Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > MOC Technical Forums > Solar, Charging Systems, Batteries and Electrical
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 01-23-2019, 05:46 PM   #1
SolarRuss
New Member
 
SolarRuss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 7
M.O.C. #23247
Wink Montana Jaboni Solar Pre-wire

I have been searching for any wiring diagrams on my 2019 Montana 3810MS. Cant seem to find anything online. Sales sent me to service which sent me to the Keystone company. The factory said they did not have any wiring diagrams which I find odd. Anyway, I am a solar installer for homes and businesses, do some off grid and battery stuff too but, it would help a lot if I could find out where the wires go from the MC4 connectors on the roof. I would also like to find out where the inverter is now and maybe I can figure out the best way to install my solar.
I have 4 310 watt solar modules I would like to put on the roof, most of the information seems to lean to a 2000W inverter. Some say 3000 but, I think I need to go a bit bigger as I also have 4 100ah 12v LifePo4 batteries which should do pretty good. Any help would be appreciated.
 
SolarRuss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2019, 07:57 PM   #2
AZ Traveler
Site Team
 
AZ Traveler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Oro Valley
Posts: 3,898
M.O.C. #20477
Russ,

First, welcome to the forum!

I don't have the same model or year but your wires should come down behind your panel in the hall with your lighting switches. Unless something has changed in 19 you will find they are 10 or 12 gauge wires not capable to support the panels you are planning. Your inverter should be up in the front battery compartment if there is one installed.

I have smaller panels you are planning, 2 255 watt panels and I put in heavier wiring from the roof to the charge controller in the battery compartment.

I am a little curious what charge controller and converter or inverter/charger you are planning to use with your LifePo4 batteries? My understanding is most charge controllers and the stock converter will tend to overcharge them. Your solar seems a little overkill to support 400ah battery bank particularly with the advantages of lithium.
__________________
Zack and Donna plus Millie and Ranger
2018 3160RL

"Life is too short to stay indoors, enjoy the ride!"
AZ Traveler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2019, 09:09 PM   #3
SolarRuss
New Member
 
SolarRuss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 7
M.O.C. #23247
Lithium Charger

There are a few chargers around that charge LifeP04. It does bother me when they auto sense the batteries. I have not found one I like that charges Lithium.
I have the modules so It does not matter that I have too much, they will be flat and not produce 100% anyway.
SolarRuss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2019, 09:48 PM   #4
Drifty1
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Olympia
Posts: 1,056
M.O.C. #9441
It depends on the voltage of your panels. My panels are 435 watts at 82 volts which run though a 10 gauge wire. We have a total of 1305 watts in parallel feeding my Midnight Classic 150 charge controller. The higher the voltage the lower the amps.
__________________
2020 Ram 3500, 2022 Luxe 38GFB,2500w Solar with Victron equipment, Gen Y Pinbox
Drifty1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2019, 02:48 PM   #5
SolarRuss
New Member
 
SolarRuss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 7
M.O.C. #23247
Pre wire found

Quote:
Originally Posted by SolarRuss View Post
I have been searching for any wiring diagrams on my 2019 Montana 3810MS. Cant seem to find anything online. Sales sent me to service which sent me to the Keystone company. The factory said they did not have any wiring diagrams which I find odd. Anyway, I am a solar installer for homes and businesses, do some off grid and battery stuff too but, it would help a lot if I could find out where the wires go from the MC4 connectors on the roof. I would also like to find out where the inverter is now and maybe I can figure out the best way to install my solar.
I have 4 310 watt solar modules I would like to put on the roof, most of the information seems to lean to a 2000W inverter. Some say 3000 but, I think I need to go a bit bigger as I also have 4 100ah 12v LifePo4 batteries which should do pretty good. Any help would be appreciated.
The wires go from the battery to the roof. They run from the MC4 connectors on the roof to just behind the panel in the storage compartment left of the vacuum. From there they go to the terminals connected to the battery.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	3810 prewire1.jpg
Views:	184
Size:	131.7 KB
ID:	3102   Click image for larger version

