GlacierGirl Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 (edited) We recently purchased a new-to-us 2021 Elite 2. It came with the 340 watt rooftop solar panels. Could someone provide us with the specifications of those solar panels, specifically their wattage, voltage and current ratings? Not only do we need that information, but we’d also like to know where one finds that information. Thank you! We are truly clueless about anything electric or solar.🫤 Barb Edited June 28 by GlacierGirl Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd1923 Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 9 minutes ago, GlacierGirl said: It came with the 340 watt rooftop solar panels. This is really all you need to know. Are you thinking of upgrading them or adding to the solar system? The DC system in the Oliver is 12V. Watts = Volts x Amps so 340W = 12V x 28.3A so you likely have a 30A solar charger or close to it. The Blue Sky system in our older hull includes a 25A charger. 2 Chris & John in Prescott, AZ | 2016 EII #113 | '01 Ram 2500 Cummins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich.dev Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 Barb, I believe you have the Zamp 340W rooftop solar panels, but if you have't already, email Oliver support with your Hull# and I'm pretty sure they will be able to give you the information. 3 2023 Elite II, Hull# 1386, Lithium Platinum Package (640AH, 400W Roof Solar, 3000W Xantrex Inverter), added 400W Renogy Solar suitcase with Victron MPPT 100/30 CC, Truma water heater & AC TV: 2024 Silverado 2500HD 6.6L 10-Speed Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SeaDawg Posted June 28 Moderators Share Posted June 28 (edited) So, in 2021 you had Zamp solar 2 x 170 panels. You can pull up the manuals in Oliver University. You probably have a zamp controller. Please feel free to ask questions. My trailer is older, and configured differently, but plenty of folks here with 2021 to help. What batteries do you have? Edited June 28 by SeaDawg 1 2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4 2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12 Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes.... 400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries . Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlacierGirl Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 (edited) @jd1923, the reason I'm asking is because we boondock 90% of the time, so we bought two Renogy 100 watt suitcases - one with a controller and one without. I asked Renogy for 2 diagrams - one showing how to connect one panel (w/the controller) to our external Zamp port, and the other diagram showing how to connect both panels together to our Zamp port, in case we need both panels. Renogy asked for the specifications I'm asking y'all for. I'm too clueless to know the answers! @rich.dev, you are correct, we do have the 340 watt Zamp panels - but that's as far as my brain comprehends.😬 @SeaDawg... okay, I'll go look for Oliver University. May they make it simple! We have 3 Li Lithionic lithum batteries. Do I need to know about them, TOO?🤯 How I wish my husband understood this stuff! @jd1923, you are right, we do have a 30A charger. Now I'll see if I can handle your equation.😊 Is a solar charger the same thing as a solar controller? Thank you all for your patience! Barb Edited June 28 by GlacierGirl Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlacierGirl Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 Oh, and @SeaDawg, we do have a Zamp controller. Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd1923 Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 4 minutes ago, GlacierGirl said: Is a solar charger the same thing as a solar controller? Yes Barb, in fact many vendors title their products "Solar Charge Controllers." With the added two Renogy 100W suitcases you will have total 540W. The 30A charger-controller is for the 340W roof-mounted solar and I believe the Zamp port requires an external controller that you have in one of your 100W suitcases. I haven't done the suitcase thing, but there are many here with vast experience to answer your questions. Also search the forum for keywords, 'Zamp' or 'Renogy' or 'suitcase' and you should find a lot of good info. 1 Chris & John in Prescott, AZ | 2016 EII #113 | '01 Ram 2500 Cummins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlacierGirl Posted June 28 Author Share Posted June 28 Thank you so much @jd1923! 😊 Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd1923 Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 Just now, GlacierGirl said: Thank you so much @jd1923! 😊 All in all, with 540W solar, Lithionic batteries, and I'll assume a 3000W inverter (?) you have a GREAT solar/battery/inverter system! Just learn how to read state-of-charge (SOC), meaning batteries % full, and plug in your suitcases (occaisonally) when the rooftop solar does not keep SOC high enough for your needs. 1 1 Chris & John in Prescott, AZ | 2016 EII #113 | '01 Ram 2500 Cummins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SeaDawg Posted June 28 Moderators Share Posted June 28 Ask renogy if you can "daisy chain" the two suitcase solar, so that both run through the onboard controller of the first, closest to the trailer. You need an onboard controller to plug into the zamp solar port. And, you'll need an adapter, as zamp wires "backwards polarity" of typical sae connectors, though it looks the same. 1 2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4 2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12 Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes.... 400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries . Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators mossemi Posted June 28 Moderators Share Posted June 28 Every solar panel that I have ever looked at has a specification label on the bottom/underside of the panel that has the information you are looking for. Below are examples from my Renogy 100A suitcase panel. Mossey 2 Mike and Krunch Lutz, FL 2017 LEII #193 “the dog house” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich.dev Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 1 hour ago, GlacierGirl said: and the other diagram showing how to connect both panels together to our Zamp port, in case we need both panels. Renogy asked for the specifications I'm asking y'all for. I'm too clueless to know the answers! If I understand correctly, you need help with connecting your 2 x 100W suitcases (one with onboard charge controller) together and then to the external Zamp port. Not sure why Renogy is asking you for your rooftop solar specs. Your 2 x suitcases with one onboard charge controller connected to the externl Zamp port is a solar system on its own. The only relation your suitcase system will have with your rooftop system is they will both charge your batteries WHEN you have your suitcase deployed and connected to the external Zamp port. Renogy should be able to calculate how (series or parallel) and IF the 100W suitcase charge controller can actually handle the 2nd 100W suitcase without charge controller. Also import to know is the limit of your external Zamp port, I believe its 20A. For us to be able to give you some indication if connecting both 100W panels (series or parallel) will work or not, we need more info. Take a picture of the specs on the back of the 2 x 100w Renogy solar panels, as well the specs of the one solar charge controller so we have a better idea of what you have. Then there’s wire size/length between the suitcase/onboard charge controller and batteries, to reduce voltage loss you want the charge controller as close as possible to the batteries. But again, Renogy should be able to help you with this 1 2023 Elite II, Hull# 1386, Lithium Platinum Package (640AH, 400W Roof Solar, 3000W Xantrex Inverter), added 400W Renogy Solar suitcase with Victron MPPT 100/30 CC, Truma water heater & AC TV: 2024 Silverado 2500HD 6.6L 10-Speed Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SeaDawg Posted June 28 Moderators Share Posted June 28 (edited) As original install, whatever you send to the battery, from the portable panels, thru the fused zamp port, needs to be regulated power (has to go thru an onboard controller on the panel, or a separate controller. ) Check the zamp port to make sure previous owner didn't change polarity. Zamp sets up their polarity opposite os standard sae connector. If it is original, you will need a) a polarity reversing adaptor, and b) a second controller for the portable that doesn't have one, or, ability to connect /daisy chain to the panel that has an onboard controller. Edited June 29 by SeaDawg 1 2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4 2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12 Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes.... 400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries . Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve and MA Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 6 hours ago, GlacierGirl said: Could someone provide us with the specifications of those solar panels, specifically their wattage, voltage and current ratings? Is this what you're looking for? This is from Zamp's website. Zamp 170 specs.pdf Steve & Mary Allyn San Antonio, TX 2022 LE II Hull #969 "Un Œuf", 2021 MB Sprinter 3500 "Polly" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlacierGirl Posted July 2 Author Share Posted July 2 All of you were lots of help! I disappeared for awhile because, honestly, I needed to back up and learn some basics to even understand some of the terms y’all used. @Steve and MA, that was exactly the info I needed for our rooftop panels; I copied that to Renogy. @mossemi, I wasn’t able to easily access the specs for the rooftop panels without removing the panels - and I didn’t want to do that! @rich.dev, I, too, don’t know why Renogy thought they needed the specs of the rooftop panels.🤔 Their website did reveal, however, that it is no problem connecting two 100 watt suitcases and having the controller on only one. As @SeaDawg and many others have stated, yep, the polarity on our Zamp port was reversed, and we used an adapter. @jd1923, figuring all this out was quite a challenge, so thanks for the encouragement saying we have a GREAT setup. In the end, we have the option of using either one or both of our Renogy 100 watt suitcases. I am grateful to @Geronimo John who originally (on a different thread) suggested we purchase two 100w suitcases rather than one heavy and bulky 200w suitcase. Time to go boondock! 7 Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators mossemi Posted July 3 Moderators Share Posted July 3 1 hour ago, GlacierGirl said: I wasn’t able to easily access the specs for the rooftop panels without removing the panels - and I didn’t want to do that! I used a mirror to locate them on the panel and then used my cell phone camera to take some pictures, lots of pictures in fact, until I got some that were readable and threw the bad ones away. Mossey 2 Mike and Krunch Lutz, FL 2017 LEII #193 “the dog house” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlacierGirl Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 (edited) 20 minutes ago, mossemi said: I used a mirror to locate them on the panel and then used my cell phone camera to take some pictures, lots of pictures in fact, until I got some that were readable and threw the bad ones away. Mossey @mossemiNow, that's a creative idea! I'll need to remember that! 😊 Edited July 3 by GlacierGirl Barb (and husband, Mark) in Estes Park, CO / Elite 2, Hull #941 / 2023 Toyota Sequoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jps190 Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 5 John and Kim 2021 GMC Sierra 2500 AT4 6.6L Duramax 11350 GVWR 3048lb Payload 2021 Oliver Elite II. Hull #887 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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