Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Portable Solar Panel with Waterproof 20A Charger Controller, Foldable 100W Solar Panel Suitcase with Adjustable Kickstand, Solar Charger for Power Station RV Camping Off Grid

Renogy 200-watt solar suitcase notes-Two Year Ownership Update at Bottom, July 2023-Quick notes on things to watch out for:- B01 error on controller. Indicates a wire is disconnected somewhere between the controller and your battery, on either the negative or positive side. Most likely loose at the controller but can also occur from frayed wires at any of the ( non-strain-relief-protected) MC4 connectors or clips at battery. Same code you get before connecting up to batteries.- The maximum power I have seen with this suitcase is 164 watts, 11.4 amps at 14.4 volts. This is with 2 12V 65 Ah AGM batteries. You may get more output if you use a MPPT controller instead of the built in PWM controller. You also may not get maximum output if your batteries are lightly discharged.- The note about connecting the battery first, then the controller second does not apply, since the wires are already connected to the controller. The instruction about connecting the battery first comes from the controller manual which is also sold stand-alone. Renogy says the battery does not need to be connected first when the controller is integrated in the suitcase solar system. The 100 watt suitcase solar system does not have detachable cables between panels and controller like the 200 watt system. What I do is turn the panel away from the sun while hooking up to the battery. This minimizes the controller power output.I first connect the MC4-to-alligator clips cable to the battery, then typically 40-foot 8AWG extension cables, then connect extension cables to controller output MC4s. Then turn the panel around to face the sun.I really like this unit. I have purchased 2 200-watt and 1 100 watt versions over the past few years. Last 200-watt purchase June, 2021.I had the 100 watt suitcase first and wanted more power. Then I tripped moving the first 200 watt and broke one of the panels, oops (Renogy, replacement panel?)I have used this 200-watt panel with 40-foot, 80-feet, and 160-feet (2-40s and 1-80)of 8 AWG Windy Nation MC4 cable. The max amps I got were:40 feet: 11.480 feet: 10.4160 feet: 9.4Note: I bought another Voyager 20A controller to use at the battery end at the 160 foot length as I anticipated the voltage drop from the panel-mount controller would be too great to charge the batteries. Max panel voltage output is 21+ V so more voltage to handle the drop.It was great to have the 160-foot cable distance. We were at a high alpine lake in deep shade and had the 200-watt solar suitcase on the lakeside beach (1/2” cable locked through carrying handle to some large stacked rocks). Enough amps to run our motorhome furnace in the cold and clear morning.Our daily charging while dry camping starts early as I usually leave the panel out pointing where the first sun will occur (cable locked) overnight. The current draw of the controller is minimal, 0.008 A. The controller voltage will display what the current battery voltage is, for us usually 12.7 V in the morning (fully charged is 13 V for our AGMs). The charging voltage and current will gradually rise as the sun comes up. At an initial 10 Amp current the voltage will rise to an initial 13.5 V typically and continue to rise from there. Once the max voltage for the battery type is reached( in our case 14.4V) the controller output amps will start dropping as the battery accepts steadily less current as it nears full charge. I try to keep the panel pointed at the sun from early morning and get the charge current down to 4 A, then the aim is not critical and can rotate panel 60 degrees to the west and maintain 4A current and fully charge batteries over the next few hours. We can take off hiking, etc. and when we get back we’ll have a full charge. (Control displays ‘FUL’ and voltage idles at 13.6V, our idle current is around 1A).I like the weight and water resistance of the panel. I have had the panel out in 40 MPH winds and rain with no issues.I recently bought a Bluetti EB55 Portable Power Station and unplug the MC4 connector from the Renogy controller and hook up to the Bluetti MPPT input. Works great.The 100-watt panel had some wear issues. The cables at the MC4 connectors have no strain relief so they tend to fray over time. The cables at the controller have no strain relief so moving the