Renogy Suitcase added to 2023 TAB 400

DaveC

I got the 100 Watt Renogy Suitcase with 20a PWM controller to add to my roof mounted 190 watt panel with Victron Mppt. It came with a battery clamp cord that isn't practical in a TAB 400 (Battery under bed). I cut the battery clamps off and wired the cord to a 7 pin socket. Works like a charm with no trailer wiring. I got 80 watts output with a slightly overcast day. Will only use the suitcase for shady campsites or to supplement roof panel on cloudy days.

Sharon_is_SAM

Great idea!

qhumberd

Really easy to attach too. I have the same unit for my 400 and I use a dealer installed SAE port and got the extension cables from Renogy for more location flexibility. I am not sure of the gauge of the wire from the 7 pin, but it may be worth checking that to see that the wire size is not causing too much voltage and current drop. I believe Renogy sells extensions in 10 and 12 AWG.

DaveC

@qhumberd, According to NuCamp, the trailer wiring to the battery is 10 AWG.  The Renogy 9 ft battery cable is 14 AWG, seems small, but that's what came with the suitcase.  Assuming a 5 amp load, the drop is .25v. Replacing it with a 10 ft, 10AWG extension cable would reduce the drop to .1v. I am going to use this for a while and see if there is a problem, or if I need more length for use in shady campsites.  If so, i will probable replace the 14g wire with 10g. Also, the Renogy battery cable has an inline fuse.

pthomas745

The use of a 7 pin plug for various situations has been around for several years, and it is always nice to see it brought up again, since it is so easy to do.  This thread has conversations from @rfuss928 who showed how the setup can work and did the math and the science about the dreaded "voltage drop". 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8921/add-portable-panels-to-factory-solar-tab-400

LokiFinn

This is really helpful. I would not have thought of this. Thanks for sharing.

pthomas745

I learned about this from the "anyone carry a spare battery" thread. 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/7008/anyone-carry-a-spare-battery/p1

qhumberd

All good information and using the 7 Pin is a better placement for the suitcase in so many instances when camping. Thanks @pthomas745 and @DaveC for sharing all this!

AnOldUR

This 7-pin approach is a clean and easy solution. It would be more work to place a port on the side of the tub or outer wall, but the parts required are cheaper and there are advantages that make it worth consideration.

Slackers

Or just get an SAE connector that doesn't need to be permanently secured to the side of the tub.  Just make sure it's tied up or tucked away before pulling out of the campsite.  So yeah, lots of options.

Denny16

On the TaB400, you can add a SAE cable to,the battery distribution block inside the outside storage locker.  No need to drill holes in the side, just roll up,and tuck the cable into one end of the locker.  When at a campsite, open the locker door and deploy the cable as needed.  The hatch seals should allow the door to close around the wire cable at the bottom.
cheers

RTWCTS

Denny16 said:

On the TaB400, you can add a SAE cable to,the battery distribution block inside the outside storage locker.  No need to drill holes in the side, just roll up,and tuck the cable into one end of the locker.  When at a campsite, open the locker door and deploy the cable as needed.  The hatch seals should allow the door to close around the wire cable at the bottom.
cheers

That is how we did things. SAE runs through the door in to our 'ground array' Victron. Still, I REALLY like the ingenuity of the OP.

manyman297

So this makes me curious. Is there a way to harness your trailer’s battery to power, let’s say a 12v cooler? I googled it and it looks like you can but my mind around electrical conundrums like this isn’t the best. It would be awesome to be able to simply rig up an adapter, plug it into your trailer’s 7-pin and have power for something outside your camper.

The solar SAE port that the factory provides on the 2021 400 isn’t in the best spot to do this but the 7-pin would be perfect.

I know this may be obvious to some here but right now my mind can’t seem to figure out how to accomplish this.

pthomas745

@manyman297 The "Anyone Carry A Spare Battery" thread, and the thread about adding portable panels, both have descriptions by @Rfuss928 on how to use a 7 pin adapter to either: send power to the trailer to charge the battery or run the trailer with a separate battery.  The thread below describes using the same 7 pin adapter to run 12V devices directly from the trailer battery.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8478/12v-outlets-in-2019-t-b-320-s-are-they-2-way

You could wire in a "12V port pigtail " to the 7 pin adapter, and plug in the 12V fridge directly. (This one would have to have the ring terminals removed, but it is a nice fused cable.) If you wanted the same SAE plug like Rfuss used, just remember "polarity" because some of these Amazon cables play fast and loose with wire colors.

https://www.amazon.com/SPARKING-Cigarette-Lighter-Terminals-Extension/dp/B07448P2GH/ref=sr_1_9?crid=O0SITZI1ZGHX&keywords=12v+plug+pigtail+fused+female&qid=1691353540&s=automotive&sprefix=12v+plug+pigtail+fused+female,automotive,138&sr=1-9&th=1

If you have the SAE port for solar on the trailer, you can use it to provide power. I made one like this.  (I have a better one with a fuse now....)

AnOldUR

We added a cigarette lighter port that’s tied directly to the batteries (fused) that can be used for a 12V fridge or can be used to charge the batteries with our NOCO Genius10.

DaveC

@manyman297: I'm not sure you can pull power out of the trailer 7 pin connector.  They may have a diode to prevent a short from draining the battery. If it does work, I would add a fuse.

manyman297

Thanks @pthomas745

So it’s as easy as just wiring up the + and - of the 7-pin to a 12v (cig or SAE plug)? 

I’m admittedly not great at the physics of electricity but how does the 7-pin send and receive a current? I understand that hooking the 7-pin to your TV will send power to your trailer…but how does this adapter work in reverse (trailer batteries sending power to the adapter? I’m sure it’s an obvious answer that I’m overlooking.

pthomas745

The 7 pin is simply a "connector".  There is nothing inside except the cables that carry power from the tow vehicle to the trailer's junction box, etc. Power can flow in either direction.  In the "Spare Battery" thread, I discovered if I want an extra battery to run the trailer, I could do that with the battery switch off.  If I connected the extra battery with the battery switch on, that would wire the two batteries together.  If they were not the same state of charge, they would balance each other out (one would charge the other until they were "even".) In the situation of the plug being attached to a solar panel or some type of power source, it would simply charge the battery with the trailer battery switch on. 

Check a video on the web about "how to rewire a 7 pin" connector and you will see how simple they are inside. 

manyman297

Thanks @pthomas745 I didn't realize the wire going from the 7-pin to the battery is simply just that. This is great news as I was planning to use the SAE connector on the driver side of the 400 to power a cooler. That would mean having to run a wire all the way back to my truck's bed where the cooler would reside. 

Now I can just plug power into the trailer's 7-pin and run a fairly short run of wire back to my truck bed. I'll need to be mindful of water ingress but overall a much simpler solution and I have a spare 7-pin connector lying around here too.

Basil48192

Probably a silly question....but do the wires from the 7-pin connect directly to the battery, or do they connect to the existing solar controller?  I assume they connect to the battery so you would have to use the solar controller that comes with the suitcase panel.  

pthomas745

The 7 pin wiring goes to the "junction box" in the area just behind the tub.  The junction box distributes the cables from the 7 pin to where they are supposed to go in the trailer.  The solar controllers in the trailers are connected directly to the batteries.  So, yes, to use this 7 pin setup to charge the battery you would need an appropriate charger or solar setup with a separate controller.

There is a discussion of the junction box wiring in this thread.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/15356/junction-box-wiring-help

 

DaveC

Where is the "diode'?  I found the source of my confusion.  I have Prodigy RF wireless brake controller that goes between the trailer and the TV 7 pin connections.  If I test the trailer connection, I get 13.2v. If I test the brake controller, I get .14v, essentially zero.  There is a diode circuit in the brake controller.  So @manyman297, you can run your cooler off the trailer 7 pin.  If you have a brake controller like mine, you have to take it out of the circuit.