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Blue brand seems the rage. But I'm with you. I bought a model from "authorized dealer" to try out. Not impressed. Service/support is non-existence. Any questions result in use warranty and return it. However, they know blue is impossible to get warranty out of. Also performance is not good. What was the brand that you mentioned you were happy with?
I have never, and I mean, never seen this level of competence and intelligence on RU-vid. Combination of your electrical and mechanical professorial knowledge is legendary, and I treat diseases for a living. Kudos to you sir.
If you haven't done one already, a "masterclass" on setting up your data integration system and custom equipment controllers would be awesome. Epic content as always sir!
It's my dream to someday have that display of information for my home and shop solar setups. I fully understand the technical aspects of the hardware and wiring, but when it comes to the Python programming I'm at a loss - it's completely outside my skill set.
Great video. I was considering how to make “dumbo ear” panels myself. I’ll be interested to see how well they hold up in terms of the Panel construction vs road vibrations. Thanks again and safe travels!
Wow! That's a s sweet install for sure - and I like the tongue and cheek name for your project. Your electronic controls are next level, Star Trek type stuff. I'm impressed with your coding skills too. We're old, retired FTers who designed and built our system ourselves, on a tight budget. It took us 5 years to gather the resources and finally complete the project, doing all the work ourselves. We started by building a 620-watt liftable solar array on the side of our motorhome, like you did. Your liftable panels are a little cleaner install, but we did ours while boondocking with no access to welders, a machine shop, etc. so everything was bolted-up with off the shelf items, like stainless steel gate hinges, gate latches, aluminum from Lowes, and was all fabricated by hand in the wilderness. Our array makes a nice bedroom window awning too, practically lifting itself with a couple 44" 80lb gas struts, like yours does, and it's easy to clean, standing safely on the ground. Next, we built a 12v, 560ah LiFePo-4 battery with 8, 280ah prismatic cells. We use a Heltec 330amp BMS with a 5a active balancer. We chose these cells rather than a pre-built battery because they fit perfectly under the steps of our MH where our old pair of golf cart batteries used to reside. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a small hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging due to low temperature - or their life reduced from getting too hot. Our 12v system uses an 80A Progressive Dynamics LFP converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy inverter, a 50a Epever MPPT charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor. We built this entire 12v phase of our system for under $3,500. By mounting the solar array on the side of our coach, we left the roof free to rack 8, 550w solar panels, like you have, down the length of our 35ft Class A, 15" off our roof, above our AC, vents, etc. We built the rack out of 2" aluminum angle with the front 2 panels sloping down at a shallower 9.5-degrees to meet the roof, gently easing airflow over the array, making the RV more stable with less wind drag driving down the road too. It covers our entire roof, providing some nice shade with plenty of cooling air underneath, increasing solar output and reducing the heat load on the air conditioners too, though our overall height is still just under 12 ft. We mounted a Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W Inverter/100A charge controller/battery charger, breakers and a Lnex battery monitor on the wall in our bedroom, saving us space as well as money compared to a system with individual components. We chose this unit as it supports up to 500 volts and we have a 400 voc solar array. It can work without batteries and has a power saver mode that only uses 20-25 watts when idling. It's only $764 - not bad for a 5,000-watt PSW inverter (with the same 95% efficiency as a high-end "Blue" unit) and has 100amps of combined 48v battery charger/charge controller capacity. Our 48v battery uses 16, 320ah prismatic cells and a 200amp Heltec BMS to keep it safe. Together with our 560ah 12v bank, we have a total of 23.5 kwh of batteries onboard - kept charged by 5,020 watts of solar. This is the equivalent storage capacity as $16,650 worth of Battleborn batteries for under $3,400. We removed the rooftop A/C we had in the bedroom and replaced it with an EG4 28.5 seer-2, 12k btu mini-split heat pump on the upper rear of our motorhome, like yours is. It's super quiet and cools as well as our 14.5k btu soft start equipped Furrion we installed up front. This second phase provides 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and heat from the heat pump. We can run both A/Cs, microwave and charge our batteries from solar at the same time, even in winter. Last night we ran our heat-pump in heat mode all night (making up to 13k btus of heat) and our 48v battery was only down to 66% by morning. It will be full again by noon. We have a total of 6,000 watts of 120v inverted ac power, giving us off-grid electrical self-sufficiency without the need to run our generator, for a total budget of around $11,500, including the high-efficiency heat pump. Take care, we hope to see you down the road one day.
