GoWesty Solar Hook up Box

[ockyfib]

Has anyone used one of these?
http://www.gowesty.com/product/solar/24662/solar-hook-up-box?v=

If so, does the external plug take a standard solar panel connector (eg. MC4 or SAE) or only one that is connected to one of GW's panels? Not possible to tell from their photos.
Thanks.

[Altoona]

2-pin SAE plug.

[ockyfib]

Thanks!

[izzydog]

Is you aux battery under your rear seat? If so, save yourself $50 and run a set of wires from the aux battery, out the firewall and into the engine compartment - all the way around to your license plate door - ending with a plug like that SAE 2-pin or a set of Anderson Powerpole plugs. Now you have a convenient plug for your solar and you didn't have to put a hole in anything (except the firewall) or buy a $50 plastic box (I hope these GW boxes are better quality than the OEM ones... )

[Howesight]

GW got their idea from my version. However, I used the MC-4 standard solar panel connectors:

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'86 Syncro Westy SVX

[ockyfib]

Thanks Izzydog, I had considered that route but I plan to have a fuse panel from the house battery in the "secret" space next to the water tank to connect to a fridge etc. so a solar connection in that vicinity makes most sense for me. I guess I will wait to decide between SAE and MC4 connectors until I know what solar panel I go with.

[PDXWesty]

GW wasn't the first to do this:

Credit to member Noblecr
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[mtnride1]

If you no longer have the dometic fridge (I bought a TruckFridge) I put my hook up in the spot where the flue was at for the fridge. I used the plate GW has for that spot drilled a hole and mounted the SAE hook up there. very clean and did not have to cut a hole in body. I can send you a pic.
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87 westy 2wd (NED)

[Paulbeard]

[Crooked Designer]

For those of you who have solar hookup box, do you also have solar "hardwired" on the roof? If anyone has both systems wired, I'd love to understand how they have it hooked both sets up to the controller.

I have 2x 100 watt Renogy monocrystal panels on the roof rack, but I got another 100 watt flexible panel for Christmas from my kids a few years ago and I was thinking it would be perfect to tuck up in the top bed when traveling (as it is about 1/8 inch thick.) and run an extension cord to the sun when camping in the shade. So I already have the panels on top wired directly to the MPPT controller. There are only one set of inputs to the controller, so I would imagine I would need an AB switch of some sorts. (Frosting on top would be to have an "off" position on said switch so I could work on the system / controller without disconnecting the wires from the panels. I guess I could do circuit breakers instead of fuses, but that seems clumsy.)

Has anyone done this? two full setups? One set of wires running from the controller to the roof and another set running from the controller to the hookup boxes?

For the hookup, I would be repurposing my city water hookup with either an SAE plug or +/- MC4 connector hookup.. Seems like the MC4s are a bitch to get out without a tool. Any advice there would be awesome. My solar controller is behind my drivers seat, so seems like a switch below it would make sense and it would be an easy run from the hookup under the sink. Could even use the city water tube to pull the wires in.

I would probably not need to have both running at the same time as 200 watts from the roof on a sunny day is plenty and wouldn't be worth setting up the extra panel outside with the hookup, so let's assume the A/B scenario.. unless there is a great reason to do all 3. The two on the top are in series as the run to the controller is pretty long. 10AWG tinned wires throughout.

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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit

[Timwhy]

Not to poo poo on GW and their products but I didn't need an outside utility box to get my additional panel wired up to the controller.

I put the SAE plug behind the drivers seat on the kitchen panel and wired direct to the CC. Just make sure the CC can handle the increase of all panels combined amperage.

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'15 Audi A3 Quattro
'09 VW Tiguan (dead)
'87 VW Westy
'91 Tin Top
'90 Cabby
What the Westy wants the Westy GETS


http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_author=Timwhy&show_results=summary

http://www.youtube.com/user/TIMWHY2?feature=mhee

[Crooked Designer]

[Timwhy]

[kamzcab86]

[Crooked Designer]

[Timwhy]

[Crooked Designer]

[Crooked Designer]

Just for anyone looking here in the future. I answered my question about fuses.

When adding fuses between the panel and the controller, from what I understand you need to figure out how many amps at peak each panel setup could be putting out and then fuse based on a calculation from that. Once you find out total peak amps of each setup you round up and then add 25% and fuse that. So, total possible Amps rounded up x 1.25.

Given that I've decided to run the MC4 inline fuses at each of the panel setups (because its just easier to zip tie all of that up with the wires behind the panels) I will have two different fuse calculations. So in my case the 2x 100 w on the roof in series gets one fuse and then the aux movable panel run to the hookup box gets its own fuse. This will also help because when I don't have the portable panel hooked up, I'll still have the right fuse on the fixed setup.

Top is 6A peak x 1.25 = 7.5A.. So, I'm going to be running 10A fuse on top (Each panel is 6A peak sun, but because the top is running in series, you keep the amps the same and when adding the second panel you double the volts allowing it to run longer distances with less voltage drop from what I understand. I also think this is only recommended with an MPPT controllers.) So, because the aux panel is also 100w, with 6A peak, I'll be using a 10A fuse on the portable panel also, but be sure to do your own research and math.

The fuse between the controller and the battery is the one where you fuse it based on how many amps your controller can handle. My controller is a Renogy Rover 40A MPPT, so I (already) have a 40A ANL fuse between it and the battery on the + wire.

Just wanted to put something out there as there seems to be very little posted about why the specific size of fuses. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, as I'm just learning.

I may have finally contributed something besides questions
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit

[SyncroHead]