School me on MPPT's

[matzell]

I am looking, watching and reading up on these things. Who is the go-to brand?

I am looking at one to charge my 200ah batteries by both solar and the tow rig. I think a 30w should be enough.

I would love to use my Jackery solar panels but do not think the connections are water proof so I need to look at new panels too.

thanks

 

[captainva]

Renogy and Victron are the OGs in that space. Whatever you get make sure its at least 125% of what you panels can output. Depending on the exact conditions solar panels can produce more than they are actually rated for which could fry your controller. Realistically you should look at solar first and then circle back to a charge controller that works based on panel voltage and output.

Depending on the battery you're using, might be better off with a large portable. If you're plugging them directly into a Jackey you likely don't need a separate controller and sort of have all that built in (with less complexity and flexibility). They're about half the cost of a dedicated setup

 

[Toyodajunkie]

Victron, Renogy and Redarc are the big three that come to mind. If you are looking for an all in one charger from solar panels and tow rig then Renogy or Redarc are your choices. I do not believe Victron as an all in one. MPPT is typically just for solar charging and DC-DC converter is charging from starter/alternator. If you like having a backup from failure then Victron might be the way to go and get a DC-DC converter and a MPPT charger, that way if one fails you still have the other to charge your batteries. I would suggest also adding a 120v battery charger to hook up to house power while at a KOA or the like, if you don't have one already.

Depending on power usage a 30a charger will be on the lower side for 200AH batteries, a 40a charger would be better suited IMHO. I believe, my Redarc 40a takes about 4hours to charge a depleted 100ah LiFePo4 battery with the truck running but the redarc is also smart and adjusts the charging amperage.

Wire size is another thing to consider. There is a lot of info out there on wire size that is misleading and it all has to do with where the batterys and loads are located. The wire from the starter battery/alternator needs to be sized for the amperage the dc-dc converter will pull. The wire from the house battery to fuse blocl will need to sized for the combined loads on the fuse block. The wire that is feeding a 30a DC-DC charger should be #10awg at minimum but #8awg would be better and #6awg best, especially with the distance on the GMC. Resistance on wire is additive so if you need to reduce the wire size to go through the trailer plug its fine, just need to increase it back as soon as you reasonably can.

 

[matzell]

The camper is set up with shore power and a 110v Norco battery charger. I could always plug it into the Jackery and us the Jackery solar to re-charge the jackery. , I have 200w for my 1000 unit. Betsy has the same. The truck and I believe the 4runners are set up for 30amp, maybe 40 amp on the GMC, so I did not want to have to upgrade those. I plan to run a 7 pin plug so I can add reverse lights too.

Currenty I have a 3000w convertor, but I am ditching the microwave, heat and a/c unit and smart tv, so really the only thing would be lights, a Maxfan (low amps) and a fridge. They will run off 12v so lower draw. Oh and the water pump for shower.

My goal is to make this thing good for 3-4 days with out having to plug in or add fuel. I do not want to rely on the generator. I will convert the shower propane from a 5lb cyl to a 20.

 

[captainva]

Are you going to get a bigger fridge? When its super hot out my 75dz can easily take 100ah in 24 hours if I have it set to freeze. I can get 48+ hours out of it if its cooler or just one side is on.

Like Clifton said above, 100ah is on the small side battery wise and 30a is low to charge anything larger. I think you want to plan to charge up a 100ah (or Jackey 1000 each 24 hours) at a minimum. Once you get over 2-300W charging you need to take a look at the alternator. I think the 4runner is a factory 80A and you're not going to be making 40A at idle (500W of power).

Lots to consider and things tend to cascade into an avalanche of wants/needs when you go battery

 

[matzell]

I know, I know, I just want to do this one time and have room to expand if needed.

Yes, I will upgrade the fridge at some point. I am going to re-do the galley and will plan accoridingly.

I have two 100ah batteries currently. I could be lazy and use the generator to recharge the batteries?? But I think Solar will be better.

I am a little worried about the 4runner alternator. The GMC has dual 140's

Keep the info coming!

 

[Toyodajunkie]

With not wanting to upgrade the existing wiring on the two vehicles, which is totally understandable, you will be limited to a smaller charge controller. Running 8awg on the trailer just for the charging circuit would be ideal. Personally I would get something like this Trailer Bulkhead and Jackery Adapter to be able to plug the solar panel directly into the trailer and then the wiring from the bulkhead is terminated at the charger of your choice. They both are "waterproof" and the cables on the Jackery solar panels should be too. The bulkhead is only rated for 20a so would only handle one 200w panel however, so an additional bulkhead would be needed for the second 200w panel you have.

Redarc suggests using a maximum of 50% on your alternators charging capacity for one of their units, pretty sure renogy is similar, so I wouldn't worry about either vehicles alternator output if the charge controller is only rated at 30a. I don't remember what year the 4runner is but it should be more than 80a. the Renogy 30a and 50a dc-dc charge controllers with MPPT look promising and you can manually adjust the input current which kinda helps future proof the system. For instance, you could get the 50a and dial it down to 30a for your current set up while having the ability to upgrade in the future, I think that's kinda cool and its fairly inexpensive, bluetooth adapter is a most though.

