Upgrading to a New MPPT Controller: Trailer Boondocking

[@vickisteege946]

I've been a subscriber for about 6 months now. I decided to go back to your day one video and start my Slim Potato head marathon. I truly appreciate you going through all the trials and tribulations of solar for boondocking. You have taken the chances that we probably wouldn't have done. You've explained everything very thoroughly and given a bit of humor to boot. The information you have provided is invaluable. Maybe one day we will pass on the road. Thank you for your insights!

[@smooth6718]

i am not a camper - skuze me, traveler - but a boater, and I always pull up to a marina that has shorepower. My idea of "roughing it" is a Super 8 motel. So, my boat has a 7.5 kw generator to run 28 k of ac/heat. That said, I really enjoy your extremely practical solutions, that keep you in budget, but also work. This video is the best so far. Technical, but simple. Thanks you so much for showing and explaining in detail how a solor panel works, and the difference it makes to have two or more in series or parallel. Just like Christmas tree lights! I hate those lights in series... never know which bulb is bad. Obviously, after your fine instruction, the same thing goes for solar, although not nearly as much testing required to see which bulb went bad. But just the fact that when in series and the whole system shut down, would be enough for me to say that parallel is a no-brainer. If it were raining for two days in a row, I surely wouldn't want to have to get outside to test and repair/replace one of the panels. I know, I know... if it were raining two days in a row, then nothing would work, anyway. But you know what I mean. Thanks much, again. Keep it up. I try to watch most of everything you do, and always give you a thumbs up.

[@Jeff2006lee]

I am electronic tech from USN 30+yrs. I appreciate your comments and it was good see your blunt illustration of plugging your panels in serial verse parallel. I have solar panels in the windows of my town home. I believe I have them all plugged in serially as the MPPT can take in higher voltage & higher voltage is more efficient. Noticing your panels shut down all together if one were blocked by little shade, well I do have problem of shade. So thank you for your great common sense illustration. Jeff

[@I_Santos_]

Your little edit at 17:03 is a testament to your perfectionism, hahaha. Dude, you’re one of a kind. I thoroughly enjoy your videos, travels, information, positive attitude, and sense of humour.

[@andrewstephens4492]

loved the casual toss away over the shoulder ! ...lol

[@delmasparker5184]

MPPT is the way to go Slim. I am full solar power at my home and have the old PWM system and the new MPPT system. Functions as advertised. I look forward to your postings every week. Would love to be doing what you are doing. It will come, someday. Safe travels to you and if you are ever in WEST VIRGINIA stop in and camp on my land for free. I think you will like it. ALMOST HEAVEN WV

[@joe-po1iy]

Hi, Everyone is restricted by what you can afford at the time but sometimes better is best even if it costs more. Peace of mind and long term durability is worth a lot. I like your videos and feel free to call in when in Australia. Regards Mark

[@WhatsUpWithSheila]

I love how you have an *anesthetic eye* .. in other words you just don't pile crap on top of crap..👍

[@rebekahleonard2884]

I've watched countless vids on solar...once again you've taken what can be an intimidating subject and made it understandable...thanks! Looking forward to updates. Journey mercies.

[@joemiller1158]

" Simple Solution" priceless Made my day!! Keep up the good work.

[@toronado455]

Someone needs to make that into an animated looping GIF!

[@jimthvac100]

One advantage of keeping panels in series is when it is cloudy or low light in morning or evening where normally the panels may only produce 10 volts each; but when panels are in series it will still have enough voltage to charge the batteries even under those conditions. Also you can install a bypass diode on each panel and when in series it will allow the panel that is blocked to get bypassed so you can still have the advantage of series.

[@makingsense8738]

Your videos are the most enjoyable of all the stuff I have watched regarding traveling about and camping. Your camera work is excellent (thank you) and the information gleaned from the content is always useful.

[@tonywhite5557]

Well done sir. No Bs, only a few acronyms. Plain & simple, just like me. Superb. For me, now comes the time to either buy recognised brand-name gear or take a punt on cheaper stuff.

