The panel has been working well. Flat mounting on the trailer has always been a challenge for getting good sun, but even on a shady day this panel seems to catch enough rays to produce enough power to keep the battery at a reasonable level.
Nice review Michael, you make me want to go camping so bad . That panel is priced very well for a high efficiency panel. Do you think you will or could combine those on top ? Perhaps a flip over or slide out mount for when you get to your camp destinations ? 73
I could connect the two panels in series, although you really should matched panels when you do that as the max power voltage difference between the two panels will affect performance a bit. But space is tight on the roof, so like you said, there would need to be a mechanical device to spread the panels out when stopped. I do have a port underneath the trailer where I can add a second panel wired in parallel. This is really handy because I can add a second panel on a longer cable and position it in the sun if the trailer is in the shade. Also, a new camping video will drop next week.
I am curious about a shading test. Naturally you would have to have consistency between the two tests. But the idea I had was to place a manila envelope right in the center of the panel switch panels do the same thing again with the other one in calculate the production emulating identical shading situations
The trailer currently has a 50ah LiFePO4 battery. I have a compressor style cooler/fridge in the galley and need about 20ah of power a day if the temperature is above 80 degrees. If we put the camper in a shady spot, we will last for the weekend, but with not much power to spare. So I will soon be replacing it with a 100ah battery. I'll make a video talking about solar sizing and power budgets when I do the battery replacement.
Ideally you will want matched panels for best performance, but you can combine them. If you wire them in series, the combined open circuit voltage needs to be lower than what your charge controller can accept. If you wire them in parallel, the panels will run at the lower max power voltage of the two.
On average, rigid panels tend to be a bit more efficient than the flexible ones. But I would be interested in comparing the difference between this and something by Powerfilm.
I have a question on operating with solar power. Do you have any issues with running your transceiver off of a battery that's connected to the solar panel at the same time? I'm looking at the voltage output on my panel at 17+V. Does the battery act as a voltage buffer before DC power gets to the transceiver? I don't want to risk damaging an expensive radio by applying too much voltage from a battery that's under solar charging. Thanks. K7SFA
I guess I should add that my solar panel is 160W. Currently, I'm charging one 55Ah AGM battery with solar power and using a second 55Ah AGM battery for transceiver operation. I'm monitoring power usage so that when one battery gets close to 50% depletion I switch them around. Running a transceiver off of battery and solar at the same time has made me a little nervous. 73, K7SFA
In a properly designed solar system, you can operate from the battery while the panel is charging it. In my trailer there is always a drain on the battery, be it from the refrigerator or other devices, or an amateur transceiver. The purpose of your solar charge controller is to match the voltage of the panel to the battery for charging/operation purposes. Transceivers are designed to operate at 13.8volt +- 10%, so slight variations in battery voltage during charging won't affect the radio. But depending on your charge controller, you may receive some noise. PWM charge controllers are RF silent and are good choices for radio operation; especially with smaller solar panels (under 100 watts). MPPT charge controllers use DC-DC voltage conversion and inexpensive controllers will generate noise. Better quality controllers, like Victron are quiet, I use a very quiet controller from DIY Solar for U www.diysolarforu.com/store/c1/Solar_Charge_Controller
I would love to see a video on comparing this panel against Newpowa.
Anytime I get to see that camper, it's a good video. I love that camper. BUT also the video's content was kool and the gang! Thanks, Micheal!
Glad the Bougie (sorry, couldn't help myself 😂) panel worked out for you. U-rah-rah from just north of Lacrosse (for a month).
thanks for this video! How are you liking the bougerv 200w 9bb panel after using it for awhile? thanks
The panel has been working well. Flat mounting on the trailer has always been a challenge for getting good sun, but even on a shady day this panel seems to catch enough rays to produce enough power to keep the battery at a reasonable level.
Nice review Michael, you make me want to go camping so bad .
That panel is priced very well for a high efficiency panel.
Do you think you will or could combine those on top ?
Perhaps a flip over or slide out mount for when you get to your camp destinations ? 73
I could connect the two panels in series, although you really should matched panels when you do that as the max power voltage difference between the two panels will affect performance a bit. But space is tight on the roof, so like you said, there would need to be a mechanical device to spread the panels out when stopped. I do have a port underneath the trailer where I can add a second panel wired in parallel. This is really handy because I can add a second panel on a longer cable and position it in the sun if the trailer is in the shade.
Also, a new camping video will drop next week.
Governor Dodge miss that place. Used to go there with the Boy Scouts.
I am curious about a shading test. Naturally you would have to have consistency between the two tests. But the idea I had was to place a manila envelope right in the center of the panel switch panels do the same thing again with the other one in calculate the production emulating identical shading situations
Thanks so much for the content!
Thanks for your help
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What size type/size battery are using? Maybe a video explaining panel/battery size in relation to power consumption. Thanks
The trailer currently has a 50ah LiFePO4 battery. I have a compressor style cooler/fridge in the galley and need about 20ah of power a day if the temperature is above 80 degrees. If we put the camper in a shady spot, we will last for the weekend, but with not much power to spare. So I will soon be replacing it with a 100ah battery. I'll make a video talking about solar sizing and power budgets when I do the battery replacement.
Jackery 1000 built in MPTT and this panel work together in dusk/shade conditions?
can you combine both panels?
Ideally you will want matched panels for best performance, but you can combine them. If you wire them in series, the combined open circuit voltage needs to be lower than what your charge controller can accept. If you wire them in parallel, the panels will run at the lower max power voltage of the two.
It would be interesting to compare this to the Powerfilm 200W put on your Batwing Tarp. It works better creating full wattage?
On average, rigid panels tend to be a bit more efficient than the flexible ones. But I would be interested in comparing the difference between this and something by Powerfilm.
I have a question on operating with solar power. Do you have any issues with running your transceiver off of a battery that's connected to the solar panel at the same time? I'm looking at the voltage output on my panel at 17+V. Does the battery act as a voltage buffer before DC power gets to the transceiver? I don't want to risk damaging an expensive radio by applying too much voltage from a battery that's under solar charging. Thanks. K7SFA
I guess I should add that my solar panel is 160W. Currently, I'm charging one 55Ah AGM battery with solar power and using a second 55Ah AGM battery for transceiver operation. I'm monitoring power usage so that when one battery gets close to 50% depletion I switch them around. Running a transceiver off of battery and solar at the same time has made me a little nervous. 73, K7SFA
In a properly designed solar system, you can operate from the battery while the panel is charging it. In my trailer there is always a drain on the battery, be it from the refrigerator or other devices, or an amateur transceiver. The purpose of your solar charge controller is to match the voltage of the panel to the battery for charging/operation purposes. Transceivers are designed to operate at 13.8volt +- 10%, so slight variations in battery voltage during charging won't affect the radio. But depending on your charge controller, you may receive some noise. PWM charge controllers are RF silent and are good choices for radio operation; especially with smaller solar panels (under 100 watts). MPPT charge controllers use DC-DC voltage conversion and inexpensive controllers will generate noise. Better quality controllers, like Victron are quiet, I use a very quiet controller from DIY Solar for U www.diysolarforu.com/store/c1/Solar_Charge_Controller
Don’t use windex on the panels🎉
Good job two thumbs up 👍👍 AB7N