Solar panel connections (1 Viewer)

oldun

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Mar 23, 2008
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I see that my new 80W solar panel is supplied with two 90 cm cables, one fitted with a male connector and the other with a female connector.

I wish to run these two cable to a waterproof fitting glued to the roof into the van and then between the inside if the roof and the roof lining to the voltage regulator.

As the connections will be made inside the van can I simply cut off these special connectors and make the connections through a standard connection strip or are the two wires individually shielded?

What size cable will I need to make the connections between the panel and the regulator and between the regulator and the battery? The total run is just under 4m. I do have some twin 12V cable marked 25 amp. I am not sure of the diameter or cross sectional area. Will this be OK?
 

pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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i cut the connectors off mine and connected the two wires directly into the regulator, through a waterproof box on the roof, as it was directly underneath the panel and the wires were long enough.
if memory serves i used 4mmsq stranded cable to finish the job but i connected the regulator to the output side of the charger/power supply and as charger was in the same cupboard as the regulator the runs were just over 1 meter.
 
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oldun

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Mar 23, 2008
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I think pappajohn is a bit of a fraud.

Every time I get on this forum (and that's far too often - quote from the other half!) I see that pappajohn is also there.

I don't believe he has a motorhome, I think that all is does is browse the forum and just imagine that he goes to far flung places.

Just joking....

It's always great to get such a quick and helpful response from the stalwarts.

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Oct 15, 2007
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Paranoid maybe, but I fused both ends of the cable between the panel and battery(regulator in the middle), don't know the proffesional thinking but I didn't want the chance of a long length of cable shorting out, dispite the fact it was double insulated, grommeted, glued/clipped etc etc:Eeek:
 

pappajohn

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Paranoid maybe, but I fused both ends of the cable between the panel and battery(regulator in the middle), don't know the proffesional thinking but I didn't want the chance of a long length of cable shorting out, dispite the fact it was double insulated, grommeted, glued/clipped etc etc:Eeek:

Yep!!!! totally paraniod:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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I think pappajohn is a bit of a fraud.

Every time I get on this forum (and that's far too often - quote from the other half!) I see that pappajohn is also there.

I don't believe he has a motorhome, I think that all is does is browse the forum and just imagine that he goes to far flung places.

Just joking....

It's always great to get such a quick and helpful response from the stalwarts.

are we married to the same person?:ROFLMAO:

bugger.....been sussed:cry:

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gazznsam

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May 15, 2009
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from panel to regulator, no need to fuse, the panels can not be dammaged by short circuits, in fact they are designed to be shorted out, they can only produce the power they are making from the sun hitting them,

when i bought my panels they came with a shorting connector between the terminals,

the regulator will/should be protected, either by fuses or electronicaly, there are diodes in the regulator so you wont get battery voltage up the cables to the panels,

sure, fuse the cable at the battery connection end, that's common practice,


home bases solar instalations are fused at the panels for lightning protection and they are massive fuses many many times the output current of the panels, but on a motorhome, lightining is more likely to hit the tv antenna, something pointy... but then again if you have solar your not likely to be on shore power, so your van will be insulated from the ground,
so the lightning is more likely to head for the van with the earth connection via the shore power lead. (i say most lilely, as i've heard a van was struck by lightning at a motorhome show a few years ago, didnt find out if they had a generator on the ground or stuff like that, but they were hit via the pointy radio antenna i believe, and they aint fused)
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Suffolk Coastal District, UK
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but then again if you have solar your not likely to be on shore power, so your van will be insulated from the ground,
so the lightning is more likely to head for the van with the earth connection via the shore power lead. (i say most lilely, as i've heard a van was struck by lightning at a motorhome show a few years ago, didnt find out if they had a generator on the ground or stuff like that, but they were hit via the pointy radio antenna i believe, and they aint fused)

a bolt of lightning can travel at speeds of 60,000 m/s (220,000 km/h), and can reach temperatures approaching 30,000 °C (54,000 °F), hot enough to fuse silica sand into glass channels known as fulgurites which are normally hollow and can extend some distance into the ground.[2][3] There are some 16 million lightning storms in the world every year.[4]

so if you have nice thick camping tyres you will be fine... :thumb:
 

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