[@randallharmsen5802]

Thanks for straight forward information Slim. Always like your videos. Happy Trails

[@threedogsandacamper503]

Excellent video! I especially appreciated the parallel vs series demonstration and the effect of a shade.

[@vonrollveeg]

Thanks. As usual with Slim - high quality, good information, entertaining. Again, thanks for all your work we appreciate.

[@ladylucy5591]

Thank you, Slim! I was sure hoping you were going to make my day and you did. I now understand what an MPPT is and means. Thanks for your work and sharing it in your videos. You are appreciated.

[@1robertmkelly]

Enjoy your videos so much - with honest and humble approach. The way you capture nature and the beauty surrounding us can’t be beat. Thanks

[@moretimethanmoney8611]

I had no idea that shading a series wired system would kill the power through an mppt controller! Excellent info. Thanks!

[@fratermus5502]

It's a bit more complicated than that. With enough voltage overhead (say 3 panels in series) MPPT can reduce voltage to bring shaded strings back online and make more power than parallel. With only two low voltage panels I'd run them parallel instead.

[@gonagain]

You did a great job on explaining your solar setup and I learned some new things.

[@notyoung]

Very practical video and installation. Sold my pop-up camper years ago and my body no longer accepts compromised sleeping locations ;-) Panels in series should have bypass diodes that take them out of the circuit when they can't produce power. That means the shaded panel simply passes the power from the sunlit panel. Your power is cut in half but it doesn't go to zero. Most framed panels have bypass diodes but I've not tested enough flexible panels to be able to make a general statement about whether they do. They should, as it's maybe $0.50 more to build the panel that way. Always good to know which equipment lasts and which doesn't. I have 3 EPEver MPPT controllers: two 3210A and one 4210A (predecessors to the AN model you have). One 3210A has been in continuous service for 2 years. It survived a lightning strike (in the next block) that took out the USB ports on the laptop I use to monitor the various MPPT controllers so I think that bodes well for their survivability.

[@dx9s]

I searched to see if somebody else made the same observations. YES, many flexible panels don't have blocking (bypass) diodes and thus a panel in shade ends up consuming the power produced by the other panels in series. Important thing to research before purchasing. I have seen a few flexible panels that have diodes in a box for this purpose. The main advantage of series is higher voltage with lower current over longer wires = less loss due to resistance.. As those panels don't have such diodes, hooking in parallel and keeping the wires shorter/thicker is probably the only option. The MPPT has three basic limits 1) the PV input voltage needs to be MORE than about 2V over the battery voltage in order to charge /easier to do with series panels as partially covered cells can sometimes still produce additional power that will not go to wasted in MPPT w/ panels in series [requires diodes tho] 2) maximum "safe" Open Circuit Voltage (usually ~2X the "listed" voltage of the panels) so a limit to the number of panels in series summing the voltage 3) maximum Amps which effects the number of panels in parallel / or any series+parallel wiring for max voltage/amps .. -- MPPT also usually has a max power (watts) as well.

[@timothyhays1817]

Bravo Slim. Nice concise and to the point information. The demonstration with series or parallel wired output was superb. I totally agree Acronyms suck. To lazy to spell it out so let's just use the first letter of each word.

[@theoldhobbit3640]

Excellent video which removes some of the mystery and misunderstanding of solar. The comparison test was such a great way of showing the practical differences and taught me quite a lot. Thank you for giving up your time for the rest of us to learn.

[@blueharley2]

one of your best!!! Thank you. I've not seen another bench-test comparison to show the parallel/series difference. I know that MPPT handles higher voltage, with the main advantage being smaller gauge wire, such as running to remote panels in your backyard. This is not really advantageous for short wire lengths in a camper scenario. I have understood that a series system would still be in charging mode at twilight, but now I see that's only true when all panels have the same light intensity, even in bright sun. That's really informative to see what a shadow does to a series system. Seems like shadows and short line lengths negate the added expense of MPPT.

[@marksommers6764]

Within the last 10 months I I've replaced two controllers with MPPT units . (Xantrex with external resistors and a much smaller Generic unit) ALL of the lesser units gave poor performance and even ruined batteries (accumulators) ! I'm having WONDERFUL results with MUCH better "depth of charge" ! I've two 220 watt 12v panels in parallel and two 8-D flooded lead-acid batteries @525 AH each in parallel . I had gone through a few lesser controls....all bad . Happy trails , Slim !

[@fratermus5502]

The epever/epsolar/tracer units are solid.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

There are some fine PWM controllers still available these days yet due to their incredible reliablity, are very expensive and used mainly for lighthouses, road signs and street lights. Most of us are better served by MPPT controllers.

[@AlGritzmacher]

Love it. I would have done exactly the same thing with the controller. You'll never have the heat problems that need the air space around it because you'll probably never be near the 30A rating. I'd have put it right where you did. It's the only logical place, near the battery, near the wiring. Short wiring = less resistance = more efficient!

[@MrSparks54]

MPPT controllers are efficient but very noisy radio-wise. I had an MPPT controller on my last RV, it created havoc on AM (MW) shortwave (SW), ham radio bands and wiped out most VHF including the 162 MHz Weather Band even after shielding and ferrite chokes on the leads.. So be cautious if you are a ham, CB'er or listen to AM or SW. Thanks Slim.

[@DRGreen-ps7eh]

No BS, why I love your channel. You've just done what I've been considering with the MPPT controller. YES, $$ is a large factor, and I will surely be watching for updates. Thanks for all you do for this "not so smart" person.

[@Thepavlo6666]

Thanks Slim! always a pleasure visiting with you! 👍😎😎

[@jensoleerlandsen2379]

Great video, I also installed an MPPT and it works much better than the old PWM in Denmark, we do not have so much sun, thanks for the instruction cool.

[@cosm.i.n]

This is an amazing way to start the week off. Just grabbed some popcorn and laid back for another Slim's awesome video.

[@danshively5253]

Very good Slim.

[@timcomer262]

Dang you Slim Spudhead... I was happy with my ten dollar PWM no-name charge controller, then you had to do this video explanation. Triple dang you! I just ordered the Epever and rearranged my galley to accommodate. Had you NOT published this I would happily be camping away content that I didn't "need" MPPT. So far my 200 watts of panels and 144ah of battery have served me well. I'm anxious to see how this new MPPT will charge faster and keep me from having to haul around any more panels. Time will tell. Keep the videos coming. I'm enjoying your interviews and trip logs.

[@timcomer262]

And, I opted to get the bluetooth module instead of the remote meter (MT50). Big mistake, couldn't get it to connect for two days, then when it did connect the app was near useless for my purposes. Shoulda stuck with the same package you bought with the temp sensor and MT50. Returned the bluetooth and ordered the remote meter.

[@mickichikwinya5519]

First time I've seen someone demonstrate the impact of Series vs. Parallel. Really drives home the difference. Thank you. I think I'll remember that one.

[@lindawoods6841]

i like the light weight flexible panels i am a small woman,,and the lighter is better..and since i found your channel you have given me so much knowledge.. i appreciate all your videos..thank you for all the information on solar..

[@gjonesii]

Slim you make amazing videos. Capturing scenery or providing instruction, your videos are always enjoyable. Much appreciated!

[@davidmesser8619]

Hey there Slim. It's been awhile since I have commented. The only internet that I have is my cellphone, and my old phone went for a swim in a stock tank. Well I lost all of my You Tube friends, and it has taken me a while to get most of them back. Good show today. Just a little FYI, it's best to stay out of the Southern states in the summer. From April through October the southern states can be absolutely miserable because of the heat and humidity. I live in Missouri and it's just as bad here as the states further south. The only difference is our summer lasts one or two months less. I stay in the air conditioning all summer long. I plan on getting land in the mountains of Colorado and building a small cabin for the summers. Anyway take care. Vaughn

[@BlackTopBoondocker]

I have have the Epever 40 amp MPPT with the remote for about 3 years works great and never had an issue. Input is 4 100w panels about 35volts in and full sun over 20 amps per the display. Good video Slim thanks.

[@mirkwoodforest6572]

BlackTop Boondocker, I was just wondering, 35v & 20 amps is 700 watts...

[@Vandemonium]

Mirkwood Forest I think he means 20A at the battery charging voltage, typically 14.4 ie the output of the solar controller.

[@BlackTopBoondocker]

@@mirkwoodforest6572 The voltage is whats entering my Mppt. The 20ams are what going into the 12v battery bank. Sorry for the confusion.

[@BlackTopBoondocker]

@@Vandemonium exactly thank you

[@neliosamch3195]

@@mirkwoodforest6572 4 panels 100 watts each equal to 11 amps.

[@lanfordmims5080]

Slim love your solar videos! I'm a newbie to solar and love your simple attitude of "let's learn and research this together"

[@thecritterandthebutterfly]

Nice demo on panel shading. We have 200w of Renogy panels in parallel on the Trailmanor with their rover MPPT controller. Can barely tell they are there when opening up. Works like a charm. Renogy has a remote for the rover now so some component shuffling will insue. Thanks for posting. Safe travels.

[@mangle40]

One of my faves. I’m a solar newbie. Love your experiments and explanations!

[@scaleop4]

that epever charge controller is the best one i have ever owned to date.. i have a shed outside with 3x 100watt solar panels on it and i have had no issue with it.

[@posteroonie]

I like the $120US the Victron 75/15 with Bluetooth. It's small enough to not have the air circulation problems of the EPEver in Slim's fitment, and also provides monitoring on a smart phone, including a history of watt-hours produced for each of the last 45 days. So there's no separate monitor to mount somewhere, and it's super convenient -- check power production from anywhere within a 20-30 foot radius of the charge controller.

[@outbackwack368]

Very easy to understand and I'm glad it was a pretty painless upgrade! Looking forward to your long-term review!

[@dnngskn62]

May there be plenty of sunshine in your future travels and shade a thing of the past.

[@ruthhughes6498]

Thanks Slim. Michael and Ruth

[@johnstoffel5885]

I have been using that same MPPT controller for 3 years now with 4 100watt panels and it is outstanding. Good choice.

[@ericst-denis9661]

what does it power up or should i say what can it power ....?

[@Bitcoinbeacon77]

Good morning bud, good to see you.

[@gottow]

I really got a charge out of your video very straight forward and informative Where as other videos I’ve watched have been rather long and revolting great work

[@cyberi4a]

Glad you explained at the end parallel and series as I had no idea what it meant. And off topic, I like your fence it looks nice and very sturdy.

[@cyndifoore7743]

Good job Slim.

[@axemanfishing2703]

SP, another excellent video on real world results of 200 watts with an MPPT controller. Thanks for sharing with us. Al

[@patrickhotra9241]

I really enjoy your "how to" videos. In the interest of saving money, I have a Kestrel 1000 Pocket Wind Meter that's never been used. It's a backup to one that I'm still using. It has an accuracy of +_ 3% of the reading, a resolution of 0.1 m/s, and a range of 0.8 to 135 mph. If you can use it I'll be glad to put it in the mail.

[@randyclayton1573]

That would be good .thank you

[@thomaswelch5164]

Imagine a world where self-sustaining solar-powered nomads could roam the protected lands and actually help preserve them!

[@davebenson1504]

GREAT... I wish I had seen all this great info earlier... but still very helpful for the future

[@SuperLaplander]

Good stuff. I have a 10 Amp MPPT controller of same brand. It seems to work fine.

[@pederb82]

I’ve had the old version of your tracer for years. Works like a charm. Mine is common negative tho. You tell them apart by the color of the buttons on the controller. Mine are yellow like on the my-50 remote unit while yours are green. Both are great units.

[@thizizliz]

Ahh, interesting. It makes good sense to think about what works when 1 panel isn't at 100%. Looks like the extra size of the controller didn't lose you much space either. It will be interesting to learn along with you as you travel. Cool.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

Great example of parallel vs. Series. In cases like yours, where shading is a potential problem, parallel makes sense. In permanent installations where shading isn't a problem, series would be a better choice, since there's less resistive loss due to the cables (same principle as power transmission over high voltage lines).

