Connecting a Solar Suitcase

[FLYnGATOR]

A couple of questions that I couldn’t find an answer via the search topics.

1. Can I connect solar panels, which have an integrated 20 amp charge controller, directly to the batteries via the supplied alligator clips?

2. Is there a maximum wattage that can be added to my 400W onboard solar via an external port?

 

Thanks ! getting ready to leave on an extended western trip. I thought I’d pick up a solar suitcase just in case, as much of our time will be boondocking.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SeaDawg]

@FLYnGATOR, looks like you may have accidentally locked the topic, so no replies. I unlocked it for you.

[rich.dev]

Ok more experienced people will chip in but I’ll try and answer some of your questions……

5 hours ago, FLYnGATOR said:

Can I connect solar panels, which have an integrated 20 amp charge controller

Yes

5 hours ago, FLYnGATOR said:

directly to the batteries via the supplied alligator clips?

Yes you can, but if you have the solar package you have the Zamp solar port on the street side, your solar suitcase “should” have a SAE connector but with the Zamp port you will need a polarity reversing adaptor. 

 

5 hours ago, FLYnGATOR said:

2. Is there a maximum wattage that can be added to my 400W onboard solar via an external port?

The wire for the Zamp port is a 10ga wire capable of 30a. OTT use a 20A fuse, you can probably go with 2 x 200W external solar suitcases, but with onboard charge controllers there could be voltage drop based on wire size and length of wire. Here’s a nice video explaining voltage drop based on charge controller location relative to the batteries. 
 

 

 

[FLYnGATOR]

I do not have the Zamp Solar Port.

I ordered from the 2024 build sheet in October 2023. OTT had changed the Zamp solar port being included with the lithium platinum solar package, to a dealer installed option. Didn’t catch it until too late.

After watching the video, I still have a question. Can I connect the solar panels via the alligator clip directly to the batteries without an integrated charge controller, utilizing the onboard charge controller? Or is the onboard charge controller only able to be utilized through the zamp solar port?

[mossemi]

16 minutes ago, FLYnGATOR said:

I still have a question. Can I connect the solar panels via the alligator clip directly to the batteries without an integrated charge controller, utilizing the onboard charge controller? Or is the onboard charge controller only able to be utilized through the zamp solar port?

You can use the solar panel solar charge controller, cable and alligator clips that came with your suitcase solar panels.  The suitcase solar panel manual probably has a connection procedure to follow, be sure to verify.  You will have to look at the solar charge controller display on the suitcase panels to verify that it is working.

FYI, the Zamp port is a simple 2 wire SAE waterproof port.  When installed on the side of the Ollie, the wires go directly to the battery positive and negative, with a fuse on the positive wire.  The alligator clips do exactly the same thing.  It’s is just like jumping your car battery with the positive connection first and then the negative connection.  The battery connections usually happen before the solar panel connections.

Mossey

[FLYnGATOR]

Awesome! Thanks!

I don’t know if it’ll will arrive in time to wire external solar port

 

Mark

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, FLYnGATOR said:

I don’t know if it’ll will arrive in time to wire external solar port

It will be a pain to open the battery door daily and don’t leave the trailer that way with expensive LiFePO4 batteries exposed! Common RV theft is batteries and LP tanks.

If you know the parts you need, you could order on Amazon today and get before the weekend.

You’d have to be comfortable drilling a small entry hole in your Oliver. Since you’re purchasing a suitcase with integrated SC, all you need to do is run the two wires to the pos and neg buses built into your Oliver. A couple of pics and we could advise. Just a thought.

What model suitcase solar did you buy? 

[rideandfly]

Mark,

Agree with John, would not want to leave the battery door open with the Lithium batteries exposed.

Did Oliver install a solar port? Would like to see photos, too!

[MAX Burner]

@FLYnGATOR - FYI:  Just like Mossey @mossemi noted above, the "Zamp" SAE (through the battery hatch) connector is a piece of cake to install.  There's several owners that have integrated this solar connector in various locations around (usually) the street side of the OTT to better access the battery compartment.  IMO, the battery compartment hatch is the most effective location.  It will likely take you longer to assemble all the tools and parts on your workbench necessary to complete the job than actually installing the SAE connector.  HA!  

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress....  (OBTW:  we like pix!)

Cheers!

[mossemi]

18 hours ago, FLYnGATOR said:

I don’t know if it’ll will arrive in time to wire external solar port

Just a word of caution about the Zamp Solar Port, it is a known fact that the Zamp 2 wire connectors are wired in reverse so be sure to verify to positive wire with test equipment.  Do not trust the wire color.  There are gender benders available to place inline between to solar panel and the Zamp port.

Mossey

[rideandfly]

47 minutes ago, mossemi said:

Just a word of caution about the Zamp Solar Port, it is a known fact that the Zamp 2 wire connectors are wired in reverse so be sure to verify to positive wire with test equipment.  Do not trust the wire color.  There are gender benders available to place inline between to solar panel and the Zamp port.

