MUCH cheaper GoWesty solar option project

[Fogerty1970]

I finally got some solar into my van, and as much as I liked GoWesty's folding 110W panel, I could not in good conscience pay almost $600 for their kit, so I made my own.

I did purchase their solar hookup box, doing away with the city water outlet which I never used. This enables me to connect the panel wires without having to crack a window.

An SAE (the GW connection style) to MC4 adapter is necessary to do this project.

The panel I got was a 100W Suaoki semi-flexible. Almost 6 amps in good sun, very sturdy unit. Cost me $180 on amazon.
Charge controller: 10 amp, $15 on amazon.
Wires: 15 feet of extension, so I can park in shade, panel in sun: $25 on amazon.
Adapter: $20 on eBay.

I have amazon prime, so free shipping. All told, about $240.
Pics below. The unit stows nicely under the rear bed cushion, with the wires neatly tucked beneath the rear cabinet.

I have the TF49 out for some maintenance, so the wiring was easy to do. The whole shebang takes one minute to set up.

Just an idea for those looking to add solar. Cheers all!
Chris

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1984 Wolfsburg Westy, EJ22.

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." -T. Waits.

[dhaavers]

Slick! I always appreciate a nice, simple, affordable (cheap) DIY option!
I may be going this way in the next year or so - thanks for posting!

- Dave

PS: Bonus points for putting the "under-rear-corner-cabinet" space to good use!
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86 White Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[Halifaxwesty]

I tried a 10a controller for my 160w panel....

Lasted a day or two...my mistake....Im not sure if it is robust enough for a 100w panel...there is some maths I believe...
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84 Westfalia Vanagon
2.2 RMW Conversion
Work in Progress

My first car was a 1968 VW Bug

[owokie]

[pablum]

[Abscate]

Nice strain relief and chafe protection.

There is a lot of cheap junk on the solar controller dump-place, did you find a well rated one?
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.ssS!

[AZ Landshaper]

I know nothing about electricity. Well probably enough to be dangerous. What does this setup allow you to do that you could not w/o it?
I see a few for sale around my parts and have wondered what use they might provide. Could u run a small appliance in some manner with this or is this purely for recharging the stock battery under my ass?
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Support Small Business.

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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[E1]

Looks great, well done!

My only advice would be to add a 25' separate extension cord. Almost as often as not, you'll want that flexibility -- especially on a hot summer day when camping in the woods.
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1984 Westy-Ferrari firing at 33% capacity
I drive by the seat of my pants but then get behind on my steering
Thank You Bob Lazier, Forever Golden

[climberjohn]

This looks like a very nice set up, thanks for posting! I bought a large folding suitcase style 100 amp set up a few years ago, but I really like how much more compact yours is.

-CJ
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'86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often.

[TommyBoyGomes]

You may have already looked into this, but if not, I recommend looking into what voltage your charge controller can output and whether it matches the recommended charge voltage rating from the battery manufacturer.

Inexpensive charge controllers don't typically give you the ability to adjust the voltage output to the battery (since they don't want you to crank it up and toast the batteries if you don't know what you're doing), so they typically provide a fixed non-adjustable output voltage that's errs on the low side. This voltage is typically lower than most batteries need for an average daylight charge time. This often under-charges the battery and results in a quick death.

I recommend reading handy bob's solar website thoroughly and eventually getting a charge controller that has a programmable output voltage in your next system. Good luck!
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1969 Squareback, 1776cc
1990 Vanagon Multivan

[bokonon42]

i added a 100w solar to mine and am able to keep my fridge going without killing the battery. that was my main use for it. an iphone/ipad charger is like 2 amps if that helps imagine things...