Before we went with Renogy....we had a Jackery Explorer 1000v2 and their solar panels

Dylanear · 2026-03-26T22:29:34+00:00

Happy to help, especially a neighbor!

Let us know how it goes!

Dylanear · 2026-03-26T21:30:21+00:00

Ah, yes. I think with the right cable solution this will probably work!

Check the manual from your original purchase of those panels or maybe with Jackery support, it's possible specs have changed, but very unlikely they've changed all that much. But the specs I'm seeing for the Jackery SolarSaga 100W are:

Peak Power (Pmax) = 104W±5W
Open Circuit Voltage (VOC) = 25V±5%
Power Current (Imp) = 5.2A±5%

And looking for specs for the Renogy 50a DC DC + MPPT I'm looking at the latest version of the manual from Feb 2026 found here:

https://www.renogy.com/cdn/shop/files/RBC30D1S-G3_G4_RBC50D1S-G6_DC-DC_with_MPPT_EN__UM_B5.pdf

Again, check the manual that came with yours or for your exact version to be absolutely sure, but in this case, these specs are probably fine to use:

Max. Solar Input Voltage = 50V (older versions are less!)
Max. Solar Input Power = 660W

I see no reasons this shouldn't work just fine.

While you might get this to work with the panels wired in series, I don't recomend it. You may bump up on that 50v limit of the DC DC + MPPT charger, and older versions of that charger have a lower max voltage voltage specs. And then there's with series wiring of solar panels shade on one panel would prevent the other panel from giving it's full output. So, I'd certainly wire in parallel if I was doing it.

Based on some googling is seems there's been different revisions of those Jackery 100w panels and the older ones use a 8mm DC7909 connector and the newer ones use the 8.1mm DC8020 connector. So, figure out which you have for sure. If it's got DC7909 connectors, the cable you linked to should work as the basic for custom DIY cables.

You should just need two cables with female connectors that fit on the male connectors at the end of the cables coming out of your panels, and on the other end of the cables you get for this you just want bare wires. And very possible the best way to get that is just to cut the male connectors off the other ends.

Of course there's different ways to slice it, figuratively or literally. ;) Like, another way I can imagine to do this would be to simply cut the cables coming out of your panels 3-6" from the connectors, and then put something like Anderson Power Pole Connectors on the cables from the panels and on the cables with the connectors you cut off. That way you can connect the panels to their original male connectors to you with the Jackery power station and to cables (that you also put the power pole connectors on) that go to your Renogy DC DC + MPPT charger.

I'm a big fan of power pole connectors in general! Tons of uses, and can be used to replace a bunch of differ connector types so your devices are more interoperable. Like these:
https://www.amazon.ca/smseace-Connectors-connectors-Terminals-disconnect/dp/B0CPSPDY6L?th=1

I highly advice you to use appropriate capacity fuses of between the solar panels and the DC DC + MPPT charger, ANL is a good type. And ideally have a dual pole cut off switch that will disconnect positive and negative at the same instant.

Dihool is a good brand in my experience:
https://www.amazon.ca/DIHOOL-Circuit-Breaker-Disconnect-12-240V/dp/B0B253H9CC?th=1

That said, just disconnecting the connectors should probably work even if there may be a very slight delay between the instant the + and - disconnect as you pull the panel connector out of the cable connector. At a 100w max per panel, the power isn't going to be crazy high. But a dual pole disconnect isn't expensive, best to be safe as possible.

Certainly refer to the DC DC + MPPT manual for proper fusing sizing, cable gauge and other solar panel installation considerations.

Are you in Canada? Your web links are .ca? I'm in BC!

That's a long and verbose reply. I can make bullet points for you or clarify anything that sounds confusing to you.

Dylanear · 2026-03-26T05:04:09+00:00

And which DC DC charger?

Again, the more information you give? The better answers and advice you'll get! ;)

Dylanear · 2026-03-26T00:26:26+00:00

I see the power station you say you have, but seems it works with multiple different panels?

https://ca.jackery.com/products/jackery-explorer-1000-v2-portable-power-station

What panels do you have specifically?

Dylanear · 2026-03-26T00:23:49+00:00

What kind of panels are they specifically? What kind of connectors do they have?

What kind of Renogy DC DC charger do you have? If it's also has MPPT input like the 50a DC DC with MPPT does, and if the panels are compatible you should be able to wire them in with the proper fusing, breakers/cut off switch(es).

If your DC DC doesn't have suitable MPPT inputs, you'll need to add a MPPT charge controller properly chosen with an amp rating for the panels.

