Latest update December 28th, 2016 1:27 AM
REVIEW: Renogy 100w Solar Panel Suitcase
I get asked by a lot of Vanagon owners how should they get started in adding a solar panel solution to their current setup. Many times they’re overwhelmed by the amount of information, options and custom setups that have been described online. I wanted to find a good all around setup that anyone with a screwdriver and a pair of wire strippers could install in less than an hour without having to rip their hair out doing a ton of research online.
Another reason to find a quick, inexpensive and simple solar panel install option is that many people looking to add a solar panel setup to their van may not have a complete understanding of electronics. Manually piecing together a kit which includes wiring, solar panel(s), solar controller and other miscellaneous parts for the installation may be way over their head. I feel the option I’m about to describe will make things so much easier to understand.
The option I chose was the least expensive clocking in at about $285 total and was also the most efficient in regards to its portability. Having a portable solar panel setup allows you to setup camp in the shade and run the solar panel on a tether and placed in direct sunlight. I know here in Texas, especially in the summer we try to camp in any little bit of shade we can find. lol.
This post includes 5 sections… What I Used, Unboxing, Installation, Field Testing and Final Thoughts. If you read through all 5 sections you’ll have a greater understanding of where to buy, how to install and how to use this solar panel setup. After reading the post, once you’ve gotten the parts I’ve laid out you can have your solar panel system up and running on your van in less than an hour. That’s less than an hour from the point you take it out of the box until you’re harvesting sunlight into your battery! Exciting right? Let’s get started…
What I Used
- Renogy 100 Watt 12v Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase (With Controller)
- Battery Tender 081-0069-6 Ring Terminal Harness (Two of these are required)
- Battery Tender 081-0148-25 25′ Quick Disconnect Extension Cable
- Innova 3721 Battery & Charging System Monitor (Not necessary but nice to have)
I purchased the Renogy 100 Watt Foldable Solar Suitcase from Amazon for $259.99 which also had FREE Prime 2 day shipping. If you’re not a Amazon Prime member and frequently order from Amazon I highly recommend you consider a membership. I know mine has paid for itself many times over in just Free Shipping…
Unboxing
This is how the package arrives from Amazon.
The solar panel suitcase arrives in a stock Renogy cardboard box with styrofoam cushion end caps for protection during shipping.
Once the solar panel is removed, you’ll notice its nice padded case that is used to help protect the solar panel itself when stored in your van.
The riveted heavy duty, spring loaded handle is what helps you carry the 28lb solar suitcase around.
The padded case is definitely better than I originally expected. I assumed it would be much thinner and more bag like. I am pleasantly surprised that it is a very nice quality padded case.
The solar panel fits nice and snug into the padded case. No sliding around that’s for sure.
The one thing I have not been pleased with during my 6 weeks of field testing is the lightweight aluminum latches. They’re very dinky and cheap for lack of a better word. They just don’t close very well. I understand that in order to make this entire kit available at a good market price that some corners have to be cut in regards to the quality of included components. It’s a necessary evil I suppose.
The handle on the other hand feels very strong and sturdy in my mind. I have no complaints about it even though I’ve noticed other users would like a beefier option. I feel this handle is adequate and functions just fine.
Corner protectors are a nice touch. They’ll offer some protection in the every day use of this panel when placing it on the ground and rotating it around in order to follow the sun. They’re not meant to absorb a large impact if the panel is dropped on the ground for example. I just don’t think they offer that level of protection nor do I feel that was Renogy’s intent. So in short, don’t go dropping the panel on the ground. lol.
The hinges aren’t much to write home about either but they do their job just fine. No complaints.
With the solar panel opened you can see all that is included in this package. Its a very nice, well thought out kit. Everything from the Solar Controller to the adjustable legs and wiring can be housed within the folded solar panel so its all self contained.
The kit I purchased includes a 10 Amp PWM Solar Charge Controller. Renogy does offer suitcase kits without the charge controller for a little less but in this review I wanted to choose a kit that a complete beginner to solar charging can purchase and get going in their system relatively easily.
The backing support plate of the charge controller has velcro on it in order to keep it fixed to the back of the solar panel while its setup and operating. The velcro is a very cheap grade and can’t hold the weight of the controller to the back of the solar panel. Is this a bad thing? Well honestly, I don’t think so. In fact I prefer it this way. I’d much rather have the solar controller hang off the back of the solar panel and not in direct contact with it. Having that space between the two allows the controller stay cool and not transfer heat from the solar panel itself.
