Zamp plug receptacle

scaup · August 2021

On the receptacle where the Zamp solar panels plugs into, which is positive......the male or female connector?

I purchased a new receptacle and it has a red and black wire where the old one had a red and white wire. With the old receptacle, the red was positive and the white was negative.

Thanks

webers3 · August 2021

In my case, as factory wired, it is the male side

AnOldUR · August 2021

webers3 said:

In my case, as factory wired, it is the male side

... Gender neutral or just confused?

Your arrow clearly points to a female connection on a plug.
But re-reading to original post, I see he's asking about the receptacle, not the plug.
Sorry to have possibly caused some confusion.

webers3 · August 2021

@AnOldUR Nope, no confusion here, I know exactly what goes where

pthomas745 · August 2021

The SAE port on "most" trailers has the hot wire on the "top" part of the port. So, the positive wire from the solar controller must "end" inside the plastic covered part of the plug.

Newer solar controllers are "reverse polarity protected", so even if you wire this the "wrong way", the controller will simply not work.

Weber 3's photo is how mine is wired. The positive from the controller goes to the "plastic covered" part of the plug.

scaup · August 2021

Got it. Thanks

pthomas745 · August 2021

@scaup Did you get your controller/panel to work?

scaup · August 2021

I'm not really there yet. This was all about replacing the plastic propane/battery box with a metal box. Once that is done I'm sure I will have numerous questions about going to two 6v batteries (which have probably already been answered in the forum).

This is in preparation for our future trip to the Arctic Ocean.....as soon as the Canadian border reopens.....whenever that is.

Thanks

ScottG · August 2021

As I've preached many time before, it doesn't really matter which is which where and in what situation or why. Just be absolutely certain--by tracing all wires visually and/or with a multimeter--that in your configuration you always connect +s to +s and -s to -s! :-)

CanadianTabber · August 2021

This is how my receptacle was wired. I checked it with a voltmeter and was sure the solar panel wiring matched the polarity as well.

scaup · August 2021

Canadian Tabber- that looks exactly like mine will look like including the diamond plate.

AnOldUR · August 2021

Here's what has my head spinning. Why are there two (opposite) polarity options? The receptacle I purchased on Amazon is the opposite of what @CanadianTabber shows above. My red (positive) wire from behind the receptacle goes to the female part of the receptacle. To me the way mine is wired makes more sense. That hot (positive) male end in his receptacle looks like a potential hazard. Sure it has a slight recess and a cover, but the potential to touch it and the aluminum box at the same time doesn't seem right. Although the opposite end of my extension now has a hot male lead, so that's also a hazard. Is it me or is this SAE system just wacky?

Like @ScottG say above, you have to trace out the wiring on your system to be sure it's correct, but why isn't there a standard that we should all be following? (or is there?)

webers3 · August 2021

@AnOldUR mine, @pthomas745 and @CanadianTabber are in an agreement, so you are the odd man out

AnOldUR · August 2021

webers3 said:

@AnOldUR mine, @pthomas745 and @CanadianTabber are in an agreement, so you are the odd man out

Wouldn't be the first time I was called that.

When I purchased the receptacle from Amazon, I didn't think to check for different configurations. Does male connection in your receptacle have a red or black wire on the back side?

webers3 · August 2021

@AnOldUR the male side of the receptacle has red, the male is the top of the receptacle. I wouldn't trust how the wires are colored, it's all relative.
My advice to all: your toolbox should have a simple multimeter, get it, learn it, use it.

CanadianTabber · August 2021

Here is my understanding, the official Zamp plug is wired reverse to what I have shown in my photos...I suppose Zamp has their own criteria and is set up only for their panels?....I have a Coleman panel that was wired perfectly for my receptacle...either way, its best to confirm the wiring before you plug in your external panel.
Brent

Horigan · August 2021

AnOldUR said:

Here's what has my head spinning. Why are there two (opposite) polarity options? ...

Typically, DC connectors are used between a power source and a load. The connector from the power source will typically have the positive portion covered and protected so it's less likely to short to ground. However, with a solar panel connected to a battery, both connectors have a hot positive side. Zamp has chosen to protect the positive lead from the solar panel and made that the covered female portion of the connector from the panel. In this case the battery side connector needs to have an exposed positive male pin.

Bayliss · August 2021

I found this discussion thread to be helpful regarding the Zamp connection:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6230/zamp-solar-connections-explained

pthomas745 · August 2021

The cable and connection are SAE connections. The whole point of the SAE is to prevent the "hot" side of a powered cable from shorting or sparking. That is why the SAE connector on the trailer is wired so the "hot" lead is "inside" the plastic. Wire it up with the hot lead heading out to the big metal part of the cable, find some metal and you might watch sparks fly. Imagine a perfect world where we could have a solar controller with an SAE plug, and an SAE port on the trailer. It would only plug in one way. There would be no confusion about the "reverse polarity" or "wired backwards" or any of the internet nonsense.

