Once again, amazing end product. Very Impressed. I think the solid design of the upper level will give the lower level great protection with the logic in the actuators. Be aggressive with safety configurations and retract when it is a concern. GREAT DESIGN!
Yet another wonderful update! We are so glad you both are a few steps ahead of us on your build because we are so following in your footsteps; maybe not in the exact design or plan of what you are doing, but certainly in the way you're systematically researching your ideas and then modeling them out. Concept validation = Check! Have fun enjoying the process of batching up all the parts! All too soon you'll be out showing off the finished bus and people will gloss over the work it took to make the brackets for the sliding solar panels because they'll only see the function of the whole system. The enjoying each bit now piece is our own current lesson so sharing makes it stick a bit better.
Thank you Ronin and Marie - YES exactly - soon this will just be another thing (with any luck). It even happens to us - when we started building our battery we didn't know anybody who had done it and we were not even sure we could make it work. But we researched and researched and researched until we finally had a good plan. Once we started executing on our plan one time Michelle turned to me and literally said: "I don't know why we were so worried this is really easy" - I almost fell over. Thank you for following along and for your positive and inspiring attitude - it's been really fun to see another couple tackling a big project like this.
I've thought about doing something like this for the last year & was happy to see someone trying it out. It's also great to learn from the comments with the different perspectives (more eyes on the project). Thanks for being my "guinea pig" & subscribed! Sláinte
Thanks Road Dog - we'll keep everyone updated as we figure things out. We are not experts and we learn from the comments on just about every video - we have some pretty smart folks commenting.
Props to you guys.. This thing is literally a mobile house! I would LOVE to see the bus in person. AWESOME job with everything you have done so far.. it all looks very neat and professional
Can’t wait for the bus to get back. So we can keep going with this plan. It sounds amazing. To complicated for my taste but you’ve really thought it out and I’m sure you’re gonna make it work. Although the aerodynamics of it should not be underestimated and spoilers should be substantial. Good luck. Love your channel
Thank you Mitch - we are excited to get the bus back but we called the painter and he said these monsoon storms are really delaying everything for him. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement.
Awesome job well-thought-out I love how smooth that slides out. Appreciate you guys doing a video on this and I work in the design that you did once again awesome work
Looking pretty good so far! And yeah, that cable track (ty google for the name of the thing lol) would be a good idea, wiring wouldn't be stressed like it would with just a floating loom flopping about however while traveling down the road. And something I thought about to add to the automation: Retract if key is turned on or parking brake isn't set. Because way too early morning still half unconscious departures happen.
Juan, powder coating brackets would be easy to do. Check it out. You only need an old table top over to cook them for an hour and a cheap power coating setup. Sandblast, spray on coating and bake.
Interesting - I hadn't really even considered that. I always watch Glenn powder coat his stuff and he has some fancy ovens but the parts come out BEAUTIFUL.
No I think the tilt mechanism would have been too flimsy. The wind is incredibly strong and I don't believe I have the skills necessary to build it robust enough. That being said, our system has worked extremely well for us. Even bookdocking for weeks at a time we didn't worry about power. We have also stayed long-term in RV parks that meter the power, and it helped reduce the cost there. Overall we are very pleased with how it has worked out
It seems like it's going to be plenty strong. I think your only risk is that you may get an irritating rattle or whistle. You could make an aluminum wind foil around the front to mimmic your shiny front bumper. Maybe put some marker lights on it to tie it in more with the bus body lines.
Thank you Kevin - we want to put some kind of windbreak (fairing?) on the front to make it cut through the wind easier (and keep the noise down). I like the marker lights idea!
The way we help with dissimilar metal issues or oxidation issues in general is either using galvanized metal or cold galvanizing compound. This is used a lot for Tower and out door antenna work to negate some of the oxidation issues. Using galvanized vs something else we usually use galvanized. Dissimilar metal grease which is primarily for use on grounds or other dissimilar metal contacts is usually how we deal with conductive surfaces. Still wondering how this worked out on wind load especially while driving. Wire management on moving parts could be done with cat track.
Thank Travis - it has done extremely well with the wind. We had some pretty major gusts that made our 10ft x 10ft shade go flying into the bus - but the panels remain steady. While driving there is no noise or odd behavior (we drive the bus twice a week - to and from the lot where we park it)
Well I have a small Class B RV and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get more panels thanks for the idea I think I'm going to try this or at least investigate it.
