Need advice on solar suitcase for T@B 320S

Marceline

AaronC said:

OK, one last thought/question... Our '16 TAB 320CSS has a factory installed inverter. I'm thinking of dropping in a 12v 100ah lithium battery to replace my worn out AGM. $$$ but I'm willing for the charge/discharge characteristics. I just want to run my lights, water pump, and max fan. Might it also run the fridge, and recharge cellphone and laptop? I'm thinking of getting a renogy 200w suitcase to recharge the 100ah battery. Max time off grid would be two days. Does this setup make sense? (ps, no microwave or AC, as obviously they draw too much power)

That setup should work. The fridge is the biggest power draw. Everything else is minimal. If you have the Norcold 2way it consumes 30-40aH per day depending on the ambient temperature. Try to keep hot air from building up under the closed hatch. I put a frozen ice pack in the freezer compartment and turn off fridge at night if ambient temp is going to drop below 55 or so overnight. You want to keep the fridge at exactly 40deg. On my fridge the right setting is “3” but yours might be different.  Use something like this to check the temp without opening the door: https://amzn.to/3c236i1

AaronC

Thank you much!

MikeLnRB

So I'm looking to upgrade my battery system to one Lithium (LiFePH4) 100Ah battery.  I'd also like to install the Victron SmartShunt with that as a battery monitor.  

My question concerns the solar charge controller.  If you go with a seperate charge controller, as opposed to a solar suitcase that has a built in charge controller, how do you wire it in?  I'm thinking of the Victron MPPT 75/15.

If I'm plugging the solar suitcase into the SAE plug in the tub, do I need to disconnect the SAE plug pigttails from the battery, strip the ends and plug them into the solar charge controller, then wire that to the battery? 

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes, you can have either a permanently mounted controller or one that you add in with your portable suitcase.  

We created permanent pig tails coming off the controller solar panel inlet that we connect to our panels.  We have permanent pigtails that attach to the positive battery and the post shunt negative wire that connect to permanent battery pigtails on the controller.  We don’t use the SAE solar port due to the weight of the cables.  The connection seems weak.
If using the Smartshunt, the negative lead of the charge controller must be wired after the load side of the shunt.

MikeLnRB

Thanks Sharon_is_SAM!  What pigtails did you purchase?  What type of connections?  Do you have to open the tub to connect the solar panels to the solar charge controller, or do you fish your solar panel wires up through the bottom of the tub?  Where did you mount the controller?   Sorry for all the questions!  You always have good advice everyone...

pthomas745

To use the SAE port with an SAE connector from your solar controller, you would keep the SAE wiring attached to the battery.    Then use the appropriate cable from your controller to the port.  It would be the same thing if you had a suitcase with it's own controller.

MikeLnRB

pthomas745 said:

To use the SAE port with an SAE connector from your solar controller, you would keep the SAE wiring attached to the battery.    Then use the appropriate cable from your controller to the port.  It would be the same thing if you had a suitcase with it's own controller.

How would you connect wires from the controller to the SAE port if the SAE port wires are going to the battery?

Sharon_is_SAM

@MikeLnRB - We bypassed the tub solar port and left it as original.  Our tub is offset forward, so there is a large gap next to the front of the TaB, so our wires easily access the area under the tub lid.  We purchased MC4 connectors from Renogy and a good flexible marine 10 gauge wire from Amazon for pigtails and 30 feet of extensions.  We found it difficult to keep connecting the wires to the controller, hence the pigtails.  We have 2 pigtails on the controller for the panels (the positive is fused) and 2 pigtails on the controller for the battery.  We have a fused pigtail on the battery + terminal and a pigtail that ties into ground of the front junction box (not to the battery) - this as everything needs to come after the load side of the shunt.  They all connect with MC4s.  Our controller is temporarily mounted on the inside of the tub lid.  All of this was ScottGs idea!  

