Solar panels - anyone tried the Victron controller with bluetooth and phone app

[willwander]

New solar panels seem to be working nicely, I have 240w but "real life" power seems to vary widely. Still new to all this, but looking forward to playing with it.

 

[Roger Donoghue]

The quoted watts are at 20 volts, and in ideal conditions - i.e. not hot, but with high bright sun!

I work in amps "I've seen" - so in real world numbers - I expect to see 6amps max from a 120w panel in great sun in the UK.

Also bear in mind, that number will plummet as your battery fills and the Victron backs off to a trickle (float) charge.

 

[Aidy P]

Do you need to let your insurance company know when you’ve fitted solar?

 

[Aidy P]

Installed yesterday. Bit of a faff getting the wires through into the cupboard as we didn’t have a single wire coathanger in the house.
It’s great to not have to think about keeping the leisure batteries charged up now.
This screen shot was with the roof flat. Sunny afternoon.
With the lastest firmware update @Roger Donoghue , do I need to make any changes in the Victron Connect app? Or can I just forget about it now and let it work it’s magic?
Nice piece of kit. Arrived a few days after ordering and was well packaged. Thank you

 

[Roger Donoghue]

You are welcome (that packaging hasn't stopped some of the couriers destroying the odd kit :-( ).

Updating the firmware should not mean you have to change anything. It's all automatic. I do the double firmware update during every installation and change no settings at all.

R

 

[willwander]

You are welcome (that packaging hasn't stopped some of the couriers destroying the odd kit :-( ).
R

Mine got a bashing by the courier, I doubt it would have survived without your wooden frame/packaging

 

[Kjetil]

Hi @Kmann

I set up Solar on my Cali last summer - I removed the whole set up which is super easy and will install it on another Cali this year. I bought my panel with the cable set included from a UK specialist.

I have a 100w high spec flexible panel, Victron 15 amp MPPT control unit (can handle 2 x 100w panels if you want to upgrade), all cable harnesses and the bluetooth dongle for iPhone connectivity - came in at £314 delivered in the UK. Your solar supplier should have the correct cables. If you PM I will send you a link.

All you need is two pieces of aluminium angle 125cm wide that you PU adhesive the panel to, four bolts/nuts a few washers and some M8 captive nuts to go in the roof rail channels - all picked up at Wickes and my local hardware store for another £16.

The length of the panel is 1200mm - exactly the same as the centre to centre measurement of the roof rails.

I got a 2.5m length of aluminium angle (15mm x 30mm) from Wickes (£14) and for the captive threaded 'nut' incredibly my local old fashioned hardware store has some fixings (not sure what for) but they are zinc plated steel rectangles 20mm wide, about 40mm long and about 6mm thick with an M8 thread (30p each) - these are the perfect size to slot into the rails.

So I cut the angle in half, rounded the corners and then it was scored and abraded as a key - I attached the panel with PU adhesive and also riveted it for good measure.

This was mounted with holes in the corners of the angle/panel to the slotted fixings - all you need in between is M8 rubber penny washers - 99p for 10 on eBay.

I made up a small ply board for the electrics and as the small connectors are quite delicate I made sure to support everything carefully to avoid movement - some sticky foam behind the small connectors.

I rounded off the corners of the Dibond shelves so the cables could run there - see pics, my cables are left long as I want the option to run this in a Beach. It's just a case of running cables as neatly as possible and leave some room for the extra length of the open roof.






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Hi. Looking through the different threads on Solar panel installation best practices. On one of your pics (No7) it seem you pulled the incoming PV wires through the existing VW hose that’s for the rear lights. How did you do that?

 

[Max-Felix]

Hi. Looking through the different threads on Solar panel installation best practices. On one of your pics (No7) it seem you pulled the incoming PV wires through the existing VW hose that’s for the rear lights. How did you do that?

Yes, just make a small slit IIRC or feed it through, I cannot remember exactly. Wet the cables with soapy water to help them slide through.

 

[Kjetil]

Yes, just make a small slit IIRC or feed it through, I cannot remember exactly. Wet the cables with soapy water to help them slide through.

IIRC?
(Sorry)

 

[Max-Felix]

Let Me Google That

For all those people that find it more convenient to bother you with their question than to google it for themselves.

letmegooglethat.com

Sorry, couldn’t resist!

 

[Amarillo]

Yes, just make a small slit IIRC or feed it through, I cannot remember exactly. Wet the cables with soapy water to help them slide through.

Yes, small slit on the underside (a slit on top makes water ingress more likely) and feed the wire through to inside the trim. Holding the cable in position with a cable tie at that point is also a good idea.

 

[f3fisa]

Anyone installed a Victron Smart Shunt in their Cali Ocean. If so where, under the seat or on the battery at the back. There doesn't seem to be much room under the seat.

 

[Peter84]

Anyone experience with Solbian Solarpanels in combination with the Victron controller? Is it any good? And would you suggest to go for 236 watt or would 176 watt be sufficient.

 

[California_Ocean]

Anyone installed a Victron Smart Shunt in their Cali Ocean. If so where, under the seat or on the battery at the back. There doesn't seem to be much room under the seat.

