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I'm so stuck with my solar setup guys... can you help?

Started by Messy, October 23, 2016, 07:19:54 PM

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Messy

Here is my diagram: http://i.imgur.com/7StkOmm.png



Guys, I need your help, I'm willing to pay someone for advice if needs be.

I am planning my solar setup for the van, it'll be 12v for now, just a very simple setup.

I have pretty much everything I need, but I am a novice when it comes to electrics, I do pick stuff up quickly though so hoping for some advice.

Firstly please look at my diagram, how I have grounded the battery and coming out of the controller, is this correct?

When it comes to the fuse box, how am I wiring this up, I have attached in the diagram the fuse box I'm using, how is this being wired up and then wired into the switch panel?

So on each of the switches on the panel, it has three points, how is all of this being wired up in relation to the fuse box?

This is the bit I'm struggling with.

:-[

Mike

Hello. You pretty much got it. Ground the battery. It's best not to ground the load side, just leave it as its own isoated circuit.

So now you just connect red and black (from load terminals on solar controller) to the the fusebox and then your appliances to the fusebox, distributed via fuses. The negative on the fusebox will just be a common rail, all connected together.

It's best to have separate circuits, each being fed by its own fuse (much like in a house). For example, in my van I have a lighting circuit, utility circuit (this includes fridge and water pump) etc.

Let me know if you understand or not and I'll help  :)

Messy

Hey Mike,

Thank you for replying, I really do appreciate it.

This is the fuse box I bought: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231588204020?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

So looking at it, it has a point for the power to come in, and then places for fuses, and places to connect the positive terminals for the various devices but I'm not following you with the negative connections -have I bought the wrong one?

This is the switch panel I bought: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252595250592?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Now, here is really where I'm struggling and I'm a little ashamed.

So how are the lights (for example), the fuse box, and the switch panel interacting together?

Looking at the switch panel, each switch has three connections, and again this is confusing me as surely I only need two?

I appreciate all you're doing bud.

Messy

Ok maybe I was being really naive, but I did some research and this is the wiring diagram I have come up with.

http://i.imgur.com/BR0TsRn.jpg



This should help anyone looking for a simple solar only setup.

NickJ83

A question regarding the ground connections on the battery and solar controler. Would ground on the controller go to the negative on the batter or to the vehicle body where the battery negative will be grounded at a different location?

Sorry i'm another newbie here

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Messy

Just checking back in, so I went with my diagram as above and got everything hooked up, not yet finished but it's coming on.