Installing a Renogy DC to DC MPPT Charge Controller | Wiring a Solar Charge Controller

[@SpikedVanlife]

the wire for the alternator cable should have a fuse within 18" of the battery, if the wire was to ever short, it would cause a fire. also each battery should be fused individually. and not a big deal, but the negative cable should come off the farthest battery allowing the batteries to balance a little more correctly. meaning positive goes to battery 1, and negative goes to battery 3. but other than that it looks good!

[@Vankookz]

Thanks for sharing! I’ll pin this comment for other viewers. Great info! Very helpful. Yeah, I forgot to show it but there is a fuse near the starter battery as well it’s in the wiring diagram these videos are so hard to film while you work there is always so much that is missed.

[@me-lk4wr]

Hi there. What amp fuse would you put close to the alternator in the positive line ? Cheers

[@ckirkwood9]

@@me-lk4wrmy question as well

[@John-ke2jm]

@@me-lk4wr The Renogy DC to DC charger is rated for 50 amps, so you want to be just over that because it could pull up to 50 amps. 60 amp fuse or breaker is what is recommended.

[@John-ke2jm]

@@ckirkwood9 The Renogy DC to DC charger is rated for 50 amps, so you want to be just over that because it could pull up to 50 amps. 60 amp fuse or breaker is what is recommended.

[@anthonypidgeon8080]

Charging the start battery is the main reason I bought this unit and this vid is the first one I have seen that mentions this. Top work mate.

[@dallasvanwyk]

I hadn't heard of it before this video, definitely going this route now that I know that

[@maryanntime]

Thank you for walking us through alllll the hook ups. I’ll be watching this on repeat as I do mine.

[@MudRFunR]

Funny thing... I just took my Renogy out of the box today. I came in the house and boom this video was there! Thanks!

[@Vankookz]

Hell yeah! It's a nice unit you'll love it. Hope this helps. My camera died and I didn't know it so I missed a huge chunk of footage. But I do go through the wiring better in the end.

[@katyd4183]

Did I miss you showing where tge negative cable was attached to the battery? I'm a newby and some of these things are still confusing. Also to where did the conduit from breaker box lead?

[@chrisw2995]

The fuse between the vehicle battery and the charge controller should be as close to the vehicle battery as possible. Otherwise, the wiring from the front of the vehicle has no overcurrent protection in case of physical damage causing a fault, and could lead to a battery fire.

[@erroneouscode]

They should actually be fused at both ends. The fuse at controller should be a 50A and one at master battery should be 60-70A

[@Vankookz]

They are I just never went back and filmed it. It’s in the wiring diagrams but it’s hard to actually film every step while you work.

[@thomaswheeler9565]

@@Vankookzsure lol

[@enguerrandbonnet219]

Did you connect your negative bus bar to a ground connection or the negative of your starting battery?

[@overlandgcc]

great setup, I use the Renogy DCDC 50AMP with a relay to cut off solar when ignition live. Works very well. I suggest moving the 60AMP fuse from the start battery to near the start battery, so the full length wire is fused, this is probably one of your longested and high amp cables in the auxilliary battery system, should be easy as you have to just shuffle the fuse to the start battery area.

[@Vankookz]

Ok will do that! Thanks for the advice.

[@AaronGeller]

which relay do you use?

[@overlandgcc]

I am using single input, dual output relay. 30amp rating.

[@AaronGeller]

@@overlandgcc thanks! Do you know the name or part number or anything I can use to find one?

[@Texasishot105]

I have a ambulance build, 2 batteries to crank the 7.3L diesel. I bought the 30AMP DCDC. When you set the battery type on the unit, do you pick lithium batteries (my solar batteries for the box) what about my cranking batteries? They aren't lithium... This is so overwhelming 🤯

[@vdub6873]

Any problems witj running renogy positive out to the bus bar??

[@seanstruscomedy]

On your neg bus bar, the 2 wires going down. One has the shunt going to the neg terminal of the battery. Is the other wire off the neg bus a ground to frame?