Check out ScottG April 2017 post here re his solar lunchbox.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/4608/voltage-drop-and-other-solar-musings-solar-lunchbox/p2

pthomas745

@MikeLnRB This is an old photo of my basic wiring coming from the panel, and out to the SAE port.  When I wired my shunt into my trailer I kept all the wiring from the SAE port on the side of the trailer intact.  All the old battery wiring stayed the same.  Only the "negative side" of the battery wiring, including the SAE port, went over to the shunt.

What @Sharon_is_SAM it talking about is all the strain on those cables:  you can see the bigger panel wires are pretty much ready to spring out of the connectors on the controller.  Like @Sharon_is_SAM , I've worked on using SAE "pigtails" to make this whole thing easier to connect.

With the SAE port on the side of the trailer wired correctly, all I have to do is just plug in the SAE cable from the controller. 

MikeLnRB

@pthomas745 Thanks now I understand.  Your controller is on the solar panel side of the SAE port, not the battery side.

Thanks also @Sharon_is_SAM for your insight!  

I'll post my setup when I get get it rigged together.

pthomas745

In real life, the solar controller will be inside the propane box, to protect it from possible rain, etc.  There is a big gap behind the propane box. When I'm camping, the cable from the panel goes into the back of the box and into the controller.  The SAE cable goes from the controller, drops behind the box, and just plugs into the port. Keeps everything looking a little neater and out of the way. (Well, the illusion of being a little neater, at least....)

ScottG

@MikeLnRB, I've used my "solar lunchbox" (she Sharon_is_SAM's link above) for four seasons and it is a vast improvement over the original all-in-one configuration. I did exactly what you describe...

MikeLnRB said:

...
If I'm plugging the solar suitcase into the SAE plug in the tub, do I need to disconnect the SAE plug pigttails from the battery, strip the ends and plug them into the solar charge controller, then wire that to the battery? 

...except I made all the pigtails disconnectable. The advantages (which may not apply to your situation) are that I can keep the controller stashed inside and out of the way when I don't need solar, and that I can still use the suitcase as a stand-alone by plugging the panels directly into the controller, and then attaching the stock clamps (also equipped with MC4s) to the controller.

Marktab320css

I have a 2018 Tab 320 clamshell. I prefer to be as far away as possible from full hookups. I like more room. I have a 100ah battery which will last a little over a day. There's not much you can turn on in a 320 except the refrigerator, which is where most of the power is used. I have a 220 amp Dokio solar suitcase from Amazon. After reading all the reviews, I took a chance and bought it. I love it because it solved my power issue. I know that the Renology suitcase is the choice for most, however; I'm about results and this delivers for almost $100 less than Renology. I recommend that you buy the extension cable so you have more freedom to position the panels to maximize your charge. And just use the controller that comes with it. I was going to buy an MPPT controller but after the 1st trip, I'm good with everything as is. Since then, I've been out for 5 days with this setup, without any issues. One last thing, NO, it will not let you run your air conditioning. Good luck with whatever you choose.


https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Foldable-Monocrystalline-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=dokio&qid=1615931125&sr=8-7-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUktJRk1BVkxIUVNNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjQwODIyMktHWjRZT1NLMjQwVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTUyOTUxRzFRMlpGVTZCNTQzJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZZGHNK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

pthomas745

Someone else was talking about one of these on FB today, and I was interested in how the controller connected with Anderson connectors, instead of having to painfully insert a too thick wire into a too small hole.  So:  which cable did you use to connect?  The Anderson to battery clamp cable?  Did it come with a Anderson to SAE cable that can use the solar port on the trailer? Glad it is working for you.

PS: I looked at the photo more closely and see it is going directly to the battery in the tub.  So, the battery clamp cable?

Marktab320css

There's s short (18") that clamps onto the battery. The extension is SAE on both ends which then plugs into the panel. I just leave the cable clipped to the battery. The cable, extension cable and the controller fit into a velcro pocket on the back of one of the panels. Good for me because I tend to misplace things. Right now, I'm camping on the beach in Ventura with the fridge cranked up to max because I ran out of ice and that bourbon isn't going to chill itself. I just checked my battery and it's reading 12.6.