The PWM Charge Controller comes with the solar panel already wired up. You just need install the wiring from the Charge Controller to your own battery system and thats it. One thing worth noting is that the solar panel itself is weather resistant but due to the open, exposed wiring connections of the PWM Charge Controller it is NOT water resistant. So if it begins to rain I’d suggest bringing the panel inside the van in order to help protect the controller from the elements.
The spec sheet that’s attached to the rear of the panel.
Another way to keep costs down is to not include a printed instruction manual. The included flyer states that there is a manual available for download on the Renogy website. It took me awhile to locate the manual online since it wasn’t as easy to find as it should be. For your reference the manual direct link is located HERE.
Included are a set of fused (10 amp) alligator clips with MC4 connectors and a short pigtail. This can be used to get your solar panel hooked up and working but I recommend a different approach. I found the included wiring to be way too short for my needs so I won’t detail the installation of the included wiring. Explanation of how I recommend installing this solar panel to your battery system is detailed later in the INSTALLATION portion of this post.
The adjustable legs on this solar panel are one of the coolest features. They’re very sturdy and easy to use. Unlike other items in this kit, these were not skimped on as far as I could tell.
Simply loosen the wing nut and slide the leg out.
Once you’ve extended the leg, tighten the wing nut and the leg will be locked in place. Repeat the process for the other side.
So far I’m very impressed with the Renogy 100w Kit so far. Overall the construction is very good even though there are a few things I’m not crazy about. The cheesy latches being one of them but I understand in order to achieve a certain price point some inexpensive components are required. That’s just how business is… If we want a reasonably priced kit, the company still has to make a profit so sometimes less than perfect components need to be used. Just hopefully they didn’t skimp on the solar panels themselves!
Once the legs are extended and the solar panel is in place, its very sturdy. This setup should do well in windy conditions as the weight and the construction of the legs should keep it nice and stable. It certainly won’t be blown over.
Installation
The items I purchased for the installation to follow are a Battery Tender 081-0148-25 25′ Quick Disconnect Extension Cable and two Battery Tender 081-0069-6 Ring Terminal Harnesses. All three items together can be purchased on Amazon for about $25 total and are Prime eligible so shipping is free.
One of the two Battery Tender 081-0069-6 Ring Terminal Harnesses is to be left as-is and installed onto the auxiliary battery you’re looking to charge. The harness comes with a 7 amp fuse which might not be big enough so I replaced it with the 10amp fuse that was included in the Renogy alligator clip wiring that I mentioned earlier. Now our wiring has the correct size fuse installed. Installing this harness is very straight forward. Black ring terminal (-) gets installed onto your negative battery post. Red (+) ring terminal gets installed onto your positive battery post.
The second Battery Tender 081-0069-6 Ring Terminal Harness is to be modified. This harness will be installed at the solar controller mounted on the solar panel. Since the solar controller has connections for bare wire we simply need to cut the harness and remove the portion of wire that includes the ring terminals and fuse holder as shown in the photo. Strip the wire back about a 1/4″ inch and you’re ready to install.
My auxiliary battery is located under my driver’s seat so the 18″ long harness is plenty long enough to route near the door opening. This is where one end of the Battery Tender 081-0148-25 25′ Quick Disconnect Extension Cable will connect to. Anytime the solar panel is not connected be sure to use the protective rubber caps to cover the ends of the SAE plugs so that there is no chance of short circuiting anything. This is a must just to be safe.
For now I simply run the wire out of the van and along the ground to where my solar panel will harvest the most sunlight. I can still close the door on the wire if I’d like to or thread the wire through the small door vent window in order to connect to the Ring Terminal harness. It’s totally up to you how you’d like to route it.
This next portion is the most complicated part of the installation so pay close attention.
Since we’re using another Ring Terminal Harness for the solar controller that’s made for connecting to a battery we have to install it a little differently on the solar controller. We have to flip the polarity of the wiring so that it matches the rest of the system that we’ve already installed. Sounds confusing but it’s not…
The connector located on the modified pig tail that we shortened has polarity markings, a + and a – symbol. In this case we need to install the wire marked with a + to the solar controller connection marked with a –. Then we need to install the wire marked with a – to the solar controller connection marked with a +. That will in turn make the modified pigtail match the polarity of the rest of the system we’ve already installed.
