As our victron smart solar 100/20 needs more than 17(18) v to start and the Dokio has max 18v, it’ll not always start.
Could it be a good idea to modify the panel cabling of the Dokio to double voltage? (And half the 11 amps to 5.5)
We have 1 100ah Lifepo 12v attached.
I think that his Dokio suitcase is technically 2 panels in parallel and that the specs of the suitcase are the parallel specs…
There are 2 junction boxes on back of each panel linked to each other in parallel.
(Pics here: http://www.dokiosolar.com/wap/product/show-3.html )
To increase the voltage would it be possible to connect them in series.? I know this would probably void warranty of the Dokio but I don’t care if it is safe to use)
The voltage would double but the amps would be half, right?
Will this be a solution to use this suitcase panel together with the 100/20 mppt, as it needs at least 5v more than battery to start, or will the amps be too low?
You could do that, the double voltage is still much lower than the 100V limit. The set up will be less tolerant of shading on one panel only. I agree it can be marginal, although to start with the Dokio will be open circuit so in good light should get up to 21.6V and start the MPPT, but in poor light, perhaps not.
Thanks!
I agree, I think that benefit of having the higher voltage in series so mppt reaches easily +5v and DOES start charging the battery will be much greater than the possible shading downside.
Good you mentioned that, I didn’t think about that one.
The suitcase comes with XT60 cables / connectors. 3m, and I have bought the optional 6 m XT60 extension cable with that, which are convenient to unplug.
If I quickly search specs of xt60, they can handle between 14 - 22v safely.
So with half amps but the double voltage, the cable will get hotter, right?
If in turns out that putting them in series really is required, do you think it’s necessary to replace the xt60 cabling with other cabling in between mppt and panel / case?
If so, are there any other (modular) solar panel connectors that are designed for frequent connect / disconnect?
The cables and connectors will be cooler due to lower current. The XT connectors have higher voltage rating the you describe, they are used on radio control models up to around 50V. Anderson plugs are used for this type of thing and ate robust.
