Should I charge my Bluetti and leave it at 100% or a little less. If I do not plan to use it for a few weeks. Thanks
Also can I hook the (4) 180 watt panels in 2 series and 2 series and then parallel the 2 and 2?
i’ve read it’s better for the lifepo4 battery to be charged around 80% and not topped off.
I am no expert and learning myself, but it seems to be the consensus.
https://understandsolar.com/solar-panels-in-series-vs-parallel/
Thank you. Makes sense. Our Prius Prime is the same way. We try to keep it between 60 an 80 %
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Hello Shawn,
I am hooking up 4, 180 panels to an ac200 and getting about 510 watts on a sunny New England winter day. The series / parallel wiring you mention is what I am using and it helps to negate the shading issues that I have in my location. I think this has worked out best for my particular situation.
Best,
D
Great to hear from you. That is what I will be doing too. Down here in Palm Springs. Always sun here. Good luck. James
Great Shawn,
One thing I want to mention is that with this panel wiring configuration, the amps in the two series strings when paralleled are doubled which ends up being more than the 12 amps that ac200 will accept. The ac200,s limit the pv input amps to 12 amps (actually 11.9 amps on my unit) so there is a bit more amperage coming in than the ac200 is designed for. I noticed that the stock wires on the aviation pv input plug are thin and get a little warm when a lot of current is coming in and frankly, this amperage resistance concerns me so I’m building a new aviation pv input plug using that AWG 10 wire which I hope cools thing down.
Just wanted to mention this so you can keep an eye on the temp of that wire for the stock aviation pv input plug. I would be curious to hear what Scott-Benson’s thoughts are on the extra pv amperage and how it may or may not affect the ac200’s,
Take care,
D
Great idea. Did you use the same plug or buy another one. Where did you buy a new one if you did?
Thanks James
If wired 3 to 4 panels in series, how many amps input? 180 panels.
I am just learning this stuff.
Thanks James
That nutty female plug doesn’t seem to exist anywhere on the web stores but is available with all the thin wires from Bluetti. I’m going to try swapping out the thin wires with 10 AWG wire and see how it does or I might just buy the 25 amp male aviation plug with accompanying female socket and try to refabricate a female plug out of that. If I can do it, I think using the refabricated 25 amp plug might hold up better to the higher amperage of the panel parallel wiring configuration and that will be important when I add another set of 2 180’s to my array. I’ll keep a fire extinguisher handy and I’ll keep you posted Shawn.
Oh… and here is the link for that male 25amp aviation plug that I might try to reconfigure into a female plug.
WEIPU SA20 Series of Metal Waterproof Connector 2 pin Plugs and sockets, IP67 2pin Waterproof Male and Female connectors (SA20 (20mm), 2 pin)
by YPSHOP
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q992WDZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_8ZZ2FDHAGF7MC7VB36K3
Looks like the wire to the aviation plug is 10 Guage but the wire attached to the yellow plug is 16 to 18. So it’s just a matter of wiring a yellow female plug to the 10 guage wire that plug to solar panel wire which are 10
Yes that is what also see.
Yet another thing Shawn. If you are using this setup for emergency home power back up, it might be good to add mc4 fuse connectors to all the red wires and place them between the panels and the junction combiner cables. I did this and it isn’t expensive.
There is also information out there recommending that you should ground the panel frames to a dedicated ground wire at the location of the panel arrays. This is in case of a lightning strike. That’ one is on my list.
I found the 2 prong plug on bluetti site. Cut yellow of the f and wire to solar panels with 10 guage wire. It eliminates the 16 Guage wiring.
Simple. Thank you
Ouch the wire connection to the aviation is 16 awg. Not 10. The wire between yellow connectors XT60 is about 22-24… It appears I can rewire the weipu SA 2O with 10 awg. It appears to come apart.
Good night
How many amps on the mc4 fuse connectors.
Thanks
Shawn,
It sounds like you have BourgeRV 180 watt panels like I have.
- Max. power voltage(Vmp): 18±5%
- Max. power current(Imp): 10±5%
- Open circuit voltage(Voc): 21.6±5%
- Short circuit current(Isc): 10.5A
- Series fuse rating: 15A
- Max. system voltage: 1000V DC
- J-Box IP Rating: IP65
If you don’t have shade like I do, it would be best to wire all your panels in series and you could use a maximum of 6 180 panels wired in series for your ac200 set up.
You don’t need heavy gauge 10AWG wires if connecting panels in series.
the series connection would look like this…
plus mc4 connectors attached to minus mc4 connectors from panel to panel and then at the ends, connect the remaining plus and minus mc4 connectors into the stock ac200 mc4 pv connector which goes into your ac200.
The individual panel voltages are added as you connect panels in series.
So 4 panels each having an open circuit voltage of 21.6 volts when connected in series, would end up having a combined total voltage of 86.4 volts which is safely within the 35 to 150 volts required to charge the ac200.
The amps of each panel which is 10.5 amps, when connected in series, remains a constant 10.5 amps and does not compound or exceed the 12 amp limit which the ac200 has.
Because the amps are low, you can use thinner gauge wire like 14 gauge. High voltage doesn’t require a thick gauge wire.
If you start to wire panels in a series/parallel configuration the the volts stay the same for each individually wired series string of panels but the amps for each series string are added.
Parallel wiring necessitates the use of higher gauge wire to handle the increased amperage. That’s why I’m using 10 AWG wire for my series/parallel wired array.
Shawn, It sounds like you are in a very sunny place and shade isn’t an issue for you so you would be better off wiring your panels in series.
I am challenged with shade so series/ parallel wiring and strategic sunny spot placement of the strings allows each string to work independently of the other strings so I’m getting at least all the wattage of at least some of the panels that are not shaded. This is different than series wired panels that all act as a single panel so all panels wired in series would be detrimentally affected by shading on just a single panel.
I am new to this as well but enjoying the learning process.
D
I am enjoying it also. Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. Part of the learning process. I have 8 180 panels so I will do 6 in series. Great information.
Best James
For the fuses, I got 30 amp fuses only because I know I will have very close to 30 amps coming in when I add an addition 2 panel string to my 2 existing 2 panel strings. Total will be 6 panels at close to 30 amps.
8 panels may be too much for 1 ac200 Shawn.
Realistically these panels deliver only about 2/3 of their stated wattage or at least that is what I’ve seen and is what I’ve read.
Your 8 panels in reality and in optimal sun would deliver about 950 watts and 172.8 volts but the Ac200 will limit the solar input to only 700 watts and to 150 volts. You may have more solar potential than actual storage capabilities.
On a very very cloudy day, you might make out better and get close to the 700 watt limit but on even a partially sunny day, 250 of your watts will be rejected by the ac200. I have a similar situation. You could use the extra two panels to charge smaller less costly batteries. I have 2 smaller jackery batteries which I chargeI with 2 bluetti Sp120 panels and 1 jackery 100 watt solar saga panel. I use the jackery batteries to power smaller devices like our electric blanket and 15 alexa devices and I use the ac200 to power everything in our living /tv room. I try to power via solar, as many things in my house that I can every day. This is more of an education and an exercise than a necessity in prep for someday moving away from Boston to a remote lake or sea side mostly solar powered, home.
That’s about all I have Shawn. Best to you and thanks for the inspiring conversation.
Dale
I am using 5 Bourgerv 180 panels in series and are working fine. Thanks for your knowledge and help Dale.
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