Micro Minnie FLX Xantrex/Go Power! Parameters

[tcaudle2001]

Thanks creativepart

So, I'll see what Go Power comes back with in terms of the max voc for the 190 panels. Seems to me like we'll be under 100 even with the 4 of them pumping.... presumably it'll be better to also not be bumping right up against 100 as well....

 

[creativepart]

If they are 12v nominal panels, and that's the most common on RVs, they'll put out between 18-21 volts each. Wired in Series you simply multiply the voltage by the number of panels. Four panels will make between 72v and 84v. Figure 80 volts.

If you add one more panel you'll be super close to going over 100 volts.

This is a constant regardless of the brand of panel or wattage. But does depend on the voltage output of the panels.

Just like with batteries - series wiring multiplies the voltage, parallel wiring multiplies the wattage.

With 4-190w panels if you series wire 2-pairs and then parallel wire the two pairs together you'll have about 40v and 380 watts of solar. This is approximately 10 amps. So, the GoPower controller would be perfectly fine.

4-190w panels wired in series will produce 80volts and 190watts. This will yield about 3 amps.

4-190w panels wired in parallel will produce 20volts and 760watts. This will yield 38 amps -- too much for a 30-amp solar controller.

NOTE: This is what I've been told, I'm no expert. So, always double check my figures.

 

[tcaudle2001]

I *believe* where we end up is with two pairs...

2 x 190 roof panels wired in series...

2 x 190 external/portable panels wire in series...

and those two pairs are in parallel to the controller.

So, as you say, 40v and 380 watts of solar. I suppose then I have to ask... what's the point of the additional pair? If I am already getting ~325-375 watts in bright sun from the existing two panels, why add two more? Suppose you could move those two away from the rig in tims when the roof-mounted ones are not in the sun, but that doesn't seem like a large enough benefit....

 

[creativepart]

I'm on shaky ground saying this as if I know the answer completely, but your MPPT solar charge controller turns voltage into amps for charging. The numbers I gave you were panel output - not controller output.

Since your batteries are 12 volt (14+v for charging), your mppt controller converts volts over that number to amps for charging.

I found an online calculator and entered 2-Pairs in Series/Parallel and got these results:

Once the Charge Controller Converts those ~50V from the solar array down to the ~14.5V necessary to charge a 12V battery bank, the charge controller will be putting out ~50A to charge the battery bank.

I'm not smart enough to figure this out on my own.

This is one of the main advantages of a MPPT controller over a PWM controller. The PWM solar charge controller discards all the volts over what's needed to charge the battery.

 

[tcaudle2001]

I appreciate the thoughts!

 

[Marine359]

If you have 3x 100 in series on the roof, with each panel having a Voc of 18-20vdc, you’re sending up to 60vdc to the charge controller. As Creativepart noted, it’s a 100/30 controller, so you can add (maybe) up to 40vdc with portables. A single 200w portable or two of them in parallel (not series) is all you’ll be able to add to the solar on the side port. To be sure, go on the roof and measure the Voc of the panels with a voltmeter. You’ll have to disconnect the mc4 connectors from the gland, and take your measurement across the mc4 connectors of each panel. This number is always good to have in your notebook.
Oh, and BTW the voltage rating of a charge controller always refers to the total Voc of the array.
Good luck with your project.

 

[Old Navy]

I *believe* where we end up is with two pairs...

2 x 190 roof panels wired in series...

2 x 190 external/portable panels wire in series...

and those two pairs are in parallel to the controller.

So, as you say, 40v and 380 watts of solar. I suppose then I have to ask... what's the point of the additional pair? If I am already getting ~325-375 watts in bright sun from the existing two panels, why add two more? Suppose you could move those two away from the rig in tims when the roof-mounted ones are not in the sun, but that doesn't seem like a large enough benefit....

Your 30A charge controller is close to maxed out with the 380W of roof panels. Charge Controllers will only output their rated AMPs TO the battery. Your Charge Controller might be able to handle the extra panels (or not, check the owners manual) but won't output more than 30A. For me, the best reason to have ground panels is that many campsites have lots of shade. Of course, a small quiet inverter generator is also a good "plan B" for those occasions.

 

[Downytide]

We'll folks, the saga continues, everything was working perfect until first day settling into the trip, I called this trip Murphy's trip, everything that can go wrong, did go wrong.

Got to the spot, open awning , suddenly realized not a single bloody thing worked, no stabilizers, no tongue jack, and everything beeped, the battery was severely over voltage, there was various codes, overcharging , over voltage, it was sitting at 14.6v and solar charger was ready 20somthing volts, xantrex inverter was beeping none stop as well, called lithionics, and was told to unhook the battery for safety, and the battery smelled funny too.

Adding salt to the wound was new neighbor who arrived a day later decided to be that guy, guy who blasts music and run generator in generator free zone, and yell at his kids at full volume, cops were called , we made the best out of it but called it quit early cand came home overnight, on the plus side is the trailer will go down the hwy at 120kmh beautifully.

The view was beautiful, I tried to enjoy it as much as I could when I was hand cranking the awning and everything else back to position, definitely bring a drill next time as backup.

 

[SactoSteve-WO]

Crap!
30 amp breaker?
Battery blue LED off?