Name:	3810 prewire2.jpg
Views:	157
Size:	79.6 KB
ID:	3103   Click image for larger version

Name:	3810 prewire3.jpg
Views:	136
Size:	103.8 KB
ID:	3104   Click image for larger version

Name:	3810 prewire4.jpg
Views:	134
Size:	128.3 KB
ID:	3105  
SolarRuss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2019, 05:33 PM   #6
gjennings
Seasoned Camper
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: West Jordan
Posts: 85
M.O.C. #22840
I use a Victron charge controller for my setup that I’m working on. Right now I am just using a 335 Watt panel that I had left over from doing my house to keep the 2 12v batteries charged over winter. I to will end up with 3 more 335 Watt panels on the roof.
Victron is Bluetooth so you can check the charging status on you phone.
gjennings is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2019, 10:20 AM   #7
gjennings
Seasoned Camper
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: West Jordan
Posts: 85
M.O.C. #22840
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolarRuss View Post
The wires go from the battery to the roof. They run from the MC4 connectors on the roof to just behind the panel in the storage compartment left of the vacuum. From there they go to the terminals connected to the battery.
So I found those wires but can someone explain what the grey cable that is with it is also shown in the pictures?

I am dumb founded that they would run the bigger gauge wire from the roof just to splice a smaller wire to it to finish the run over to the batteries. Mine run to a breaker in the battery compartment the to the battery.
__________________
Glade and Laura
2019 3791RD Montana
2018 GMC 3500 6.6 diesel short bed
Not full timers yet but soon
gjennings is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2019, 11:31 PM   #8
Dtingle
Established Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Harrisburg
Posts: 22
M.O.C. #20561
The gray cable is a data cable to connect from the charge controller to a display panel to be mounted in the coach.

Jaboni has started posting videos on their website and to YouTube. I found them helpful in giving an overview of the pre-wire and how to install a system.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChV..._L_x__wi6MGuhQ
Dtingle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2019, 03:24 PM   #9
jeffba
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Bastrop
Posts: 2,892
M.O.C. #20753
Nice video. looks like the pre-wire is limited to one panel.
__________________
Mocha, one-eyed toothless, hurricane survivor, Pirate dog
2019 20th Anniversary Edition 3701LK
B&W 20K for Ford OEM Puck
2018 Ford F-350 Lariat CCLB PSD DRW KJ5CQH
jeffba is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2020, 05:06 PM   #10
willoco
New Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Black Hawk
Posts: 6
M.O.C. #25987
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffba View Post
Nice video. looks like the pre-wire is limited to one panel.
Not really an accurate statement. The gauge of the wiring limits the amperage.

Mine looks like they used 10 awg wiring (maybe) That's good for 30 amps.
Panels are rated for maximum amperage, 100w panels are usually around 5A.

Let's use an imaginary panel that's rated for 5A and and 10V. (Easy math)

I could run 4 panels in parallel and get 20 amps at 10V, or I could run 4 panels in serial and get 5 amps at 40v.

Here's a decent overview of wire sizing:
https://www.windynation.com/jzv/inf/...ight-wire-size

cheers.
willoco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2020, 06:46 PM   #11
Daryles
Montana Master
 
Daryles's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Alton
Posts: 2,654
M.O.C. #24086
Here is a couple of videos.
One is the Montana jaboni factory solar prep


The other shows an actual install
https://youtu.be/gn3BIWaSb4c
__________________
Daryl and Marianne,
2019 3130re 20th Anniversary Edition
2016 F350 Lariat
Daryles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2020, 07:39 PM   #12
jetskier
Montana Fan
 
jetskier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Minden - NV
Posts: 499
M.O.C. #22360
Quote:
Originally Posted by willoco View Post
Not really an accurate statement. The gauge of the wiring limits the amperage.