 

[matzell]

Are you going to get a bigger fridge? When its super hot out my 75dz can easily take 100ah in 24 hours if I have it set to freeze. I can get 48+ hours out of it if its cooler or just one side is on.

Like Clifton said above, 100ah is on the small side battery wise and 30a is low to charge anything larger. I think you want to plan to charge up a 100ah (or Jackey 1000 each 24 hours) at a minimum. Once you get over 2-300W charging you need to take a look at the alternator. I think the 4runner is a factory 80A and you're not going to be making 40A at idle (500W of power).

Lots to consider and things tend to cascade into an avalanche of wants/needs when you go battery

I did find the 4Runner is a 130 amp alt if anyone wants to know.

 

[matzell]

With not wanting to upgrade the existing wiring on the two vehicles, which is totally understandable, you will be limited to a smaller charge controller. Running 8awg on the trailer just for the charging circuit would be ideal. Personally I would get something like this Trailer Bulkhead and Jackery Adapter to be able to plug the solar panel directly into the trailer and then the wiring from the bulkhead is terminated at the charger of your choice. They both are "waterproof" and the cables on the Jackery solar panels should be too. The bulkhead is only rated for 20a so would only handle one 200w panel however, so an additional bulkhead would be needed for the second 200w panel you have.

Redarc suggests using a maximum of 50% on your alternators charging capacity for one of their units, pretty sure renogy is similar, so I wouldn't worry about either vehicles alternator output if the charge controller is only rated at 30a. I don't remember what year the 4runner is but it should be more than 80a. the Renogy 30a and 50a dc-dc charge controllers with MPPT look promising and you can manually adjust the input current which kinda helps future proof the system. For instance, you could get the 50a and dial it down to 30a for your current set up while having the ability to upgrade in the future, I think that's kinda cool and its fairly inexpensive, bluetooth adapter is a most though.

Those adapters are just what I need so I can re-use my Jackery solar panels! Thanks

I agree on the 50 amp for future upgrades or using all 400w of solar we have now.

 

[jwfowler]

Used vivtron for my campers solar build. Put a redarc bcdc controller in the 200, pricey but it's an awesome system with multiple charge sources

 

[mwalls54]

Ive been thinking about installing a simple cheap system in my 40 for our trip next year. Just having a relay cut off the solar when the truck is running.

 

[matzell]

This is what I bought:

Victron Energy SCC110050210 SmartSolar MPPT 100/50

A solar charger gathers energy from your solar panels, and stores it in your batteries. Using the latest, fastest technology, SmartSolar maximises this energy-harvest, driving it intelligently to achieve full charge in the shortest possible time. SmartSolar maintains battery health, extending...

powerwerx.com

I plan to re-wire the trailer this weekend. I am going to use my Jackery solar panels. I am going to install circuit breakers to be able to isolate and turn off to service or work on them.

 

[matzell]

Ive been thinking about installing a simple cheap system in my 40 for our trip next year. Just having a relay cut off the solar when the truck is running.

You could use a Jackery of xx size, run 100w of solar to it while driving, mount on roof rack or something. The Jackery system is smart enough that is all you need.

I plan to mount the Jackery solar panels to the roof on the trailer with large magnets that will bolt in each corner hole of the solar panels. You can charge while driving.

Do you have a roof rack? I have an older Con-Fer style that would look great on there!

 

[jwfowler]

Another option is the bluetti power stations. They have many different charge options for the power pack, alternator, solar, 12vdc

 

[mwalls54]

You could use a Jackery of xx size, run 100w of solar to it while driving, mount on roof rack or something. The Jackery system is smart enough that is all you need.

I plan to mount the Jackery solar panels to the roof on the trailer with large magnets that will bolt in each corner hole of the solar panels. You can charge while driving.

Do you have a roof rack? I have an older Con-Fer style that would look great on there!

No rack yet. I was going to probably make one out of aluminum to keep the weight down.
I need to figure out my power drawl of starlink and arb fridge. That’s the main two things I need to power. I might just do dual battery and have them run off the truck with solar charge during the day.

 

[captainva]

Id guess you need charging capability to top off 100ah per day minimum.

If you’re not freezing the fridge probably pull 50ah and Starlink about the same per 24 hours. Quick Google says Starlink, depending on which version can pull potentially pull 100ah or 1000wh per day by itself, I assume you were going to be using Starlink mini. That guy looks like it has better power efficiency. Also if you get a portable power bank, don’t plug either of those into AC or you’re doubling the loss. Power bank converting 12 V DC to AC and then your adapter converting it back to DC.

If you have a portable power station, make sure you weatherproof it. Less important if you build a system from scratch

 

[mwalls54]

It looks like the arb fridge is 20-25ah per day and pulls more during sunlight house (hotter temps). Which is probably right. It lives in the truck and I don’t notice that much draw. Now the starlink mini is 40-80. And I have noticed a power issue with it running more than a day with the truck off.
I don’t need anything that requires 120vac. So I think adding the small 3 cell optima battery under the rear and use a portable solar panel 200-300 watts during the day will be what I need.

 

[jwfowler]

second the 20-25amphr

Typically get 3-4 days of runtime with 100 amp hour pack on mine