Gladiator JT VSS System - 30 WATT Hood Solar Panel

[BarelyAwake]

I have the VSS 80 watt installed on my Sport S. 100ah Lithium house battery in the bed wired through Renogy DC/DC controller.

- The truck has water pump, LED lighting, 72L refrigerator, 700 watt inverter (for ice maker), USB ports for phone and device charging.
- On static days (not driving) and with sun exposure and normal (full) use of the installed systems, we got a net + charge on the lithium battery from the solar panel alone.
- The Renogy DC/DC controller will charge the house (lithium) battery to full then begin charging the Jeep battery. And wired in so that in emergency, I can direct connect the VSS panel to the Jeep battery. Shouldn't need it - ever - however, since I was there and just in case . . .
- The film they supply for under the panel and the accompanying instructions are terrible. They have different instructions on YouTube which are much better.
- Kit didn't come with everything they said they would supply, which resulted in an afternoon trip to get everything that was needed. Aggravating.

It's discrete, works well for our needs and keeps from having to haul around another separate piece of equipment. Not for everyone, yet works for us.

Sponsored

 

[Delhux]

I have the VSS 80 watt installed on my Sport S. 100ah Lithium house battery in the bed wired through Renogy DC/DC controller.

- The truck has water pump, LED lighting, 72L refrigerator, 700 watt inverter (for ice maker), USB ports for phone and device charging.
- On static days (not driving) and with sun exposure and normal (full) use of the installed systems, we got a net + charge on the lithium battery from the solar panel alone.
- The Renogy DC/DC controller will charge the house (lithium) battery to full then begin charging the Jeep battery. And wired in so that in emergency, I can direct connect the VSS panel to the Jeep battery. Shouldn't need it - ever - however, since I was there and just in case . . .
- The film they supply for under the panel and the accompanying instructions are terrible. They have different instructions on YouTube which are much better.
- Kit didn't come with everything they said they would supply, which resulted in an afternoon trip to get everything that was needed. Aggravating.

It's discrete, works well for our needs and keeps from having to haul around another separate piece of equipment. Not for everyone, yet works for us.

Do you use the Cascadia MPPT controller alongside the Renogy?

Which model Renogy dc-dc controller are you running?

 

[Anderson]

Saw this yesterday. Looks interesting & practical for purpose-built folks. They now have panels for all models of the JT. This one is specific for Rubi's. I already have a Jackery power station & solar panel though.

Thoughts?

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...-watt-hood-solar-panel?variant=35469971554456

I have a dash cam that would benefit from this. It’s too small to be of use for anything that has a high draw(ie anything “Overland”) but simple things like a small fridge or low draw items, this could be ideal if you stay at one campsite for multiple days. I know I have had it on my JT “mod list”.

 

[BarelyAwake]

Do you use the Cascadia MPPT controller alongside the Renogy?

I only purchased the panel from Cascadia and use the MPPT controller in the Renogy

Which model Renogy dc-dc controller are you running?

I only purchased the panel from Cascadia and use the MPPT controller in the Renogy.

Link below to controller. Chose the 50 amp because that was the maximum amperage the battery would take for charging. Through the Renogy app you can limit the amps to help prolong battery life (20 amps) reserving the high output (50 amps) for when you really need a fast charge.

Other manufacturers were either too expensive (for me) or did not prioritize solar. Renogy prioritizes solar over vehicle power and with charging the jeep when the house battery is full, side effect of a 2 mpg increase because of the reduced alternator load when the current flows to the jeep battery.

https://www.renogy.com/dcc50s-12v-5...4831F0_QWk5UE4hq0OEBbgFjahNWuSWgaAvX9EALw_wcB

 

[Blade1668]

I have one of these on order, just curious about point #3. Were you saying the install can block the spray nozzles, or were you suggesting a different design that would mount farther down the hood?

Also, is there an obstruction for laying the windshield down with the solar panel installed?

On the 80 w panel it just barely blocks the sprayer nozzles.
The second picture is at windshield wiper level it's not a game stopper but it's something that could be better or improved. But I'm quite happy with it. Since I'm running a fridge/freezer full time now with it. Picture #3
You should be able to fold down the windshield still, the panel control box is about the same height as the tie down mounts.

 

[Blade1668]

Assuming you don't have a dual battery set up (or anything like a fridge), could you theoretically wire this directly to your battery to keep it topped off / use it for a recharge in the event of needing a jump?

Mine currently is running straight to main battery.

