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Renogy 100w portable solar panel question ?


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2015 LE2; roof top solar package (340w I think, 2000w inverter); NO solar port on the side

This isn't an Oliver issue, I don't think. However, I'm wondering if anyone else is doing this setup and can offer any troubleshooting tips.

I used to connect this Renogy 100w portable solar suitcase panel (Voyager series with 20amp charge controller) to our Casita through the 7pin connector to charge the wet cell battery. We had created a set of connections that got the MC4 connector on the solar panel to a 7pin connector that could plug into the trailer's 7pin. No problems.  I am trying to do the same for our Oliver.  I need to change the battery type setting to AGM for the Oliver setup.  When I set the portable solar panel up in the sun, and connect to the Oliver through the 7pin I get the error code of "b01", which indicates no battery connected.

I haven't found any online resource solution that has fixed the issue.

I am trying to do this to allow for battery recharge when parked in shade. 

I know it has and can be done because I've read through the forum and seen others who have done similar.  I am trying to determine if there is something different about the Oliver that doesn't allow for the same connection setup that we had on our Casita. OR if there is something "broken" on the Renogy panel.

Any input, and tips, greatly appreciated.

Alberta

 

Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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I use a similar setup that you describe on our Oliver.  I use a 140 watt Zamp portable panel that has a charge controller built in, and connect to the 7 pin harness with an adapter I made.  It’s worked well with no problems.  The positive 12v charge wire on the 7 pin harness connects directly to the batteries.   If you have an electrical multi-meter, you may want to check to make sure you are using the proper pins on the 7 pin connector, and that there is continuity between the 7 pin 12v charge wire contact and the battery positive terminal.   There is a 20 amp breaker on the 12v charge wire (see wiring diagram) so you may want to check that.   Ours is a 2019, so I can’t guarantee that your wire color codes are the same.

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717CA770-023C-4341-9078-71FCD11517B2.jpeg

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Use the supplied alligator clips to hook your suitcase solar panel directly to the batteries. Or to your truck battery…. That will tell you immediately whether or not it is working correctly.

FYI Oliver’s seven pin harness wire color codes are different, but the actual pin functions are industry standard. If you don’t have a meter as FrankC suggests, get one, since you will have other uses for it in the future. It would be very easy to connect the meter leads to the charge and ground pins, hook up your panel to the trailer batteries, and watch for the voltage rise. 

I suspect you have  a wiring problem in the trailer, as long as your Renogy panel is working.

You might want to look at this, it shows the (very awkward) location where your front wire harness splices into the trailer wiring. … https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5271-how-to-junction-box-for-the-7-wire-trailer-harness-under-the-front-dinette-seat/

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Thanks FrankC for the description of your setup, it helped. I've uploaded a photo I took of using the multi meter to test the 7pin readout.  I know I'm going to get the terminology wrong here but hopeful you can still follow my description, especially with the picture. I used the top left 7pin contact as the positive and the bottom right contact as the ground, to take the meter reading.  I believe that is the number 4 and number 1 positions on a 7 pin diagram I saw on another thread (sorry, can't locate immediately).

The meter reading fluctuated around 460-470 mV (see photo below).  I don't know what a correct reading should be.  We have 4 (210Ah) AGM 6 volt batteries that are connected in parallel (two on the left in parallel and the two on the right in parallel) and then those two sets of parallels are connected in series. Which should be 12 volt battery with 420Ah. So....I said all of this battery description case it's useful for saying what the correct 7pin reading should be on the multi meter.

Based on my burgeoning knowledge of electrical stuff - I'm thinking the solar panel troubleshooting guide is telling me that the battery voltage is < 3 volts and based on the multi meter reading that is a true statement.  But I don't understand why that would be. Or what it should be.

I don't know what or how to check the 20V amp breaker. There are three 2 amp breakers. One of them is labeled "Charger". Not sure what that is for.  Is there a meter reading I can do there also?

Thanks, Alberta

Forum_multimeterReading.jpg

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Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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Your AGMs should read about 12.5 volts “resting” (no load) depending on their state of charge, the solar panel bumps that up to about 14.5. You need to look inside your 7 pin connector, to make sure it isn’t nasty inside from corrosion, which is very common.

John Daves

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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30 minutes ago, Alberta and Randy said:

Thanks FrankC for the description of your setup, it helped. I've uploaded a photo I took of using the multi meter to test the 7pin readout.  I know I'm going to get the terminology wrong here but hopeful you can still follow my description, especially with the picture. I used the top left 7pin contact as the positive and the bottom right contact as the ground, to take the meter reading.  I believe that is the number 4 and number 1 positions on a 7 pin diagram I saw on another thread (sorry, can't locate immediately).

The meter reading fluctuated around 460-470 mV (see photo below).  I don't know what a correct reading should be.  We have 4 (210Ah) AGM 6 volt batteries that are connected in parallel (two on the left in parallel and the two on the right in parallel) and then those two sets of parallels are connected in series. Which should be 12 volt battery with 420Ah. So....I said all of this battery description case it's useful for saying what the correct 7pin reading should be on the multi meter.

