Solar Panels

I figured out where to put the solar panels where they would be out of the way.

After I removed the window on the front of the cab-over there was this flat area where I could hang the solar panels. I had an old piano type hinge that was on the door of the single wide trailer I disassembled a dozen years ago. I attached the solar panels to it so I could use it to hang them. At first I screwed a couple hooks into a 2x2 that goes across where the top of the window was. Then I had a better idea. I had some plant hanger parts, like a screw where one end had wood screw threads and the other end had 10/24 threads. That way I could secure the panels to The Guppy.

Front view

Side view

The set-up was working fine for a few days and then it quit charging. At first I thought the controller might be bad, but when I checked for voltage coming from the panels there wasn't any. There was a 4 into 1 connector to connect the 4 panels to the controller. When I disconnected the 4 into 1 connector and tried ohming it, I discovered that I had continuity across both terminals on the end.  So now I need to get a new 4 into 1 connector.

 

This is a picture of the 4 into 1 connectors that we ordered to replace the defective one. These are shorter than the one that came with the solar panels, but they will work as the panels have fairly long wires. Also I made an extension from the old 4 into 1 connector as the problem seems to be where the 4 wires connect to the 1. I wasn't able to open that area, but I've narrowed it down to that's where the problem is.