Hi Nomadic Pioneer - I love the idea of stacking and we thought this was a pretty clever way to get more solar while minimizing the footprint. One video that was really inspiring for us is one by the "Everlanders" - he has a couple of them on how he put his system together. They are well worth watching as he has done a fantastic job with his setup: ruclips.net/video/cM5s4F-7AOk/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/3nKCH-whO2A/видео.html
Be careful with the total voltage produced in series. Many charge controllers don't like over 150V. Also don't forget to take the early morning cold weather maximum. It can be an additional 25% more voltage. Looking great BTW.
Very slick...nice job! I wonder if it might be simpler (for installation) in the long run to fabricate a bunch of little brackets/clips to hold the upper panels down from the top rather than through bolting them from the bottom?
Well this got even more interesting when you said you were going to automate the sliding panels, I can't wait to see how you do that. I assume you were talking about some type of cable track for the wires to lay in for the bottom panel. What type of controller are you going to use, a PLC or something like an Arduino or Raspberry Pi? I would recommend a PLC for long term reliability. You can get some pretty inexpensive ones at Automation Direct.
Thank you Dirt Road Sailing - We are still figuring everything out - very likely it will be a Rasberry Pi We will look at Automation Direct. Thank you for the suggestion.
I think flat is good. The actuators should hold the panel in place, key word as always is “should”. I like the CNC wire snake idea, the gap may not be large enough though. I LIKE the design. Will there be room between the roof and the lower panel for the actuator
Thank you Glenn - the actuator is coming this week (should be here in a few days) - it is rated to push/pull 200lbs which should be plenty for this application (like you said "should") - We will test, test, test. First I have to see if i have the chops to reproduce this exact design 3 more times :)
I don't know what your actuator looks like but I looked at them a while back when giving preliminary thought to a lifting mechanism for a standing desk. One thing that occurred to me is that the electric legs used on fifth wheels are just another form of an incredibly strong actuator and reasonably priced from that perspective. I doubt you could make them work in this application but I thought I would at least put the idea out there. If the extended panels were attached to something as beefy as a landinging gear leg you would have no worries as to sag or wind lift. The actuators I looked at were strong with their lift rating but did not look solid for lateral forces. You can get a Lippert landing leg for about 100.00 and then pick up the motor and gear mechanism at a reduced price for off brand on ebay. I think you would still end up with about 250.00 to 300.00 in putting one together. This would also be weather resistant but you would need to protect the electric motor. The only draw back is I don't know if you can get the extenstion you need.
For some reason, episode 5 of your solar mounting arrangement came into my YT recommended feed a few days ago and caused me not only to subscribe but also to binge watch - well when I could in amongst all else that I do - and I am now almost up to date with it all ( just two more to watch). I have thoroughly enjoyed following your journey and will continue to do so for sure. I love your approach to all the challenges you have faced. I love the way you involve the family and when I say you and your I mean the royal we ( you and the wife). It is channels like yours which has resulted in me watching very little TV and watching You Tube almost exclusively. I watch far too many ‘maker’ type channels. Now then this very clever solar panel arrangement you have come up with - as an expert armchair wise ass with a Masters degree in hindsight - can I ask? Did you consider putting both layers on sliders? This could have, say, the lower layer moving out to the left half their width with the upper layer moving out to the right the equivalent distance. The advantages being shorter slides and actuators and the structure being a bit stiffer as a consequence. Or have I missed something?
Thank you Norman - we are the same way. There is so much more interesting stuff happening on RUclips we rarely watch TV anymore. That was one of the reasons we started this channel - we learned so much from others that we felt really compelled to give back. As for the armchair question: We did consider sliding them both ways as well as doing a 3 layer approach where they would slide out either side. However - the panels are so large and heavy that we did not feel comfortable supporting them solely by the extreme ends. If you notice our bottom sliding layer supports the panels from underneath - so that the panels are more like on a sliding "bed" configuration as opposed to putting pressure on the panels themselves. If we would have used smaller panels I think a configuration like that would have been awesome (maybe a good candidate for my next design) - we just didn't feel the panels would be strong enough to be used as the actual slider. And yes ... the smaller the motion the cheaper EVERYTHING gets, sliders, actuators, panels. For now we are pretty satisfied with the result - time will tell how it holds up :)
Thank you Joe. We are worried about weight changing the CG of the bus. We have kept track of all the components and what they weigh including hardware. We are weighing them on a scale outside as we finish each piece - at last tally we were somewhere south of 800 lbs for all the racks and the solar panels - pretty cool since the panels themselves are about 450 lbs of that alone. We will have some of those numbers after we finish everything.