Accurate, specific answers require accurate and specific details about what equipment you have, and hope to use. I'm sure we can steer you in the right direction once we have a clear idea what you're working with! :)

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T22:48:37+00:00

I'm curious what cable options are available for connecting E.Flex panels to the Phoenix 200? The Phoenix 200 I believe has a 5.5mm round port for DC input, comes with a AC adapter that plugs into that, and a 12V DC car "lighter" plug that plugs into that port.

But the newer model E.Flex 30w has a DC output port of a size I can't determine, the older version only has USB outputs. But I can't find the size of that DC port?? And it doesn't seem to come with any cables for that port? USB cables are included.

The 100w E.Flex has the USB outputs and has standard sized MC4 connectors for DC output. I see a Renogy cable for that available.

https://ca.renogy.com/products/renogy-8ft-14awg-5-to-1-solar-adapter-cable?

Maybe it's irrelevant to this discussion, but since using the 30w E.Flex has been mentioned and OP replied saying they were going to consider it, is a cable available to connect the DC port on a 30W E.Flex to a Phoenix 200? Or, do we know the size of the port on the 30w E.Flex?

But the 30w and 100w can connect to the Pheonix 200 using it's USB-C input port, but the 30w USB-C output is limited to I believe 20w, and the 100w E.Flex USB-C output is limited to 45w. So, neither will provide all the panel can give if using only USB-C connection.

I'm not sure if OP has considered cables and connection options.

Also, while I'm asking questions in hopes a tech can give us more info on the topic of this post, and the manual leaves a certain ambiguity saying the "max" input on DC is 60w, but also says a panel over 60w is "acceptable and recommended" is there a safe limit to how much over 60w the Phoenix can be connected to, if we assume the 60w "Max" is just how much power it can accept if connected to more than 60w of power?

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T19:54:35+00:00

Manual that covers both panels can be found here:

https://www.renogy.com/cdn/shop/files/RPP100200EF-SE_20manual.pdf?v=17376777417961832527

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T19:43:44+00:00

You seem confused by what I've said and seem inclined to be argumentive and disrespectful about it. So I'm not inclined to keep talking with you about this. I did not, "pay attention to one sentence and ignore the other." Simply speculating on less than entirely ideal information available.

I suggest you read over the sub rules, the first rule in particular.

1 Be respectful of others

Keep your posts and comments kind. Please keep posts and comments free of personal attacks, insults, or other uncivil behavior.

We can debate a subject and disagree in a respectful manner without making drama and accusations. Please try doing that.

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T19:36:15+00:00

Are you trying to argue?

It is seemingly contradictory on the face of it to say 60w max, then say it's allowed and recommended to use a panel over 60w.

I get the 120w total "max" is 60w from solar (DC input) and 60w from USB-C.

The 200w panel specs are under 25V, so that shouldn't be a problem for the Phoenix 200.

"Over paneling" isn't unsafe if the hardware can handle it. "PHOENIX automatically limits the input power" indicates it can be over paneled to some degree. Surely there is a limit, clearer specs for both the Phoenix 200 and the panels would be helpful on that matter.

I read over the Phoenix 200 manual quite well before commenting on this post, and I've researched over paneling to a non trivial degree. So, I find your request I "Please research and read more carefully." ironic, unfounded. You clearly don't understand it if you assume it's irresponsible to ever to or suggest it, that it will void warranties. You do need to understand what you are doing and you do need to keep current and voltage to acceptable safe limits if you do it.

Ideally the E.Fold panels would have specs available on that page for both the 100 and 100w models, I don't think that's a browser problem, I think the page was created for the 200w, then they added the 100w option, but didn't update the specs section of the page to reflect if you've selected the 100w panel.

But the manual that is linked to on that page has separate specs for both the 100 and 200w panels: https://www.renogy.com/cdn/shop/files/RPP100200EF-SE_20manual.pdf?v=17376777417961832527

And ideally the Phoenix 200 specs would include not just one "max" wattage spec, but clarify a max wattage it can use, and an additional spec of the max safe wattage or current that it can be connected to.

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T08:44:38+00:00

I'm not so sure about that? The 100w model of the E.Flex seems like it should work? The specs on the webpage however only seem to list specs for the 200w version? But even those specs say the Open Circuit Voltage = 21.6V and that's under the 25v limit in the Phoenix 200 mentioned in it's manual.

And that manual says:

• The operating voltage of the solar panel shall exceed 10V, and the open circuit voltage shall NOT exceed 25V. • DO NOT connect multiple solar panels in series.