[@Vankookz]

Yes

[@seanstruscomedy]

Thanks man! On the blue sea fuse/distribution block, what gauge wires are you using? 14?

[@mikerilling6515]

It’s limited to 25 PV volts so what do all of us do when we’re running PV arrays with 30 V ? which unit can we use? I need to find a DC to DC charger with MPPT that’s rated for 30 V.

[@Vankookz]

Someone mentioned that they may have upgraded this unit to 50V.

[@SuperClotted]

To overcome the 25A limit (read the manual - logic page), I used a relay, so when alternator is live, it disconnects the solar, allowing full 50A charging from alternator.

[@RVingwithG]

WOW, Great idea!

[@Vankookz]

Ok that's a good idea. What about the 25V PV input. That's where I had a problem in my current rig.

[@andykao6344]

where can I buy the relay? thanks.

[@claytonfs]

@@Vankookz Haven't installed yet but I believe you are limited to all panels in parallel to stay under the 25V input limit.

[@Dirt-Diggler]

@@claytonfs that is a pain i had to buy low voltage panels to match but it works for me but no good a lot if people ☹️

[@mazzzur86vung]

Hi, thanks for the video! Do you have ANL fuse between your leisure battery and a + busbar? Didn't hear you mentioning it.

[@redwood1957]

Is there a way to manually charge the start battery from your lipo4s without having them full. How did you decide on 50 amp dc to dc and rule out the 30. Did you verify what the charger was sending to your starter battery? Thank you good job

[@MarkSDCA]

I had three custom vans... a 1967 Chevy, and 1971 Chevy and a 1976 new purchase Chevy and built by me. No solar, no water, no inverter, just a flooded battery and 12volt lights and my vintage coleman white gas stove. I never realized how much I was roughing it.

[@BarryDean007]

Do you not use 4 AWG (25mm2) from the battery to the controller?

[@korriecouper1031]

Have you had any issues with the isolation on the solar. I have the same one and seen a thing saying it should be a 2 pole switch for solar panels.

[@atoiler1389]

Hey really well done, both the work and the video! Super job! I recently undertook similar work with my Renogy solar set up. I am in Alberta, Canada and mounted 4x100 watt solar panels onto the roof of my retention trailer and added a 2000 watt inverter. I always like having a look at what others have done. We landed a few things similarly. I did not use a bus bar set up but went direct to battery (lots of wires connected to the posts now, lol). I may make some minor alterations this summer. Thanks again and really fine work!

[@atoiler1389]

Oops, retention trailer? I meant TENT trailer!

[@Vankookz]

Thanks! Great work

[@richardwolf6269]

My charger drains the starter battery and doesn’t draw from my lithium batteries. I have checked all my wiring several times. The only thing I didn’t do was to run a negative wire from the starter battery to the charge controller. I ended up putting in a starter battery shutoff to avoid this but I shouldn’t have to do this. Any thoughts?

[@S14AA]

what happens when the cars on and you have solar input does it change over to solar or use both ? thx

[@granitecolorado]

That's a good video. I did the same system on my semi. I put 2 175w panels and hooked up the controller with the mc4 and anl fuses, and connected to 4 12v batteries in parallel. But mine keeps showing E1 code. And I spoke with renogy and she said that my starter batteries are over discharged, but all four batteries are showing 12.8v. Do you know of any reason why that might be? Renogy said that the dc-dc 50a isn't compatible with sealed agm batteries. But the website says it is and it says can charge a battery from zero. Mine start my truck and run my fridge and dashcam and elogs, but the renogy won't charge the batteries??

[@kyleharris8393]

How long did the solar take to actually boot up on the mppt? Thanks.

[@Vankookz]

Just a couple seconds.

[@vdub6873]

Does the smart controller care what type of starter battery is in the vehicle?

[@Vankookz]

You can for AGM lead, lead, and lithium

[@paulh5537]

The bus bars in the video look different than the amazon link. I like the ones in the video, can you provide a link for that one? Very informative video, thanks.

[@Vankookz]

I know I can’t find those ones anymore they were made in the USA too

[@MultiOutdoorman]

I assume your ac hookup is dead when grid is disconnected, ie.. A fail safe changeover from inverter output ? Also be sure your gfci / rcd functions properly with an earth / ground loop impedance test meter. Some inverters are centre tapped instead of a floating neutral. Ground and neutral need to be bonded together at source for the circuit to safely auto disconnect if a fault occurs!

[@Vankookz]

No the AC outlets work fine with out shore power. In this video I can't remember if I had the AC breakers wired up yet.

[@hermanlighthall3972]

First, good vid, but I must say this is a little intimating to us noobs. Remember us guys respect anything that can kill (like electrical) us. This is a little too advance for me for now but I will catch up as time go by - still a good vid and thanks Van Kookz (aka wonder twins)😁

[@Vankookz]

Haha! Thanks Herman. Is this scared you don't watch or videos from a few months ago. I use to be a noob too. I learned everything I know on the university of youtube

[@hermanlighthall3972]

@@Vankookz I too is a student of u tube but now you're the master (you Dark Vader you ha ha)😜

[@nmartin5551]

@@hermanlighthall3972 if you aren’t a student of Will Prowse on solar on YT, you must add him to your class list!!

[@kieranb3815]

Hey, great video. Question though. Do you not have a mains battery charger? Cant understand how you are getting mains power through your consumer unit to the batteries without one.

[@Vankookz]

This MPPT has a built in DC to DC charger to both use the alternator charge to charge the system. It also has the capability to charge your vehicle battery off the solar panels.

[@kieranb3815]

@@Vankookz sorry I meant external shore power to the batteries

[@TD_YT066]

If you're on Shore power, does your House system charge the vehicle? Does this play well with a 75A house battery charger/supply that runs on 110VAC (Generator or Shore)?

[@Vankookz]

I set it all up with a inverter with auto transfer and it works fine

[@thim8009]

I think you have a green light for lead acid batteries. I can't remember if it's blue or white light for lithium. There is a slot by smart altinator area that you push a pin or paper clip in to change.

[@thomascole6360]

Great video! How have you grounded the leisure battery? Do you have a -ve cable running back to the starter battery or have you ground to the chassis at the rear?

[@Vankookz]

Yes grounded to the chassis on the rear.

[@Vankookz]

Thanks 😊

[@jakobDium]

Hi mate thanks for the video ! How do you actually store the batteries? Do you made a box for them ? It’s has vent to the exterior ? Thanks ☺️

[@Vankookz]

Lithium batteries don’t need to vent

[@jeffsgarage8414]

How do you keep the dc-dc charger from continuing to charge after you shut the vehicle off and draining your system? Thats what i thought the point of the ignition signal wire was for, even if you dont have the smart alternator

[@Meza201]

If you have a standard alternator it monitors the vehicle battery voltage, and only draws power from the vehicle when it's at 14.4v which means the alternator is running. Like an old fashioned voltage sensing switch charge relay.

[@functionalvanconversion4284]

Great work! I am looking to upgrade my charge controller to this charge controller, i just dont like the 25v limitation. Thanks

[@MultiOutdoorman]

Yeah, lots of folk install domestic pv panels that can way exceed this units 25v limitation. Valid point. Mine has 6 x 100 watt flexi solar panels all in parallel. Each is max 20v open circuit but I get up to 30 amps from them combined. I mounted them onto 6mm polycarbonate twin wall plexigass for ventilation. Still super lightweight and low profile.

[@alexxakis]

This setup also slows down the alternator charging thus protecting it, right?

[@Vankookz]

Yeah it’s a DC to DC charger limiting the current from alternator to your lithium batteries

[@carloshernandez1241]

How did you charge your batterys on cloudy days ?? Or winter time sorry im new in this road

[@Vankookz]

This unit allows you to charge from The vehicle’s alternator. Otherwise you don’t get much charge in the clouds

[@StepperByStepper]

I am Missing a ACC delay and undervoltage protection for your Input Starter source.