I have a couple of blue items in my system. Pretty low level - smart charger for my 12V battery, running off a 60A 48-12 DC-DC converter. And a smart shunt. The shunt tells me the real story (not nearly as well as the setup you have) of how the batteries are being charged. But the big story is that I priced the blue stuff for my primary solar controller/AC charging/inverter. 4X the cost, more parts, and about double the weight of an MPP Solar LV6548. No contest. The young DIY Solar Jedi had torture tested the LV6548 charging his Tesla, and reported good reliability there and knowledge of a history of reliable performance in other setups. So with that I went all in with MPP. Glad I did. It's been working great for going on 2 years now. Has demonstrated serious fault tolerance and protected itself from faulty (internally shorted) AC equipment inside the vehicle. I would do it the same if I had to do it over.
Quality content as usual. Haven't been a sub for long, but these videos have been some of my favorite lately. Not a whole lot of RV channels talking about sniffing protocols to create custom python control code for big brand hardware!
Although I don't subscribe, every time your video pops into my feed and I watch it, I'm always amazed. I don't think most folks realize how incredible talented you are. In fact, I doubt only a very small percentage of the population could half the stuff you do.
RU-vid is a mind-reader. I was contemplating of what if you make an awning made of Solar panels to augment your solar input, and at the same time, providing a little bit of shade to your rig. and this video came up in my recommended videos. nice vid. thanks.
Woahhhhh!! Very impressive, your technical know-how is first rate. Think I felt a little faint when I saw your dashboard and you started talking about Python scripting ha ha huge kudos, thank you so much for posting!
As always, congrats on the high quality of the Show, Video, Audio - and the eminent physical implementation of those new panels. So well thought out, and so well implemented. It makes it a joy watch. Lets hope that you will eventually get a chance to install a MPPT controller with the functionality that you had originally planned for. But kudos to make the most of the hand that was dealt to you. By the way: Awesome action view of the new suspension makeup. Very nice 👍 And what am intense, almost like birth by fire, for the mounting system of the new solar panels. So glad to hear that they survived those challenging roads.
Just when I think Im almost done with my build I look at videos like this and realise, I will never be finished...You can tell this guy is smart, he bought an Electrodacus over all the other much bigger and better advertised brands and as a bonus, gets better service from one guy than a whole company that charges 4x for all their products.
Next video, replacing the engine with a tesla motor and running it off our solar panels! Seriously though, this is really cool. Would be fun to automate the in and out process like the top panels but probably easier to just pop them open when you get to camp.
Oh man I feel ya about dealing with Big Blue. They seem to be the go to for a lot of people and companies but all of their product manuals are trash and there are always like 5 different ways to hook up the same thing to do the same thing. They could easily combine a bunch of their stuff into one compact unit but they don't so you are just left guessing what works with what and you end up with what seems like unnecessary redundant features. usually if you want any answers about anything you have to resort to the forums where other people will tell you how it works or does not work. If you can actually find a number for any kind of support all they do is turn you back to the sales team that arguably doesn't know anything about how it works. I am an electrical systems installer at a camper van and truck shop and deal with Big Blue every day. It still blows my mind how completely vague and nonexistant most of the info is that I need to find. As always your system integration blows my mind and always inspires me to make my own things better.
The integrations and automation(not sure if those terms are used correctly?) you have set up are awe-inspiring. Combine that electrical and programming knowledge with clever fabrication ideas and skills, and you've created my favorite DIY camper on the web. Thank you for offering continuous inspiration and sharing your knowledge for free with those who watch.
Great job. As I was watching, kept thinking, hmmm that step took some time and detailed planning. These thoughts happened over and over and over. You made a complex task look very straightforward, very well done sir!
So I go dry camping all the time. I can charge my electric mountain bike and run my heater and my coffee grinder and my satellite television and all of my lights and my coffee maker and I only need about 250 W of solar. But hey, if this is your full-time home you are doing excellent. I have lived off grid and designed and installed off grid power systems for about 24 years now. You've done a really nice job. And thank you so much for understanding the difference between power and energy and expressing the units properly throughout your video! It's so annoying when people mess it up. It's like saying I have a water system that does 60 psi per day. 😂
This guy is insane! for always making things possible when people would say otherwise. Love the effort and engineering you put into making everything work. Awesome!
Solid option for more panels- yours are permanent- due to WINDOWS- okay we know your valid thoughts on those- I cannot hang permanently. Wonder if I could create same but make it removalable for travel. I'll need to watch your video again about 10x
Similar to my intended solar install on my trailer, but all units will be adjustable for the angle of the sun. One advantage of covering your units roof with solar panels and side solar panels is shade. Helps to keep interior temps down. My build will also be fully electric and with a Mini-Split, but with the addition of a small Marine wood stove for off-grid winters. Thanks for the informative post.
Great camera work in this one. I could tell y'all were moving fast and needed precision teamwork to knock this one out. Seeing the air suspension in motion has me all flustered, ngl!
After thinking about it, there are so many ways you can deploy all those panels for max solar input, depending on direction pointed, latitude, time of year, diodes in the panels to deal with shading, etc. it would be fun to see a production analysis in the future. Impressive engineering!
This is so awesome, I never even thought this was possible. I'm also very impressed with the dashboard setup. And.. uh, a little worried about the "blue" MPPT charge controller I got. I've heard mixed reviews with Viktron's products and I'm really hoping I don't get--pardon the pun--burned on this one.
As always, congrats on the high quality of the Show, Video, Audio - and the eminent physical implementation of those new panels. So well thought out, and so well implemented. Glad to see You `ll Doing Well after all this time , Successful Hope People are Kind To You`ll.
Truly excellent super- van solar project video!! Congrats! Yours is the video I point to when discussing if my solar- powered van air conditioning is possible and viable. Thanks for taking the time to make this! Quick future project thought. Duplicate your roof setup on a trailer using separate power. Captures and uses extra unused power from main rig (if you want to link them) while using the trailer power for propulsion on flats and uphills, then regen on downhills. Great design chops and truly inspirational! I glossed the Python code section and may come back to it as I have been trying to find out how you did the panel mounting. Great job!
Marvelous! I'm in the process of changing over to 920Ah LiFePO4 EVE cells and doubling my solar. Your videos have helped me so much. And yes, the blue guys' customer service is a victim of their own success. Once again. Thank you!
Outstanding Jason! I'm happy you're feeling better. Kara did a great job filling in. You'd better maintain your health, or she'll steal the show! :-) I would think you've added some redundancy, since the two new panels seem independent of the rooftop. Also looks like you'll pick up some shading on your sidewalls. Well done! Your Everlanders hat has found its place on my rack.
That is the way to go with solar panels over production with more panels. I have been doing that more kW panels than inverter can handle for 10 years on our house and nothing has broken yet. Very impressed of your setup.
Awesome video. I'm not sure how the bottom of the 100lb gas strut support will hold up with just 3-4 square inches of caulk as its fastener. But if it does fail it won't be a big deal, nothing damaged. I imagine it will happen traveling rather than setup for the night. Looks like a fun way to live
Brilliant Engineering. Perfect understanding of the Appropriate principles to apply when designing. You are extremely resourceful with an Absolutely Incredible work ethic. I am so glad you are bouncing back healthwise. I thought I noticed some breathing and respiratory distress. Thank you for continuing to be the benchmark by which all other overlanders are judged. We hope you and your beautiful wife stay safe and healthy. Cheers from Michael. Australia.
