New Minnie 2201 MB Solar INFO??

[Kodiak59]

Greetings from the midwest! I just got my new minnie and interested in upgrading to lithium. I found I have a 30 amp charge controller from Go Power and can add an additional 190 watt panel on the roof. Does anyone have info on the inverter model/size. Thanks

[DavidM]

Go to Go Powers website and look up your converter model. I think that they make both a PWM type and an MPPT type in 30 amps.

How many and of what wattage panels are you planning to have including existing ones. That and the type of controller make a difference as to how you wire them up.

David

[Kodiak59]

Thanks David, the charge controller is a GP-PMW-30-SQ, 12 volt 30 amp. I plan to add an additional 190 watt panel on the roof, that will total 380 watts of solar. I have not located an inverter, not sure it has one, but would like to run a small tv and charge my laptop, will add one if needed. Plan to switch over to a 200ah lithium, want to run the 12 volt fridge for 2-3 days on a full charge, and may need to add/change the dc/dc charger for effective charging on the road. This is my plan over the next year or so. Have a good idea what I want but not sure about components and sizing. thanks dw

[VagabondBrie]

Hey Kodiak! Did you happen to figure out anything else regarding the location of and size/type of inverter (if any) the Minnie 2201MB has? I just recently got mine as well and have similar plans to upgrade the solar setup, so I'm hoping you are farther along in the process than I am. Thanks!

[BobC]

Your GoPro controller is a PWM (pulse width modulation) controller. Although it has a profile for LiFePO4 batteries, I believe you'll be better served by converting to an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) controller. I'm no expert, so do you should do your own research.

By the way, the term "Lithium" covers a multitude of types of batteries that contain lithium, many of which are inappropriate for RV usage. The type you'll be using are LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries.

Another base to cover is charging from your tow vehicle. I know there are issues when charging an LiFePO4 battery directly from a motorhome so a DC-to-DC charger is necessary. I'm not sure if there's the same issue with a towable charging via the 7-pin trailer connector since the amperages are so much less. Here's one thread on the subject that may help:

https://diysolarforum.com/threads/do...-towing.21800/

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by VagabondBrie

Hey Kodiak! Did you happen to figure out anything else regarding the location of and size/type of inverter (if any) the Minnie 2201MB has?

The way to answer this is to look at the official Winniebago brochure for your line of travel trailer. If you have an inverter it will be listed there.

I don't know what year your Minnie 2201MB is, so I can't look that up for you. But I did go over the 2020 brochure for the entire family of Minnie travel trailers and 5th Wheels and none of them came standard with an inverter nor was an inverter offered as a factory option on any of the models.

Until very recently inverters could only be found on motorhomes Class A, B and C. That is quickly changing. But this feature has not become a standard item on most travel trailers... yet. I'm confident this will change very quickly.

More than any other kind of RV, travel trailers are considered an "entry point" into the RV world and a low price is one of the key factors involved in sales success. So, manufacturers are pretty cautious about adding new features that could increase the price and harm overall sales.

PS. I just checked the brochure for 2022 Minnie towables and none of them included an inverter nor did they offer one on an option list. However, unlike the solar prep on 2020 Minnie models many of the 2022 Minnie models included a factory installed solar panel. So, things change to make towables more capable - but not everything all at once, it seems.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by VagabondBrie

Hey Kodiak! Did you happen to figure out anything else regarding the location of and size/type of inverter (if any) the Minnie 2201MB has? I just recently got mine as well and have similar plans to upgrade the solar setup, so I'm hoping you are farther along in the process than I am. Thanks!

I think you might mean "converter" instead of "inverter". The converter, or more accurately the converter/charger charges the batteries while you're on shore power. Sorry I can't help you with the model and location but I'm sure a call to Winnebago will answer your question.