Based on my burgeoning knowledge of electrical stuff - I'm thinking the solar panel troubleshooting guide is telling me that the battery voltage is < 3 volts and based on the multi meter reading that is a true statement.  But I don't understand why that would be. Or what it should be.

I don't know what or how to check the 20V amp breaker. There are three 2 amp breakers. One of them is labeled "Charger". Not sure what that is for.  Is there a meter reading I can do there also?

Thanks, Alberta

Forum_multimeterReading.jpg

You should see a voltage reading value the same as what shows on the battery display inside the camper.   Here’s mine using my museum piece 40 year old Fluke meter, still works, it’ll probably outlast me 🙂.  Currently at 12.5 volts, not connected to shore power or solar panel at the moment (I have the lead acid wet cells).   

2135AD08-00DC-4DFB-9B08-F35E8349A508.jpeg

 

 

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I did a direct reading on the battery terminals and got 13.7.  So the 7pin reading should be the same.  I will study John's link with the additional 7pin information and see what I can learn from that and troubleshoot on our rig.  There certainly seems to be a disconnect with the 7pin plug somewhere.

Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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Open up the male 7 pin housing first thing !!! Most likely the problem is in there. First eliminate the obvious, them worry about any more obscure causes.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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41 minutes ago, FrankC said:

40 year old Fluke meter

Small world.

I was a voltmeter product manager at Fluke in 1978-82 for that handheld DVM (and other products) that Frank C showed. 
It was designed with tests including driving over it with a fork lift to see if we could squish the case.
The person who was our mechanical designer iterated several times until it stood up to our abuse goals.
I still have (and operate) Prototype 004 at home.

CS

 

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2019 Elite II (Hull 505 - Galway Girl - August 7, 2019 Delivery) 
Tow Vehicle: 2021 F350 King Ranch, FX4, MaxTow Package, 10 Speed, 3.55 Rear Axle
Batteries Upgrade: Dual 315GTX Lithionics Lithiums - 630AH Total
Inverter/Charger: Xantrex 2000Pro 

Travel BLOG:  https://4-ever-hitched.com

 

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8 minutes ago, Galway Girl said:

Small world.

I was a voltmeter product manager at Fluke in 1978-82 for that handheld DVM (and other products) that Frank C showed. 
It was designed with tests including driving over it with a fork lift to see if we could squish the case.
The person who was our mechanical designer iterated several times until it stood up to our abuse goals.
I still have (and operate) Prototype 004 at home.

CS

 

Definitely a small world!  Thank you for a great product!   That Fluke meter is built like a tank.   I firmly believe my son will still be using it another 40 years from now. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I put in a trouble ticket with Oliver to see if they could provide information that might help with our issue, and Jason did.  Here is his response:

"I would check to see if the 7-pin trailer ground is grounded to the trailer frame. In 2015 the campers were grounded to the tow vehicle via the ball/coupler connection. When the tow vehicle is connected the ground between the two allows everything to work. If the 7-pin is not grounded to the frame then the portable solar may not work as it is not grounded with the trailer."

We tested and confirmed that if we use the multimeter to read the voltage on the charge port and choose the aluminum frame at the tongue as the ground then we get 13.9V reading.

I'm guessing that others who use a portable suitcase solar panel hooked to the 7pin, don't have this condition and the ground on their 7pin is connected to the trailer frame.  That's sorta a question if anyone reads down this far. 🙂

Thanks for all the troubleshooting help!

Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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37 minutes ago, Alberta and Randy said:

 In 2015 the campers were grounded to the tow vehicle via the ball/coupler connection.

This is a bad situation for a number of reasons, and I am really surprised that Oliver ever did it this way. People have been talking about this “ ground through the ball” issue for literally decades, usually it is about cheap boat or utility trailers, where each outside light has a little ground wire that is clamped under a mount screw. There is no central frame to light harness connection. It is a recipe for really unreliable long term operation, especially when you try to charge a battery through that type of floating connection. Plus running electricity through steel or aluminum parts causes corrosion. And dunking a boat trailer in salt water REALLY screws this up.

The Andersen hitch uses a plastic non-conducting friction sleeve between the ball “stud” and the ball mount, so the ball AND the whaletail are electrically isolated from the stinger part. Does that seem like a good ground path for 10 or 15 amps of electricity? And for your brake controller current?

B2FCA222-3A8C-46FC-B223-481DC4C36557.thumb.png.bea0a5d92e883e6508edfa15d5559b27.png

You should definitely modify your white 7 pin harness ground wire by connecting it to a frame ground, preferably the big stud under the rear dinette seat. This should be a Technical Bulletin for the older trailers! How many hours have you wasted looking for the solution? Have your brakes ever worked correctly?

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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John, yes we believe our trailer brakes have/do work correctly (till proven otherwise).  We have set the Gain value on our truck and used the trailer brake controller pinchers to test that the trailer brakes engage and stop the vehicle/trailer when traveling at slow test speed.  I can't address why Oliver initially configured the trailer this way, however, it seems like they changed to a trailer grounding configuration at some point so that is good. I believe we will be looking at getting this issue changed over with a trailer ground point, as we would like to have the option to use a portable solar panel connected at the 7pin.

