# Rapido solar wiring



## RichardD

I'm looking at possibly fitting a solar panel to the roof. I know there are already some wiring built into the Rapido but was wondering what this will provide?

Do I still need a charge controller or does the standard CBE panel already has the capability?

Van is an A Class 2010 9009DFH with two leisure batteries fitted as standard.

Richard


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## rayc

I believe that gaspode has wired his solar panel through the CBE controls and enjoyed working through the system. I of course didn't bother and just wired the outputs of my dual controller directly to the habitation and vehicle batteries.


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## gaspode

> I believe that gaspode has wired his solar panel through the CBE controls and enjoyed working through the system. I of course didn't bother and just wired the outputs of my dual controller directly to the habitation and vehicle batteries.


I did do that originally Ray but I've now reverted to using the Rapido specially provided wiring, mainly due to the inaccuracy in the CBE digital display. If you wire the solar via the CBE box the charge/discharge rate displays on the CBE panel but I found that panel so inaccurate as to be useless.

In any event, however you wire the solar panel, you still need a solar regulator. My advice would be to use a decent regulator and wire directly to the batteries as Ray has done.


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## WildThingsKev

You should find two sets of pre-installed cables, both with unconnected ends. One set leading from behind the rear wardrobe to the distribution box and the other going on from there to the battery compartment. 

I have my regulator feeding into the CBE panel (connected onto the same terminal as the 240v charger) and therfore I didn't use the second pair of cables. I don't find the cbe reading too bad, innaccuracy is worst at low loads, but I now have a seperate V/A meter in the battery locker if I want accuracy. 

I rarely use 240v and solar together.

Kev


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## Jean-Luc

I connected the output from the solar regulator/charger to the same terminal which takes the output from the mains charger.

Everything works well and the CBE panel shows the net amps to/from the battery, same as when on EHU and the source is the mains charger, which can be different from the gross output displayed on the solar regulator/charger.

See note about terminal 21 on page 16 of the CBE manual HERE


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## RichardD

So a controller is still required as stated in the CBE manual (thanks Jean-Luc) but I can use the built in Rapido wires. Unfortunately my distribution panels are located under the central fixed bed. I would have like to have the solar controller somewhere where it is easily visible.

It might have to be in the top of the central wardrobe and then link the wires together down by the distribution box to take the power to the leisure batteries.

But this won't provide any charge to the cab battery. How can this be achieved?

Richard


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## gaspode

> But this won't provide any charge to the cab battery. How can this be achieved?
> 
> Richard


If you're not using the CBE unit to distribute the solar (it feeds both batteries) then you'll have to either just feed the leisure battery or fit a controller that can feed both. My controller feeds both batteries and you can set the distribution to 50/50, 90/10 or Leisure battery only. In practice you rarely need to provide solar to the starter battery unless you're stationary without a hookup for a long time or you use the starter battery for some purpose whilst on site. May be an essential feature if you keep the van in storage of course.


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## RichardD

I would like more charge to the cab battery as there is quite a bit of battery drain (typically 150mA as advised by Fiat) as standard on the X250.

I've found that the cab battery gets a bit sluggish after about 7 days if you send a fews days on one site and then only doing short start/stop runs between Aires.

For the leisure batteries I do have an Efoy to back up if required.

Richard


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## teemyob

Is it wired like this?


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## Techno100

Richard if you want to purely charge the starter battery then connecting the regulator output to the big terminal B1 will send all the charge to it.


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## teemyob

*still confused*

I am still confused....

So are some of you saying you have done this.......


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## Techno100

Well I have a DS520 but in any case you should connect the regulator output to the same terminal as your mains charger output. It will then show the charge on your overdoor panel


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## WildThingsKev

> "Techno100" Well I have a DS520 but in any case you should connect the regulator output to the same terminal as your mains charger output. It will then show the charge on your overdoor panel


Mine is exactly the same as Technos; we have an extra terminal between +B2 and +B1 called "Exit 12v" to which both the 240v charger and solar regulator +ve are connected.

Kev


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## Techno100

I think the confusion is over pin 1 fuse 7 as shown on the DS300?
This wire will go to a connection point somewhere away from the panel where a regulator can be connected. Usually 4 wires there 2 to the roof or a high level cupboard and 2 the the DS300 of which one is connected to B2 via fuse 7.
You do not have to use that remote connection if your wiring makes it more appropriate to just connect straight to the B2 terminal


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## Brooky

Hi I've just purchased my first Rapido and looking at installing a solar panel, and mine has the pre-installed cabling so thought it would be simple to fit. So behind the wardrobe panel there are 2 6mm cables blue and red labelled with a solar panel on them, and in the battery compartment is the same, so I connected my solar panel regulator to the cables in the wardrobe and the 2 cables in the battery compartment onto the battery but I don't get any charge at the battery! any help or photo's of your setups would be appreciated.


Dave


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## n1ck

Sorry to activate this thread again, but as a newbie I'm after some guidance on the pre-wired solar piece of my 2013 Rapido 791FF. I have a 100W solar panel ready to fit and want to clear a couple of things up first, with those who know !

In the wardrobe I have 2 wires, marked Solaire P720 and P721 - they are blue and red and appear in the garage too. I have these attached to a 15A charge controller as "panel in/charge" at one end and the Panel itself at the other.

The battery terminals on the contoller are attached to the battery with a 10A in-line fuse.

I then have the "output power/load" on the controller. There is a pair of wires in the garage called "Panneau Solaire". This is solar panel in french but where do they go to and what do they do? I don't want to assume they just go into the controller.

Any help is very welcomed as Rapido's technical wiring diagrams don't seem to be available.

Thanks all!


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