Solar panel connection

[sclifrickson]

Originally Posted by Kingfish

Irregardless of the plug receptacle polarity, is it safe to say that the red wire from the controller through the wall via the plug receptacle to the positive wire of the portable panel is the correct connection?

No, that would not be safe to assume. It is likely to be true, but one way or another, you need to check it. One fairly easy and nondestructive method (probably), if you don’t have a voltmeter (which you should have - they are super handy for lots of trailer tasks) would be to cover your roof panel with cardboard or some such, plug in the portable, and check the controller if it’s getting juice, or if it’s indicating reversed polarity.

Originally Posted by Kingfish

Also, would it be better to disregard the Zamp connector and continue to use the controller for my portable connected directly to the battery?? It seems that when the roof panel is in partial shade it affects the portable's output.

Also no. Shade on your roof panel will not impair your portable as they’re connected in parallel, not in series. Stick with ETI’s setup. It’s better for a number of reasons, not least because it’s already there.

One other thing that it sounds like you already know, but I mention just to be sure - you must bypass your portable’s controller to use the Zamp/SAE connector.

[Doug2000]

For 10 years all I have done is put out portable panels and use alligator clips directly on the battery. The 17B was a bit of a pain getting the lid off, but I only did it a few times a year.
I only used my battery for charging phones and running the fan or furnace at night. I never ran a battery down.

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The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)