Problem using Samlex 90 watt portable solar suitcase with Zamp port

[Valerie]

We had our 2020 E19 wired for solar with a Zamp port (no rooftop panels or controller). The order sheet said: "Zamp Solar Port Pre-Wire Only Note: All Solar Panels require a Regulator prior to hook-up" We've got our 90 watt Samlex suitcase (includes a controller on the back of the panels) that we were hoping to use, so I bought this SAE connector which I understood would change the polarity so that the Samlex could plug into the Zamp port. Well.... nothing happens when I plug the Samlex panels in to the Zamp port using this connector. No lights come on at all on the back of the Samlex. Nada. I've tried two of these connectors and neither one did anything. Any ideas?

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Valerie

We had our 2020 E19 wired for solar with a Zamp port (no rooftop panels or controller). The order sheet said: "Zamp Solar Port Pre-Wire Only Note: All Solar Panels require a Regulator prior to hook-up" We've got our 90 watt Samlex suitcase (includes a controller on the back of the panels) that we were hoping to use, so I bought this SAE connector which I understood would change the polarity so that the Samlex could plug into the Zamp port. Well.... nothing happens when I plug the Samlex panels in to the Zamp port using this connector. No lights come on at all on the back of the Samlex. Nada. I've tried two of these connectors and neither one did anything. Any ideas?

Using a voltmeter, check the voltage and polarity at the Zamp port.

Using the red lead on the voltmeter on the female connector (one on the left in pic) and the black lead on the male connector (right one), measure the DC volts.

If it shows +12v, it's wired as a SAE port and the adapter is not needed.
If it shows -12v, it's wired as a Zamp port and the adapter is needed. If this, we can go from there.

If it shows no voltage, it's not connected to the battery. Escape sometimes does this when you order a solar port. You will need to connect it to the battery terminals using a fuse between the positive battery terminal and the solar port.

[Valerie]

Thanks so much! I checked the port and it showed -11. No lights lighting up on the solar panel. Then I took the polarity adapter off the solar panel and just tried it without it and it worked. (this was actually an accident...) I don't understand why it doesn't need the adapter, since I thought all Zamp stuff was wired with reversed polarity, but at least I've got solar now!

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Valerie

Thanks so much! I checked the port and it showed -11. No lights lighting up on the solar panel. Then I took the polarity adapter off the solar panel and just tried it without it and it worked. (this was actually an accident...) I don't understand why it doesn't need the adapter, since I thought all Zamp stuff was wired with reversed polarity, but at least I've got solar now!

Escape must have wired your port as a SAE - A smart move as all solar panels use this standard except Zamp.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Valerie

Thanks so much! I checked the port and it showed -11. No lights lighting up on the solar panel. Then I took the polarity adapter off the solar panel and just tried it without it and it worked. (this was actually an accident...) I don't understand why it doesn't need the adapter, since I thought all Zamp stuff was wired with reversed polarity, but at least I've got solar now!

I took black tape and wrapped my red Zamp wire, also wrapped my black wire with red tape, and then wired to my solar controller (or battery in your case). I've never seen a good reason why Zamp does it backwards.

Glad your's is working now!

Enjoy,

Perry

[Rossue]

4. No, but they are different from other brands of solar ports because all of our SAE plugs are polarity-protected for safety reasons. That means the positive pin on all of our SAE plugs is set back and covered to prevent accidental contact that could damage your panel, short your battery, or give you a pretty nasty shock. So, because of the polarity protection on our plugs, Zamp Solar ports are only compatible with Zamp Solar SAE plugs.
https://www.zampsolar.com/faqs
Duh- should've just switched wires on Zamp port into GoPower controller vs. messing with the MC4 plugs.

[Brian B-P]

Zamp FAQ:

Originally Posted by Rossue

This is a strange statement. Those SAE 2-pin connectors are hermaphroditic; that means that they are both male and female, and all connectors are the same. In each connector, one contact is male and the other is female... and each connects to the opposite-gender contact of the mating connector. As a result, if the positive pin is recessed (female) in any connector, it is exposed (male) in the mating connector, so there's no way to make this system safe from shorts on both battery and panel ends.

The most common approach for this type of connector, assuming that it is used between a charging power source and a battery, is to assign the female contact to be positive on the battery side so the battery won't be accidentally shorted. That makes the charging source side (the panel in this case) positive on the exposed contact, but the risk of shock is low because the source typically can't provide much current (compared to the battery).