Finally someone mirroring my experience about that blue equipment. I'll never touch that brand again. Nice solar install, only wonder how much shading you have from the upper solar? Maybe in the future you can have a telescoping mounts so the shading is prevented.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I really appreciate the in depth install. For someone who wants to do a similar build eventually, this is so amazingly helpful. Hope to see you out on the trails one day!!
Great video as always and worth the wait. I am very appreciative for your mentions (and links) for the things you use like the thermal camera (been looking for a good solution for one) and trust in the "Jason uses it" stamp. I now have started planning on a similar solar system deployment , as it will have a side benefit (pun intended) to cover up the mass of windows I have on the bus when parking in town.
Yes, It's a really slick camera, being able to take a photo or video and save it straight to the phone and then send it to someone is a really helpful feature.
Shit man, u always amaze me with your innovative ideas. You just flipped my plan upside down.Instead of using a double layer roof mounted slide out solar system, i'll now look into a single layer solar roof with side hinged panel extension that upon rotation the upper edge of the side solar panel will be side to side with adjacent roof panel. Thank you
I love this solution! I used 4 fullsize pv panels. (1.56x1.15m) and have them over the full length ofthe roof, but it came at the cost of no roofvent. In my van thats mostly fine (I have an old firetruck with sliding doors on both sides, so easy to get airflow). Thinking about changing vans in the future and might (try) to do something similar to this.
I have side vertical panels at my shack to charge after the angle of the roof panels to the sun gets too far to the side. I have gotten nearly 3-4 hours easy of near full charge during sundown ... when sun is at right angles.. so the side gig will help a lot
Fantastic video once again! If there was ever an idea for a show portraying what MacGyver did after he retired and decided to travel to South America I would show them on the pitch a few of your videos! Perhaps an idea for a future video from you - I'm absolutely intrigued on how you navigate travelling into different countries with your dog(hope he's better now) How do you navigate the countries quarantine(knowing some of these myself it's very lacklustre and almost non-existent) Thank You
while it sounds annoying to try to integrate the blue brand, it must be quite a relief to have plenty of solar now, especially when it's hot and rainy! a great technical walkthrough as always!
Thanks for sharing your experience and you did a great job documenting concisely how you did it! I used these same size of panels but mine are 530 watts each and I installed five of them on the roof of my travel trailer to a total of 2,650 watts of rated solar. They've been doing great now for the last 2 years!
@@Everlanders from Santan Solar based out of Arizona. I didn't realize at the time how lucky I was to be able to buy the panels from them which they showed directly to my house because it must have been a pallet that they had for some reason and shortly after I got mine they unlisted the panels from their website and I've never seen them there since.
Wow a great solar video. Great idea mounting the panels on the side. You always come up with great solar ideas and incorporating them into Electrodacus BMS. Everyone can learn from this project. Never knew you could write a script to control the Vic Mppt controller. Very smart you are. Great idea. Thanks
Cool project. My main concern would be shading from the overhang of the panels above. As you said, they are working fine. I am trying to put 12 (2x6) panels on my 34' RV. I also want single axis tracking. The "mounts are very difficult to find. A custom rack is required also. If anyone sees this and has recommends, pls feel free to hit me with a reply.
I have alot to learn...My baby 500watt system basically plug n play but no blue controllers. Using Fangpusun mppt 100/150 with two flooded batteries (someday will get lithium). Would love to learn how to program different states but so far after just over two years, seems to be meeting my needs, especially after getting the dc dc converter you recommended for my laptop. Uses way less than the inverter...In fact I do no recall the last time I used it...Anyway, love you channel ! Take care