Mossey

 

Does Zamp reverse polarity because of positive ground solar charging systems? I'm currently using a Renogy 20A negative ground Solar Controller with Renogy suitcase panel, but have seen Renogy positive ground solar controllers, too.

Thanks,

Edit, Found the answer on Zamp's website, question 4:

https://www.zampsolar.com/pages/faq

 

Edited August 14 by rideandfly

[jd1923]

6 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

the "Zamp" SAE (through the battery hatch) connector is a piece of cake to install.

I've given this installation some thought, since it is on my radar to add one soon, now that I've upgraded to 600AH LiFePO4 with only 340W rooftop solar.

@FLYnGATOR If you need time to do this right, maybe the alligator clips will work for this trip. You could connect them in a way sneaking the end connector outside the door, allowing the door to be locked for your trip.

For the permanent installation, you could go "through the battery hatch." However, this way the wires would need length to open/close the door and would forever be in the way every time you open the hatch. Instead, you could drill into the body below the battery bay (this my plan), either left or right of the battery bay, depending on the nearest location to your internal OTT installed buses, in the basement opening under the streetside bed or rear dinette hatch (see pictures). Your much newer hull will look somewhat different, but you will have OTT OEM positive and negative buses to wire the red/black. The first picture shows the positive B+ bus (6 AWG red wires in and note the three yellow fuses that power the stabilizer jacks). Connect the red wire of the Zamp connector here.

The wires from the Zamp connector do NOT have to be wired directly to the batteries! I would crimp a large eyelet and (on mine) piggyback mount it to the large bolt center of picture, left of the breaker. The cable coming in from the right comes from the batteries, goes through the breaker to the B+ bus. The cable leaving the left side powers the 12VDC fuse panel.

This is an excellent mount, no extra wires in the battery bay and no weather on your connections. For the black wire, connect it to the B- bus. In our hull OTT uses all yellow-colored cables. The second picture show this bus. Note the large 6 AWG yellow cable coming from the left. This comes from my main battery connection. You can mount the black wire anywhere on this bus, but on mine, I would pick the empty slot right at this large cable for least resistance.

In our hull the positive B+ bus is under the streetside bed. So, I will find a good entry point behind and below the battery bay. When I decide on location, I will drill an 1/8" hole from the inside and then go outside and drill the larger hole required. This allows for best positioning. Our B- terminal is under the rear dinette seat, so I will add length to that wire for sure. Use 10 AWG wire for any extensions, color doesn't really matter as long as you keep +/- polarity correct. You could even switch the polarity it you do not want to use the Zamp/SAE reversing connector, but they do that so when unplugged it's more difficult to touch the B+. I might switch mine, to go without, since the exterior terminal has a protection cap anyway (warning! only do this if you have some electrical background).

For the exterior install of the Zamp terminal, I suggest drilling ONLY ONE main hole for the wires to pass through alone. I would NOT drill any of the 4 1/8" mounting holes for the screws which have a tendency to crack from use, being so close to the main hole, and from age. Use 3M VHB 4950 tape instead. Cut it into shape to cover the complete mounting flange. Use rubbing alcohol (90% pure preferred) on all matting surfaces.

Some owners would not like the look of the 4 screw holes without little shiny chromed screws showing. Instead, you would see 1/8" white tape behind the openings. I suggest after installation, use a fine tip black Sharpy on the tape showing after installation so they better blend in. The cheap screws will cause rust over time. You could replace the screws with SS screws, but the cracking issues would still be present.

IMHO, it's just a cleaner installation, and I promise the 3M VHB is stronger than screw mounted. It also creates a tight water seal, given the tape is properly applied around the full circumference.

I plan to add a suitcase WITHOUT built-in solar controllers and run the Zamp port to a main internal SC, managing the suitcase AND the roof-mounted panels together. This will likely require me to upgrade the current 25A SC to a Victron 50A SC, but as you can learn from the movie, it has advantages. Another thought I had was to remove the RV-park cable TV port by the streetside rear bumper, using that hole instead of drilling another. We never use this connection, and the rear location makes very good sense in ease of access to the sun in 3 directions with shorter cables.

I hope I gave you and other Forum Members a lot to think about in working this upgrade! Thanks to @rich.dev! The move he supplied above was very helpful in my thinking this through completely. The guy on the movie sure is a geek, though he demonstrates 8 configuration options nicely. 😂

Edited August 14 by jd1923
forgot the pics!

[jd1923]

Thanks @FLYnGATOR for getting me thinking of this now. I've had the beds out for weeks now, doing my inverter install, so why not install the exterior solar port now and buy my solar suitcase anytime. The port and wiring are small $$$.

Reading all this, you are very likely to use the alligator clips for your upcoming trip because you want to take time to think through your permanent installation.

