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 thatā¦
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 āmaleā and āfemaleā (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 upā¦ decisions were madeā¦ they were poorā¦ 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 itās 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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Whatās 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 canāt remember since I havenāt 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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Hereās a post I made a few weeks ago. Itās 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. Iām 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.
Iām 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.
Iāve 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 Iāve 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. Iām 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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I would recommend not attaching the solar cable to the truck roof. If you get into some heavy washboards, the cab could pull the cable off the bulkhead. Attach to the camper instead, directly above where you have it.
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I like your setup! Iām running the same panel/beef bar setup on my rig.
Iām all for Anderson Power Poles (use them a lot) but Iād be worried about that bulkhead connection. Theyāre not waterproof, so my concern would be driving in the rain with the panel hooked up.
I havenāt used them, but I think Anderson has some waterproof options in their bigger 70A connectors.
I use cable glands to pass through the camper panel and then terminate with APP inside the camper. I have to disassemble the APP connector to pull the cables out at the end of the camping season, so definitely not quick connect. The pic below is the best I have at the moment, you have to zoom in a bit to see the cable gland.
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Thanks for the feedback @Hoooogan. I was not excited to use that adhesive cable guide on the roof of the truck and the rest of the cable run is attached to the camper. However, I found that with the stiffness of the renogy cables, I could significantly reduce the strain on the power pole connection by including a clip on the cab. Iāve done a bit of moderate off-roading and no problems so far. That said, Iām definitely still in the refinement phase of this project and that as well as the issue @Hardcharger pointed out with the weather resistance of the power pole connection are the biggest weak points.
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Thanks @Hardcharger! Youāre build was definitely an inspiration and I originally intended to use a waterproof cable gland for the pass through, as you did. However, I actually pull the panel much more frequently, i.e. at the end of every trip, so having the plug-in option ended up making more sense.
Iād never worked with the power pole connections before this, and the description of the Powerwerx panel connector made it sound a lot more weather proof than it is. If I can find a more weather resistant plug-in alternative, Iāll be all over it. I have looked at the SAE style connectors that other have used but Iām not convinced they will be significantly better.
Work in progressā¦
So I was out this weekend, and when I popped my head in the truck my Ecoflow Delta Mini said it was was pulling ~190w with the tent closed up at about 7000ft elevation on a clear day at 1pm. I could maybe? eek out another 10-15 (maybe) if I popped the tend and positioned it just right. Hard to say if itād outdo 2 300w panels, but I used to run a single 175w renogy hard panel, and this is much lighter. And is plently to run my fridge on the daily and do some camera battery/drone recharges.
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Are you running the panels in parallel or series? This changes everything.
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