[@JackieL7474]

Great video again! I might not understand everything but I'm learning thanks to you!

[@cosm.i.n]

One idea for you to help gather funds for trailer upgrades would be to set up a patreon page if you don't have one already where you could post behind the scenes and stuff like that, maybe even add a paypal donation link. I'll definitely chip in a couple bucks for the entertainment you're giving us.

[@lisab1254]

Thank you-it is always a treat learning from your experience!

[@fintech112]

Just installed this epever two weeks ago a good upgrade and this MT50 is super good

[@shiftintohigh5564]

Acro Nerds!!!! Good one👍👍👍😁😁 Great presentation!!! And I love your explanation: Money!!!👍 I get that👍👍 Simple solution😂😂😂 You are cracking me up😂😂😂 No faith in warranties anyway😂😂👍👍👍 Love the honesty👍👍👍

[@davidwellen830]

This was the first of your videos I have seen. I found it easy to understand and very informative so I subscribed. Hoping for more good videos.

[@SlimPotatohead]

Thanks David. I hope to give you a variety of ideas. Welcome abord!

[@WildWestGal]

Your usual first-rate video, SP, and I loved the parallel vs. serial test! It really helped me understand that aspect of solar. Looking forward to the next production!

[@lynnsweet6902]

LOL.. I am retired from the Fed Govt.. and they loved thier Acronyms.. there was a book lising them.. I love the Acronerd description

[@Al_Dente1]

Thx for the real world demo. You should enjoy better performance from the new gear. Safe travels.

[@TheSeanBampton]

Straight forward and simple to understand. Great video, Slim. Thanks for this one. I'm going to be buying a ETFE panel to replace my 90W Canadian Tire special with the 7W charge controller.

[@SlimPotatohead]

Sorry but Canadian Tire make the worst overpriced and outdated types of panels. Stick to Amazon. SP

[@TheSeanBampton]

@@SlimPotatohead No need to apologize Slim. I bought the panel many moons ago, before I really knew anything about solar (and before watching your channel). It's served it's purpose, but it's time to get real with our needs, as we transition from a tiny popup trailer with a single 12v battery to a Lance 1575 where I'll be installing 4x6V LiOn batteries in series. Looking at buying 4x100W panels and running them through a 40A MPPT controller and into a 2000W pure sine wave inverter. Like you, we are often boondocking, at the provincial campgrounds or wilderness sites in BC. Happy camping!

[@horsetrainingresources]

Excellent work and descriptions. Love the tests of the controller, series and parallel. Looking forward to more like this along with notes from the field. Lord bless your travels!

[@honusue]

You crack me up! Love your videos, I have learned so much from you, thank you.

[@MartinRanger65]

Best solar video yet🌞

[@karenr67]

Like how you compared parallel and series hook ups.

[@theresadupuis8475]

Hi SLIM. Good INFO BUT OVER MY HEAD 😊HAVE A HAPPY SUNNY DAY

[@waynemazan7485]

good job Slim....

[@sharonolsen6579]

ACRONYMS ... grrrr... PET PEEVE ! That off my chest .... Great video as always ! Even for someone who has no actual *need* for how to hook up solar panels...( currently ) ... Still, you make an interesting video for those of us just "here for the beer" so to speak.. : )

[@ianmccluskey2293]

Fortunately, I was introduced to acronyms very early in my life - in the Army. Everything in the Forces in ANY country is ALWAYS anachronistic. In these days on multiculturalism, the only was one army can converse with another is via acronyms.

[@sharonsavadogo3636]

I really enjoy your videos! You are very funny! I love seeing all of your adventures! Keep me coming!!

[@hautala88]

I have no use for the information, but I just enjoy watching your videos! lol Keep up the great work!

[@stuartdavies8388]

I have 3 Epever Tracer AN controllers and they've worked perfectly from day 1.

[@JAMESMT-mm6zl]

Great video as usual Slim. Much of the system makes more sense to me now. Thanks for the easy to understand explanations.

[@schwags1969]

Very concise and predictable results. Great video.

