hymer Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 *-) Has anyone fitted a solar panel to a hymer exsis and how did they connect it to the charger, not to the battery. Hymer do a bonded one but it is a lot money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Hi Bernard, I fitted my own solar panel with four angled brackets attached to the panel with self tap screws, the brackets with panel attached then stuck on the roof with adhesive sealant (so no holes in roof). Left for a couple of days to cure, the assembly is very secure. You will need to drill a hole in the side of the bodywork and fit a cable gland for cable entry to an inside locker (for example), a solar regulator will need to be fitted, usually supplied with a panel of 80watts or greater. which is the minimum size IMO to be any good. The regulator can be cabled directly to your leisure battery via an in line fuse, no other consideration is necessary, it will work in harmony with your exisiting charging system. I have found the 80watts panel enough to wild camp in the summer wiith satellite on all day listening to the digital radio on a small 5" lcd TV, and a 15" lcd TV is on till all the soaps are over in the evening!! Autumn time I have to restrict TV to around 6 hrs per day but all other services are running. Is there anything special about your camper which would make it difficult to mount the solar panel on the roof? Regards Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 I tried to fit a 80 watt panel from my previous van but there is not enough room on the roof .I would like to run the wiring to the Electrobloc charger as this will also charge the engine battery *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Don,t forget to fit a simple analogue ammeter. Its nice to see the amps going in when the sun shines. If your 80 watt panel won,t fit can I have it? Then I would have two! Is your "Block" from Schaudt? The data I have of the Schaudt solar panel regulator (Device LRS 1214, Model 999.160) shows that it has two outputs, one for the starter battery (13.8v) and one for the leisure battery (14.2v). The charging is via an IU characteristic. i.e. limited on maximum current (never happens unless you have acres of solar panels) and then limited by battery terminal voltage. The Schaudt connection diagram does not show the solar circuit going to the "block". Shaudt also do a nice analogue meter (Device IT300 Solar, Model no 999.144) If you want a copy of the Shaudt data sheet give me a contact email address and I will send the .pdf file to you. I got our own solar panel, meter and Regulator from Marlec Engineering - the Rutland generator people. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.