[@Swedeonamotorcycle]

Nice setup. I know it is a year old but still hope for an answer.. You have a positive wire all the way from the starter battery to renogy charger but do you have to have a negative cable all the way from the starter battery to the Renogy charger also? Seen both variants so i am a little confused.

[@Vankookz]

The unit is grounded via the bus bar so you don’t need both wires. There’s a free wiring diagram in the description.

[@thetoolmat8632]

@@Vankookzand this works fine? - I have the Dc to Dc 40A charger and every vid says to run the Neg back to the starter battery - which to me does not make sense, as long as it goes to something that is chassis grounded such as the bus bar, it should be ok right?

[@markhiggins3054]

No shunt but your using the monitor? Thanks heaps

[@Vankookz]

There’s a shunt on there it’s for the monitor. Yeah there’s also wiring diagrams in the description

[@kel5194]

Thanks for the videos. I'm going to attempt to hook up my Renogy 2000 watt inverter, DC to dc charger, the MPPt charge controller and my 200 ah lithium phosphate battery. I noticed in your video for the MPPT mentions that it also works from the alternator (hooked up to the start battery), do I still need the DC to dc charger? Also, can the lithium battery be enclosed ?

[@Vankookz]

This MPPT has a DC to DC charger built in it's pretty slick. The lithium batteries don't need to be enclosed but it could help to build a little insulated box around them to keep the warm in the winter.

[@kel5194]

Thanks again.

[@kel5194]

Are you located in Canada?

[@TwinForce-e3m]

I have the Starting Battery on a 3 way switch with 2 Renogy Dc to DC Mppt Chargers- 1,2 and Both , off , can you leave on while not using when engine is shut off?

[@Vankookz]

Yes you can

[@TwinForce-e3m]

@@Vankookz thanks

[@RiverYonder]

what amp bus bars are those at 5:59

[@Vankookz]

250 amps www.amazon.com/Black-Power-Distribution-Block-BUSBAR/dp/B07C5SC7TB?crid=1G8IB1W64CLTV&keywords=bus+bar+made+in+usa&qid=1655326131&s=industrial&sprefix=bus+bar+made+in+usa,industrial,165&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUDNSSDZHNUxKOFBNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODQzNjk3M1NOVVhNQVpXRFZZNyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDQ1MzExMlJKTE5EUzlESFYzVCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU%3D&linkCode=sl1&tag=vankookz-20&linkId=7004da1d8e312df8bf0b8f65bcf5a869&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

[@hectorgarcia-ch7zh]

Where did you use the 40 AMP fuse from the list? I only see 4 60AMP fuses and 1 for 250 Great video bro!!

[@Vankookz]

There’s a free wiring diagram in the description

[@Franciscosonur]

Hy buddy thanks for the video, very helpful . just wondering the wire size for your dc to bus bar, and from you starter battery to your dc charger. cheers

[@Vankookz]

6Awg

[@Franciscosonur]

thanks @@Vankookz

[@Franciscosonur]

@@Vankookz thanks for reply. another question. from your house battery to your busbar do you have a anl fuse? cheers

[@Vankookz]

@@Franciscosonur you could put a fuse on positive also a switch after the fuse can be nice to shut the whole system down. There’s a wiring diagram. Also the van conversion masterclass at www.vankookz.com is helpful.

[@elliotfrank119]

Is the 60amp fuse from the positive busbar to the fuse box necessary? Any surge there are already fuses in the fuse box. Unless you’re thinking the 60 amp would save you having to replace all the smaller fuses if something crazy happened with the battery- but wouldn’t the smaller fuses break before the 60amp one anyway?

[@Vankookz]

Yes, you are correct the fuses would protect everything. However, if there was a short due to an accident it could prevent fire. I've had a wire burn up before and if I had a fuse for protection in place it would have prevented the wire from completely burning and melting my fuse panel. So it's just an extra precaution because you are in a moving vehicle and anything can happen.

[@elliotfrank119]

@@Vankookz thanks ya kookz! Super clean job it looks amazing. One of the best videos I’ve on van wiring and I appreciate you take the time to show how to crimp the larger wires.

