Quote:
Originally Posted by TravThePro
The testing data from this 60W setup is super helpful!
Realistic expectations would suggest that the fridge/freezer I am planning to buy (Dometic CFX3 75DZ) will eat a minimum of 2.5-3x what your 37L ARB fridge currently is. My plan right now is to have a 100W solar panel mounted on the roof with a 200W briefcase-style portable panel to set out in the light when needed.
The Victron 20/30A MPPT charger is in my top 3 for the charge controllers I considered going with. I honestly didn't even think about running a raspberry pi to it for the data, I was just planning to use the Bluetooth that is already built into them with my phone.
The fitment of those panels in that Gobi rack is sooo nice, I might not be able to post pictures of my crap when I finish it now haha. Thanks for sharing here first
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The Raspberry pi will run Victron's Venus OS software, replacing the "need" for their Venus GX, which between that and the touchscreen, is like $500. It's a remote management interface, which while cool, was not at all necessary. The bluetooth from the charge controller gives all the relevant information and control features you'd need. The Venus allows you to manage it over a network, if that's your preferred poison.
This was definitely a novelty project, but I learned a lot, and was honestly surprised just how flippin simple it was to hook up the solar stuff. Like four wires. Pos/neg from panels into the controller, and pos/neg from the controller to the battery. Done. I didn't drill any holes, I just ran the wires from the panels down the rear driver's door weather stripping and passed through at the bottom (to avoid leaks as much as possible).
