My 200W, MMPT system could not recover "full charge" in bad conditions.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by rickst29

And so, maybe it's time to add a 3rd panel.

The unpleasant surprise, though, was failure to charge on the road - with Solar active, AND the TV connected via Bargeman. Driving through smoky sun for the "prime" early afternoon hours, the battery got home at only 12.8V, far less than I had hoped for. I plugged it into the wall, and the Converter jumped into action, and fired up it's fan. I would not have managed a second day under such conditions, with the air cleaner running. (Update 11/01/2015: I have added a component which will charge from the TV, at up to 20A: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=16733).

And I've installed the 3rd panel: 135W "flex" (saving weight, because my front torsion bar adjusters are already turned to nearly maximum "lifting power" - due to weight of the two traditional panels which are already up there.) It took longer to tape the flex to the roof than it would have taken to put on another traditional panel, and some "bumps underneath" where cables are present make it look funky. And it cost a lot more per watt. But it's taped on really tight (traditional VHB), and it offers more power than my previous panels. Total rated power is now ~330W, running in Series (5.2A @ 64V).