[@chachi5975]

@@Vankookz that's why you should have the fuse closest to the battery, more like where you have the switch. Battery-fuse-switch in that order.

[@ivlark1]

I’m assuming it cuts drawing when the starter battery is under a certain voltage?

[@Vankookz]

Yes depending on battery type

[@Legado_z]

thanks for taking the time to explain brother.

[@Vankookz]

Yeah I’m glad it was helpful. There’s a wiring diagram available in the description as well that should help

[@lukasc5283]

Thanks for your instruction. Did you use the BVS Cable?

[@Vankookz]

I didn't need to on this vehicle. However I do on an upcoming video with a DC to DC charger.

[@adinbaird2076]

Did you wire the smart inverter switch?

[@Vankookz]

I didn't need to on this Ford Transit. I did in my sprinter and I have a video for it

[@ImASurvivorNThriver]

This is great ‼️ Thanks for sharing.

[@Legado_z]

Hey bro i have look for the video that you do the power breaker box and have not found it. Could you listed in the comments so we can take a look.. I lover your videos bro.. Thanks

[@Vankookz]

AC Power Outlets in a Van | How to Wire an Inverter to a Breaker Box kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2jYlGOfjtWoeZI Is this it?

[@Legado_z]

@@Vankookz yes, thanks brother. All the best for you.

[@poudreuse4ever]

hi ! thanks for the video and gret job. What size bus bar did you use ? 5/16" or 3/8" ? thanks !

[@Vankookz]

3/8" thanks.

[@pijanysamuraj]

Hey men. I only realised there's two version of this charger 30 and 50 amp. I bought 50 amp and not I worry it will be too much for my old 1992 Ducato motorhome :/ what you think

[@Vankookz]

It will be fine it will only use what you put through it.

[@ltstarr9203]

Thanks so much for the tutorial. Extremely helpful. Question. Because I do not plan to use bus bars (despite the encouragement), do I connect the 12 v fuse block to the battery positive/ negative (with fuse in between) and then the battery straight to the DC to DC controller at labeled + and - connections? Thanks in advance.

[@Vankookz]

That’s totally fine. I used to do that too until I discovered how nicely the bus bars clean it all up. You will be fine either way. One thing that happens is that the battery connections can sometimes not support so many lugs on each post this is another reason the bus bar helps.

[@Vankookz]

That’s totally fine. I used to do that too until I discovered how nicely the bus bars clean it all up. You will be fine either way. One thing that happens is that the battery connections can sometimes not support so many lugs on each post this is another reason the bus bar helps.

[@GooseTheFlick]

Love you for the helpful videos bro.

[@Vankookz]

Yeah for sure. I put together an entire van conversion masterclass that’s even more helpful. www.vankookz.com/vankookz-van-conversion-masterclass

[@filipwedrownicki1273]

It looks great! Really nice and clean! What's a pity that I didn't see it before I started to conversion my Sprinter...

[@Vankookz]

Well I guess it's time to convert another one then... Thanks Filip 😊

[@thomasvahe9233]

Hello, I'm coming from france so sorry for my english 😀I just bought this Renogy DC2DC MPPT 30A. I want to install a solar panel 100W with 23.5V of VOC at 25°C, and the maximum solar input voltage of the MPPT is 25V. At -10°C the VOC of the solar panel will be higher 25V. Is it a problem ? What solar panel did you install ? Thank you in advance for your help. Regards. Thomas

[@Vankookz]

I installed three 200W renogy panels basically once the panels exceeds 25v it will stop charging and return one voltage drops

[@thomasvahe9233]

@@Vankookz Thank you for your feed back. What is the VOC of each solar panel please ? I think there are in parallels right ? I understand if the VOC is hiher than lthe MPPT voltage, it cut off the charging until the voltage of the solar panel decrease ? It's not dangerous for the MPPT ? Thank you

[@kev4241]

the voltage drop for 50A on 20 foot wires to the front is quite high, about 1.0 V for 6awg with perfect connections. it seems like that voltage drop might interfere with the charger reading the voltage for control. this Renogy charger design with only the red, voltage wire is good as the chassis ground on each end avoids the negative lead which would double the length of the run. not sure why many chargers use isolated, two wire setups.

