A Tale of Three Ports

Having a set of external solar panels is a great accessory for off grid camping. Certainly an easy addition, but getting that extra power into the Alto can pose a little effort.

Last season we added a couple of 50 watt panels, and after some pondering about how to get that power inside, I settled upon mounting an Anderson SB50 plug by the battery box, and feeding in a couple of wires from underneath. 

More details of that mod can be found here.  Portable Solar Panels

This spring, Alex dropped me a line, as he was planning a complete Victron retrofit, along with some external panels, and wanted to pick my brain a bit. Soon we had quite the little mod underway. To get his external power inside, he discovered a nifty little receptacle made by Anderson, that allowed a couple of the smaller PowerPole connectors to be used. A hole was drilled (yes Chris ... a hole) and the receptacle was nicely mounted in the service side wall, forward of the trunk.

very sharp looking

Then, a few weeks later, Chris and I embarked on the finishing touches to the Trimetric retrofit that we did to their Alto last summer. Having just purchased a Renogy solar suitcase, that power had to get into the Alto as well. After some extensive research and debate, Chris settled upon using an SAE receptacle and connectors. Like the Anderson that Alex used, this nice little receptacle was mounted in the same location, service side, right by the trunk.

someone has to man the drill

just as sharp looking

Which one to choose, well that’s a tough call.

My method is certainly more work to fabricate and install, but I like to think that it is perhaps a bit more robust. The Anderson PowerPole receptacle is an easy install, but involves a bit more work getting the PowerPole connectors attached to the assorted wiring. The SAE receptacle is as easy to install as the Anderson, and the readily available prefabricated plugs and wires are a bonus. The SAE though, can expose a weird polarity switching quirk that you need to be aware of, but is easily solved with the provided polarity reversing connectors. Still…a bit odd.

So there you have it…three sharp looking options to get your external solar panels connected to your solar wiring set up, without always having to mess about with the battery box and clamp on cables.

Truth be told though, I really like either of the wall mounted receptacles, solutions that look like they came right out of the factory.

Take your pick.