwing the controller in place using the two mounting slots at the top. Is that possibly hooking the the outer shell internally?

Everything seems to be working although I'm wondering if I need new batteries as the controller could only keep the batteries at about 80% the day after we hooked the controller up which was about noon. At the time the best that was coming out of the solar panels was 40W.

We're at a park with hookups and I just shut us off at the pedestal. I'm reading 80W, 16 or so volts and 4+ amps (numbers bounce around a bit) on the app under the solar section. The battery section says 14.18V, 5.5A and Bulk. Does that sound correct? I've never seen anything but Bulk.

Again, I don't know enough yet to understand how well things are working and what I may need to do. We're going to be at a dry camping rally this Thursday in Arizona so I'm hoping there might be someone there to take a look at things.

Bryan

P.S. I need to update my profile as we no longer have the 2016 Classic but a 2017.

[Nelsonsrus]

Just a quick update, the controller has switched to Absorption.

[AirMiles]

[QUOTE=Nelsonsrus;2306958]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The key phrase is "....chassis grounding is permitted....". In other words they do not hook the outer shell of the unit to anything internally. Since it's floating relative to all the other connections, no multiple ground issue is created by the connection to the ground lug.

Bob,

I've mounted the unit under the sofa by tapping two holes into the cross frame of the center seat section and screwing the controller in place using the two mounting slots at the top. Is that possibly hooking the the outer shell internally?

Everything seems to be working although I'm wondering if I need new batteries as the controller could only keep the batteries at about 80% the day after we hooked the controller up which was about noon. At the time the best that was coming out of the solar panels was 40W.

We're at a park with hookups and I just shut us off at the pedestal. I'm reading 80W, 16 or so volts and 4+ amps (numbers bounce around a bit) on the app under the solar section. The battery section says 14.18V, 5.5A and Bulk. Does that sound correct? I've never seen anything but Bulk.

Again, I don't know enough yet to understand how well things are working and what I may need to do. We're going to be at a dry camping rally this Thursday in Arizona so I'm hoping there might be someone there to take a look at things.

Bryan

P.S. I need to update my profile as we no longer have the 2016 Classic but a 2017.

P.P.S. It just switched to absorption.

Seems to be working well since its moving through the stages of bulk and absorption. 80W is not much, but I think you only have 160W of panels so that's probably good. Are you in full sun? Are there some big trees nearby? Partial shade or big trees, which aren't even shading the panels, knocks down the wattage. Passing clouds, haze, and such causes the wattage to bounce around. Sounds like its working just fine.

5.5 Amps is what is going into the batteries. At that rate, it could take 10 to 15 hours of sunshine to fully charge your batteries. Since there's not that many hours of productive sunshine per day, you probably won't see it drop into Float mode while dry camping. But if you get to absorption mode, your batteries are 80% to 90% charged. As long as you regularly hit absorption mode while dry camping and float mode when in storage your batteries should last a long time. If you are constantly in bulk mode, I would suggest adding more solar panels so you hit absorption mode at least multiple times per week and float mode at a minimum of when its in storage. It would be best if your batteries do attain float stage while dry camping occasionally on low battery use days.

Good job on upgrading your controller!

[Nelsonsrus]

It did actually get to float. It got warm here so we had to power up off the pedestal to turn air on. On shore power now the solar rads 12W, 20.4 V and 0.6A. The battery section is 13.74V, 0.8A and Float. I guess I thought the solar wattage would stay high since it's sunny out. Does that change based on the state of the batteries or being plugged in

So many questions, so little understanding.

I guess I feel better about making it through the rally. And adding panels and probably 6V batteries is on the list when we get to Mesa and I'll have time to work through things. That'll be my next round of questions I'm sure.

