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03-03-2019, 12:25 PM
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#1
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Massanutten
Posts: 5
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Extra solar port 140 watts
I have a portable 180 watts amp solar panel. My new 2019 view manual states that the port should not be used for an amount greater than 140 watts. Any suggestions? I hate to not use it.
Thanks.
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03-03-2019, 02:12 PM
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#2
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 267
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Your View may have 10 ga wiring so the limit is made 140/12= 12 amp max 180/12= 15 amps. No panel is 100% efficient. Try it, but check the output current. If it is too high, cover some of the front with tape.
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2017 View 24V
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03-03-2019, 02:38 PM
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#3
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Massanutten
Posts: 5
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Thanks Tuscontoy
Hey thanks Tuscontoy. That makes it easy! Yay☺️
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03-03-2019, 02:38 PM
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#4
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 462
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The installation manual for my Renogy Rover charge controller says that 10 GA NEC max current is 40 amps, and NEC says should be fused for 30 amps.
OTOH, does your View already have a solar charge controller? If so, that is probably the limiter there.
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2014 Sunstar 31KE
1988 Suncruiser 31 RQ
1968 Travco 210
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03-03-2019, 03:02 PM
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#5
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Ed & Lynn
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Central Oregon Coast
Posts: 73
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I suspect proper electrical safety requires the extra solar port be fused. If so, you need find out if that fuse will blow with current from an additional 40W over spec.
I base my statement on the fact that Winnebago issued a safety recall on the wiring of the earlier models of the Winnebago Fuse extra solar panel port. It apparently lacked a fuse in the circuit going to the charge controller and their recall was to have one added.
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Ed & Lynn - on the Central Oregon Coast
Lily & Tyler - Bedlington Terriers
2018 Winnebago Fuse 23A
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03-03-2019, 03:04 PM
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#6
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Massanutten
Posts: 5
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Hi,
Our View has a 30 amp controller and says can handle the wattage. I could add a panel to the roof but I want some portable solar in case of shade, etc. Apparently it’s the side port that is limiting it.
Mar
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03-03-2019, 03:34 PM
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#7
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Ed & Lynn
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Central Oregon Coast
Posts: 73
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This has little to do with the controller. I am saying that apparently Winnebago feels that pair of wires going from your extra solar port on the side to the charge controller should be fused....and if in fact it is fused, your 180W panel might blow it if the fuse did not have much margin over the 140W spec.
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Ed & Lynn - on the Central Oregon Coast
Lily & Tyler - Bedlington Terriers
2018 Winnebago Fuse 23A
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03-03-2019, 03:53 PM
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#8
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 3,574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tucsontoy
Your View may have 10 ga wiring so the limit is made 140/12= 12 amp max 180/12= 15 amps. No panel is 100% efficient. Try it, but check the output current. If it is too high, cover some of the front with tape.
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I'm with Tucsontoy on this one. It's not just the panel's efficiency, it's also the amount of sun it's getting so you're unlikely to draw the full wattage. If you want to tape over some cells just to be safe you can just cover as close as you can get to 22% of the cells of the 180w panel (1-140/180 = .222).
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Bob C
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
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03-06-2019, 09:41 AM
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#9
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 992
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Many or most solar panels loose 95% of their output just by covering just one of the solar chips (the 5" or 6" squares). So covering 20% of the panel could cause loss of most all output.
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03-06-2019, 10:36 AM
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#10
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Massanutten
Posts: 5
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Thanks al1florida
Thanks al1 florida
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03-06-2019, 11:01 AM
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#11
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 3,574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by al1florida
Many or most solar panels loose 95% of their output just by covering just one of the solar chips (the 5" or 6" squares). So covering 20% of the panel could cause loss of most all output.
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Interesting, can you elaborate? I just assumed it was proportional.
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Bob C
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
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03-06-2019, 01:42 PM
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#12
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Spring Branch, TX
Posts: 7,780
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Bob, this is so. And it's a critical factor in how you wire them up. If you wire groups of panels together it's possible to seriously degrade the output of an entire string if they are wired in series.
