A flush mounted solar port makes a Casita “solar ready”. A portable solar panel can be plugged in to help charge the battery when camping “off the grid”.
Because the plug is directly wired to the battery, it requires a solar charge controller which is included on “suitcase” style portable panels. Do not wire a bare solar panel without a controller, it will put too much unregulated voltage to the battery.
The solar port is also known as a “SAE” or “Zamp” port.
Note: Zamp reverses the polarity on their connectors. If using their panel, be sure the positive lead on the solar connector is going to the positive on the plug you are installing. If it’s reversed, you can swap the red and black wires on the battery.
Steps:
Remove the battery
Drill a 3/4” hole to the upper left of the battery door. Before drilling, feel on the backside with your hand so you can ensure the hole will end up inside the battery box.
Insert the solar plug into the hole, mark, and drill the holes with a 3/16” bit
Remove plug and use clear silicone RTV on the mounting surface and a little into each rivet hole.
Re-install the plug and crimp the rivets in place. Dab silicone on rivet heads.
Place battery on a step stool, and install the wires to the battery terminals. Red to Positive (where the black casita wire goes to), and black to negative (where the white and green casita wires go to). Reverse that for a Zamp panel.
Zamp is the same plug, but they reverse the polarity of the wires. If you use a zamp panel, you need to swap the positive and negative wires, or use an adapter.
That depends on what connector your solar panel requires. SAE/Bullet? MC4?
Powerwerx has many. They have an SAE type extension cord at the bottom of this page, plus other options. Usually a portable solar panel comes with cables though. https://powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables
I have a Renogy 100W Solar suitcase connecting to Battle Born lithium battery
If I want to hook it to this type of port, would I need one of those small SAE polarity reverse adapters at the port?
Thanks
By the way….appreciate the Andersen Weight Distribution hitch order and info…working great on my Jeep Cherokee
Depends. If it’s the factory port it’s wired backwards for “zamp” panels. If it’s aftermarket port it’s probably wired correctly. If it’s wired Zamp style just reverse the wires to the battery so the positive is the red wire on the port. Or you can use an adapter.
Thanks..bought a 10AWG SAE sidewall port with O Ring connectors to battery to mount to Casita so shouldnt need the adapter…also bought the MC4 to SAE adapter extension cable to connect to the Renogy MC4s cables….came with two SAE polarity reverse adapters but wont need those
Thanks for help
Greg,
I have a 3/4 inch diamond hole saw to cut the hole…my solar port is same size as you show in your diagram…when I feel in the battery bay behind where the hole will be placed (and matching your location) it seems like it is very thick area to drill through (rubber backed?) and where the battery bay ceiling slopes downslopes inside, it looks 50/50 that the hole will be inside the battery bay..my Casita is a 2019 if that makes a difference….did you find the hole just barely came out inside of battery bay or did you have some extra room left to play with?
Steve
It was really close. I even angles the bit a little bit towards the battery. The battery boxes aren’t all in exactly the same place. Another option, and I did this on my personal casita, was to put the solar port in the bottom. Looks better but harder to hook up to.
Yes it can. The suitcase comes with the connectors. If you add the port the wiring will be right. If you use the factory installed port it’ll be backwards. Only Zamo brands are wired backwards. It’s easy to fix just swap the port’s wires going to the battery.
Hi Greg.
I have a Zamp port on my Casita. Yesterday when I plugged my Zamp solar panels into it the controller would not come off of the “b01” code which means battery disconnected. The fuse in the cord between the panels & the port looks fine. Is there another fuse somewhere else? I couldn’t find one & I couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t charge my battery. I also found a few other electrical problems: my refrigerator wasn’t cooling in battery mode while I was driving, my right rear blinker was flashing differently, when hazard lights were on the right rear flasher didn’t come on, & my front outside light won’t turn on (it’s not the LED bulb because the same bulb works in one of the other lights). So I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with my fuse box. But I don’t see a fuse labeled for the Zamp port so I don’t know. Do you have any ideas & suggestions? Thanks.
13 comments
I want to do the solar upgrade so much. I keep researching. Is this. What I keep seeing for Casitas is Zamp.
Zamp is the same plug, but they reverse the polarity of the wires. If you use a zamp panel, you need to swap the positive and negative wires, or use an adapter.
Do you know of a good source for the cord that would connect to the plug and back to the solar system?
Thanks
That depends on what connector your solar panel requires. SAE/Bullet? MC4?
Powerwerx has many. They have an SAE type extension cord at the bottom of this page, plus other options. Usually a portable solar panel comes with cables though. https://powerwerx.com/adapter-extension-cables
I have a Renogy 100W Solar suitcase connecting to Battle Born lithium battery
If I want to hook it to this type of port, would I need one of those small SAE polarity reverse adapters at the port?
Thanks
By the way….appreciate the Andersen Weight Distribution hitch order and info…working great on my Jeep Cherokee
Depends. If it’s the factory port it’s wired backwards for “zamp” panels. If it’s aftermarket port it’s probably wired correctly. If it’s wired Zamp style just reverse the wires to the battery so the positive is the red wire on the port. Or you can use an adapter.
Thanks..bought a 10AWG SAE sidewall port with O Ring connectors to battery to mount to Casita so shouldnt need the adapter…also bought the MC4 to SAE adapter extension cable to connect to the Renogy MC4s cables….came with two SAE polarity reverse adapters but wont need those
Thanks for help
Greg,
I have a 3/4 inch diamond hole saw to cut the hole…my solar port is same size as you show in your diagram…when I feel in the battery bay behind where the hole will be placed (and matching your location) it seems like it is very thick area to drill through (rubber backed?) and where the battery bay ceiling slopes downslopes inside, it looks 50/50 that the hole will be inside the battery bay..my Casita is a 2019 if that makes a difference….did you find the hole just barely came out inside of battery bay or did you have some extra room left to play with?
Steve
It was really close. I even angles the bit a little bit towards the battery. The battery boxes aren’t all in exactly the same place. Another option, and I did this on my personal casita, was to put the solar port in the bottom. Looks better but harder to hook up to.
Can this be used with a Renogy suitcase and if so what connectors do I need and how do I connect it (worried about polarity).
Yes it can. The suitcase comes with the connectors. If you add the port the wiring will be right. If you use the factory installed port it’ll be backwards. Only Zamo brands are wired backwards. It’s easy to fix just swap the port’s wires going to the battery.
Hi Greg.
I have a Zamp port on my Casita. Yesterday when I plugged my Zamp solar panels into it the controller would not come off of the “b01” code which means battery disconnected. The fuse in the cord between the panels & the port looks fine. Is there another fuse somewhere else? I couldn’t find one & I couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t charge my battery. I also found a few other electrical problems: my refrigerator wasn’t cooling in battery mode while I was driving, my right rear blinker was flashing differently, when hazard lights were on the right rear flasher didn’t come on, & my front outside light won’t turn on (it’s not the LED bulb because the same bulb works in one of the other lights). So I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with my fuse box. But I don’t see a fuse labeled for the Zamp port so I don’t know. Do you have any ideas & suggestions? Thanks.
Valerie,
Let me send you an email to get working on these issues.
Greg