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Sodo Mon Dec 02, 2019 7:43 pm



Here's some details regarding the Renogy 42.2 x 19.6 x 1.4 panel in the Westfalia luggage cargo area.
My goal is that it's below-grade, hidden.
Fwd blocks 1.75" high would level the panel.
The plan is to store an extension cable and campsite-leveling blocks underneath.
There's more hollow space up / under the panel.

crazyvwvanman has a similar pic, except showing 2 panels stacked in the cargo area on other thread: Solar Panel Mounting Without Drilling?
See pic---->https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1925928.jpg



I was hoping to use 24v and put 2x 50W panels in the luggage area, but the wooden dummy proved that 2x50w won't fit in there. (23.7 x 19.6 x 1.2).
You can see that the 23.7 extends one inch past the center cargo footman's loop.
With a 19.6 dimension, it's 22.7 inches to the center.

I've been looking at panel dimensions until my eyes started to bleed.
Need appx 22.7 x 19.6 x 1.2 for the 2x 50w scheme.

Sodo Sat Apr 25, 2020 9:47 pm

I'm still scratchin' away at the panel mount.
It's getting better.



Have a setup now that clips into the cargo loops.
Four spring-pins hold it in place.
It works, but four pins is more than I want to fuss with.
I have a better idea but the Aluminum store is closed 'til Monday.

Gas struts are arranged for hold-down force, but if you lift it past 30° then it pops up to about 60°
I haven't figured out how to limit the angle, 30-40° is a good angle for the Northern states.



The stand works well on the ground too.
If someone tripped over it I suppose it could get pretty mangled.



I need a way to get the wire from the cargo area down to below the sink.
I'll drill a hole in the rooftop below the cargo area - into the headliner.

Does anyone know if a wire can go from the headliner down thru the "__" pillar?
I think I recall that path is very well blocked.

dhaavers Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:22 pm

Sodo wrote: ...I haven't figured out how to limit the angle, 30-40° is a good angle for the Northern states...
A piece of cord -or- small gauge chain of the correct length would do it...

- Dave

Vanagon Nut Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:38 pm

Sodo wrote:

I need a way to get the wire from the cargo area down to below the sink.
I'll drill a hole in the rooftop below the cargo area - into the headliner.

Does anyone know if a wire can go from the headliner down thru the "__" pillar?
I think I recall that path is very well blocked.

Cool to see the ideas. Was thinking about some kind of hinged affair up there and/or using the luggage rack securing points.

Not sure if these images will help but here's a couple from my '81 during some wiring work.

passenger side at top of pillar. You can see how I fished wire along top of the structural piece.



driver side of same. OE Westfalia wires pass above that structural piece. I'd guess that theres room behind it to pass, fish, wire down. Access fished wire at vent hole in pillar?

edit: I fished wire down pillar to install a slider door switch. So, I'd assume one could fish a wire down that pillar on driver side.




Sodo Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:45 pm

dhaavers wrote: Sodo wrote: ...I haven't figured out how to limit the angle, 30-40° is a good angle for the Northern states...
A piece of cord -or- small gauge chain of the correct length would do it...

- Dave

String/webbing is simple. I like that.
Maybe a simple plastic pushbutton cord adjuster like bungee adjuster on the hoodie of a raincoat.
As is.... near the 'neutral' point ~ 30°, a string or webbing would let it fall flat.
I was thinking hold-down pressure was useful but maybe gravity is good enough.
If I change the strut geometry to have up-pressure at 30° it would be tight against the string.

Thanks for the pics Neil!
I sure hope there's a passageway for a wire.
With Solar you use pretty big wires and you also want the shortest wire possible.
On the kitchen side I suppose the 'spice rack' shelf has to come off.

Vanagon Nut Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:16 pm

Sodo wrote:
Thanks for the pics Neil!
I sure hope there's a passageway for a wire.
With Solar you use pretty big wires and you also want the shortest wire possible.
On the kitchen side I suppose the 'spice rack' shelf has to come off.

You're welcome Sodo.

As a WAG, if one chose to run, say, #12 wires off the panel, there should be room at forward, rearward openings at that structural sort of "Y" piece for those wires. But.... you'd likely be sneaking them past the OE wires so hard so say for sure.

I didn't remove the spice rack on my '81 to access area above that "Y" piece (i.e. the forward, rearward access points for OE wires) but I did lower part of the head liner and did peel back cover above spice rack. IIRC, on that '81, there is no fabric covering that pillar. Also the spice rack is different. They changed to the more shallow spice rack in '85 ?

Neil.


Sodo Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:57 pm

I'm digging around in that area now.
Spice shelf off, headliner down.



Here's a pic of the route I'd like.
It sure looks blocked from the courtesy light. But maybe a long drill from the going rearward from courtesy light?
I don't really like that idea cuz I can't get in there to silicone the wire where it goes thru the new/sharp drilled hole.



I put a headlamp in there. No light detected from headliner area.
I’ll look again tonight when its real dark.

shizzon Sun Apr 26, 2020 8:21 pm

I'm pretty sure you can get a wire through that drivers side B pillar. I believe I did that on my old van.

Sodo Sun Apr 26, 2020 8:24 pm

That’s great news.
If someone with an endoscope could take a peek at whats up there... that would be great!!

0cean Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:12 am

Yes you can. If you get under the reinforcment for the b frame its a straight shot down.

Sodo Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:45 pm

I made a how-to thread for the wire-route that I found today.
It's for a Westfalia.

New hopefully searchable title (?) thread called: Hidden wire to Westy fwd cargo area via driver pillar

Sodo Sat May 02, 2020 11:17 am



Here's a pic of the current setup.
It engages the cargo loops and gas struts hold it up like a trunk-lid.
It's held down by gravity, but probably needs a (locking?) latch.
The engagement is spring-loaded to the cargo loops, and clamped.
It's sort of a "quick-release" and the supports set on the ground, tipping it towards the sun in the same way.