Very interesting about the lexan - have you used it? does it affect the performance of the panels? I have seen where a big hail storm will come through and it does destroy people's panels - Thank you for the heads up - I will have to research this a little further.
Great design, just wondering what type of work do you do now and do you plan to continue working when you go full time. Sorry if you have answered this question previously, I just found your channel a few days ago and had to do some binge watching to catch up.
Hi Randy - thank you. For work, I am a software engineer. I plan to continue working as I go full time (from the road). All I really need is an Internet connection for work. I have been working remotely for the last 10 years or so - so I think the transition will not be too difficult. Thanks for following along
I realise you're a way away from cabling, but you should think about using multiple MPPT controllers. You mentioned just one in the video and a combiner box. You can have multiple MPPT charging the same battery. Ideally you want a separate MPPT controller for each series of identical panels. And identical means the same panel, voltage, angle, and amount of sun reaching the panels. So at the very least you should have the slide out panels on a separate controller. Ideally 4 controllers, for each 2 series. Otherwise you won't get the benefits of MPPT when half are hidden. It also means smaller cables and current, but more cables going into the van. Cheaper MPPT controllers too because they are smaller, although maybe a higher overall cost. But more efficient. So pros and cons.
Hi, yes - Ideally, we would have one solar charge controller per panel but that gets very expensive (especially if we use MPPT controllers the smallest solar charge controller that can handle 48V is the MPPT 150/35 ~ $330). In theory, having the top and bottom isolated from each other through parallel circuits "should" allow the top panels alone to work as if the bottom panels didn't even exist. Having the top and bottom sets of panels on different solar charge controllers basically doubles the cost (the smallest 250V Charge controller Victron makes is 60A - we have a Single 250/85 for the entire array currently ~$630 vs ~830). We will know more once we get the solar array up and do some testing done. If pulling our panels in completely kills our output I guess we will just buy another controller ... We will post our results once our bus gets back from painting and we can mount our rack and configure this piece of the system. Thank you for commenting. Our system is not ideal but we are hoping it will work well.
Makes sense, I didn't realise you're going to have a 48v battery to charge. Also watch out for the max current on MC4 connectors of 20Amps. My 300W panels gets close as soon as you put anything in parallel with 9Amps per panel. Sometimes it's better to run multiple cables into the charge controller and combine them there. I ended up with 3 in series because it's really the only option for 3. Keep up the good work! I also considered tilting then decided nah, too complicated. And considered slide outs too, then thought 900W should be enough. (Note I'm not an expert, just throwing ideas out for discussion)
Thank you - I appreciate your input and I enjoy watching your videos. We should be safe on the MC4 connectors as they will only really be used to join two panels in series (max of like 6.5 Amps). I am no expert either so I appreciate another set of eyes on the stuff I do.
if you do it right the wind well not flip them up . my solar panels are only mounted on 1 side to only wash under them . 11 panels in all in FL weather with 30K miles all over the USA
Both ... the Raspberry pi runs home assistant which provides state plus the UI and the ESP32 boards (arduinos) control the actual light and switch. A lot of the actual "logic" will be handled with another piece of software called "Node-Red"
It would also be a fair amount more expensive for the extruded aluminum compared to the cost of the already not cheap steel. From our limited bit of materials research here locally we've had to rule out structural aluminum just based on cost for us. I'm assuming this is also a factor for Juan and Michelle.
Thanks Lorenzo - to get the strength we needed we would have needed to go to 1/4" aluminum or greater. Just the aluminum angle on the sliders (1/8") cost more than all the steel we bought for the rest of the racks (by about double). Aluminum is far more expensive and we don't have a good reliable way to weld aluminum (I barely learned to weld steel a few months ago). We are going to pad the contacting areas with rubber mat so we should not run into the dissimilar metal corrosion.
I love it! I really like your ingenuity, and how you've considered tackling the cable management issue. Have you considered using a "Standard Garage Door Brush Seal" (I don't know what they are actually called)? I found the following that I think might be able to prevent some of your wind concerns ( www.northshorecommercialdoor.com/gadobrse.html ): Available in four (4) different brush sizes: 1” Brush (B0768-00-W) 1-1/2” Brush (B0769-00-W) 2” Brush (B0771-00-W) 3” Brush (B0772-00-W) Having a short one on the upper panel along the pull-out side might also help to sweep off any road dust from the surface of the lower panel as the lower panel moves out from underneath it.
I don't think they have the ability or equipment to weld aluminum. It's getting more affordable. Fronious just put out a machine that can stick weld, TIG weld, and MIG weld. The MIG function does not require a spool gun, which makes the machine more affordable and easier to operate.
Be sure to smooth all the edges of the brackets, remove the corner point also or the paint will not cover. Paint will not cover the sharp edges and you have rust in a matter of weeks.
Thanks for sharing. You mentioned having a small gap between the top and bottom panels while traveling to keep down air flow between the panels so as no to tear off the top panels. I am not an engineer, but if I remember correctly the air flowing over the top is what causes a type a vacuum that causes lift. It may not be necessary but here is a thought. If you tilt the top panels a little higher in the back which would cause downforce as air passed over them while driving it might not be as damaging. Like I said I am not an engineer so this may be all wet, but something you might check out. Thank again for sharing.
Thank you John - Interesting thought. We do plan on putting some kind of fairing or windbreak in the front to deflect the air over the surface of the panels - the small gap was more for a crosswind or side wind to prevent the panels from acting too much like a sail.
Sandblasting the welded parts first will allow the etching primer to bond with the bare metal. Getting the mill scale off of the welded parts is paramount.
Hi John - I am not 100% sure what you are looking for here so I will have to assume you are asking for the goal of creating this solar rack. The goal of this rack system is to get twice the amount of solar power from the same footprint. To have the ability to retract the bottom solar panels so we have less exposed area as we travel down the road. We are planning on living fulltime in this bus with a family of 6 and we don't want to depend on finding campsites to have power.
Instead of all that welding, why don't you just get a sheet of metal plate and use your plasma cutter to make the brackets? That would save you a lot of work.
Once again, amazing end product. Very Impressed. I think the solid design of the upper level will give the lower level great protection with the logic in the actuators. Be aggressive with safety configurations and retract when it is a concern. GREAT DESIGN!
Thank you Dennis - We are pretty happy with the way it turned out - now to see if we can recreate this 3X more times!
Yet another wonderful update! We are so glad you both are a few steps ahead of us on your build because we are so following in your footsteps; maybe not in the exact design or plan of what you are doing, but certainly in the way you're systematically researching your ideas and then modeling them out.
Concept validation = Check!
Have fun enjoying the process of batching up all the parts! All too soon you'll be out showing off the finished bus and people will gloss over the work it took to make the brackets for the sliding solar panels because they'll only see the function of the whole system. The enjoying each bit now piece is our own current lesson so sharing makes it stick a bit better.
Thank you Ronin and Marie - YES exactly - soon this will just be another thing (with any luck). It even happens to us - when we started building our battery we didn't know anybody who had done it and we were not even sure we could make it work. But we researched and researched and researched until we finally had a good plan. Once we started executing on our plan one time Michelle turned to me and literally said: "I don't know why we were so worried this is really easy" - I almost fell over. Thank you for following along and for your positive and inspiring attitude - it's been really fun to see another couple tackling a big project like this.
I've thought about doing something like this for the last year & was happy to see someone trying it out. It's also great to learn from the comments with the different perspectives (more eyes on the project). Thanks for being my "guinea pig" & subscribed! Sláinte
Thanks Road Dog - we'll keep everyone updated as we figure things out. We are not experts and we learn from the comments on just about every video - we have some pretty smart folks commenting.
Road Dog i
Props to you guys.. This thing is literally a mobile house! I would LOVE to see the bus in person. AWESOME job with everything you have done so far.. it all looks very neat and professional
Thank you Todd - we can't wait to start work on the inside.
Wow! Can’t wait to see this setup in action! 😃👍🏻
Me too - hopefully it works!
This is the first video of yours that I have seen, you definitely have a new subscriber! Awesome stuff!
Thank you Mike - welcome aboard!
Tilting them gives up to 20% more energy from experiments I have seen, almost as if adding a extra panel. Certainly worth the effort on the long run.
Can’t wait for the bus to get back. So we can keep going with this plan. It sounds amazing. To complicated for my taste but you’ve really thought it out and I’m sure you’re gonna make it work. Although the aerodynamics of it should not be underestimated and spoilers should be substantial. Good luck. Love your channel
Thank you Mitch - we are excited to get the bus back but we called the painter and he said these monsoon storms are really delaying everything for him. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement.
Looking good. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Average Joe - it has been a neat project so far.
This is looking really good!
Thank you Gregory!
Pretty slick design sir.
Thank you sir - keeping my fingers crossed that we can actually make 3 more exactly like this :)
Awesome job well-thought-out I love how smooth that slides out. Appreciate you guys doing a video on this and I work in the design that you did once again awesome work
Thank you Dave!
Looking pretty good so far! And yeah, that cable track (ty google for the name of the thing lol) would be a good idea, wiring wouldn't be stressed like it would with just a floating loom flopping about however while traveling down the road.
And something I thought about to add to the automation: Retract if key is turned on or parking brake isn't set. Because way too early morning still half unconscious departures happen.
Awesome idea - that would be a great automation!
Lookin good, I like your design.
Thank you Peter
Your welcomed thanks for your videos.
Juan, powder coating brackets would be easy to do. Check it out. You only need an old table top over to cook them for an hour and a cheap power coating setup. Sandblast, spray on coating and bake.
Interesting - I hadn't really even considered that. I always watch Glenn powder coat his stuff and he has some fancy ovens but the parts come out BEAUTIFUL.
Do you regret not putting in a tilt system? Now that youve had the experience of how it operates.
Thank you.
No I think the tilt mechanism would have been too flimsy. The wind is incredibly strong and I don't believe I have the skills necessary to build it robust enough. That being said, our system has worked extremely well for us. Even bookdocking for weeks at a time we didn't worry about power. We have also stayed long-term in RV parks that meter the power, and it helped reduce the cost there. Overall we are very pleased with how it has worked out
It seems like it's going to be plenty strong. I think your only risk is that you may get an irritating rattle or whistle. You could make an aluminum wind foil around the front to mimmic your shiny front bumper. Maybe put some marker lights on it to tie it in more with the bus body lines.
Thank you Kevin - we want to put some kind of windbreak (fairing?) on the front to make it cut through the wind easier (and keep the noise down). I like the marker lights idea!
The way we help with dissimilar metal issues or oxidation issues in general is either using galvanized metal or cold galvanizing compound. This is used a lot for Tower and out door antenna work to negate some of the oxidation issues. Using galvanized vs something else we usually use galvanized. Dissimilar metal grease which is primarily for use on grounds or other dissimilar metal contacts is usually how we deal with conductive surfaces. Still wondering how this worked out on wind load especially while driving. Wire management on moving parts could be done with cat track.
Thank Travis - it has done extremely well with the wind. We had some pretty major gusts that made our 10ft x 10ft shade go flying into the bus - but the panels remain steady. While driving there is no noise or odd behavior (we drive the bus twice a week - to and from the lot where we park it)
Well I have a small Class B RV and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get more panels thanks for the idea I think I'm going to try this or at least investigate it.
Hi Nomadic Pioneer - I love the idea of stacking and we thought this was a pretty clever way to get more solar while minimizing the footprint. One video that was really inspiring for us is one by the "Everlanders" - he has a couple of them on how he put his system together. They are well worth watching as he has done a fantastic job with his setup: ruclips.net/video/cM5s4F-7AOk/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/3nKCH-whO2A/видео.html
Great Video.. engineered perfectly..
Thank you Jimmy - it is coming along.
Be careful with the total voltage produced in series. Many charge controllers don't like over 150V. Also don't forget to take the early morning cold weather maximum. It can be an additional 25% more voltage. Looking great BTW.
I see in the picture on your blog posts that you probably have the 250V/100A Victron charger. Wow that unit is expensive!