Amazon sellers do confuse the issue with the black/red wiring going to the "wrong" end of the plug. I have some of these cables, and cables I made myself. My cables that go from the controller just have one rule, no matter what color the wires might be: the positive lead is "safely in the plastic." I label my cables to point the proper wiring.

And...multimeter, multimeter, multimeter.

AnOldUR · August 2021

Bayliss said:

I found this discussion thread to be helpful regarding the Zamp connection:
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6230/zamp-solar-connections-explained

Thanks for this link. It made me realize that SAE is the wrong way to go with solar and has me baffled as to why it's become some kind of standard. The SAE connectors are designed so that the hot lead will not be exposed, but with solar, both ends have a hot component. The battery on one side and the solar panel at the other side. Both ends present a shock hazard. With SAE connections, there's no way to avoid an exposed hot lead on one end or the other.

The Renogy suitcase has MC4 connectors. They are a safe and effective way to wire solar. I had trouble finding a MC4 recepticle to mount on a trailer, but I'm sure there's something out there. Below is the best I found in a quick search. I regret following the SAE bandwagon and wonder if there's some code or insurance regulations that oppose their use. There should be. Regardless, there's no excuse for having a black/hot and red/ground wiring scheme built into anyone's system.

https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Power-Weatherproof-Connectors/dp/B07MMWKR29/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=mc4+port&qid=1628001329&sr=8-16

edited to add better link .....

ScottG · August 2021

@AnOldUR, FWIW I agree. I've made all my modifications with MC4 pigtails--they are a little more futzy to plug and unplug, but are secure and weathertight, and have no exposed contacts. I still use the SAE to connect my panels to my controller in the tub, but that's 'cause it was already there and I didn't feel like replacing it. :-)

AnOldUR · August 2021

@ScottG ... I'm still early in the solar suitcase installation. It's wired up, but if I find the motivation there may be some Amazon returns in my future.

johnfconway · August 2021

ScottG said:

@AnOldUR, FWIW I agree. I've made all my modifications with MC4 pigtails--they are a little more futzy to plug and unplug, but are secure and weathertight, and have no exposed contacts. I still use the SAE to connect my panels to my controller in the tub, but that's 'cause it was already there and I didn't feel like replacing it. :-)

@ScottG, did discover a marked difference in MC4 connectors. The cheaper "BeideLt" connectors were tough to work with and inconsistent as to depth of male and female inner conductors. I did however have one set of 4 connected wire ends that worked.

The Renogy branded connectors were far easier to work with. Everything "clicked" into place and tightened as intended. Only slightly more expensive. They also disconnect easier, particularly when using the "pronged" tool.

CharlieRN · August 2021

AnOldUR said:

Here's what has my head spinning. Why are there two (opposite) polarity options? The receptacle I purchased on Amazon is the opposite of what @CanadianTabber shows above. My red (positive) wire from behind the receptacle goes to the female part of the receptacle. To me the way mine is wired makes more sense. That hot (positive) male end in his receptacle looks like a potential hazard. Sure it has a slight recess and a cover, but the potential to touch it and the aluminum box at the same time doesn't seem right. Although the opposite end of my extension now has a hot male lead, so that's also a hazard. Is it me or is this SAE system just wacky?
Like @ScottG say above, you have to trace out the wiring on your system to be sure it's correct, but why isn't there a standard that we should all be following? (or is there?)

Just went through much the same thing @AnOldUR.

In my case, I can't use the factory receptacle to connect my auxiliary solar power because I have Bradley boxes that block it. I decided instead to order a new receptacle, which arrived wired the reverse of the factory one shown in @CanadianTabber's photo (i. e., its positive terminal is female, negative male). To use things this way would mean that the connector from the panels would need to have a male positive plug terminal. This is a much bigger hazard than the one posed by having a mostly protected male positive terminal in the receptacle, IMO. An aside: My understanding is that this what makes one an SAE type and the other a Zamp - happy to be corrected on this.

My solution was to simply reverse the wiring running from the new receptacle (to be mounted in a plastic handy box outside of the tub) to the battery. So I wind up with the same receptacle config as the factory allowing me to use a plug with the positive terminal shielded from shorting if it touched the camper or car chassis (and maybe spot welding itself in place in the process).

CrabTab · August 2021

I believe the most elegant solution I've come across (albeit more expensive) to through hull wiring was recently posted by @Mouseketab where she used an Anderson Powerpole type connector through a box as part of her DC to DC charger install.

Renogy DC-DC Charger Installation (vanillacommunity.com)

My future includes replacing the SAE connector I installed in my tub with one of these. My initial concept of switching to Anderson connectors was to make my Renogy briefcases capable of charging my Yeti Goal Zero (that came with the Anderson connector) when they weren't charging the T@B.

After reading through this discussion it seems that there may be an inherent safety advantage to the Anderson connectors too, as no conductors are ever exposed.

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