Deaky’s Kombi to Camper journey

:thumbsup: Yep. Got it back. All good, a couple of minor trimming things to sort and find a way of fixing the pelmets around the roof opening without using any screws :whistle:
 
Soooooooo. The roof is done. The dashboard is now black to match the door cards. Only slight problem is I’ve knackered my CTEK dc-dc charger. My solar panel is a 250w. It’s output is 37 volts. Despite having checked this or so I thought, the CTEK will only allow a max input of 23v (150w). So back to the drawing board.

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Looking good,

The 23 volt input limt was the issue when i was looking at DC-DC chargers.

I don't understand why they make it that low, as you are limited to such a small solar array.
 
I guess I have 2 choices. Treat the split charge and solar charge as two separate processes or look for a different DC-DC charger with MPPT solar input that will accept a larger array.
 
That's disappointing, I went with the Ctek with idea of a future solar panel :(

Van looks great though :thumbsup:
 
It looks like the CTEK is definitely out. According to my solar panel spec it’s 250w with an open circuit voltage of 37.57v and a maximum power voltage of 31.17v. Looking on @travelvolts site there are 3 Dc-Dc chargers that will accept a solar input

  • Redarc BCDC1240-LV - this states a vehicle input voltage and solar input voltage of 9-32v max.
  • Ablemail AMS 12-12-30 - nominal vehicle and solar supply 8-32v
  • CTEK DUAL 250 - Maximum solar input 23v so this unit is out.
The Redarc has the same input for the battery and solar and uses a changeover relay to default to the solar panel when the ignition is off. Looks like it has quite a small footprint and is a 40 amp unit.

The Ablemail is a 30 amp unit, it has separate connections for the battery and solar panel. Only problem is it’s quite large, I don’t think it will fit under the passenger seat.

I’ve sent a couple of emails to see whether these units can accept my solar panel directly.
 
andys said:
That's disappointing, I went with the Ctek with idea of a future solar panel :(

Van looks great though :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

You’ll be ok with a panel of 130w but anything above that won’t work. :(
 
Deaky said:
You’ll be ok with a panel of 130w but anything above that won’t work. :(
Click to expand...
Ah that would be ok for me then, I don't think I have room for more than a 100W panel anyway, just have to make sure it's under 23v, which I think most that size are. Thanks
 
Deaky said:
Soooooooo. The roof is done. The dashboard is now black to match the door cards. Only slight problem is I’ve knackered my CTEK dc-dc charger. My solar panel is a 250w. It’s output is 37 volts. Despite having checked this or so I thought, the CTEK will only allow a max input of 23v (150w). So back to the drawing board.

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Click to expand...
Looking great @Deaky. Are you happy with the roof and finish?
Glad I only specified the 150w panel as the sparky has kept my Ctek in, having just redone all the electrics.
Will double check that the unit he is supplying only gives 23v.
 
I've heard back from Redarc and my panel is definitely to high a voltage, the same must be true for the Ablemail too as that is the same spec. I've found a Ring DC-DC charger that will accept a PV input of up to 50v so this would be fine, only problem is it's massive and won't fit under my seat. I'm going to replace my CTEK with a new one as all the wiring is in place already for this then connect the solar panel directly to the battery via it's own separate MPPT controller. Hoping I can find one small enough to shoehorn underneath the seat. :geek:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Deaky said:
It looks like the CTEK is definitely out. According to my solar panel spec it’s 250w with an open circuit voltage of 37.57v and a maximum power voltage of 31.17v. Looking on @travelvolts site there are 3 Dc-Dc chargers that will accept a solar input

  • Redarc BCDC1240-LV - this states a vehicle input voltage and solar input voltage of 9-32v max.
  • Ablemail AMS 12-12-30 - nominal vehicle and solar supply 8-32v
  • CTEK DUAL 250 - Maximum solar input 23v so this unit is out.
The Redarc has the same input for the battery and solar and uses a changeover relay to default to the solar panel when the ignition is off. Looks like it has quite a small footprint and is a 40 amp unit.

The Ablemail is a 30 amp unit, it has separate connections for the battery and solar panel. Only problem is it’s quite large, I don’t think it will fit under the passenger seat.

I’ve sent a couple of emails to see whether these units can accept my solar panel directly.
Click to expand...

Could you try the Ring RSCDC30? Here are the basic specs:

Ring RSCDC30 Spec.jpg
 
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