Thanks Shawn. Yes these panels are rated with an open voltage of about 86V so the 150V was not enough.
You control voltage by string count 4 x 2 should be no issue
I like how you made that, do you still do that today?
Yes we still use the rack and it works great!
@@BeginningfromthisMorning that's great
Very slick...nice job! I wonder if it might be simpler (for installation) in the long run to fabricate a bunch of little brackets/clips to hold the upper panels down from the top rather than through bolting them from the bottom?
Thanks dprider - I was thinking the same thing - we will play with it and see what we come up with.
Well this got even more interesting when you said you were going to automate the sliding panels, I can't wait to see how you do that. I assume you were talking about some type of cable track for the wires to lay in for the bottom panel. What type of controller are you going to use, a PLC or something like an Arduino or Raspberry Pi? I would recommend a PLC for long term reliability. You can get some pretty inexpensive ones at Automation Direct.
Thank you Dirt Road Sailing - We are still figuring everything out - very likely it will be a Rasberry Pi We will look at Automation Direct. Thank you for the suggestion.
Brilliant! (again)
Thank you Rex - I love that word!
Looks great! You could probably make a business out of just making those!!
LOL Thank you R - Michelle said "we just want to go on our trip!"
I think flat is good. The actuators should hold the panel in place, key word as always is “should”. I like the CNC wire snake idea, the gap may not be large enough though. I LIKE the design. Will there be room between the roof and the lower panel for the actuator
6 inches is a lot of space to make some actuators work (from what we are just now finding out).
Thank you Glenn - the actuator is coming this week (should be here in a few days) - it is rated to push/pull 200lbs which should be plenty for this application (like you said "should") - We will test, test, test. First I have to see if i have the chops to reproduce this exact design 3 more times :)
I like it.
Thank you!
Love this! Have you considered filing for some patents?
Thanks Greg - We are pretty happy with the design - It is somewhat clever but I don't believe it is patent worthy :)
I don't know what your actuator looks like but I looked at them a while back when giving preliminary thought to a lifting mechanism for a standing desk. One thing that occurred to me is that the electric legs used on fifth wheels are just another form of an incredibly strong actuator and reasonably priced from that perspective. I doubt you could make them work in this application but I thought I would at least put the idea out there. If the extended panels were attached to something as beefy as a landinging gear leg you would have no worries as to sag or wind lift. The actuators I looked at were strong with their lift rating but did not look solid for lateral forces. You can get a Lippert landing leg for about 100.00 and then pick up the motor and gear mechanism at a reduced price for off brand on ebay. I think you would still end up with about 250.00 to 300.00 in putting one together. This would also be weather resistant but you would need to protect the electric motor. The only draw back is I don't know if you can get the extenstion you need.
This sounds like a great idea - I am going to look into that! Thanks!
For some reason, episode 5 of your solar mounting arrangement came into my YT recommended feed a few days ago and caused me not only to subscribe but also to binge watch - well when I could in amongst all else that I do - and I am now almost up to date with it all ( just two more to watch).
I have thoroughly enjoyed following your journey and will continue to do so for sure. I love your approach to all the challenges you have faced. I love the way you involve the family and when I say you and your I mean the royal we ( you and the wife).
It is channels like yours which has resulted in me watching very little TV and watching You Tube almost exclusively. I watch far too many ‘maker’ type channels.
Now then this very clever solar panel arrangement you have come up with - as an expert armchair wise ass with a Masters degree in hindsight - can I ask? Did you consider putting both layers on sliders? This could have, say, the lower layer moving out to the left half their width with the upper layer moving out to the right the equivalent distance. The advantages being shorter slides and actuators and the structure being a bit stiffer as a consequence. Or have I missed something?
Thank you Norman - we are the same way. There is so much more interesting stuff happening on RUclips we rarely watch TV anymore. That was one of the reasons we started this channel - we learned so much from others that we felt really compelled to give back.
As for the armchair question: We did consider sliding them both ways as well as doing a 3 layer approach where they would slide out either side. However - the panels are so large and heavy that we did not feel comfortable supporting them solely by the extreme ends. If you notice our bottom sliding layer supports the panels from underneath - so that the panels are more like on a sliding "bed" configuration as opposed to putting pressure on the panels themselves. If we would have used smaller panels I think a configuration like that would have been awesome (maybe a good candidate for my next design) - we just didn't feel the panels would be strong enough to be used as the actual slider. And yes ... the smaller the motion the cheaper EVERYTHING gets, sliders, actuators, panels. For now we are pretty satisfied with the result - time will tell how it holds up :)
the trays you spoke of are cable/wire trays or ladders you need the flexible ones.