Use a small flat head screwdriver in order to tighten down the the set screw onto the bare wire and make a good solid connection.
Now your solar panel should be up and running! See, that wasn’t so hard right?
Field Testing
I’ve used this solar panel for about 6 weeks now on 3 different long campouts. I wanted to run the solar panel kit through its paces before putting my thoughts together in this review.
I store the 25ft extension cord in the solar panel which makes it very convenient. One less step to worry about when setting up and/or breaking down.
Once the shortened pigtail is installed onto the solar controller you don’t ever have to mess with that connection again. Leave it as is connected to the extension cord.
The following test was done while camping on the beach in Port Aransas, Texas. Plenty of sun, no clouds and no other obstruction of the sun. Your results may vary based on your conditions of course. Having the long extension cord allows you to camp where you like and place the solar panel where it’ll harvest the most sunlight. Very efficient.
Okay let’s run through some usage numbers and time frames so you can get an idea of how this solar panel setup works.
1:20pm
I attached the solar panel to my van and the auxiliary battery’s State of Charge is at 46%.
1:20pm
The solar panel voltage is 14.4v and it’s currently outputting 5.7amps to my auxiliary battery.
2:30pm
The charge controller has a built in timer as well. Shown here it’s been 1 hour and 10 minutes since I first plugged up the solar panel to my van’s auxiliary battery. This timer will reset every time you disconnect and connect the panel to your auxiliary battery system since it uses the auxiliary battery to power the charge controller.
2:30pm
The current State of Charge is now 91%. That’s a huge jump in only a little over an hour.
2:30pm
The solar panel voltage is 16.3v and it’s currently outputting 3.9amps to my auxiliary battery. Amount of sunlight hasn’t charged so I assume that it’s starting to ramp down the output since it’s getting closer to a full charge.
3:45pm
Now 2 hours and 25 minutes have passed.
3:45pm
The current State of Charge is now 100%.
3:45pm
The solar panel voltage is 17.9v and it’s currently outputting 2.8amps to my auxiliary battery.
Even though the solar controller says the battery has fully charged in the 2 1/2 hours its been hooked up I still opt to leave it out all day and keep the battery topped off. This helps offset the amount of battery I’m using for my Engel fridge, phone chargers and other miscellaneous 12v accessories. If the sun’s out… so is my solar panel! Can’t pass up free power!
Final Thoughts
All in all I am VERY pleased with this Renogy 100 Watt Foldable Solar Suitcase. For a total price of about $285 anyone can enter the world of harvesting sunlight in order to charge your batteries. Even with the few little things I wasn’t too crazy about like the dinky latches I still find the overall product very well done and very efficient. I can easily look past the minor imperfections as the product as a whole is a winner in my book.
The only downside I can see would be storing this solar panel as you travel. I have my top bunk removed so I store my panel in that area. Others that need that upper bunk could just store the solar panel suitcase in the back of the van on top of the deck lid cushion.
See… it’s not as expensive or as hard as you thought it would be to set up a solar panel system. Sure there are other more expensive and more complicated options out there but the purpose of this article is to find a good kit that’s efficient and reasonably priced that can be installed quickly by anyone regardless of their level of skills. I feel that the Renogy 100 Watt Foldable Solar Suitcase fits this bill perfectly.
One last little item I’d like to recommend to go along with your solar panel setup is a Innova 3721 Battery & Charging System Monitor. It’s simply a meter that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket in order to measure the current voltage of your battery system. It runs about $12 on Amazon but comes in very handy for me in checking my battery voltage.
Here’s an informative chart you can reference to gauge allowable battery levels. It states that down to 11.9v is still in the green but I try to never let my batteries get that low. 12.1v or 12.2v is what I consider my lowest allowable voltage.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this writeup on the Renogy 100 Watt Foldable Solar Suitcase and it’s installation. If you have any questions about anything you’ve read here or maybe have a question about something I may not have covered feel free to leave a comment down below and I’ll respond directly. Thank you.
Reviews
Highly Recommended
This kit works very well for me and I haven't found any major drawbacks to it. Being able to add a solar charging system to your van for as little as $285 and under an hour installation time is awesome in my book. Don't be intimidated any longer, get one!
56 thoughts on “REVIEW: Renogy 100w Solar Panel Suitcase”
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Thanks for this review. You obviously did a ton of homework. This is now on my list.
You’re very welcome!