I read some old posts searching for 'Zamp' and 'SAE' and 'polarity' and found a post from @johnwen regarding replacing the (cheap quality) Zamp port with an Anderson Powerpole connector: External Zamp connector - General Discussion - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) 

Note his comment on how OTT installed this NOT being wired directly to the batteries as I had suggested above. Thanks John, for these connectors look to provide a more secure connection. I found this quickly on Amazon, but it was not easy to find authentic Anderson products: Amazon.com: Powerwerx PanelPole1, Panel Mount Housing for a Single Anderson Powerpole Connector with a Weather Tight Cover : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Also looked further into my idea on using the rear TV cable opening (see pic). I'm going this way for sure, no drilling into the side body. Will run 10 AWG wires under the rear trunk floor, follow the sewer pipe up to the B+ and further to the B- buses. I may have to drill the main hole a bit larger. FYI, the square cable TV terminal is 2x2" and the 4 screw holes are in a 1 3/4" diameter.

This cable and the port above are likely all I will need to connect panels that do not have the built-in SC, but I'll wait on the cable until purchase of the suitcase of choice to determine the proper connector. Amazon.com: OCHIKI 20FT 10AWG Solar Panel Extension Cable Fit for Anderson Adapter, Waterproof Female and Male Solar Connector, Solar Charging Cable Wire for Portable Power Station Solar Generators : Patio, Lawn & Garden With a 20 ft 10 AWG cable you can position the suitcase easily to the curb or streetside or to the rear. Thanks again. I'll make a new post when I work my actual install. 

 

[jd1923]

Forgot the picture. Notice the cracks in the screw holes. I will fill them and always use 3M 4950 VHB tape on everything possible!

Edited August 15 by jd1923

[jd1923]

(dup post deleted)

Edited August 15 by jd1923

[Jps190]

I have done some rather extensive mods to the electrical in my trailer.  I have 2 SCCs that are both run through a Victron Lynx distributor.  One SCC is for the roof solar (600 watts) and the second is fed from the zamp solar port on the side.  The advantage of having the SCC in the trailer as opposed to on the solar panel is that you can run small gauge wires since the amperage is relatively low coming out of the panel.  When panels are run in series the Amps aren’t ramped up until after the SCC.  Using smaller gauge wire makes it easy to locate your portable panels away from the trailer which may be in the shade. I just use cheap landscape wire which is easy to roll up an store away.

Edited August 15 by Jps190

[MAX Burner]

The Victron Linx Distributor is a very clean option to manage connections --- nice one, @Jps190!  Thanks for the post.

[FLYnGATOR]

Thanks for all the great info and instructions!!

I believe I will wait until after our trip to install the port and use the alligator clips in the interim.

I’ve ordered both the Renogy 200 and Zamp 190 suitcases and will return one of them. I want to see if the Zamp is worth almost 3x the cost of Renogy. Doubtful.

 

 

 

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, FLYnGATOR said:

I’ve ordered both the Renogy 200 and Zamp 190 suitcases and will return one of them. I want to see if the Zamp is worth almost 3x the cost of Renogy. Doubtful.

Which Renogy did you get? (Zamp does seem overpriced.)
I was just looking at this one (16 LBS): 
220W Lightweight Portable Solar Panel | Renogy

This one is a monster at 30 LBS! Not easy to luge around. It would be great if you could split this unit into two 200s and use one or both. Carrying each half at 15 LBS. Maybe I could customize the wiring to achieve this, but perhaps overkill!
400W Lightweight Foldable Solar Panel | Renogy 

I've got to figure out how much solar I need for 600AH LiFePO4. I know there are many articles out there and I have to research. Any advice? I have 340W on the roof and it would be great with additional panels we could run air conditioning on a sunny afternoon off our new Victron MP2 3KVA inverter without too much loss of battery SOC.

[FLYnGATOR]

https://a.co/d/0MWDOHw

[FLYnGATOR]

The only extended Boondocking we have done so far has been three days in a heavily shaded campground in the great Smokies, Catatloochee

Did not run AC, ran Max air fan at night , batteries ran down to about 45%

we have the 640 amp hour batteries and 400 W of solar

[rideandfly]

Our solar suitcase system has evolved over the years.

Using a solar suitcase panel is about using storage space efficiently for transport and ease of use with the panel or panels. Use three 12' sections combined of 10/2 solar panel cable when Ollie is parked in the shade when reaching out from the shade to sunshine.

Normally we can get away with using one Renogy 100W solar suitcase, but we only use one 100AH Battleborn Lithium battery and don't have a 12V/120V inverter. See around 6A charge with a PMW controller mounted close to the battery on a good solar day.

Have seen around 11A charge with two 100W solar suitcases, using a MPPT solar controller mounted close to the battery with solar panels connected in series using 36" of 10/2 cable.

Posted this in other threads. Originally installed a 10A Furrion solar port that was OK with one 100W solar panel, but wanted a 20A solar port for a higher capacity port. Since I already drilled the hole in Ollie for the Furrion port, decided to modify the Furrion port by installing a Zamp 20A port in the existing Furrion port. Also drilled four through holes to mount the Furrion port with an interior backing plate and locknuts to reduce the stress on the fiberglass.

Furrion Solar port installation:

Modifided Furrion Solar port by installing 20A Zamp port in the Furrion port: