DharmaInitiativePhoenix
New member
Hello all
I am putting together a 2nd battery / solar setup for my Jeep JKU and wanted to get some feedback on the system and hopefully answer a few questions I still have.
After some input and suggestions from a separate thread in the Jeep section, and a ton of reading I decided to base my system on this excellent write-up from member blackhawkip found here
I like the idea of the charge controller and battery being inside the vehicle to protect the charge controller from heat and dirt and also to make sure the temperature compensation is accurate by placing the battery and the controller in the same environment versus putting the battery in the engine compartment. I may modify the rack that the battery and components will sit in slightly to maximize cargo space.
Here's what I want to run:
ARB 50qt
Assorted LED lighting (rock lights under the vehicle / lighting on all 4 sides of Gobi rack / cube lights on bumper and windshield)
A few USB charging ports to be added throughout the vehicle
Later an inverter to charge laptops etc
Here's the components I bought:
Renogy 100w suitcase solar panel
Odyssey 34-PC1500T battery
Victron MPPT 75w/15a solar charge controller (bluetooth enabled)
Springtail Solutions drivers side rack
Blue Sea fuse block (will be mounting in engine bay and routing all of my accessories through this)
My theory is to run all of my accessories through the 2nd battery (routed through the fuseblock) and leave the starting battery in place in the stock location, possibly wiring a winch directly to it later on.
A few questions I'm hoping to get answered:
Do I need to vent the battery?
Is there any reason to not use a MC4-SAE adapter from the panel and make my own SAE 50ish foot cable to connect to a SAE port to be built into the side of the jeep? This will allow me to park in the shade and place the panel where the sun is.
Any other ideas or suggestions on how to wire this up?
Thanks in advance
I am putting together a 2nd battery / solar setup for my Jeep JKU and wanted to get some feedback on the system and hopefully answer a few questions I still have.
After some input and suggestions from a separate thread in the Jeep section, and a ton of reading I decided to base my system on this excellent write-up from member blackhawkip found here
I like the idea of the charge controller and battery being inside the vehicle to protect the charge controller from heat and dirt and also to make sure the temperature compensation is accurate by placing the battery and the controller in the same environment versus putting the battery in the engine compartment. I may modify the rack that the battery and components will sit in slightly to maximize cargo space.
Here's what I want to run:
ARB 50qt
Assorted LED lighting (rock lights under the vehicle / lighting on all 4 sides of Gobi rack / cube lights on bumper and windshield)
A few USB charging ports to be added throughout the vehicle
Later an inverter to charge laptops etc
Here's the components I bought:
Renogy 100w suitcase solar panel
Odyssey 34-PC1500T battery
Victron MPPT 75w/15a solar charge controller (bluetooth enabled)
Springtail Solutions drivers side rack
Blue Sea fuse block (will be mounting in engine bay and routing all of my accessories through this)
My theory is to run all of my accessories through the 2nd battery (routed through the fuseblock) and leave the starting battery in place in the stock location, possibly wiring a winch directly to it later on.
A few questions I'm hoping to get answered:
Do I need to vent the battery?
Is there any reason to not use a MC4-SAE adapter from the panel and make my own SAE 50ish foot cable to connect to a SAE port to be built into the side of the jeep? This will allow me to park in the shade and place the panel where the sun is.
Any other ideas or suggestions on how to wire this up?
Thanks in advance