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Fuji fwave 319v roll up solar panels...

Started by Sonneshine, April 18, 2018, 12:37:23 PM

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Sonneshine

Hello family! Hope you are well!

So there is this guy, Viktor from Netherlands who sells these roll up solar panels on eBay, he's been selling them for a few years and I've read some bits from people who have bought from him before. The panels look great but the voltage is 319v which is more than I'd like inside my camper. They are designed to be used for grid lecky.

Link to panels- https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F372210119324

One idea would be to use a step down inverter to take the voltage from 319v to a more workable 12v to charge my batteries so my set up inside my van would look like:

Split charge relay from my engines alternator feeding 2 X 6v 230ah deep cycle batteries wired in series to make 12v 230ah.
Also feeding the battery will be 3 X 100w roll up panels with a step down converter and mppt to take the voltage from 319v to 12v
From the battery I will have a 1500w pure sine wave inverter with fuse box and plugs for domestic appliances, lights etc.

The panels are 1 3.5 meter roll made up of 4 smaller cells, made up of 68 smaller cells wired together inside a flexible lamination. Am I right in thinking that if I separate the 4 cells from inside each panel I can rewire them to decrease the voltage and increase current?

Here is an instructables that I found:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Demystifying-and-Cutting-to-Size-Flexible-Thin-fil/

im feel like the cells would be rewired in series and parallel but I'm new to this so I'm just throwing some mad scientist ideas about.

id like to be able to lose the step down converter from the system because the idea of stepping down the power from 319v to charge a 12v battery then taking it back up to 240v with the psw inverter seems like a lot of messing around, bulky equipment and an inefficient way of doing things.

Here is the custom made 319v - 12v dc-dc step down controller custom made by Viktor who is the seller of the panels: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F352214109058

id love to know what you think and if anybody has tried the roll up panels before?
thanks!




Camper_Dan

Greetings & Welcome!

I fear that you are going into this listening to the hype from the sales people rather than reality.  It isn't always about what's potentially possible, but more about what's practical, reliable, and cost efficient.  Solar is none of those things...

Inverters are terribly inefficient, and should be avoided if at all possible, and if they can't be totally eliminated, they should be used as little as possible.  12 volt appliances and accessories are a better choice.  Anything heating, cooking, or refrigeration related should not require any electricity (AC or DC) at all.

A camper is not a house, and unless you plan on having shore power available regularly, power should be considered very precious.  It isn't always about what you can do, but rather what you can do without, or what you can do better.  You can do much better than solar.

My entire power system no longer includes solar, but it is cheaper and far more reliable.  Mainly I charge my house batteries while driving, and I replaced my solar with a generator and the option to charge with shore power.  Unlike solar, all of these options work rain or shine, daylight or darkness, cost less up front, and under about $20 a year to provide all the power I need.  My $99 generator provides both AC & DC power, for less than the cost of an inverter of the same size.  It also allows me the comfort of parking in the shade in the summer.  It runs for about 8 hours on a gallon of gas, and is so quiet it won't bother anyone.

The old timers perhaps tell it best. "Nobody ~NEEDS~ solar, but they are convinced they want it.  Later they will learn to regret it."  After 3 different failed attempts, and thousands of dollars wasted, I now listen to those old timers, and try to spread their wisdom.

Another pearl of wisdom, regardless of the route you choose, is to buy your batteries at a junkyard, where you can get almost new batteries for under $20 each, and they'll last just as long as new ones.

Looking back, I'd skip the solar, and go with my current system to begin with.  The only things I own that require a generator or shore power are my battery charger, and some heavy duty power tools, but nothing that I need on a daily basis.  Even my electric blanket is 12 volt.  Another good investment is low voltage protectors for your batteries, so you never over discharge them.  They will improve your battery life considerably.  I also put one on my starting battery, to guarantee it can never be drained too low to start my rig, because I do occasionally use my starting battery for power too. ( I switched out my starting battery with the largest deep cycle battery that would fit in it's place.  With my house battery and my stating battery, I can boondock for 2 full weeks, and still have plenty of power to start my rig, without ever needing to fire up my generator.)

