Replacing Leisure Travel Vans GoPower Solar Controller with a Victron Smart Solar Controller

For many years Leisure Travel Vans used the GoPower PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Solar Controller with GoPower Flexible Solar Panels and the system only put out 25-50% of what a high quality glass solar panel and Victron MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) Smart Solar Controller is capable of for house battery charging. Monocrystalline glass panels coupled with a MPPT solar controller will achieve greater solar power harvest than the LTV GoPower system. If you are upgrading your GoPower Flexible solar panels to Monocrystalline Glass Panels then to get the most solar power battery charging from them you need to replace the GoPower Solar Controller with a Victron Smart MPPT Solar Controller, which does a much better job of optimizing glass panel solar power harvest.

In my previous video,    • Replacing Leisure Travel Vans GoPower...  , we replaced 400w flexible GoPower solar panels with 600w of high performing BougeRV glass Solar panels. The best reason to use a MPPT solar controller is because when we wired the new glass panels in series pairs and then the pairs in parallel, that ups the down voltage and lowers the down amperage, which will reduce losses in the system. This solar panel configuration will harvest more energy sooner in the day. Plus we'll see a gain in output because of the technology in a MPPT controller, so a double edged win! A MPPT charge controller and glass monocrystalline solar panels are a must, in my opinion, for the highest quality and most efficient solar power harvesting.

At the end of this video we install a Lithionics 320ah battery (see this video,    • Lithionics 320ah Lithium battery, Rep...  , for the details of how the Lithionics 320ah battery was installed) and startup up the solar system, including doing the settings and explaining things a bit. Here is a separate video I made which has a part on explaining the Victron solar controller operation,    • Understanding Victron Shunt and Solar...  .

This project should take 4-6 hours. Here are the parts and tools you'll need:

Amazon (Parts and Key Tools),

600w-Victron Smart Solar MPPT 100/50 Controller, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZJ43L1

8 Awg Butt Connectors, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Optional: 10 to 8 awg step down but splice connector, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... for use in splicing the GoPower Solar Controller wires together. Just a standard 8 awg Butt connector from above works as well.

8-2 awg Crimping Tool, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WNVSMPN

⅜" heat shrink, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NVNX93K

Cable Cutter, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SBDG

Wire Cutter,  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BVXGGKC

¼ x 1" bolt/nut set, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SBT7HR3

8 awg wire, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B55YXHBX

8 awg Lugs in 1 /4” hole, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074P4B2Z7

8 awg Ferrules, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

Ferrule Crimper, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

30a Circuit Breaker, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D7T3ZR5

60a Circuit Breaker, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PBGMMNZ

6 awg Red + Black Wire, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUC6USF

6 awg Lugs 1 /4" hole, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074P11MCV

6 awg Lugs 5/16" hole, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085CBF4LG

6 awg Ferrules, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

Cable/Zip Ties, 100 pack, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01018DB2E/
 
Lowe's Home Improvement Store
#8 × 1" Self Drilling Screws, https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-8-x-...

Tools/Household Items 

#1 and #2 Roberson square tip, Flat head, and Phillips head screwdrivers. I recommend this handy multi-bit tool, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015SBILG

Metric (10mm, 11mm, 13mm, and 15mm) standard and deep well sockets and socket wrench

Metric (10mm, 11mm, 13mm, and 15mm) wrenches OR Adjustable wrench 

Note: I highly recommend this tool set, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074MH432L, that contains most of the tools you'll need for this project and others in the future.  It is a nice compact kit that you can carry with you in your LTV so you always have tools for an emergency.

Snap Blade Utility knife, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Lighter, butane torch, or heat gun for heat shrink. A lighter gets hot to hold fairly quickly,  so I used to use this torch, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07.... But I have since switched to this Dewalt cordless heat gun, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RJDRS6Y and use a minimum 4ah battery pack (I use a 6ah battery pack). 

Scissors 

Electric or Battery Powered Drill

Black marker and Blue Painters tape (to label wires)

if you are only interested in 400w then use a Victron 100/30 Smart Solar Controller, a 40a breaker instead of 60a, use all 8 awg wire instead of the 6 awg, and buy more 8 awg 1/4" and 5/16" lugs instead of the 6 awg versions listed above.