And thanks for the vote of confidence on the installation. Glad to have the resources of this group to ask questions and get good answers.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Nelsonsrus

It did actually get to float. It got warm here so we had to power up off the pedestal to turn air on. On shore power now the solar rads 12W, 20.4 V and 0.6A. The battery section is 13.74V, 0.8A and Float. I guess I thought the solar wattage would stay high since it's sunny out. Does that change based on the state of the batteries or being plugged in

So many questions, so little understanding.

I guess I feel better about making it through the rally. And adding panels and probably 6V batteries is on the list when we get to Mesa and I'll have time to work through things. That'll be my next round of questions I'm sure.

And thanks for the vote of confidence on the installation. Glad to have the resources of this group to ask questions and get good answers.

Your solar output will drop as your battery gets near fully charged.

[waninae39]

this is our setup

i wired and mounted as much as i could before putting in the AS under the bed.
that made it MUCH easier. it also made it easy to document and label all parts

the last shot with 3 BB lion is from someone else As. they did a similar job with plywood pre-mount

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by billrector

Your solar output will drop as your battery gets near fully charged.

Good point Bill. The solar will only produce its maximum possible wattage based on sun conditions when in bulk mode. In bulk mode, the voltage begins at just over battery voltage and climbs until it reaches the absorption voltage setting (14.4V). Then it goes into absorption mode where the voltage is held at absorption voltage setting (14.4V) and the amps will drop until they stabilize (about 2A if the battery is not under load). The solar wattage will slowly drop to a low level throughout absorption mode along with the battery amps. Then float mode begins which holds the voltage at the float mode setting (13.2V) and solar wattage will be very low. The actual voltages for absorption and float need to be set to the battery manufacturer's specifications. My Duracell EGC2 batteries use 14.55V for absorption and 13.95V for float, much higher than the stock Interstate batteries.

Then while the above is going on, you have the variation of sun conditions including sun angle, shading and clouds which may cause the solar controller to drop back into bulk mode during absorption mode. There's a lot going on when charging a battery from solar.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

This time of year is not great for solar. The angle the sun hits your panels matters. Since they are flat mounted, it only would be ideal if you are at the equator. In the winter the angle (even at high noon) is going to be pretty shallow. Toss in a bit of clouds or thin overcast and it's even worse.

Bob

[Nelsonsrus]

Bob,

The sun angle really does seem to affect things. I'm guessing that's why we only see the low wattage coming out of the panels.

Questions, as usual. I visited the Lifeline site and have gone to user defined settings to better match things to the specifications detailed for the batteries we have. Although they weren't all that different from the presets.

Reading through their material they talk about equalization, which is currently turned off. Is that something that we should now be doing? Or is the fact that we've been two years on the Atkinson effectively rendered that moot?

If we should be doing that, what would be the best way to handle that? Can I simply hit the "Start Now" option under Equalization/Manual Equalization?

I didn't adjust the temperature compensation as we don't have any temp sensor that I am aware of.

We head to a rally Thursday, and will be on solar for four days, which will be the longest we've done, so I'm hoping to have everything fine-tuned by then to ensure we make it through without having to pull up stakes and find a hookup.

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by Nelsonsrus

Bob,

The sun angle really does seem to affect things. I'm guessing that's why we only see the low wattage coming out of the panels.

Questions, as usual. I visited the Lifeline site and have gone to user defined settings to better match things to the specifications detailed for the batteries we have. Although they weren't all that different from the presets.

Reading through their material they talk about equalization, which is currently turned off. Is that something that we should now be doing? Or is the fact that we've been two years on the Atkinson effectively rendered that moot?

If we should be doing that, what would be the best way to handle that? Can I simply hit the "Start Now" option under Equalization/Manual Equalization?

I didn't adjust the temperature compensation as we don't have any temp sensor that I am aware of.

We head to a rally Thursday, and will be on solar for four days, which will be the longest we've done, so I'm hoping to have everything fine-tuned by then to ensure we make it through without having to pull up stakes and find a hookup.

