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Help with TaB 400 solar not working

fnova5fnova5 Member Posts: 10
edited September 2019 in Battery/Electrical & Solar
Question, I have only had my TAB 400 for about 6 months, and I don't believe the solar is working.  I see the Hp solar controller 2440 display with the moon icon on and not the daylight icon - which doesn't make sense to me.  I don't see any activity from the solar panel to the battery on the controller.   Has anyone else encountered this? 
fnova5 2019 T@B 400/F150/Broomfield Colorado
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    There have been multiple reports of the solar controller wires being mis-wired.  Can you take a picture of how the wires enter the controller?  On previous installs, nuCamp used green wires for positive and white wires for negative.  If you swap any wires, make sure the panels are not exposed to the sun.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • PamandJohnUpNorth2PamandJohnUpNorth2 Member Posts: 141
    @fnova5 Here's a link to disussion with someone with similar issue.

    Pam and John
    Champlin, Minnesota
    2018 T@B400 and a 2018 Ridgeline 

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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    The OP has received a replacement controller from the factory (Victron).  Can someone with a 400 with factory installed solar and the Victron please take a picture showing the wire arrangement.  The only picture I found was miswired.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • DenisPDenisP Member Posts: 542
    I just upgraded my 2018 400 with factory solar from HP controller to Victron 75-15. This is the wiring:
    2018 T@b 400, 200ah Lithium with Solar
    2013 Tundra TRD 5.7L
    Massachusetts
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    @fnova5, does that help?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • NinabeanNinabean Member Posts: 68
    Help. I have the above controller installed on my Tab 400.  I installed the IOS App and watched it when we were using the trailer.  It seemed to work fine though admittedly I do not know much about solar and we have not really used it or had a need for it.  Given the discussion above I decided to set up my trailer on solar power so I could monitor the usage and charge.  Trailer is out in the sun and not hooked up to shore power.  I have not done anything to the batteries... should I?  But anyway I can no longer get the app to pick up my equipment though the blue tooth setting says I am connected even giving the equipment number.  I have deleted the app and reinstalled.  Checked for updates yes. Can anyone tell me why my app is not picking up the equipment?  I have been unhooked from shore power now with only the “ghost” lights and the bathroom light on for 7 hours.  My cigarettes lighter monitor says my battery is still fully charged and the reading is 13.67. So I am going to assume the solar is working and keeping the battery charged.  Still why no pickup of the equipment on my app?
    2019 T@b 400 “Hazel”   Towed with a 2013 Ford F-150 STX  4X4 SuperCab 5.0L
    table mod
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  • NinabeanNinabean Member Posts: 68
    Ok the app has started working.  I don’t know why other than I tried the Jensen app and it worked then tried the Victron again and it started working!
    2019 T@b 400 “Hazel”   Towed with a 2013 Ford F-150 STX  4X4 SuperCab 5.0L
    table mod
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,987
    The Victron app has a very short range. 
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • NinabeanNinabean Member Posts: 68
    Yes it does.  That may have been the problem. Thank you.
    2019 T@b 400 “Hazel”   Towed with a 2013 Ford F-150 STX  4X4 SuperCab 5.0L
    table mod
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  • fnova5fnova5 Member Posts: 10
    Here is a picture of the wires going into the HP controller.   To confirm the wiring is correct the white/red should be coming from the solar panels into the controller's solar connection.  Then the green and white are going to the batter where green is the position input.  
    fnova5 2019 T@B 400/F150/Broomfield Colorado
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  • fnova5fnova5 Member Posts: 10
    If indeed the wrieing is correct then my next step is to swap out the HP with the victron. 
    fnova5 2019 T@B 400/F150/Broomfield Colorado
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  • PamandJohnUpNorth2PamandJohnUpNorth2 Member Posts: 141
    edited August 2019
    @Fnova5 That is correct wiring at the controller for the hp controller. I read one instance of the wires being reversed on the roof top connectors for the solar panels. You could rule the rooftop being miswired in or out by switching the red and white wires from the solar panels where they connect to the controller.
    That will either result in getting a good result or not. If still no charging in sunlight then the controller is the issue.
    Pam and John
    Champlin, Minnesota
    2018 T@B400 and a 2018 Ridgeline 

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  • fnova5fnova5 Member Posts: 10
    Thank you for the confirmation.   Yep, I thought of reversing those wires to eliminate a miss wire at the roof.   Any idea if  I can cause any damage by reversing those wire to the solar panels?   