 

[Delhux]

On the 80 w panel it just barely blocks the sprayer nozzles.
The second picture is at windshield wiper level it's not a game stopper but it's something that could be better or improved. But I'm quite happy with it. Since I'm running a fridge/freezer full time now with it. Picture #3
You should be able to fold down the windshield still, the panel control box is about the same height as the tie down mounts.

Thanks for the clarification and pictures. I like your setup.

Did you hook the fridge to the ACC wires off of the MPPT or is it hooked up differently?

Are you running additional batteries or just the stock?

Sorry, don’t mean to hit you with a million follow-up questions—I’m just excited to receive mine (hopefully next month sometime).

 

[Blade1668]

Thanks for the clarification and pictures. I like your setup.

Did you hook the fridge to the ACC wires off of the MPPT or is it hooked up differently?

Are you running additional batteries or just the stock?

Sorry, don’t mean to hit you with a million follow-up questions—I’m just excited to receive mine (hopefully next month sometime).

I'm running it off of the solar system acc power out wires and charge wires to stock main battery right now. I'm planning on adding a "house" battery for the bed power, I'm just trying to decide what battery I want / need for it.
I was running bed power from my Aux switch at first, I just changed it over to the solar a few weeks ago.... Spring is coming.
Not a problem glad to try to help.

 

[Mac Attack]

Saw this yesterday. Looks interesting & practical for purpose-built folks. They now have panels for all models of the JT. This one is specific for Rubi's. I already have a Jackery power station & solar panel though.

Thoughts?

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/collect...-watt-hood-solar-panel?variant=35469971554456

I like the thought. There's allot of unused real estate on the hood, that for us overlanders would be great for capturing energy. Also, serves double purpose of cutting down on sun-glare. Must be vehicle specific, not settling for a generic item for JT Ruby at a premium cost...but interfering with windshield washers???...that's just poor design/engineering and failure to consult with your customers prior to manufacturing! Learn from your mistakes...do it better.

 

[Delhux]

I like the thought. There's allot of unused real estate on the hood, that for us overlanders would be great for capturing energy. Also, serves double purpose of cutting down on sun-glare. Must be vehicle specific, not settling for a generic item for JT Ruby at a premium cost...but interfering with windshield washers???...that's just poor design/engineering and failure to consult with your customers prior to manufacturing! Learn from your mistakes...do it better.

I’ve been reading a bit and it seems that when applying the panel, it is recommended to slide the panel more towards the windshield, rather than trying to center the cutouts for the hood clips. Supposedly, that avoids any issue with the windshield washer spray.

 

[DrJ]

I’ve been reading a bit and it seems that when applying the panel, it is recommended to slide the panel more towards the windshield, rather than trying to center the cutouts for the hood clips. Supposedly, that avoids any issue with the windshield washer spray.

I can confirm this works, just a few mm towards the windshield allows full spray!

 

[Blade1668]

I can confirm this works, just a few mm towards the windshield allows full spray!

Hmm I wonder if my review is why that's recommend now. Nice color choice too.

 

[dsundy]

Correct, that’s exactly why I’m thinking of getting one.

Did you ever end up doing this? Curious how one would go about setting that up.

 

[JCHGlad]

Did you ever end up doing this? Curious how one would go about setting that up.

I just installed my panel a few days ago, great product, it seems to be a high quality abs the setup was very simple. I’m not running any accessories with it yet.

 

[Delhux]

I posted this question in a separate thread last week, but I don’t think it got any visibility.

I’m hoping @JCHGlad @Blade1668 @DrJ or @BarelyAwake might see this and weigh in. Thanks.

—

I installed a Cascadia 4x4 solar panel on my Overland a couple of weeks ago.

Almost immediately, I noticed my reported battery voltage during engine runtime drop from the mid 14v range to low to mid 13v range (pretty much 14.5 to 13.2). I assumed this meant the solar panel was charging the battery and the smart alternator was adjusting its load accordingly.

In the last few days I noticed my reported battery voltage during engine runtime creep back up, ultimately back up to 14.4. That’s when I checked the MPPT.

The MPPT was showing solid green and yellow. From my read of the user manual, that seems to mean the battery is healthy, and the panel is connected but not actively charging.

The manual also said that if the panel is in direct sun light and showing solid green (instead of blinking), I should pull the fuse to reset the MPPT.

I did that and immediately the MPPT started blinking again.

I checked the next day under direct sun and it was solid green again.

I’m just curious from other Cascadia users—what is your runtime battery voltage? Does your MPPT often go to solid green under direct sun?

I’m just having a tough time having a good basis to troubleshoot this thing to determine if it is working normally or not.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Sponsored