controller back and forth flexes the wires so they eventually fray. And I would slide the panel around on a tarp to keep the panel out of the shade and pointed at the sun and that flexes the legs. The upper end of the legs has just a metal nut press-fit in a plastic block so it got wobbly.Don’t do what I did, pick up the panel to move, and hold the wires gently to prevent flexing.Additional note on panel solar output: Panel output is optimistically rated with the ‘STC’ rating. Cell temperature: 25°C Irradiance: 1000 W/m² Air mass: 1.5Same with home solar (we have 9000 watts of home solar).The ‘NOCT’ rating is more realistic but lower power:Air temperature: 20°C Irradiance: 800 W/m² Air mass:1.5 Wind speed: 1 m/sPhotos are of the 200 watt (L) and 100 watt panel. On this trip I would charge the motorhome house batteries until the charge current on the 200 watt panel dropped to 4 A, then put the motorhome on the 100 watt panel and switched the 200 watt panel to charge power stations.-Two Year Ownership Update July 2023-200-watt panel still going strong and using older 100-watt panel also. On the 200-watt panel a negative wire at the controller output to battery broke off just a few days ago so I had to screw it back in with a Phillips screwdriver. I carry tools on the road so not a big issue. Got the dreaded B01 error while moving panel. Longer term fix may be to attach spade lugs to the end of the wires and perhaps heat-shrink tubing to prevent flexing. One leg is a little bent but unit is not wobbly.We have got a good 80 nights of use over 2 years approximately. We do a lot of dry camping.Using the even older 100-watt suitcase too. It had wire fraying at the alligator clips and at one or more of the MC4 connectors. Got a replacement alligator clip assembly from Amazon and replaced the wires from controller to MC4 with Windy Nation 10 AWG 3 foot MC4 cables.Added an Ecoflow Delta 2 power station. Charges from the 200-watt Renogy at 165 watts at 75F and 150 watts at 90F with 10 AWG XT60 to MC4 cable I bought from Amazon, 40 foot 8 AWG cable attached to MC4 cables detached from suitcase controller. The Bluetti EB55 has a max of 8 amps input so it maxes out at 130 watts.

I just received my solar suitcase and must say I am thoroughly impressed with the quality and overall construction. The zip-up case is very high quality and is what appears to be very heavy Cordura nylon constructed over a thin protective clamshell. Pretty awesome. The paint on the frame was top-notch. The handle is spring loaded which keeps it folded in and out of the way. The leg system is quick and easy to adjust. Although the battery I connected, a LiFeoP4, was nearly topped off, the panel finished it off quickly. I cannot attest to the longevity. The charge controller does what it should but I wish there was a selection to upgrade it or just sell the suitcase barebones and let me choose a good MPTT controller with Bluetooth, for instance. I will ultimately need to replace it anyway as I intend to parallel two of these and would prefer a 40a controller. NOTE OF CAUTION: It comes with the controller connected which will blow up the controller if you hook in your battery....which many folks might have a tendency to do. Unplug it immediately. The battery leads MUST be connected first...then the controller. I intend to install a 40a cutoff switch on the controller so as not to have to plug and unplug the controller. The battery cable is of very high quality, being heavy yet very pliable as if it is high-quality fine-strand copper...unlike some cheap ones that are stiff. The battery cable comes with very high-quality, fairly large, automotive-grade clips, like the ones on jumper cables, and also comes with a nylon storage bag and velcro strap for bundling. Note: When choosing the battery type you hold the bottom button for three seconds. In quite small text at the bottom of the screen, it will show the type. Just toggle through until you find the one you want. Not having the best of vision it took a few tries before I realized the type selection was very small and along the bottom edge of the screen. This thing does get hot from the sun. No, I mean HOT, so handle it carefully. I will soon be buying another and upgrading the controller. I have 4 new 100ah batteries coming in shortly and will connect them parallel. I just received from Amazon a CNSWIPOWER 2000-watt inverter that will be a part of a dolly portable system. I am impressed with it as well. Hurricane season prep time.