I'll add some kind of 'angle adjust', maybe with webbing.

There is an "SAE connector" bulkhead terminal.

I will store a coil of extension cable there, perhaps other things too.


vanis13 Sat May 02, 2020 10:56 pm

like!

Sodo Fri May 29, 2020 1:28 pm

5 kits of the mounts are done, $240 See classifieds.

Fabricator put in the effort to setup for making more I suppose he'd get on it But here's the first 5.

See all details in classifieds.
Gas struts not included.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2384238

Steve M. Mon May 03, 2021 2:30 pm

hansh wrote: This panel never came up during my searches. I wanted to leave a reference to it on the forum for others. I wanted a 100W panel, but I needed it to fit in the luggage rack so that my racks stay clear for the cargo box and for paddleboards. I was hesitant to go with a trimmed flexible panel d/t seeing reports of thin panels having decreased longevity. I don’t know if that’s true, but I was happy to find this rigid panel and not have to risk it.

Anyway, this panel fits perfectly on a 1 inch riser. I set it up to be tiltable/removable using all aluminum support.

100W Renogy Compact Design




So I bought one of thos Renogy 100 Watt Compact panels to fit into a Luggage rack I happen to have and it doesn't fit as well as this one does.

It measures 42-3/8" L x 20" wide.




The Luggage Rack I think is from an '85 Westy. I will have to do some modification of the fiberglass to make it slip down into the rack.

edit: Just measured the panel and it is 1077mm Long x 599mm Wide.
Per Renogies specs it is supposed to be 1074mm Long x 498mm Wide.

I'm going to send them back and maybe get lucky on a second set. :roll:

2nd Edit: Apparently Renogy has changed the dimensions to 598mm Wide on all the panels I am now seeing from them.
So it is not going to be a drop in fit!
Dam you other guys got lucky! dam, dam, dam!

Sodo Mon May 03, 2021 3:11 pm

I read that Renogy changed the dimension of their "compact panel" from 19.6 to 20.0 inches and is selling it under the same partnumber.
Wouldn't Renogy go ballistic if their own suppliers did that.... to THEM?

I don'tknow if it's true but here's the datasheet for the "100W compact" that lists 19.6 inches.

https://www.renogy.com/content/RNG-100D-SS/100D-SS-Datasheet.pdf



Mine is 19.6"

Steve M. Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pm

Sodo wrote: I read that Renogy changed the dimension of their "compact panel" from 19.6 to 20.0 inches and is selling it under the same partnumber.
Wouldn't Renogy go ballistic if their own suppliers did that.... to THEM?

I don'tknow if it's true but here's the datasheet for the "100W compact" that lists 19.6 inches.

https://www.renogy.com/content/RNG-100D-SS/100D-SS-Datasheet.pdf

I'll try to find the partnumber on mine.
Mine is 19.6".

Yeah, that's what I based my decision to buy on - their spec sheet. :evil:

Steve M. Mon May 03, 2021 3:56 pm

HQST was/is selling a panel same 100W and the same original dim for $89.00, but they are out of stock everywhere that I find.

The is another company ACOPower selling the same looking 100W Monocrystalline at the 19.6 dims and it probably is the same panel, but do I want to go with a brand name I haven't heard before. It is also 90 bucks.


HQST has a 70W panel at 16.9" wide for $70.00,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082PK6X67/ref=sspa_dk_d...NrPXRydWU=

but I'm greedy and want that 100W because I know it exists!

Screw it. Ordered the ACOpower panel. Same specs and 5 yr warranty on the solar cells.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G53TUIS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1L4RZ3C67RMV1&psc=1

The Amazon page shows it at 19.6, but the pdf download for the manual shows it at 26.5"...Hoping it is a generic manual for a few different panels.
F*ck these companies!

Sodo Mon May 03, 2021 4:48 pm

This $250 pair is listed as 19.6" and the decal on the item looks very similar to my RNG-100D-SS.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKB6EAM/ref=cm_sw_em_...&psc=1
The partnumber appears to be HQST-100D-SS
If you could determine somehow that it's truly 19.6"....
And find a friend to buy the other panel.
I'm sure you can find someone if it's the only panel that fits in the Westy cargo area.



This is a total bummer for my buddy Ela who built about 20 aluminum drop-in mounts for the the 19.6" to click into the Westy cargo loops.
SAMBA Classified: Solar clip on mounts for Westy cargo loops

Steve M. Mon May 03, 2021 5:26 pm

Sodo wrote: This $250 pair is listed as 19.6" and the decal on the item looks very similar to my RNG-100D-SS.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKB6EAM/ref=cm_sw_em_...&psc=1
The partnumber appears to be HQST-100D-SS
If you could determine somehow that it's truly 19.6"....
And find a friend to buy the other panel.
I'm sure you can find someone if it's the only panel that fits in the Westy cargo area.



This is a total bummer for my buddy Ela who built about 20 aluminum drop-in mounts for the the 19.6" to click into the Westy cargo loops.
SAMBA Classified: Solar clip on mounts for Westy cargo loops

Yeah, that is the HQST panel I was referring to earlier that I cannot find selling as a single panel.
I ordered the ACOpower panel at 19.6" for $89.00 on Amazon. Basically same specs as the Renogy including the glass thickness of 3.2mm. There's some minor electrical differences, but not enough to blow up my batteries.

I wish I had an extra $270.00 for a mount, but between jobs right now so playing the frugal game and loosing!
Tell him to reference the Amazon ads in his ad for the mounts.
That is a really nice mount.



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