The Wynns used to be RV YouTubers and are now sailing YouTubers. Here's a video from their sailing videos that perfectly illustrates this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=1qD3mN8VotQ
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2017 Winnebago Adventurer 37F
2016 Lincoln MKX Toad
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03-06-2019, 02:12 PM
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#13
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 3,574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by creativepart
Bob, this is so. And it's a critical factor in how you wire them up. If you wire groups of panels together it's possible to seriously degrade the output of an entire string if they are wired in series.
The Wynns used to be RV YouTubers and are now sailing YouTubers. Here's a video from their sailing videos that perfectly illustrates this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=1qD3mN8VotQ
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Thanks, I'll check it out.
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Bob C
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
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03-06-2019, 02:38 PM
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#14
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 992
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Here is another example. Also something people with tilting panels with the panels wired in series may not think about.
The video below shows a couple tilting their 6 series wired panels to show how much more power they get with the panels tilted. However if you watch them put up the first 5 panels, they get little or no increase in output from the panels. When they finally tilt the last panel the power output jumps from 38amps to 51amps.
You can start watching at about minute 2:20 and see the amps increase about 1 amp per panel until the last panel is tilted, then it jumps about 13 amps.
Basically the last panel is in kind of in a minor shadow because the sun is hitting the panel at an angle rather than perpendicular to the panel.
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03-06-2019, 02:39 PM
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#15
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 267
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The panels in the video are old technology in the solar world. The type of crystal structure and how the individual cells are connected within the panels is changing. The older style became useless after a hail storm. Time to read up on the latest technology.
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2017 View 24V
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03-06-2019, 02:45 PM
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#16
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 992
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobC
Interesting, can you elaborate? I just assumed it was proportional.
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Because the individual chips in a panel are wired in series. Loose one chip and you loose them all. The current flows though all the chips in series.
Batteries work this way as well. Loose a single cell in a battery and you loose most of the power from the battery or both batteries in a pair of 6V batteries wired in series.
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03-06-2019, 03:46 PM
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#17
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Spring Branch, TX
Posts: 7,780
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When wired in series - solar panels (or batteries) - creates ONE solar panel out of the many. So, a blockage in one cell blocks the entire panel.
__________________
2017 Winnebago Adventurer 37F
2016 Lincoln MKX Toad
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03-06-2019, 04:39 PM
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#18
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 3,574
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Getting back to the OP's problem, I would think that he could safely use his 180w panel on his port by wiring in a 15 amp (according to Tuscontoy's calculation) breaker into the circuit between the port and the portable panel. That would protect any internal wiring from excessive current should the panel ever be operating at a super-efficient level.
And this way he'd get the full output of the panel in normal operating conditions.
(I bet that the breaker never trips)
__________________
Bob C
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
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03-07-2019, 09:31 AM
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#19
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Ed & Lynn
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Central Oregon Coast
Posts: 73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobC
Getting back to the OP's problem, I would think that he could safely use his 180w panel on his port by wiring in a 15 amp (according to Tuscontoy's calculation) breaker into the circuit between the port and the portable panel. That would protect any internal wiring from excessive current should the panel ever be operating at a super-efficient level.
And this way he'd get the full output of the panel in normal operating conditions.
(I bet that the breaker never trips)
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Tucsontoy's calculations were flawed. Most (12V) solar panels put out approximately 17-18 Volts in full sunlight. Consequently the O/P's 180W panel would be putting out approximately 10 Amps at ~18V, not 15A ...in full sunlight. Less sun....the voltage AND the current go down.
__________________
Ed & Lynn - on the Central Oregon Coast
Lily & Tyler - Bedlington Terriers
2018 Winnebago Fuse 23A
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03-07-2019, 09:58 AM
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#20
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Spring Branch, TX
Posts: 7,780
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoastalEd
Most (12V) solar panels put out approximately 17-18 Volts in full sunlight.
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I have 3-100w 12v panels going to a MPPT controller. They each put out ~20v to 22v in direct sunlight. They are wired in parallel and the full-sun voltage of the bank is 22v. I've also tested each one individually with a multi-meter and 20v to 22v is the norm for each. I have one Zamp branded panel and two Renergy branded panels. But they each output the same voltage.
__________________
2017 Winnebago Adventurer 37F
2016 Lincoln MKX Toad
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