Boiling hot or teaming down

The weather can't make up its mind today. It started really hot and dry then turned to torrential rain. The intention today was to go onto the roof of the bus and switch out the roof vent. That idea didn't last too long because as soon as I put my head outside spots of rain began to fall. No good would come of working on a roof slippery with rain.

Thinking about the problem of my charge controller, I looked online and found a comparison video where a fellow was comparing different charge controllers. I wish I'd seen that before! It seems this Renogy charge controller is a random charge controller produced by death-row convicts, somewhere in China with the Renogy name slapped on it. Zero quality control because it comes from... China.

Anyway, the upshot of the video was they showed the cheapest charge controllers versus a range up to expensive. Then they compared them and found that in each instance the difference between the PWM and MPPT was in the range of 3-5 watts on a 100W panel producing 70W. So, one MPPT controller would produce 72W and another PWM would produce 69. As a quick calculation, that 3 watt difference would be maybe 30watt hours a day or 1,087 watt hours a year. Given a 12v system that would be 90 amp hours a year or enough to power my twin extraction fans for just 22 hours. Yeah... I'm not really seeing the financial advantage in more costly solar charge controllers myself even though I have one.

I looked into putting a relay across the load terminals of my MPPT controller and it would be a battle to find space to put it. Without a relay across the load terminals it never will work properly. I did contact Renogy but was given a case number and a phone number to call. Well, that's no good whatsoever. All that happens with phone numbers is you're put on an indefinite hold while they play unpleasant, screeching jungles at you until you can't stand it any more and hang up.

A few days ago I bought a pile of ammunition boxes. I started to put tools in ammunition boxes because a big tool box is just too much to hunt through to find the right tool. I end up dumping the box out on the counter and working from the counter. With smaller quantities of closely related tools in different boxes, it'll be easier. I started to tidy up a few days ago and thought about it today but what with the intense heat, didn't really feel like it.

Walking outside I looked at the two reversing cameras that need replacing. I have half-installed one but I'll move it to the other location. Both will this time have little rooves over them to stop rain from entering. Rain killed my high level camera by getting inside and fogging the lens.

Today I returned to the solar panels that I was going to put over the front windshield of the bus. The plan now is to rebuild the array of panels into a more compact array. As some of the rivet mandrels had broken off badly I had to cut some of the rivet heads off. The others I could just drill out.

The plan with the new arrangement of panels is to have them in a different configuration that I can put them out in a smaller space of even put them in the windshield of the bus. I have another pair of 10W panels and a pair of 20W panels, all of which could be put into pairs. That would allow me to have the equivalent of larger panels. Putting them with the angle protruding at each end and possibly another piece of angle attached across the ends will mean they'll be able to be attached to something if desired.

The panels take up a lot less space like that! Still more space than a 30W panel but it'll work. Riveted like that they'll be less desirable to thieves as thieves look for something they can sell to a fence in order to buy hookers, booze or drugs. I'm pretty sure they get their food and housing paid for by the state.

I have to say I much prefer the look of the bus without the Harbor Freight solar panel at the front. I wish I'd thought of movable panels before. Maybe I'd have gone for a pair of 50W panels and not put the two 10W panels on the back. That's not how the bus evolved though.