[@donreinholz8121]

That was interesting. It seems the new controller was doing a great job charging the solar panels.

[@micktaylor7937]

Great video Slim. Thanks.

[@Judy-cm6kp]

Thanks Slim. I love your upgrade videos.

[@daveybernard1056]

A fun and interesting look at solar. Thanks

[@rcboosted]

One more advantage to series is that the panels will start generating power sooner when the sun rises and longer before sun set. So you will get say.. 12 hrs of sunlight producing power instead of 8. But like you saw, shading will be a problem. This can be mitigated if you add a bypass diode, that will allow it to still generate power when 1 is shielded.

[@raccoonlittlebear6476]

Thank you so much for the great information Slim!

[@SteveCChapman]

I live vicariously through you. Lol. This is very useful information and fun experimenting with solar

[@merlin1477024]

Always good videos, Slim. Been working on my own rig for a few days. Nothing as technical as yours. Thanks!

[@noahcount7132]

Really enjoy your "workshop" videos, Slim, including this one. For that matter, I enjoy virtually all of your videos. Now, a minor nit-pick. Acronyms have to be pronounceable as words. MPPT and RCMP are initials, not acronyms. DOT (Department Of Transportation) is an acronym, as are MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and RADAR (RAdio Detection And Ranging).

[@Back2SquareOne]

Initialism: abbreviations comprised of leading initial letters which are pronounced separately. Many people mistakenly lump initialisms in with acronyms.

[@RobertKeenanComp-U-Right]

Great Explanation, it always humbles me in the way you easily modify things, maybe you don't give yourself enough credit. And best of luck with your newer Jeep!

[@richardwatson8822]

Great video, I'm glad you made the demo on the panels, I always wondered about the difference in hooking them up pairell or series, Good advice, Thanks for all you do.

[@steveduncan8136]

Another reason for series and putting the controller closer to the battery is that the voltage going through the longer wires between the panels and the controller is higher, and thus the losses are lower.

[@Lex10999]

Great explanation of Series vers Parallel. I finally understand the difference now. thanks :)

[@cajunjamis9001]

Thanks, Slim! Very interesting!

[@boetschge]

Hi Slim,very valuable Information! Thanks a lot,and keep doing these Videos :-) Best Whishes,Marc

[@pamflowers8364]

Thanks for a good video. I'm actually beginning to understand this stuff because of your videos.

[@MegaTriumph1]

Enjoy your solar experiments.

[@dennisbosworth3665]

Slim, you really shouldn't judge the charge controller by amps alone. The total power that you are putting into the battery is measured in watts - not just amps. A watt is the product of volts times amps. If, for instance, you compared 13.9 volts @ 6.3 amps to …. say 14.2 volts @ 6.2 amps, you would initially think that 6.3 amps is better than 6.2 amps, but if you consider this in terms of watts, you would see that the 13.9*6.3 yields 87.57 watts where the 14.2*6.2 is yielding 88.04 watts. The 14.2*6.2 is actually putting more power into the battery. That is why an MPPT charge controller is preferable because it manipulates the relationship between volts and amps to maximize the watts. Of course in your case, the difference is so minor, it really doesn't make any practical difference, and I am nit-picking, However, conceptionally, this is an important consideration when you start dealing with more panels.

[@fratermus5502]

> in your case, the difference is so minor, It would be a bigger difference when the battery bank is deeply cycled. [10/18/2019 - edited to add: because Vbatt is critical to PWM but not MPPT. 13.9*6.3 (87.57W) would become 12.2*6.3 (76.86W) max at ~50% depth of discharge , hamstringing the PWM. Even with a ~5% MPPT conversion loss MPPT would Vmp*6.3*0.95, or 95w max. Hopefully one's batteries don't spend much time at 50% DoD, but we can see where those "30% boost!!!!!!" marketing blurbs come from. In the case of 50% DoD batteries, MPPT could make 23.6% more power for energy-starved batteries. ]

[@mildcamper5429]

Thanks for that explanation. Info nuggets like these are good to know and grasp.

[@Avangardphotography]

It’s a good day when I see Slim’s video in my stream 😀👍