FWC Zamp Portable Solar Panel...Can It Be Used As A Stand Alone?

[Wallowa]

Can the Zamp 80w portable solar panel sold by FWC be used as a stand alone to directly charge electronic device batteries? If yes, specifically what connectors, inverters and wiring is needed?

Thanks...Phil

 

[longhorn1]

Can the Zamp 80w portable solar panel sold by FWC be used as a stand alone to directly charge electronic device batteries? If yes, specifically what connectors, inverters and wiring is needed?

Thanks...Phil

Phil we have a 2014 Grandby with 100W Zamp Solar on the roof. We have a rear plug and 2 batteries. We purchased an 80W Zamp portable from Zamp and had discussion with both FWC and Zamp. The rear plug and roof top panel are wired to the Zamp solar controller, so the portable panel needed to be without the controller on the backside of the panel. We store our camper outside and covered so the rooftop panel can't be used. We plug the portable in for 4-5 hours every 5-6 weeks. We take the portable panel when won't be hooked to shore power.

Summary, get the portable panel without controller.

JD

 

[Wallowa]

Phil we have a 2014 Grandby with 100W Zamp Solar on the roof. We have a rear plug and 2 batteries. We purchased an 80W Zamp portable from Zamp and had discussion with both FWC and Zamp. The rear plug and roof top panel are wired to the Zamp solar controller, so the portable panel needed to be without the controller on the backside of the panel. We store our camper outside and covered so the rooftop panel can't be used. We plug the portable in for 4-5 hours every 5-6 weeks. We take the portable panel when won't be hooked to shore power.

Summary, get the portable panel without controller.

JD

JD thanks...but that was not in question for me...we bought the '16 Hawk with 160 w roof and 80w portable [two batteries] and understand the interface...my question was, even if poorly stated by me, can I use the 80 w as a stand-alone unit [not plugged into the Hawk] as a charging source for phones, Inreach, GPS, Ham radio...etc...while on the road..

I assume I will need an inverter to convert the 80w panel DC to AC as a charging source..

Need to know if this is feasible and what connectors/devices do I need to accomplish this.

Thanks...Phil

 

[longhorn1]

JD thanks...but that was not in question for me...we bought the '16 Hawk with 160 w roof and 80w portable [two batteries] and understand the interface...my question was, even if poorly stated by me, was can I use the 80 w as a stand-alone unit [not plugged into the Hawk] as a charging source for phones, Inreach, GPS, Ham radio...etc...while on the road..

I assume I will need an inverter to convert the 80w panel DC to AC as a charging source..

Need to know if this is feasible and what connectors/devices do I need to accomplish this.

Thanks...Phil

That is a question I can't answer. Trying to put my hands on the use of the panel for the purpose you want and I can't. Way over my brain capacity. [emoji41]

 

[takesiteasy]

The easiest approach would be to use the 80w solar panel to charge a small battery (would need a charge controller for the panel) and use a standard 12v cigarette lighter type outlet wired to the battery to plug in 12v chargers for the phone and other devices. Each device may need a unique 12v charger depending on the device. You could hook up a small 120v AC inverter to the battery if you wanted to use AC to charge devices. There is some loss of power doing the conversion. There are a variety of battery boxes on the market which package all this up neatly in a battery box that you can hook up to the solar panel controller. Here's an example without the AC: Powerwerx PWRbox Portable Power Box for 12-15Ah SLA or AGM Batteries

Having said that, you could use the camper batteries to do the same thing, assuming your camper has some 12v outlets wired to the camper batteries or an AC inverter.

 

[Wallowa]

The easiest approach would be to use the 80w solar panel to charge a small battery (would need a charge controller for the panel) and use a standard 12v cigarette lighter type outlet wired to the battery to plug in 12v chargers for the phone and other devices. Each device may need a unique 12v charger depending on the device. You could hook up a small 120v AC inverter to the battery if you wanted to use AC to charge devices. There is some loss of power doing the conversion. There are a variety of battery boxes on the market which package all this up neatly in a battery box that you can hook up to the solar panel controller. Here's an example without the AC: Powerwerx PWRbox Portable Power Box for 12-15Ah SLA or AGM Batteries

Having said that, you could use the camper batteries to do the same thing, assuming your camper has some 12v outlets wired to the camper batteries or an AC inverter.

TakeItEasy...

Thanks.....yes, I could and have used a 300w converter plugged into the Hawk outlets to grind coffee, but wanted a separate stand-alone from the Hawk and your lead to the Powerwerx box looks like just the ticket...will investigate..

Thanks Phil

 

[rando]

The simple answer is no. Without a battery in the system, the voltage of the panel is not fixed and will drift up to the open circuit voltage (18 - 22V) when under low load, which may be too high for your charging (12v -> 5v) adapters.

As others have suggested, you could add a battery, or get a 12v - 5v adapter that you know is rated for the open circuit voltage, like this:
https://www.amazon.com/HOMREE-Converter-Voltage-Regulator-Standard/dp/B01MEF293V/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549056919&sr=8-3&keywords=12v+to+5v+usb+converter

 

[esimmers]

Just to be clear, even with a battery in the circuit you need a charge controller between an 80 watt panel and the battery.

Quoting Northern Arizona Wind & Sun at <https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/batteries-and-charging/solar-charge-controller-basics.html>:

What is a Solar Charge Controller?
A charge controller or charge regulator is basically a voltage and/or current regulator to keep batteries from overcharging. It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery. Most "12 volt" panels put out about 16 to 20 volts, so if there is no regulation the batteries will be damaged from overcharging. Most batteries need around 14 to 14.5 volts to get fully charged.

Do I always need a charge controller?
Not always, but usually. Generally, there is no need for a charge controller with the small maintenance, or trickle charge panels, such as the 1 to 5-watt panels. A rough rule is that if the panel puts out about 2 watts or less for each 50 battery amp-hours, then you don't need one.

For example, a standard flooded golf car battery is around 210 amp-hours. So to keep up a series pair of them (12 volts) just for maintenance or storage, you would want a panel that is around 4.2 watts. The popular 5-watt panels are close enough, and will not need a controller. If you are maintaining AGM deep cycle batteries, such as the Concorde Sun Xtender then you can use a smaller 2 to 2-watt panel.

 

[Wallowa]

You folks are great...will delve into the best battery/inverter/converter/adapter combo for my use....I did not know about the voltage drift but figured I would need a separate battery and the "12v-5v" adapter..

Thanks to all...Phil

 

[rando]

If you use a wide range voltage adapter, and are only using it for charging, then you don't need a battery.

 

[PaulT]

Phil,

You might check out the West Mountain Epic PwrGate with solar input as your solar controller and a separate battery. The PwrGate keeps the separate battery charged from one of two sources. It powers the load output from the two inputs if available and switches to supply power from the separate battery if needed. This battery can be AGM, gel, or LiFePo4. Mounting the unit on or in a battery box could create a versatile power supply useful outside or inside the camper or truck.
You could use the system to power device 12v chargers directly, or a 12v to USB supply charger or to power a small AC charger with an inverter.

West Mountain Radio Epic PWRgate 12V Backup Power System

Paul