[@TheAndrisas]

Would be help full to get some more info on Wires used - Sizes etc.

[@Vankookz]

Coming soon….. ish… 😂

[@byron_glover]

Hey great video! Can I ask why you went with the 60 amp fuse between the switch and the solar cables? is it to protect against high voltage when it's really hot? I read the switch can only handle up to 48V

[@Vankookz]

This is a 12v system so it can handle the voltage. The amp protects the switch and the entire system in the case of a short. Since this is a moving vehicle anything can happen too. In the case of an accident or something wiggles lose it will prevent a fire of damage to your charge controller or worse.

[@byron_glover]

@@Vankookz Oh ok, so your solar panels only produce up to 12v which would be below the 48v limit on that switch. I have a 200 watts solar panel, so I'm thinking 20amp fuse instead of a 60?

[@nmartin5551]

@@byron_glover Hi Byron, I don’t have a specific answer to your question, but from the Solar videos I’ve watched (and I”ve watched a ton), I have never seen anyone use a low amp breaker between their panels and controller. The whole amp to volt formula isn’t at the top of my head, but the panel wattage (probably there is a watt to amp formula out there too), and it is way bigger than 20 amp. If you check out the many offerings by Will Prowse, you can probably get needed info from his YT and website. He explains everything very clearly and accurately. I suspect if you put that low of a rated fuse inline, you would be constantly resetting/replacing it. Hope your build goes well!

[@tonyaquinoxx]

20 amp x 12 volts = 220 watts. The fuse is to protect the equipment by not allowing the insulation to melt. If the wire is rated for 10 amp and your load is 200 watts, it means it's drawing 16.6 amp. The wire feeding the load will heat up, and the insulation will melt and cause a short (fire). The resistance of the wire at 10 amp will not be able to handle the 200 amp load (amp). Most of the time, if the wire is underrated, the insulation will eventually become brittle, crack, and eventually short out.

[@tonyaquinoxx]

The fuse will protect the wire rated at 10 amp by installing an 11 amp fuse. When the wire is overloaded the element in the fuse will melt and open the circuit.

[@redwood1957]

It would be nice to see an electrical diagram of this dc to dc

[@Vankookz]

It’s in the description

[@MultiOutdoorman]

Install a 12v water heater to use spare excess solar as a dump load

[@kel5194]

Hi Kevin I keep getting a solid yellow light on the Charger for the leaisure battery. My battery voltageis13.3 (lithium iron phosphate).the manual talks about the voltage charges and that the charger wont charge at a certain voltage, but im not sure if that is the issue or not. I checked all of my connections and grounds. Renogy replaced this charger 50amp dc to dc charger with mppt. However still have the same issue. The only difference for my setup is that i used 1/0 from my start battery (conventional alternator) 250 amp fuse and from the 70 amp fuse to the charger i used 4 awg. I"m also not getting a charge via either start battery or solar panel. The solar panel has the correct voltage when i tested it. I'm using a solar shut off, but i'll try the same shut Off switch that shows in your video.

[@Vankookz]

What type of vehicle do you have?

[@Vankookz]

You may need to also wire the ignition switch

[@kel5194]

It"s a 2002 dodge Ram Van 3500

[@kel5194]

Not sure if you received my reply for the type of van I have? It's a 2002 dodge van (doesn't have a smart alternator).

[@Vankookz]

@@kel5194 hmmm... I know that I was getting a yellow light when I was getting too much power from a solar panel that was over 25V. M. I'm not 100% sure what's going on there. I know renogy isn't much help either. Keep us posted.

[@jounikyy7715]

how much overpaneling

[@nmartin5551]

Thanks for the video!

