Solar connector in Nautilus compartment

johnVT · June 6

Hi Folks,

I just took delivery on a Cirrus 620 with the Battleborn Lithium upgrade package. The kit came with a Renology suitcase solar panel along with a "10A Wanderer Solar Charge Controller" and "BT-1 Bluetooth Module".

Two questions:

1) Can I plug the solar panels directly into the plug located in the Nautilus compartment (why else would it be there if I can't...?)?
2) What am I supposed to do with the Controller and the BT Module?

Thanks in advance!
John

Sharon_is_SAM · June 7

Did your Cirrus come with factory installed solar? Is the Renogy panel and charge controller just supplemental?

Not familiar with the Cirrus Nautilus compartment - photo would help.

Typically, a nuCamp solar port is connected to the battery. In general, if the charge controller is attached to the solar panels, then they are plug and play. If they are separate, then you must connect the controller to the batteries and then to the panels.

johnVT · June 7

Thanks Sharon,

Yes, my Cirrus has 350w of solar on the roof attached to its own Victron controller. There's also a Victron inverter and a couple of other Victron components (shunt, bus connector) for connectivity to a phone app. All this works with 270Wh battery. The Renology pieces were separate.

The Nautilus is the where the "waterworks" for the camper are located (external shower hookup, city water input, etc) and it's not really important in this discussion. Suffice to say it's just the place where the solar port is located.

The tech at nuCamp did mention that the solar port was connected directly to the battery, but I wanted him to confirm.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 7

So, is the charge controller attached to the solar panels or separate?

johnVT · June 9

Separate. I’m trying to figure out the best way of putting the controller in-line.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 9

The Cirrus platform is new to most of the membership. Photos of the battery location may help generate suggestions.

SLJ · June 9

johnVT said:

Separate. I’m trying to figure out the best way of putting the controller in-line.

If you can, put the controller as close to the batteries as you can and not on the panels themselves. That way you'll get less voltage loss from having a long cable from the panels setting out in the sun.

johnVT · June 10

Thanks. I’ve already located a convenient place to splice in to the existing cable run beneath the sink unit. Should be fairly easy to accomplish. One question I have (not being all that well versed in things solar), is there any problem having two different controller units feeding the battery? There’s already an existing panel on the roof that goes into a Victron controller.

elbolillo · June 10

@johnVT There isn't any problem with having two controllers feeding the batteries. I have a controller for my rooftop solar panels and a separate one for my solar suitcase. Using the Victron app you can network them all together.

elbolillo · June 10

@johnVT Now that I look at your prior comments, the Victron and Renogy controllers cannot be networked together. Regardless, there shouldn't be any issue of running the different chargers together. Only challenge that I see is that you will have to use two different apps to monitor the Victron charger and the Renogy charger.

elbolillo · June 10

@johnVT Instead of using the Renogy controller, I think in the long run, you would be better off getting another Victron MPPT solar controller. You will have the advantage of being able to view all your chargers and shunt in a single app (VictronConnect) and the MPPT controllers have the advantage of being more efficient.

rfuss928 · June 10

I use my 12v SAE port as an easy battery connection more often than I use it for solar input. It is where we plug in our compressor cooler as well as a maintenance charger during storage.
I would not permanently install a solar controller in that line.
I recommend making short pigtails that allow the solar controller output to be connected to the SAE port and accept input from your portable solar panels cable. Then it can be put inline close to the port when the panels are being used.
This is my solar controller and 120w portable panel bundle ready to go.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/7q/f7f1506pzpnz.jpg

SLJ · June 10

I added a 12 volt SAE port for coolers, etc. on the door side and mounted the portable panel controller in the front tub behind the SAE solar port. Less to mess with.

johnVT · June 10

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

rfuss928—I particularly appreciate your ideas as I hadn't really thought about how that solar port is indeed 2-way in that it can deliver power as well as receive it from solar panels.

I think I'll go with mounting the controller temporarily when in use (with velcro) to the side of the camper inside the truck bed (keeping it protected from weather) and running a pigtail into the solar port in the Nautilus. I've also got at the Renology bluetooth module that I can mount inside the camper under the sink running its RS232 connector through the aux hole where the cable connection is inside the Nautilus compartment.

I also appreciate the suggestions of going with a Victron controller and having everything unified in one app, but the camper came with the Renology gear so I figure I might as well use it. Plus the Renology controller is smaller and will be easier to stick velcro tape to for temporary mounting.

db_cooper · June 15

@johnVT
I have a 2022 Cirrus 620, and Nucamp confirmed that the external port is for solar with an external charge controller. I tried powering a 12v portable fridge from that port with no success, so not sure if mine is even hooked up correctly. I previously had a T@b 320 and routinely used it with a solar suitcase and powered the fridge with it, it was reverse polarity for Zamp panels, so I used an adapter for the fridge. The Cirrus is not reverse polarity according to NuCamp. I need to put this on the to do list to figure out.

johnVT · June 15

Thanks DB ( so you made it off the plane after all! 😉)
I just successfully got my Renology suitcase hooked up to the solar port yesterday using the Renology controller that came with it as part of the lithium upgrade package. I made a little mounting board with the controller and in/out pigtails and the whole thing velcros to the side of the camper inside the truck bed nicely secured from weather.

db_cooper · June 21

Turns out our external solar port was wired in reverse, although there was no sticker outside that said it was for Zamp panels, and NuCamp told me it was not installed for Zamp and was regular polarity. Also, from plugging in my fridge the fuse had blown. Instead of using adapters, I went ahead and cut the positive and negative ring terminal off and switched them, to keep the fuse holder on the positive terminal. Fridge is now working fine from the port as expected.

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