Homebodyatheart

Congratulations and welcome to the Tab family! I bought an ACOPower solar suitcase, 125w, and I love it! It is simple, plug and play ready which is good for me, and even better it only weighs just over 8 pounds! I did add the 15' cord, a cable and two locks so I can secure it to the Tab tongue, and I've got it if I need it. Good luck with your decision!

Mellow_Yellow

It finally happened! I got the solar suitcase working in the driveway! The older built-in converter on the 2014 T@B is not capable of fully charging a lithium battery. It only gets to about a 75% charge.
But the Renogy suitcase is brilliant. It's this one with the built-in, weatherproof controller: 

Renogy 100 Watt Eclipse Monocrystalline Charge 20A Voyager Waterproof Controller Solar Suitcase, 100W-Waterproof

Also a bit of a learning curve on lithium battery charge levels. The bluetooth battery monitory only tells me the voltage, so it has been tricky to know that, for example, 13.3 V is only 70% charged.

State-Of-Charge	Voltage at rest (zero current)	Voltage under load (0.25C)
100%	14.0 Volt	13.6 Volt
99%	13.8 Volt	13.4 Volt
90%	13.4 Volt	13.3 Volt
70%	13.3 Volt	13.2 Volt
40%	13.2 Volt	13.1 Volt
30%	13.0 Volt	13.0 Volt
20%	12.9 Volt	12.9 Volt
17%	12.8 Volt	12.8 Volt
14%	12.6 Volt	12.5 Volt
9%	12.4 Volt	12.0 Volt
0%	10.4 Volt	10.0 Volt

Other learnings:
1. I'm currently charging using the "jumper cable" direct connection to the battery terminals because the Zamp adaptor I bought has the wrong polarity :( 
2. I used the solar panel suitcase to cover the panels before connecting the Renogy to the battery. This is per the "user manual". You can damage the battery or the controller if you connect "live" solar panels to the battery. 
3. Charge time form 13.3V to 14.0V on a partly overcast day (in April) was __ (tbd, in progress )

Denny16

Should work just fine.  If your fridge is a z3-way, run it on propane, and you should have plenty of power from a 100-amp lithium battery.
cheers

CharlieRN

I bought the same Renogy suitcase @Mellow_Yellow and like you, had a successful trial run in my driveway. I am very favorably impressed by the Renogy - easy set-up, and quality parts througout.

For the trial, I used the supplied 10' cable with the alligator clamps, but will be adding a longer (30') cable and SAE connector. I need to re-locate the SAE port however, as I added the Bradley boxes that block it. By the way, you can get an SAE polarity adapter if you'd rather not rewire things.

Best of luck with your new system.

Mellow_Yellow

CharlieRN said:

By the way, you can get an SAE polarity adapter if you'd rather not rewire things.

Best of luck with your new system.

My SAE cable came with a polarity adapter, but even with the adaptor attached, the solar panel still did not recognize the battery connection (b01 error on Renogy display). I would love to use the Zamp port, but so far, no luck...

Denny16

Try tracing the wires from the SAE/Zamp connector to the battery, or hook a meter to the plug to see if it is connected and which side is positive.  Yiur Zamp plug might not be fully connected to the battery?

Cheers

pthomas745

@Mellow_Yellow there was a post a couple of years ago where a member discovered a badly crimped MC4 connector from the Renogy.   So, that would be a multimeter chore to check that.  What adapter or cable did you use from the controller to the port?  It could be the cable from the controller is correct...but the adapter is not...(this gets so confusing.......)

Mellow_Yellow

Thank you @Denny16 and @pthomas745 - I'll investigate further and post some photos. It would be so great to be able to use the external port and not have to open up the battery box!