This is a great write-up and has swayed me more towards a portable rather than permanent system. A couple of questions:
1) Based on your review, the 100W seems like ample input to keep the house batts charged. If those of us that don’t live in Texas don’t have as much sun exposure, do you think it would be fairly straight-forward to add another panel into the existing management system?
2) If we wanted to leave the panels out while the van is parked at home to keep the batteries topped off, do you think that the quality would allow for that? If so, would waterproofing the controller (I.e. putting it in a ziplock bag) be reasonable, or would it not like that? Assuming we didn’t create humidity.
Thanks for taking the time to share!
1) You can easily add a second Renogy panel if you like although the controller would need to be upgraded in order to handle both 100w panels. Renogy makes this kit with a 10amp controller. You’d need at least a 20amp controller to handle two panels. Renogy also sells this panel on Amazon without a controller for a bit less so you could also shop and add a larger controller of your liking that can handle both 100w panels together.
2) If you’re looking for an all weather solution you could easily install this controller (for a single panel) or a new larger controller (for two panels) inside the van someplace so it’ll stay out of the elements. Then you can add a SAE hookup pigtail somewhere easy to get to like behind the lice plate door or integrate it into your city water hookup box if you have a Westy camper.
nce work son.
great reveiw
Hi Able, thanks for the very enlightening review. I understand the “flipping polarity” hock up, but l don’t know why.? Is it because when you huck up the two ring terminal harness the + side connects the the – side of the 2en. harness ??
Since we’re having two of the same harnesses on BOTH ends, the battery end and the solar controller end, the polarity and connection male and female ports won’t mate up properly. You have to flip the wires on the controller side in order to achieve the correct polarity for the rest of the wiring. I’ll see if I can make another graphic in order to help explain the reasoning.
Abel,
If you only use one of the terminal harnesses off the battery, and cut the end of the 25′ extension to hard wire to the controller there is no need to flip the polarity correct?
Matt
You are correct… Only thing to remember is the extension does not have polarity indicators aka plus and minus marks so you’ll need to plug one end to the harness from the battery.. And walk down the extension cord so you know which wire specifically is positive and negative.
Perfect, planning on just curling the cord up in the case and figured I could save a few bucks on the extra harness.
Very good. I have a nearly identical setup that I bought from Overland Solar. I am considering doing away with the forward water hookup and making that spot my dedicated solar connection port. Overland Solar sells the parts.
Keep up the good work!
That’s a perfect spot for it. In fact I plan to do something similar soon.
BOOM! All Items added to my prime shopping list for purchase. Thanks, Abel!
You’re welcome!
Able, is there any spot on the panels where a wire rope might be attached (with a lock) so someone doesn’t walk off with it if you happened to leave it unattended for a while. (The other end of corse secured to the van). Thanks,
Nothing available on the stock solar panel. I do plan to drill my own holes into the frame for such a lock. I’ll detail that install as well
When folded in the case does it fit in the forward luggage rack by chance?
Nope. Unfortunately we wouldnt be that lucky. This renogy solar kit won’t fit in the forward luggage rack. Gowesty does sell and narrower 80watt kit that will fit though…
Actually it does! Check out this thread on The Samba (scroll down page 13):
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=295946&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=240
I’ve had the Renogy 100W suitcase panel for a couple of years now and the only place I stash it on road trips is in the Westy luggage bin. It’s not a perfect fit like GoWesty’s panel, but it does indeed fit: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/jettncab/OldBlue/RenogyPanel_zpsrs6nkegq.jpg . 😉
Nice write-up, Abel. 🙂
Thanks! My mistake… I’ll update the post accordingly.
Hey, thanks for your great review. I was looking forward to finding something like this, so kudos!
I’ve read elsewhere (including comments from Renogy) that by adding longer extension cords at higher gauge ratings (I think the extension you recommend is 18 gauge), you lose a significant amount of voltage as it moves from the controller to the aux battery. In other words, what it reads at the controlled is notably more than what is actually received at the battery. It doesn’t seem like you found this to be a problem, but I wonder if you’ve checked the voltage at the battery and the controller at the same time to see if there is a significant difference.
Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Clayton, you’re absolutely correct. The extension I detailed here is a bit undersized for the length of travel but it still allows the Renogy Solar Panel to charge your aux batteries. I plan to upgrade to a heavier gauge wire as well as install a better quick connect jack some place. I do plan to detail this in another write up. One option for wiring is getting Landscape Light wiring from the local hardware store. You can get a 12awg or even a 10awg cable and purchase it by the foot. Simply add your own connectors and you’re set. The cabling is even UV protected which a lot of wiring out there is not. Hope this helps. Thanks!