I'm not an expert on AGM batteries, but I don't think you should equalize them. I leave my equalize on manual and only equalize a couple of times per year when the Airstream is in storage so I don't put excessive voltage through the 12V systems on my Airstream while they are operating. I have wet-cell batteries that do require occasional equalization.

Without a temperature compensation probe, the Victron senses the temperature at the controller when it turns on and doesn't update that information which is somewhat useless. You can easily add temperature and voltage compensation by installing a Victron Smart Battery Sense for $30. I have this module installed on my Airstream: https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Energ.../dp/B07BN7WVB9 It works well except that it needs to be mounted on the outside of the metal battery box to transmit consistently back to the Victron Solar Controller through Bluetooth. I like that it also does voltage compensation by reading the voltage at the battery terminals so any line loss between the controller and the battery is adjusted. It will probably read higher in hot weather and lower in cold weather than the actual temperature of the battery, but I still would rather have this temperature compensation over the default temperature compensation without this module. All you do is connect the positive lead to the positive terminal and negative lead to the negative terminal on the battery.

I just noticed they have two versions now, one with a stronger transmitter. That one will probably work attached to the battery inside the metal battery box.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Lifeline is a bit weird in terms of AGM's. Most outfits say not to play with equalization on an AGM. Given the way a solar controller pretty much forgets everything, I would not want it trying to do equalization. You also need quite a bit of current to really do the job. That sort of rules solar out as well. I'd grab an outboard charger once a year and let it do the equalization (if you do it at all).

..........

(you *knew* there had to be more)

You *could* just go to lithiums and let the BMS handle all that stuff

Bob

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Lifeline is a bit weird in terms of AGM's. Most outfits say not to play with equalization on an AGM. Given the way a solar controller pretty much forgets everything, I would not want it trying to do equalization. You also need quite a bit of current to really do the job. That sort of rules solar out as well. I'd grab an outboard charger once a year and let it do the equalization (if you do it at all).



Bob

Mine works fine for equalization off of solar, since solar is the only way I charge my batteries. Even at minus 20 it works fine. AGM batteries are lead acid based and all lead acid batteries need to be equalized. I've been equalizing mine even before Lifeline said it's ok. Never had problem

[Moodywelman]

I haven’t any photos but AM Solar, Springfield, OR has a bunch. I went to them last June and had my DC system completely revised. 300 watts of hard panel solar and 400 amps of smart lithium, a 2000watt inverter/charger, and Victron electronics. I’m very pleased with the system (and it only hurts when writing the check). I put it in storage a month ago and the batteries are still in float (100% charged). I can run the microwave or the Kuerig as needed without cranking the generator, it’s.like being hooked up to shore power all the time except for the AC.

[DKGA]

The controller appears to be located in the 12v DC panel. Since the inverter is located on top of the panel door, any suggestions on how I should proceed?

[DKGA]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Here’s my pics

Thanks

[EGinMV]

I installed a new MPPT 100/30 using the stock wiring in my 2017 International, including the 10V fuse to the positive bar. The wiring that came stock in my AS is 12 ga, is it worth re-wiring it with a better wire?

Also, the plastic casing for the 10V fuse connect between the Atkinson positive, to the positive bus-bar, was brown from either heat or arcing. I put a new 10V fuse in but I’m wondering if I should upgrade it to a 20V fuse?

I’m sure that’s why the Atkinson wasn’t working correctly, something was going on with that fuse, any thoughts?

Thanks!

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by DKGA

The controller appears to be located in the 12v DC panel. Since the inverter is located on top of the panel door, any suggestions on how I should proceed?

DKGA, while installing my Victron BMV-712 I pulled the inverter and cover off the DC box looking for the Atkinson solar controller. See the photos below. On the back of the DC box cover is a wiring schematic.

Contact AM Solar about what you'll need. I found this wiring diagram on their website. They recommend replacing the fuse with a 40A Marine Breaker. Otherwise, it's a pretty easy swap.

Good luck!
Jeff