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Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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Our 2008 was originally grounded to the ball. Gave us issues at times. Brakes would flash nc, c (not connected/connected) at times (going over a bump, going downhill, especially.) Wouldn't charge without being hitched to the truck, from the connected pigtail. 

Solved that with a new ground to the frame. I'd forgotten that, until now.  Sorry, it's so very long ago. Yes, I  should have reported this to Oliver, but I think we discovered the issue during the production hiatus, and didn't think about it.

Any good local horse trailer or utility trailer repair company could probably help you with that issue, if that's truly your issue. (May be easier to get an appointment  with a horse trailer repair, than rv repair shop. Just a thought.)

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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.


        
 

 

 

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@Alberta and Randy, just one other thought, and you've probably already addressed this (or Jason has), do you know if the charge wire from your trailer 7 pin connector is actually connected? 

Oliver does not connect it today if customers have the lithium option, in an abundance of caution for today's modern alternators. However, it's also possible that your connection was inadvertently omitted, or the connection has been disrupted, over the years. 

That would mean that you're not charging the trailer  batteries while traveling,  either, from the truck. Your rooftop solar could mask that problem, as the solar will charge on the highway, if you have any kind of sun.

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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.


        
 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Alberta and Randy said:

I put in a trouble ticket with Oliver to see if they could provide information that might help with our issue, and Jason did.  Here is his response:

"I would check to see if the 7-pin trailer ground is grounded to the trailer frame. In 2015 the campers were grounded to the tow vehicle via the ball/coupler connection. When the tow vehicle is connected the ground between the two allows everything to work. If the 7-pin is not grounded to the frame then the portable solar may not work as it is not grounded with the trailer."

We tested and confirmed that if we use the multimeter to read the voltage on the charge port and choose the aluminum frame at the tongue as the ground then we get 13.9V reading.

I'm guessing that others who use a portable suitcase solar panel hooked to the 7pin, don't have this condition and the ground on their 7pin is connected to the trailer frame.  That's sorta a question if anyone reads down this far. 🙂

Thanks for all the troubleshooting help!

We took our 2015 LE2 Ollie in for a non-electrical issue at Oliver a few years ago and they automatically added a ground strap to Ollie's frame (for free) because of electrical ground through ball issues with other trailers.  We used to charge through Ollie's 7 pin connector with a 100W Renogy suitcase panel. On our last outing during June I checked Ollie's battery charge rate with TV idling connected to the trailer's 7 pin connection and saw about +3.5 amps.

Current 100W solar suitcase installation that happened over a couple years.

 

 

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LE2

 

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SeaDawg - we used the multi meter to test the trailers 7pin charge wire, using the aluminum frame at the tongue as the ground connection. Our reading was 13+V.  We understood that to mean yes the charge wire is working, as it read the battery voltage.

Rideandfly - how did you check your Ollie's battery charge rate of 3.5A while connected to your TV?  

 

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Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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On 7/3/2022 at 6:03 PM, Alberta and Randy said:

 

Rideandfly - how did you check your Ollie's battery charge rate of 3.5A while connected to your TV?  

 

We don't have factory installed solar panels, currently have a 100W solar suitcase. Installed a Victron 500A Bluetooth SmartShunt giving battery state of charge, and discharge information with additional information on a smartphone. There's a good video in the following link:

https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/smart-battery-shunt#pd-nav-video

This shows a slight discharge of a single 100AH Battleborn lithium battery of .32 amps without anything else connected to Ollie. It can be read inside & outside of Ollie, but not from the TV, not enough Bluetooth range.

IMG_6731-L.jpg

 

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LE2

 

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1 hour ago, rideandfly said:

We don't have factory installed solar panels, currently have a 100W solar suitcase. Installed a Victron 500A Bluetooth SmartShunt giving battery state of charge, charge, and discharge information with additional information on a smartphone. There's a good video in the following link:

https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/smart-battery-shunt#pd-nav-video

This shows a slight discharge of a single 100AH Battleborn lithium battery of .32 amps without anything else connected to Ollie. It can be read inside & outside of Ollie, but not from the TV, not enough Bluetooth range.

IMG_6731-L.jpg

 

rideand fly:

Do you have any pictures of the Victron 500A Bluetooth SmartShunt and the connection wiring?

Thanks

2018 Oliver Elite II, Twin Bed, Hull #354 

2024 RAM 1500, 4 x 4; Gas. 5.7L V8 Hemi MDS VVT Torque; 3.21 rear axle ratio

Maine 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

To wrap this thread up from our perspective here is the final information.  We reached out to OTT Service with a service request and Jason responded back that on our year trailer the ground on the 7pin trailer side used the tow vehicle.  Jason explained how to test this by placing the multimeter ground wire on the aluminum frame of the trailer while testing, and we did, and we got an accurate battery reading. So this confirmed what he said was our setup.  So at least we now know why the portable solar panel wasn't recognizing a battery being connected when it was plugged into the trailer 7pin.  Thanks again to everyone who helped us with this!

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Alberta & Randy

2015 LE II / 2016 Chevy 2500 WT

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