    In the for what ever its worth department,  and if it can help someone else, I did purchase a battery monitor from amazon.   I connected the battery monitor to the battery.  Attached the monitor to the battery case such that when I open the trailer storage door you can get a read out.  I did this because I would charge the battery and the nucamp panel would read as fully charged only to find out at best the battery was at 60% charged.  I am new to owing a trailer and learning a lot.   Has anyone ever had to remove the batteries from a T@B 400?  Looks pretty cumbersome to do so.    I store my T@b at a trailer storage facility and keeping the batteries charged in the winter is a bit of a challenge, as I have to use a generator.  And well as you all know that takes minimum 4 hrs to charge if the battery is at 60% charged.   Does anyone use a smart charger for charging the batteries in a T@B 400? 
    fnova5 2019 T@B 400/F150/Broomfield Colorado
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,760
    Your best bet is to charge your large AGM battery with a smart charger completely before storing.  Since fully charged AGMs retain their charge for many months, it is possible you may not need to recharge while in storage.  We store inside and this spring we took it out of storage after 6 months and it was still at 100%.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • PamandJohnUpNorth2PamandJohnUpNorth2 Member Posts: 141
    @fnova5 No harm will occur  to do a test connect reversing the solar wires coming from the roof .
    Pam and John
    Champlin, Minnesota
    2018 T@B400 and a 2018 Ridgeline 

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  • jkjennjkjenn Member Posts: 6,398
    PamandJohnUpNorth2 said:
    @fnova5 No harm will occur  to do a test connect reversing the solar wires coming from the roof .
    The Victron controllers have reversed polarity protection built into them.

    2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014

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  • nuBarnuBar Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2018 TAB 400 with a factory installed solar panels. There is zero volts coming from the solar panels to the HP (CE ROHS) controller. It's possible it's been like this since day one. We recently boondocked and noticed the battery was not charging and finally got motivated to pull the bed apart and access the controller. NuCamp was quick to answer my inquiry but so far has no suggestions. 
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  • dragonsdoflydragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,927
    Welcome, @nuBar. Sorry you are posting here on that kind of note. Experts and wizards, please chime in with knowlege and trouble shooting advice!
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
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  • RayJimRayJim Member Posts: 135
    Probabbly the same wiring problem I had.
    2021 T@B Boondock 400. 2021 Toyota SR5 V6
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,987
    @nuBar Welcome to the forums...there have been several stories of really basic wiring errors, and, as in this thread, some wiring horror stories.  If you can, post a picture of the wiring going into your solar controller.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    Pull wires from the solar panels off the controller and check with a volt meter while in sunlight, voltage or none will tell you if the panels are making power and if it is getting to the charge controller.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • zperoomzperoom Member Posts: 4
    There is no need to pull the wires from the solar controller. The voltage can be checked with pointed voltage probes right on the controller screw terminals themselves. 

    I had trouble with the Victron MPPT solar controller after a firmware update of VictronConnect for my BVM (battery voltage monitor). The MPPT didn't show up on the device list and the controller was shut 'off' by the firmware so it stopped charging the batteries.

    I had to pull both MPPT fuses, the one on the solar panel side and the one on the battery side, to get the bluetooth to reset and show up on the VictronConnect device list when the fuses were put back in. The MPPT then showed up in the VConnect device list and when connected thru bluetooth, has worked just fine ever since. 

    Victron's devices are clever and work great but their bluetooth and user interfaces are clunky and surprisingly poor. 

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