Too simple?
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For those of you running the flexible panels glued to the roof, any failures or issues over time with those? I’ve read online that those panels don’t tend to have that long of a life span, especially in places that get a lot of sun and high temps (like Utah, where I live).
I considered this, but ultimately went with a rv waterproof gland and drilled a hole in my roof top on front passenger side. Ran all my lines along the side to there, then in the gland, and the bend happens inside on the right of the pad, then down the slot between the first and second section. It’s just big enough to fit a 8 gauge covered in a sheath, as well as my gecko LED 20 ga wire going down.
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I’m running 2 x 100w renogy flexible solar panels on my camper here in so cal. So far, its been great. I get when uncovered sunlight, 180w to my goal zero. When its full is the issue probably, because the panel wont convert the heat to electricity, since it has nowhere to go, so the panel will just cook essentially.
I had a 100w flex panel conformed to the roof on my old Tacoma and I live in Vegas (~115° summers with a black roof). It was still pumping out full power when I sold it last year. I would imagine it’s still kicking. This pic is from the install, Jan 28, 2017.
Also, flex panels lose life the more you play with them. The cells crack if you bend too far/often. If they are mounted, it’s no different than a rigid panel.
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That is really good to hear, thank you!
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Accidentally deleted my post. Anyways. Installed 2 100w panels today with blind fasteners for a cleaner look. Homemade aluminum brackets for the panels. I also built all my crossbars with acquired parts. The crossbars with brackets cost me around $180 total for 4 of them. I am pretty happy how they all turned out. Next is my wiring for the panels.
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Super clean! _______
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what ladder is that…
what ladder is that?..
Did you have to wire in the connections from the solar panels to the inputs going into the canopy? The connections from the panels and the pieces from Amazon seem to be different fittings.
Yes. The Amazon SAE connectors come with the “male” and “female” (bulkhead) ends, so you just cut off the male end and wire that into the solar leads. It eliminates those bulky MC4 connectors. The SAE male end is barely the size of one MC4 terminal.
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Nice!! Thanks for that info. Think I may go similar route then!
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I am about to swap most of my connections out for SAE. its what I used before I set this system up… decisions were made… they were poor… haha
One thing nice about SAE fittings are the bulkhead connectors https://www.amazon.com/Connectors-Weatherproof-Connecting-Mountable-Connector/dp/B08SVQ13VL/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2Y47TF4STV2U7&keywords=sae+electrical+wall+connectors&qid=1648244945&sprefix=sae+electrical+wall+connectors%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-6
240w Flexible Merlin Solar Panel from 4thD solar. Fits perfectly on the GFC and is ~3mm tall? Right now it’s just going into an EcoFlow Delta Mini, but it puts out a lot of juice in the sun, and even works enough to keep me topped off in overcast or partial shade instead of completely cutting out. I have an extra one for sale if anyone wants 
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What’s the average power you see on a clear day with your setup? Looking at 2x150w panels roughly the same dimensions. Thanks
What are you asking for the extra panel?
Honestly can’t remember since I haven’t needed to use it in awhile. But I will be out camping and wheeling this weekend, so I can report back.
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Here’s a post I made a few weeks ago. It’s oriented slightly differently than the photo above.
I finally had a chance to get out and test my system, so I thought I share what I came up with. I’m using a Renogy 100w panel mounted to Beef Bars using the GFC solar mount kit - pretty standard.
Cabling wraps around the front hinge with zip-tie mounts to keep it in place.
I’m routing the solar cables to a Powerwerx Anderson power pole panel bulkhead. This allows me to easily remove the panel from the truck.
On the interior of the shell, cables are also detachable, with power pole connectors. Cables are run down the support and then under the bedrail track of my 2017 Tacoma.
The panel plugs into the charge controller and batter system, again using the Powerwerx bulk head fitted to a surplus ammo can.
I’ve also integrated the threaded Dometic plug for my CFX3 45 and a digital volt meter with usc-c and usb-a charing options.
Inside the ammo can I’ve got a Relion 52ah FePO4 battery with the low temperature option, which is basically an internal heater that allows better charing and discharging at low temps. Everything is controlled by Victron charge controller with integrated bluetooth for monitoring battery status, solar input, and output loads. I’m pretty happy with how well everything fits inside the ammo can.
At the moment, this system is dedicated to powering the cooler with supplemental charging of small devices (e.g., phones, lights, etc). So far the 100w panel has kept the battery topped off during the daytime and at night, the battery voltage has yet to drop below 13.1 volts.
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