MOIRAI 1995 4x4 Fire Rescue BUILD Thread

Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Ok. So here are four panels 4x160 watts trimmed with matte black 3M. Im sure people may chime in on reducing the efficiency of the panels because its “black”. But the top and bottom edges are still silver. Sooo. Honestly just something about the bare panels that makes me think of shoddy camper builds. Anyways. Four for now. Two more ideally on slides down the road. For 6x160=960 watts.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
The front panel above the passenger and driver overhangs the old light bar area. What to do!! Solution $$. Thule Load bar, Thule 460 foot packs, Thule flat roof kit, Thule 52” wind fairing. To round it out. Ill see who wants to fab a connector from the load bar up to the front mounts of the leading edge of the first up solar panel.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Ok. So Adam at Northern Arizona Wind &Sun put together my solar package for me.

Doh! The 80amp circuit breaker that fits in the Midnite solar baby box. Will Fit on the DIN rail but not with the entry exit glands in place!? Secondly. Looks like the pos battery screw is toast. Its an aluminum screw and aluminum mounting box soldered into the board. Round wire square hole. 00 wire barely fits. I mean barely. But it does. This is the Outback FM80. Im sure the FM60 has the same hookups.

Neg batter hookup perfect. Pos battery hookup screws back in half way.and thats as far as it would go!! Oh no. Manufacturing error?

The positive solar feed has some friction when backing out. But negative and batter negative seem super easy. Not sure whats up. Im awaiting word from them if they can send a replacement FM80 and why they sent me the entry exit glands for the box when the breaker wont fit with them. Great customer service so far. Lets see what happens

Looming forward to wrapping up this build!!
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
After contacting Outback a week ago. They are sending me a replacement FM80 unit. They asked for my current serial number and the address to send a new unit.

They didnt ask to take in the one with the bad threads. Maybe Ill be able to keep it as a spare for parts or who knows.
 

Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Within two weeks I have a brand new replacement FM80. One phone call to support which is here in the states. Took a week for a follow up call and emailed me updates for when the new unit would arrive.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Public storage unit. Needed to prep the roof correctly for solar and roof accessory install. Mostly to clean and prep everything up there. And be in the shade. Not on the street.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
After a few hours at the Happy Cow car wash in El Cajon. All prep for the clay bar.

Finally getting back to the rig.

After a thorough cleaning. The front section has been clay barred. Step 1 of 10 for cutting. Then polishing. Then all Carnauba waxed. Smooth as butter.

Rough mount up of the front Thule wind fairing and cross load bar.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
The roof in all its glory lol.

After wet sanding with 1000 then 3000. Some spots. Three grades of compounding. Followed by the glaze then some high grade carnauba wax.

Ya know. Makes me wonder if when I had the paint redone if it was just easier to get this thing rhino lined medium light grey.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Todays work. Had to get the higher curved Renogy mounts because of the hump in the middle of the roof.

Did not come with hardware. Got loads of washers, lock washers nuts and bolts.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Mock up of 3 out of 4 panels. They are the 160 watt panels by Renogy. Because the dimensions are perfect. I looked at all the other companies with their 180 watts some were 170 etc etc. but these are 51.3 inches long any longer they overhang and that would look weird.

Outback FM 80 is alive. The battery feeds run through a Midnight Solar baby box with an 80amp circuit breaker.

The wires are #2. The pos + battery connector in the FM80 is all the way to the right. Its very very hard to get the #2 wire to get over and fit into it. The neg - was easier since its closer to the opening of the FM80. Not sure why the engineers spaced it out like that.
 

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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Any concern with branches/tree limbs?
Yes sure. Anything low. Its just a trade off. I barely scuffed the maxx fan on a branch once. Its a fiberglass roof. So its like driving anything tall. Aside from that. I want to see how well it does to use my induction cooktop and the 3250 btu 12 volt AC unit. I imagine I wont have enough panels. But will be interesting to see how 640 watts does.
 
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Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
New holes in the fiberglass roof. For solar feeds. Im using some really cool Scanstrut fittings. These things are great. However it did take me four hours to make four holes and be uber careful each step.

On the inside solar lines I took and extra step and placed some black ribbed wire shroud and electrical taped it every foot or so. Its how the rig already had all the wires from being a rescue rig done. So I figured its the best safest way to ensure nothing happens down the road.
 

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Betarocker

Adventurer
Do you have the ability to tilt the panels to optimize solar effectiveness? Otherwise the 640W will only be attained at noon on the equator.
 

Jdubucsd

Addicted to Espresso
Do you have the ability to tilt the panels to optimize solar effectiveness? Otherwise the 640W will only be attained at noon on the equator.
Even at noon on the equator you will never get 640 watts or the watts rated on the panel. THe way they test these panels and the conditions they are tested in. Real world tilting or not. Never reaches 100%
 

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