A little money can go a long way if we me make the right choices,  and a lot of money can disappear very quickly with the wrong choices.  Everybody has different wants and needs, and ideas on how to get there.  Most of these ideas and dreams come from sales people and people with no real world experience.  Ego and pride can also keep many people from reporting their failures, and 99% of all how to articles/videos are created by newbies with no experience or sales people.    If you google RV solar problems, fires, or failures, you'll find millions of reasons why you really don't want to mess with solar.  Today, my power system is as simple and as foolproof as possible.

Good Luck & keep us posted!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

rockyroad

Quote from: Camper_Dan on April 20, 2018, 09:24:40 AM
Greetings & Welcome!

I fear that you are going into this listening to the hype from the sales people rather than reality.  It isn't always about what's potentially possible, but more about what's practical, reliable, and cost efficient.  Solar is none of those things...

Inverters are terribly inefficient, and should be avoided if at all possible, and if they can't be totally eliminated, they should be used as little as possible.  12 volt appliances and accessories are a better choice.  Anything heating, cooking, or refrigeration related should not require any electricity (AC or DC) at all.

A camper is not a house, and unless you plan on having shore power available regularly, power should be considered very precious.  It isn't always about what you can do, but rather what you can do without, or what you can do better.  You can do much better than solar.

My entire power system no longer includes solar, but it is cheaper and far more reliable.  Mainly I charge my house batteries while driving, and I replaced my solar with a generator and the option to charge with shore power.  Unlike solar, all of these options work rain or shine, daylight or darkness, cost less up front, and under about $20 a year to provide all the power I need.  My $99 generator provides both AC & DC power, for less than the cost of an inverter of the same size.  It also allows me the comfort of parking in the shade in the summer.  It runs for about 8 hours on a gallon of gas, and is so quiet it won't bother anyone.

The old timers perhaps tell it best. "Nobody ~NEEDS~ solar, but they are convinced they want it.  Later they will learn to regret it."  After 3 different failed attempts, and thousands of dollars wasted, I now listen to those old timers, and try to spread their wisdom.

Another pearl of wisdom, regardless of the route you choose, is to buy your batteries at a junkyard, where you can get almost new batteries for under $20 each, and they'll last just as long as new ones.

Looking back, I'd skip the solar, and go with my current system to begin with.  The only things I own that require a generator or shore power are my battery charger, and some heavy duty power tools, but nothing that I need on a daily basis.  Even my electric blanket is 12 volt.  Another good investment is low voltage protectors for your batteries, so you never over discharge them.  They will improve your battery life considerably.  I also put one on my starting battery, to guarantee it can never be drained too low to start my rig, because I do occasionally use my starting battery for power too. ( I switched out my starting battery with the largest deep cycle battery that would fit in it's place.  With my house battery and my stating battery, I can boondock for 2 full weeks, and still have plenty of power to start my rig, without ever needing to fire up my generator.)

A little money can go a long way if we me make the right choices,  and a lot of money can disappear very quickly with the wrong choices.  Everybody has different wants and needs, and ideas on how to get there.  Most of these ideas and dreams come from sales people and people with no real world experience.  Ego and pride can also keep many people from reporting their failures, and 99% of all how to articles/videos are created by newbies with no experience or sales people.    If you google RV solar problems, fires, or failures, you'll find millions of reasons why you really don't want to mess with solar.  Today, my power system is as simple and as foolproof as possible.

Good Luck & keep us posted!

Twice that.
Sonneshine, I personally think the cheapest way around this is to buy a 1000 watt suitcase generator around £300 to £500. This will charge your batteries through your intelli charger, power all your lights and TV/Video/DVD/laptop - obviously it will not operate hot rod fridge etc. My own suitcase generator runs 8 hours on 1 gallon,over a four day weekend I use about a gallon and half.
You have the power when you want it rain or shine and it is the cheapest way out,solars work great when the sun is shining but not much use in the winter when there is only a few hours good sunlight, that's the time you need the power the most.

If you go down the solar panel route (which are good)you will need about equivalent of 300 watts which will probably cost around £2000 fitted.
VW California Campervan