Need to fit Solar panels ect to our new to us Hymerb654 Advice please (1 Viewer)

funflair

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Hi All

Nice one (y)

Well plenty of advice on here for sure, re solar cut a few bits of cardboard the size of the panels you fancy and then see how they will fit on the roof. Just take it stage by stage and it's easy enough, get a decent MPPT solar regulator. I was advised to go straight to the batteries with the power and not through the CBE unit but might be different for your control panel, post the details and somebody will have done it before you.


Martin
 
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Ambilkate

Ambilkate

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Fitting the panels isn't a problem for me its what to do with the wiring as i am not familar with the hymer yet :( lol and her indoors wants them fitted for the Goth Whitby meet (n):doh:
Bill

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DBK

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My advice would be fit a couple of panels giving around 200W and a Victron controller. I am fairly sure you can wire the controller directly to the batteries through a fuse. The controller has load terminals but you don't have to use them. I've been told this by Victron who are based in Cloggyland and answer emails, unlike something you might potentially buy off a well known website from someone in the Far East.

You can wire the panels in parallel or series, the arguments for and against which is best are not particularly convincing although I would favour series as it keeps the current lower, potentially giving lower losses.
 

Minxy

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What solar regulator you need will depend on your controller unit - we have a Schaudt electroblok and had to get a specific regulator for it ... it wasn't cheap either! I believe some, if not all, Hymers also have a Schaudt.

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Armytwowheels

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Need to fit Solar panels ect to our new to us 2004 Hymer b654 Advice please . I would like to do this myself so all advice welcome .
Regards Bill
You have a new van?? Why am I only knowing this now? Spill the beans then, flash the van........come on we need to see it.
 
D

deleted-member02

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What solar regulator you need will depend on your controller unit - we have a Schaudt electroblok and had to get a specific regulator for it ... it wasn't cheap either! I believe some, if not all, Hymers also have a Schaudt.

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Follow Techno's thread, adding in the Schaudt regulator.
This thread (from the darkside) also helped
.

The install is easy but on reflection I might have taken it to Vanbitz or Dave Newell, taking into account buying hole cutters and so on, it's not much more expensive to let them do it.

I have 140w panel, 180amp battery and never run short of power (y)
 

JeanLuc

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Your Hymer will be fitted with a Schaudt Elektroblock - in 2004, probably either an EBL99 or EBL100. It is worth getting the Schaudt solar regulator as it connects directly to the EBL and charges both leisure and starter batteries. It will also display the charging current on the over-door control panel. In fact, some of the more recent EBLs do not work well with non-Schaudt regulators. Yo can get either the LR1218 (PWM) model or the newer LRM1218 (MPPT) model. I have the former connected to an EBL99 and fed by a 135 watt Kyocera panel. It works very well and typically gives between 5 and 7 amps in decent sunlight (the theoretical maximum output for the panel is 7.6 amps). It is also supplied with all the required wiring harnesses to connect to the EBL.
The LR1218 costs around £70 and the LRM1218 is about twice as much.

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Minxy

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Pretty much what JeanLuc says ... that's what I did when I fitted ours a couple or so months ago!
 
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Hi Bill congratulations to you all. on following your dream . lovely van .
mike recently fitted our solar panel as you know if you want to do it yourself the easiest way is to run a 4 mm 3 core rubber cable from the engine battery to a single zone controller preferably located in a cupboard below the first solar panel
secondly run a 4mm rubber cable from the leisure battery to the cupboard to a second single zone controller then connect the second solar panel to this by doing it this way you avoid the complicated connections
of installing a schaultz relay box
this is the simplest and easiest way of doing it all though you will have to buy 2 separate single zone controllers if you require a read out from from your batteries you need display boxs x 2 which simply plug into the solar controller's
you can fit 2 inline fuses 1 at the engine battery and one at the leisure battery
ring me if you want any info hope this helps
best wishes mike and jan( ps mike dictated this to me so I hope you understand what we've said.)
 

dave newell

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As its a Hymer it will have Schaudt electrics so it makes sense to use the Schaudt regulator connected to your Elektroblock. Schaudt now have two options on solar regs, the PWM LR 1218 or the new MPPT LRM 1218. LRM is the best option and with this connected to your EBL it will split the charge between leisure and engine batteries.

D.

Sorry I speed read the thread and missed JL's post who says exactly the same as me.

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Minxy

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I've taken this from another thread as this is 'how' we got out LR1218 controller - cheaper than the UK:

This is who we got ours from, despite him saying he won't post to the UK, he will:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Schaudt-Sola...11?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2a21a3f7fb

We first emailed him (hubby used Google translate) and checked that he would post to the UK and how much it would be for postage and was told €14,50 plus €70 for item = €84.50 (roughly £64).

We then did a 'buy it now' and sent the chap another message asking for an invoice for the total (you can't pay for it without this).

Just a word of warning, there's a company that comes up on Google called 'Ludo' or something like that and despite their total price being a few cents cheaper than the above they then slap a €20 'tax' on top!!!!

Once we'd paid the invoice the item was with us within 5 days!

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Diesel

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Hi Bill, thank you for offer - I think at the moment I want to go MPPT
 

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