Thank you Roy - I will look more into that
That’s a cool plan. Weight would be my issue on my class a. Bus would probably be ok
Thank you Joe. We are worried about weight changing the CG of the bus. We have kept track of all the components and what they weigh including hardware. We are weighing them on a scale outside as we finish each piece - at last tally we were somewhere south of 800 lbs for all the racks and the solar panels - pretty cool since the panels themselves are about 450 lbs of that alone. We will have some of those numbers after we finish everything.
What do you plan to do if there is a Hail Strom ? WHICH will destroy your panels ! We used 1/4 sheets of Lexan over our panels to protect them....
Very interesting about the lexan - have you used it? does it affect the performance of the panels? I have seen where a big hail storm will come through and it does destroy people's panels - Thank you for the heads up - I will have to research this a little further.
Great design, just wondering what type of work do you do now and do you plan to continue working when you go full time. Sorry if you have answered this question previously, I just found your channel a few days ago and had to do some binge watching to catch up.
Hi Randy - thank you. For work, I am a software engineer. I plan to continue working as I go full time (from the road). All I really need is an Internet connection for work. I have been working remotely for the last 10 years or so - so I think the transition will not be too difficult. Thanks for following along
Thanks for your reply. Looking forward to future videos.
I realise you're a way away from cabling, but you should think about using multiple MPPT controllers. You mentioned just one in the video and a combiner box. You can have multiple MPPT charging the same battery. Ideally you want a separate MPPT controller for each series of identical panels. And identical means the same panel, voltage, angle, and amount of sun reaching the panels. So at the very least you should have the slide out panels on a separate controller. Ideally 4 controllers, for each 2 series. Otherwise you won't get the benefits of MPPT when half are hidden. It also means smaller cables and current, but more cables going into the van. Cheaper MPPT controllers too because they are smaller, although maybe a higher overall cost. But more efficient. So pros and cons.
Hi, yes - Ideally, we would have one solar charge controller per panel but that gets very expensive (especially if we use MPPT controllers the smallest solar charge controller that can handle 48V is the MPPT 150/35 ~ $330). In theory, having the top and bottom isolated from each other through parallel circuits "should" allow the top panels alone to work as if the bottom panels didn't even exist. Having the top and bottom sets of panels on different solar charge controllers basically doubles the cost (the smallest 250V Charge controller Victron makes is 60A - we have a Single 250/85 for the entire array currently ~$630 vs ~830). We will know more once we get the solar array up and do some testing done. If pulling our panels in completely kills our output I guess we will just buy another controller ... We will post our results once our bus gets back from painting and we can mount our rack and configure this piece of the system. Thank you for commenting. Our system is not ideal but we are hoping it will work well.
Makes sense, I didn't realise you're going to have a 48v battery to charge. Also watch out for the max current on MC4 connectors of 20Amps. My 300W panels gets close as soon as you put anything in parallel with 9Amps per panel. Sometimes it's better to run multiple cables into the charge controller and combine them there. I ended up with 3 in series because it's really the only option for 3. Keep up the good work! I also considered tilting then decided nah, too complicated. And considered slide outs too, then thought 900W should be enough. (Note I'm not an expert, just throwing ideas out for discussion)
Thank you - I appreciate your input and I enjoy watching your videos. We should be safe on the MC4 connectors as they will only really be used to join two panels in series (max of like 6.5 Amps). I am no expert either so I appreciate another set of eyes on the stuff I do.
Could it double as shade on the side of a vehicle (in stead of an awning)?
Thank you Felicity - It does actually provide a little shade like a very small awning.
I did something like that years ago.The slider I got from homedepot eventually rust. Not sure there is a rust proof slider these days
This is something we are worried about - how the sliders will hold up to the elements - we will keep everyone updated on how they age
Beginning from this Morning it still works. Just need constant lubricant. It rusted very quickly like within a month.
if you do it right the wind well not flip them up . my solar panels are only mounted on 1 side to only wash under them . 11 panels in all in FL weather with 30K miles all over the USA
Very nice - thank you for the feedback - we are trying to make everything as strong as possible.