Abel,
That helps a lot, thanks! I’ll look forward to your write up when you do this upgrade. I’m trying to prep my van for a long summer trip, so this solar project will be a key piece to doing a lot of off-the-grid camping. I appreciate you sharing your experiences.
Couple good options:
10/2 AWG UV Marine wire: http://www.amazon.com/Duplex-Tinned-Marine-Wire-Black/dp/B00MI5I98K?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
Anderson PowerPole Connectors: http://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Powerpole-Connectors-Amp-pair/dp/B00W8TN4KY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
Crimping Tool: http://www.amazon.com/Anderson-tricrimp-Tricrimp-Powerpole-Crimper/dp/B000ASDAR2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00
http://www.powerwerx.com/powerpole-accessories/panelpole-powerpole-panel-mount-weather-resistant.html
Thanks, that’s helpful!
Hey Abel, how many Ah does your battery have?
I currently have three 44ah batteries for a total of 132ah.
Nice write up! It’s hard to believe there isn’t really any appreciable line loss with the 30′ Battery Tender cable considering it is only 16-18 gauge wire. I’m shocked and amazed!
PS – You may want to add that the Renogy panel fits in the Westy luggage rack as an alternate place to store it during travel.
Cheers!
He mentioned before that it didn’t fit in the luggage rack area. Are you saying it does?
Yes, it fits without the case. Simple lay some 1/2″ high density closed cell foam down to protect the bottom then straps through the footman loops to secure it while traveling. You’ll also want to mount the solar controller inside the van so it’s not out in the elements with the solar panel.
Thanks! My mistake… I’ll update the post accordingly.
Seems like this is all you need now :
OptiMate CABLE O-20 Weatherproof SAE socket, front panel mount https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031BOTFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Hownxb5XW9PDJ
Abel:
Great review. I was so impressed with the thorough nature of your review I went out and bought all the same stuff. You were dead on with everything. I agree with you on all the notes about quality. I found the kit to be rock solid.
I wired things up and tested the system on an overcast, rainy day. Even with a sun that was nothing more than a slightly lighter spot in the clouds, the kit actually generated enough juice to slowly charge my house battery. Very nice. This weekend we’re supposed to have good sun here in Boulder, CO and I plan to give this thing a better test.
Thanks for all the detail. I’m stoked with the purchase and can’t wait to get out in the field with the system over the Memorial day weekend.
ˇhanks for that review. It was helpful. I’ve just ordered the same system.
Thanks a lot Abel! A great write-up even for an old goat like me to understand. I found some 12ga landscaping cable wire that I plan to use. Can you recommend connectors to the battery and the controller please. Many thanks, Bruce
thanks for this wonderful tutorial! when i ordered from amazon, the kit was out of stock, so i had to order the panel only, and i ordered the renology wanderer solar charge controller. i see from your photos of the kit that the small black “box” right next to the charge controller is attached to the controller with stripped wire ends. my panel has some big attachment devices at the ends of the wires that come out of that box. i have no idea what they are meant to attach to. am i correct in assuming i should cut those off, strip back the wires and attach them to the controller as shown in your photos? as you can probably tell, i know absolutely NOTHING about electrical systems, wiring, or solar energy. if i’m able to get this thing working, you should receive an award for writing very clear instructions! thanks again!
Hey there Vi… You are correct. Those big black connectors are MC4 connectors, they’re used in order to make a nice waterproof connection to other solar panels with MC4 cables or to a solar controller. You can simply cut the ends off and strip the wire back in order to hook up to your solar controller.
The wires may or may not be color coded once you cut the connectors off so mark the wire with the MALE end MC4 Connector as your RED/POSITIVE/+ Wire.
You should be good to go.
thanks for your quick response, abel—i really appreciate your help!
hello, abel. it’s vi again with another stupid question. thanks to your tutorial and help, i got my solar panel connected and charging! that’s the good news! i’m a little confused, however, about the connections. the instruction book for my charge controller states, “NEVER connect solar panel to charge controller before the battery.” therefore, i’ve been connecting/disconnecting the stripped wire ends from the solar panel to the charge controller, which is a pain. i noticed in your tutorial you said you only need to do that part once. does that mean that it IS okay to connect the battery and solar panel simultaneously? see—i wasn’t kidding, i really don’t know anything about all this. it’s a foreign language to me.
thanks for all your help!