Sorry
- Steve

 

[SactoSteve-WO]

Downytide-
About a year ago this thread was discussing problems with the 30 amp breaker coincidentally I was getting the propane valve recall performed and the service tech mentioned, out of the blue, that he had just serviced a FLX that had no power to the always on stuff. He showed me where the resettable breaker was and mentioned that the problem was that the connections (inside the red plastic covers) were not being made securely at the factory and should all be tightened down. Now that we know the GoPower controller output goes through this route to the battery?
Probably worth a check.
-steve

 

[Downytide]

At this point I'm not willing to do anything myself, I want everything done in a way that can be documented.

There's something definitely not right with the FLX system, we love the trailer, but Winnebago has to fix this, the battery smelled weird, I can't put a description on it, but as soon as I told them I hear "click sound" and it smells funny Lithionics asked me to remove it immediately.

 

[Marine359]

You’re doing the right thing Downytide.
A LFP battery should never have any kind of odor. Neither should the wiring or inverter.
Your FLX has a serious problem that needs to be addressed under warranty.

 

[Downytide]

Winnebago has informed me last week they are willing to work with certified place to fix this, as the purchase dealer told me they can't look at it until August and possibly not sure WHAT to look for.

I really feel Winnebago need to do better training with dealers on this.

On the plus side, we learned what is we need vs want during trips with the trailer.

 

[SactoSteve-WO]

downytidex
Totally understand and agree!

 

[Downytide]

Very cool! But also very expensive. I get the portability and easy of use...but I think I'd have to compare the cost of adding a second Lithionics battery to my setup. They look like they retail around $5k and I am imagining another $1,000 or so to get it wired up correctly...

Check your email, Winnebago is sending out promo that for $3600 you can add second battery.

I want to, but I need to get this one fixed first.

 

[mfouts]

New to the FLX, picked mine up yesterday. Not sure if I knew what I was getting in to, after reading through this thread. Dealership no help at all. I am a bit electrically challenged so some of this is tough to wrap my head around. Couple of questions.

Is there a good reference to help me understand what all the info from the various apps?

My 2108 DS flx has a black on off switch and a blue button on the battery enclosure.
How do I figure out which is best combination of on off for the various uses? I typically store for short periods with no shore power available and also have no need to leave anything on in the trailer.
Would it make sense to shut both off for a week or two of storage? If i understand correctly it will not charge when one or both switches are off?
In an earlier post i mentions a standby mode, is that a different switch than the blue button or the black breaker?

I know the quertions are a bit random and not well phrased but a bit confused right now and and info. would be great.

I did read through this thread and a bunch of other stuff but must say a bit overwhelmed right now.

Thanks
Marc

 

[SactoSteve-WO]

Marc-
There was quite a bit of puzzling by folks on this thread to figure out how this system operates. I tried to capture what I thought was relevant in 2 documents attached to the post in this link.https://www.winnieowners.com/forums...go-power-parameters-363804-8.html#post3929376

Recent “finds” not covered in the attachments include the role of the 30 amp breaker in the connection between the GoPower! Charger and the Lithionics battery and, I think some storage clarifications.

I hope this helps.

- steve

 

[mfouts]

Thanks Steve
I did read those and they were very helpful, I was able to change settings on both the gopower and xantrex apps based on the info there.

To give you an example of how challenged I am, attached is a current pic of my gopower screen.
What exactly is it telling me and is it where it should be after being plugged into house power overnight with nothing turned on?
What is the 42.7 volts?
It is a bit overcast right now.

 

[SactoSteve-WO]

There is a base level of proper configuration (like the type of battery, solar panel properties, etc.) and physical configuration (like are xantrex and goPower remote panels actually connected) but beyond that there are tuneable parameters, and environmental factors sunlight intensity and duration and temperature.
To me the goal is to have they system maintain the battery at a reasonable State of Charge. Thats pretty easy sitting on our property in the Sacramento sun.
To me most of the “data” provided from the apps is interesting but not essential, unless you are troubleshooting something. Others may disagree, or are more interested in fine tuning things.
Some of the names of data can be ambiguous, and I see GoPowr!/Dometic has changed Solar to PV Solar, probably to clarify that’s the Volts coming into the GoPower! Charger.
The picture of your panel shows 42.7 V @ 0.3 A coming into the Charger. The Battery at 14.4 V which is max for the Absorb Cycle per setting defined by Lithionics. And the GoPower charger is a 77* F. I see nothing out of the ordinary here but you will see things change (mostly Solar V) as the sunlight availability changes.
The Lithionic app gives the “true” SOC.

I suggest monitoring the GoPower and the Lithionics app to get a feel for how the system is performing, and learn what “normal” is. If the temp differential between what GoPower thinks the Lithionics batter temp is and what the Lithionics app thinks the battery temp is your GoPower temp probe probably isn’t connected. Not a big deal but temp plays into the GoPower charging algorithm.

And then there is learning what “normal” is when the system is “in use”, (microwave, AC, convection oven, etc.)

- steve

 

[mfouts]

I keep my trailer at a storage facility without any power. If I am storing for one to two weeks at a time, is it best to turn off battery power and zantrex power?
When at storage it would have no power needs and the batteries would be approx. 90% charged.