Thought about it, but it would be complicated .... the Ocean has 2 shunts already and there is no obvious place in the harness where one SmartShunt would cover both leisure batteries.

The solar wiring looks like this in my '22 Ocean ....

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

If you’ve upgraded the leisure batteries to Lithium most come with Bluetooth connectivity and an app already.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[California_Ocean]

Anyone experience with Solbian Solarpanels in combination with the Victron controller? Is it any good? And would you suggest to go for 236 watt or would 176 watt be sufficient.

I'm sure you would have no problem with the Solbian panels and a Victron MPPT. I've used Victron on my boat and camper with a wide variety of panels without any problems.

Here's an example on the Solbian web site using a Victron MPPT

Autohome Columbus rooftop tent - 310Wp SR series - SOLBIAN Solar

Equipped with an integrated solar system, a rooftop tent becomes a great solution for self-sufficient expeditions even to remote locations.

solbian.solar

Go for as much solar as you can afford/fit. IMO more is always better. Anything over 100W is a benefit and many Cali owners have 100W and are very happy - so 176W or 236W is a question of affordability IMO. I have 310W and it is easily enough in summer - but it really depends on how you use your van. More than 4 days parked up and lived in without a hook-up and you probably need to do an energy budget and work out how much energy you use and therefore how much solar you will need for your location.

 

[Peter84]

@California_Ocean Thanks, I'll probably go for the 236 watt just to be sure. We don't use that much energy, only the refrigerator, lighting and charging mobile devices. And won't stay in one location for more than 4 days probably.

 

[f3fisa]

Thought about it, but it would be complicated .... the Ocean has 2 shunts already and there is no obvious place in the harness where one SmartShunt would cover both leisure batteries.

The solar wiring looks like this in my '22 Ocean ....

View attachment 104101

 

[f3fisa]

I think you might be right, not sure what I would get if I only connected between the -ve of the rear battery.
I thought you might be interested in the attached picture of the readout from my Raspberry Pi connected to my Victron Solar charger in my Ocean. It lets you see the vital stats in a different way via the Victron Energy VRM portal on the internet.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

I think you might be right, not sure what I would get if I only connected between the -ve of the rear battery.
I thought you might be interested in the attached picture of the readout from my Raspberry Pi connected to my Victron Solar charger in my Ocean. It lets you see the vital stats in a different way via the Victron Energy VRM portal on the internet.

View attachment 104106

Just so I understand correctly, you have a Raspberry Pi connected to the Victron MPPT and this sends the data to the Victron VRM portal? Or did you buy the GX based device as well for that?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

@California_Ocean Thanks, I'll probably go for the 236 watt just to be sure. We don't use that much energy, only the refrigerator, lighting and charging mobile devices. And won't stay in one location for more than 4 days probably.

We have 3 panels (300w total) + victron 100/20 bluetooth controller which sits out of sight in the jack compartment, and always have more juice than we need. Van was used alot during lockdown on the driveway as an office / isolation pod, Fridge running & all power for laptop etc, didn't get driven for say 3 months a time & never hooked up.

Have never needed to measure solar in days, as constantly being generated in daylight so its the wrong way to look at it in my opinion.

Suggest to buy 1 panel, if's it not enough then you can fit additional 1 / 2 more a later date. Can recommend below kits, took a leisurely 2 hours to fit.

Solar Camper Solutions - VW CALIFORNIA (T5 & T6) Solar Panel Kit

Drill free bolt on kit for the VW California, SE/Ocean/Beach, T5 or T6 / T6.1 variants (T6.1 has a slightly different battery connector) A kit that re...

solarcampersolutions.co.uk

 

[f3fisa]

Just so I understand correctly, you have a Raspberry Pi connected to the Victron MPPT and this sends the data to the Victron VRM portal? Or did you buy the GX based device as well for that?

Yes correct, I am using the Raspberry Pi to send data to the Victron portal. Everything is explained in this You Tube video.

It is very easy to setup, if you can get hold of a Raspberry Pi atm.

 

[Kingfisher]

Anyone experience with Solbian Solarpanels in combination with the Victron controller? Is it any good? And would you suggest to go for 236 watt or would 176 watt be sufficient.

I have exactly that setup, 176 watt, and I find it very good. 176 W has been enough for me in practice. If you plan to somehow charge e-bikes, then you might need more. Also between November and March the solar panels do not fully keep up with my consumption (in the Netherlands), but 236 W probably would be pretty much the same there.

My panel has somehow delaminated a little bit around the white contact traces. I’m monitoring it, it does not seem to get worse and the panel still works.

 

[Peter84]

Where did you have them installed @Kingfisher, I’m also in NL.

 

[Kingfisher]

Where did you have them installed @Kingfisher, I’m also in NL.

In Amersfoort, at VW Campercentrum. Installation has been flawless. They have a lot of experience by now.

Edit: I now remember it being 160 W. I had it installed in 2020, things must have progressed from then. It looks most like this one, all black: https://vwcampershop.nl/camper-exterieur/zonnepanelen/zonnepaneel-met-montage-3/