No worries Vi… That is news to me. I always have the panel hooked up to the solar controller and THEN I connect the leads from the controller to a pigtail I have connected to the battery.
I guess if you’d like to continue to disconnect the solar panel FIRST, you can maybe add a SAE plug there inline between the solar panel and the controller so its a quick disconnect.
I think it’s fine unplugging from the battery side. What you can do to make it safer is to face the solar panel down on the grass or on the case itself opened up so its not getting any sunlight and therefore its not producing any voltage. Then plug it up or disconnect it to the battery.
placing the panel face down so it’s not producing voltage sounds like a great idea. what, exactly, is the consequence of connecting the (voltage producing) solar panel prior to connecting the battery?
thanks for helping me understand this!
Hey! Great review. If I was looking to do a permanent solar panel set up in the cargo area of the roof what would you suggust??
Permanent in the Luggage Rack is a bit tricky. I’ve seen some people trim a flexible 100w Panel and make their own custom brackets in order to get one to mount “down in” the luggage rack a couple of inches so you can’t tell they even have one up there. Looks pretty cool… requires a bit more work but looks good.
Best review I have come across for the portable solar panels. Step by step was outstanding. You sold me on what to buy.
Thanks for the kind words Joe!
Sir, Thanks for the great information on the solar suit-case setup. Were did you buy your Aux gas tank that’s mounted under the sliding door.? I’ve been looking to source a extra fuel tank. I have a 1991 Syncro camper with a SVX 3.3. I live in the Mansfield, TX. Thanks, Michael
Hey there… I have a 2wd and I only have the stock fuel tank. There’s a guy on Facebook (http://bit.ly/2caJ2g8) named Ben T Syncro that’s importing suxilary fuel tanks for Syncros. They’re Called Desert Fox Tanks. He made a big group buy a few months ago but you can contact him to see if he has any extras for sale.
Also if your’re in Mansfield join our Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/texasvanagons/
We have a big campout coming up in October… We had 26 Vanagons last year and hope to hit 30+ this year!
Thanks for the info, Abel. As you-probably recall, I’m getting info together for my first, and hopefully only, solar set up. While I don’t think I’ll use this set up exactly, I may add panels to mine by the case panel without the controller you mentioned, and I appreciate the tutorial because it answers some questions for me.
I’m sure once I get a set up, you’ll see it on the VOG. But I love the add-a-panel idea that the folding case makes possible.
Thanks again
I went with your method previously but then decided to go higher gauge as I recently upgraded to the latest Renogy Solar suitcase ( https://goo.gl/t9EuYi ) The Battery Tender setup you explained in this post, I tried it on the NEW Renogy solar suitcase it shows way less amps pulling into the controller than the OLD one did.
I got this 30ft 10-12 gauge MC4 wire to plug into my Solar controller: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JH1SIW0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I got this to connect from the MC4 connectors coming out of the solar controller to my SAE connector that goes to my battery terminals: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1TALFY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I think it’ll work just fine and I will be able to pull more amps through the solar panel while charging with the higher gauge wire. Thoughts?
Bought mine yesterday and it arrives tomorrow. I think these new ones have a 30amp controller. Looking forward to using it this weekend. Thank you for a great write up.
Got mine up and running. Piece of cake. The new charge controller looks different than yours. 30amp. Simpler. Thank you!
Hi Abel,
I followed your great directions out the door and I decided to top off my battery before installing into van as suggest by GoWesty. ( I purchase their 50ah deep cycle) Anyway I hooked it up for a few hours it was cloudy pulling at most 0.4a. I came back to my set up and one of the circular seals on this AGM battery had popped off and the rubber cover that sits just below had blew off as well. I do remember smelling a burning type spell just before from the backyard. Anyway it may just be a faulty battery, they are sending me a replacement. Didn’t know if you had any thoughts or advice. Thanks!
Thanks for the great tutorial! I am also looking to hook up my Engel fridge…do you run it directly to the auxiliary battery or through the cigarette lighter. Is an inverter needed at all. Thanks for your help, I’m a total newbie
Inverter is not needed. I’d wire the fridge straight to the Aux battery just make sure you fuse the positive wire that attaches to the battery. A Blue Sea Fuse Block is ideal so you can wire up several items to the Fuse Block and be able to fuse each circuit separately.