[@ronethridge9875]

super-very nice/i nave a sprinter van/liked it /thanks much

[@Vankookz]

Hope it helps

[@Scrambler85]

One thing for people to keep in mind with solar panels DC voltage above 32 volts can be lethal. The panels on my van run as high as 157 volts DC . Nice work 👍

[@Vankookz]

Great tip! Dang you have a serious array J.G.! Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@bartgoed2305]

This controller max solar input is 25 volts, so this is a non issue

[@Scrambler85]

@@bartgoed2305 it was a heads up for anyone wiring panels in series. the panel DC voltage would occur before the controller. The voltage after the controller is the controller voltage. My imput voltage is 120-157 volts DC output voltage is 13.5-14.3 DC

[@bartgoed2305]

@@Scrambler85 This is controller specific and this controller has a max input voltage of 25v, and this is actually a limit of this unit and thus even two 12 v panels can't be operating in series safely (around 36v open voltage). It would be great if this unit would be able to handle a higher input voltage like some other MPPTs

[@Scrambler85]

@@bartgoed2305 the warning was about voltage I NEVER mentioned the controller you keep talking about

[@RVingwithG]

GREAT STUFF! Thanks for sharing! G

[@Vankookz]

Thanks G! We got a lot more coming!

[@vento3232]

Where are the wires' gauge? 😊 Isn't that a super important topic to discuss?

[@kdlittlehawk]

it's listed in the Owners Manual...the longer the length the smaller (thicker) the gage. Most run 4-6 gage.

[@barrillesmason919]

He said his is 6 awg

[@maicouple4690]

Can you help? I have a preowned sprinter camper van converted with the same Renogy DC unit. Everything works but the DC power does not, the battery icon does not light up. Any suggestions?

[@bigz5262]

Is there a fuse between the battery and the unit?

[@Vankookz]

Have you checked all your ground connections?

[@alexandergreenfield91]

New model now 50v pv. Which is extremely useful.

[@Vankookz]

Yeah it looks pretty nice too

[@StephenHartleyBrundrett]

Id of used 4gauge cable because thats a massive run

[@Vankookz]

Yes ideally that’s definable a better choice. I also added fuses to the end at the battery terminal as well as near the mppt. (not shown in video)

[@DavidHaney1]

GREAT PRODUCT BUT TOO SMALL. This little unit cant handle my 4 solar panels at 12v 700w 58A, plus its 50A current capacity is actual split between the solar and alternator ar 25A each. If it could handle the full 700w and 58A from the solar panels, plus the amps coming from the alternator charging, then it would be ideal.

[@Vankookz]

Totally agree! I still can’t believe they haven’t made it better yet.

[@dirtyaznstyle4156]

Well you don’t need to use a screwdriver if you know how to use the clutch on a drill or trigger control on an impact driver. And that is a wire stripper, they’re just for small gauge wire.

[@Vankookz]

Thanks 🙏

[@adassociates8235]

Problem with this controller is you can not run solar panels in series, it supports max voltage 20v, therefore if run parallel which requires larger cable 😅😅😅😅😅 Run solar panels in series then parallel them is an ideal . We are going to install separate Solar Controller to handle our (6 )100w solar panels along with this DC DC controller if it works🤞

[@Vankookz]

It really is a major downfall of the unit. No idea why they would limit it to 25v max input. I had bought one for my van but my panel is rated 35v so it was worthless I had to send it back and get a Rover

[@thomaspoynter9031]

I don't understand what makes this such a concern. I've ordered 6x renogy 100w panels and plan to run 2 banks of 3 panels in parallell into my van (when it eventually arrives). This will keep current flow well under limits of mc4's on the roof. Each bank will have its own renogy mc4 fuse and will come into the van on their own wires, once inside ill and convert to anderson plugs and use a 2-1 anderson and run thicker wires for a couple meters to the renogy 50A DC-DC. The cost of a thicker cable compared to thiner wire of a series connected solar setup is a less than (AUD) $10/m difference? I figure oversizing wires and fuses for charge inputs is always beneficial so that it will be future proofed, in case there's any developments or modifications you can make to solar input and provide increased power in replacing panels one day or adding more panels. Being oversized will at least have decreased inefficiencies and more of the power produced will make it to the battery. Frankly there's a greater loss of efficiency in converting higher voltages (48v for example) down to 12v in most solar controllers. Of course there's pros and cons for any product but I think there's more pro's in this unit than other options out there for the money, size and simplification of a combination unit like this.