Mine looks like they used 10 awg wiring (maybe) That's good for 30 amps.
Panels are rated for maximum amperage, 100w panels are usually around 5A.

Let's use an imaginary panel that's rated for 5A and and 10V. (Easy math)

I could run 4 panels in parallel and get 20 amps at 10V, or I could run 4 panels in serial and get 5 amps at 40v.

Here's a decent overview of wire sizing:
https://www.windynation.com/jzv/inf/...ight-wire-size

cheers.

I've posted this before, but I have replaced the Janoni controller with this controller capable of 150V/85A max. You can see the 10ga wire from the panels. It operates at peak summer sun at around 48-54V @ 17-18A. Solar panels are 855W total (factory Jaboni 265W + 160W run in series and another 270W + 160W series run parallel to the others). Each panel puts out around 8.6-8.7A. Larger panels output 31V while the smaller panels only produce 23V. The display reported around 760w when I turned on enough 12V devices and the inverter to draw down the system.


The 85A limit of the controller is the feed to the batteries. I ran 2 ga for this. The factory Jaboni is a 100/30 controller. I repurposed it in my wife's "Burner" trailer.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20190402_104351.jpg
Views:	297
Size:	240.3 KB
ID:	6094  
__________________
2013 F350 Lariat Ultimate CC LB
2019 3790RD
jetskier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2020, 08:33 PM   #13
Preston & Terri
Montana Fan
 
Preston & Terri's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: On the Road
Posts: 166
M.O.C. #14645
Looking forward to learning more and developing my own installation.
__________________
Retired FULLTIMERS that Travel & Work -- 2020 3931FB Legacy Edition -- OEM Sailun S637T's -- 2017 F350 DRW, 4.10 axle, 6.7L -- PullRite OE Puck Super-5th 25K hitch -- Dish Network w/ Winegard G2 automatic portable antenna -- 50A Surge Guard portable -- WiFi Ranger Elite -- Blue Streak -- YourBestAddress.com -- RVSA Certified Technician -- The UnBeetable Experience
Preston & Terri is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2020, 09:49 PM   #14
willoco
New Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Black Hawk
Posts: 6
M.O.C. #25987
I suppose I'll toss out some details...

Mine is getting 1200 watts of panels which will be wired in sets of three or four serials and 3-4 groups of cells in parallel. I'm still deciding how, but leaning toward 4 groups of three.

That'll be running to a Victron 150/45 (150v 45a) controller. This is sized to accomodate the voltage boost that happens on cold days. (I'm in Colorado).

This is all sized to use the 10awg wiring in the camper, but I can't help but wish for some heavier wiring.

That'll be feeding a 24v 5kw battery bank, which'll be monitored by a victron BMV-712 (which uses a shunt to monitor current flow in and out), a victron battery sense (voltage/temp sensor), combined with an open source battery management system that uses dedicated in/out shunts all paired with a custom monitoring system that I'm going to roll from a raspberry pi, sensors and data uplink.

Oh there's also a 40a 24v to 12v converter in there to run the DC stuff in the camper and I'm adding some extra solenoids to provide additional cutoff insurance.

The battery pack gets a dedicated 350a cutoff solenoid and the inverter is getting a 200a latching solenoid.

For the moment I'm going to try out a relatively cheap 3Kw inverter with it, and will likely pick up a Victron unit for that role whenever I feel like spending another $1k.

I will say this. You can get a nice little inverter and run it to 12v batteries in the camper with no real worries. You can use AGMs or Lead acid all day long with minimal maintenance. I'm adding a bunch of power density and I respect it enough to add multiple safety systems.

In the interest of the solar discussion - it turns out that running higher voltage battery banks is usually better. A controller that can handle a 500w system at 12v can usually handle 1000w at 24v for example.
willoco is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
inverter, jaboni, solar, wiring

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:44 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.