Did you use arduinos and/or raspberry pis for the "logic"?
Both ... the Raspberry pi runs home assistant which provides state plus the UI and the ESP32 boards (arduinos) control the actual light and switch. A lot of the actual "logic" will be handled with another piece of software called "Node-Red"
Try an Auto Body shop to paint them. Better paint and more color options.
Great suggestion!
My thoughts are once you get everything squared up and perfect, weld the brackets and lose the bolts not associated with strut
Thank you Steven - that is well worth considering. We will see how we do it as we get the bus back.
Why don't you use aluminum instead of the angle iron? Aluminum weights less, no dissimilar metal corrosion...
It would also be a fair amount more expensive for the extruded aluminum compared to the cost of the already not cheap steel. From our limited bit of materials research here locally we've had to rule out structural aluminum just based on cost for us. I'm assuming this is also a factor for Juan and Michelle.
Thanks Lorenzo - to get the strength we needed we would have needed to go to 1/4" aluminum or greater. Just the aluminum angle on the sliders (1/8") cost more than all the steel we bought for the rest of the racks (by about double). Aluminum is far more expensive and we don't have a good reliable way to weld aluminum (I barely learned to weld steel a few months ago). We are going to pad the contacting areas with rubber mat so we should not run into the dissimilar metal corrosion.
I love it! I really like your ingenuity, and how you've considered tackling the cable management issue.
Have you considered using a "Standard Garage Door Brush Seal" (I don't know what they are actually called)? I found the following that I think might be able to prevent some of your wind concerns
( www.northshorecommercialdoor.com/gadobrse.html ):
Available in four (4) different brush sizes:
1” Brush (B0768-00-W)
1-1/2” Brush (B0769-00-W)
2” Brush (B0771-00-W)
3” Brush (B0772-00-W)
Having a short one on the upper panel along the pull-out side might also help to sweep off any road dust from the surface of the lower panel as the lower panel moves out from underneath it.
wow! What a great idea! No I had not thought of that. Thank you!
Why don't you use aluminum angles instead of the steel angles? Aluminum weights less and no corrosion
I don't think they have the ability or equipment to weld aluminum. It's getting more affordable. Fronious just put out a machine that can stick weld, TIG weld, and MIG weld. The MIG function does not require a spool gun, which makes the machine more affordable and easier to operate.
Be sure to smooth all the edges of the brackets, remove the corner point also or the paint will not cover. Paint will not cover the sharp edges and you have rust in a matter of weeks.
Thank you John - we will keep that in mind as we build out everything and get it ready to paint.
Thanks for sharing. You mentioned having a small gap between the top and bottom panels while traveling to keep down air flow between the panels so as no to tear off the top panels. I am not an engineer, but if I remember correctly the air flowing over the top is what causes a type a vacuum that causes lift. It may not be necessary but here is a thought. If you tilt the top panels a little higher in the back which would cause downforce as air passed over them while driving it might not be as damaging. Like I said I am not an engineer so this may be all wet, but something you might check out. Thank again for sharing.
Thank you John - Interesting thought. We do plan on putting some kind of fairing or windbreak in the front to deflect the air over the surface of the panels - the small gap was more for a crosswind or side wind to prevent the panels from acting too much like a sail.
I'd go with an enamel or hammed finish.
Sandblasting the welded parts first will allow the etching primer to bond with the bare metal. Getting the mill scale off of the welded parts is paramount.
I don't have a sandblaster but we did use flapwheels and a few other sanders to prep the surface
What is the goal?
Hi John - I am not 100% sure what you are looking for here so I will have to assume you are asking for the goal of creating this solar rack. The goal of this rack system is to get twice the amount of solar power from the same footprint. To have the ability to retract the bottom solar panels so we have less exposed area as we travel down the road. We are planning on living fulltime in this bus with a family of 6 and we don't want to depend on finding campsites to have power.
Instead of all that welding, why don't you just get a sheet of metal plate and use your plasma cutter to make the brackets? That would save you a lot of work.
Thanks BB Cooter - I don't have a plasma cutter - I don't even really have a welder - this is my buddy Rich's welder.