[@tomhalf3018]

@@thomaspoynter9031 if you ever need to save costs for thicker wire too you can buy welding cable and use that, 10meters of 8 b&s is 4awg i think and that only cost me $55

[@kdlittlehawk]

thats what I do and I make my own cables.....buying a good wire cutter and a crimp tool makes it easy too

[@S14AA]

Max. Solar Input Voltage : 50V is listed for current model

[@jacobalongi1009]

So this is a Ford Transit idk year, I thought all have a smart alternator

[@Vankookz]

I had a hard time figuring this out. I eventually called the dealership and was told that it did not. I'm not sure the year but it was the basic bare bones model.

[@Dirt-Diggler]

@@Vankookz essayist way to tell is check the Neg terminal on the starter battery, if there's a black tiny unit bolted to the main earth lead you have smart alt, (unit is a sensor for the smart alt) 👍

[@ker5h794]

So I looked up this video so I could see you wore up the charger, all of a sudden you slipped that bit and bam, there it was already wired 😖😖 I’ll keep searching

[@Vankookz]

I know it’s hard to document every step but there is a free wiring diagram in the description.

[@Danaman117]

That's a monster inverter, you better start getting used to using 12 volt equipment. Almost anything can be found in 12 volts, power inverters are a waste of power and a battery killer.

[@Vankookz]

It's worked great. I agree that they are overkill this is just what the customer wanted.

[@Danaman117]

I forgot the alternator is wired in, I guess long as the vans running while using the inverter it wouldn't harm the batteries. But straight solar is nice and quiet, and if your going to do that a generator would be cheaper.. inverters are pretty dangerous too. 12 volts all the way.

[@nordic5490]

@@Danaman117 what ? I use a 2000w inverter off 2x 120ah Kings LFP all the time. I run a regular, kettle, toaster and induction cook top. Everything works great. I have 0 need for a generator. Probably only half that battery on any day, includes 2x 12v fridges. Charging is via 2x 200w solar blankets, or the 2x 50A dcdc converters when driving. 0 need for a noisy generator.

[@kevincorbett4161]

Could you explain to a idiot why the 25v maximum to solar is a problem plse

[@Vankookz]

Then you are limited to only 25V input

[@Vankookz]

So you can't have a very large array

[@chachi5975]

@@Vankookz sure you can, just need to wire them in parallel which unfortunately could require some heavier gauge wire and added cost.

[@nordic5490]

@@Vankookz single domestic solar panels are 460W now.

[@iritantNL]

Crimping g wires like that 🤐

[@jamesdean7756]

Going to fast for me. Later

[@kapenike]

So now that everything is done ..... lol i hate when people skip massive steps

[@crankshaft007]

Wasn’t impressed with the cable crimps, there is a reason a tool exists.

[@Vankookz]

Yes there is. And it’s used regularly now. That was the dirtbag style

[@crossthreadaeroindustries8554]

$1000 ++ system without batteries, lots of power. Items are getting ridiculously expensive, now. Thanks, Biden.

[@Vankookz]

😆 🤣 😂

[@liamkyehunt3991]

Bro skipped the whole lot tf

[@Vankookz]

Dude it’s so hard to film all of this while doing. Then your batteries die halfway through or the camera stops recording.

[@VagaBumAdventures]

What is your solar panel array? How many watts were you able to get into that unit (how did you stay under 25amp)? Thanks!

[@Vankookz]

3 x 200 watt 20 amp wired in parallel. So 600W at 20A. This is the major downfall of the unit maxing out at 25A.

[@VagaBumAdventures]

@Van Kookz Thank you! 600 watt is all I have room for (and a 300ah lifepo4). Think that's a good setup?

[@maicouple4690]

Can you help? I have a preowned sprinter camper van converted with the same Renogy DC unit. Everything works but the DC power does not, the battery icon does not light up. Any suggestions?

[@Vankookz]

Are all ground connections soild and tight?

[@maicouple4690]

How do I check?