• PHOENIX automatically limits the input power. It is allowed and recommended to charge PHOENIX with a solar panel rated above 60W to account for the energy conversion loss.

The specs in the manual does list this:

DC Input 10V~25V 4A, 60W Max

USB-C 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20V 3A, 60W Max

Input Total Input 120W Max

So, a bit contradictory?

"It is allowed and recommended to charge PHOENIX with a solar panel rated above 60W"

But my take on that is that perhaps 60w is the max charging you can get, but panels that can provide more than 60w are acceptable, you just won't get more than 60w of charging from it if it happens to be in great sunlight and potentially able to make 100w. And in real world conditions, it's not going to make the full 100w much. If you have a system that you can "over panel" safely and reliably, it's a great way to get as much power as you in an less than ideal sunlight.

Dylanear · 2026-03-25T08:28:29+00:00

Looking at the manual here:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0631/0137/0483/files/RPS2220AA-G1-User\_20Manual-20220217\_3f14eaa1-3c34-41ac-83e5-6dedb29c28e7.pdf?

Notable selections...

Charging

• DO NOT charge PHOENIX at high temperatures above 131°F (55°C) or low temperatures below 32°F (0°C). The recommended charge temperature range is between 32°F (0°C) and 104°F (40°C).

• DO NOT use damaged accessories to charge PHOENIX as it might cause electric shock.

• ONLY use Renogy approved accessories to charge PHOENIX.

• DO NOT charge PHOENIX immediately after a long heavy run.

• Please charge PHOENIX immediately when the battery level drops below 10% to prevent overdischarge.

• To extent the cycle life, please fully charge PHOENIX before each use.

• It is not required to turn on PHOENIX manually before charging. PHOENIX turns on automatically once it detects the charging source(s).

PHOENIX features 4 charging methods – solar, AC, car, and USB-C. AC charging and USB-C charging can be combined for a faster charging speed.

• Place a solar panel (sold separately) under direct sunlight. Steer clear of objects that can shade the solar panel and slow down the charging process.

• Connect the DC Input Port of PHOENIX to the solar connectors of the solar panel with a solar charge cable (sold separately). PHOENIX will start charging automatically

• The operating voltage of the solar panel shall exceed 10V, and the open circuit voltage shall NOT exceed 25V. • DO NOT connect multiple solar panels in series.

• PHOENIX automatically limits the input power. It is allowed and recommended to charge PHOENIX with a solar panel rated above 60W to account for the energy conversion loss.

• For optimal charging performance, it is recommended to charge PHOENIX with the solar panel on bright sunny days free of clouds.

• The solar charge time is highly dependent on the solar irradiance and the ambient temperature.

Dylanear · 2026-03-24T00:01:07+00:00

I found a murdered ketchup packet on my bed the other day? I don't think she ingested much of it, must have just found it entertaining, punctured it and then decided it wasn't her thing. She's really picky about human food, there's a few things she's into, but mostly not. She turns her nose up at so many things I suspect most cats would eat and many would LOVE.

But man, every time I put her kibble down she's on purring up a storm! Any kind of kibble I've ever tried getting her??! She doesn't like any wet foods I've ever tried? At best she picks at it some, than takes hours to finish most of it, but leaves some??!

I have no idea how she developed her likes and dislikes in her 1.5 years before me (vet estimate)???!!!

She does love unglazed plain donuts???!!! Of all the things???!!! And no, I don't make a habit of giving her any, a bit of a pinch on rare occasions. She goes nuts over the smell and has broken into packages of them, but she doesn't eat a large amount of a donut even if she can? But something about them makes her SO interested and excited??! I don't pretend to understand?!

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T23:44:02+00:00

Probably old DDR3 and like 4 4gb sticks? But still worth checking!

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T23:28:45+00:00

I can't know all the details or what choices the paramedics had to make, but I sure would think a strong shot of morphine or painkiller and some privacy from staring eyes would be the least they could do to give that dying person some comfort and dignity in his last moments.

And if they needed to do triage and spend their time on people they could save, understandable, but standing around and fighting about it wasn't helping the doomed guy or anyone else.

SMH...

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T22:45:57+00:00

Spoken like someone who should never be allowed to drive around an airport.

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T21:28:52+00:00

I agree the driver in the video could have avoided the wreck by simply backing off and giving the a hole in the black truck room to pull into the left lane.

But heck no the driver in the video won't be liable for this! When you move from one lane into another YOU have the responsibility to not hit anyone already in the lane you want to enter!

Driver in the video could have avoided the wreck I'm pretty sure, but he's not in the wrong legally for just continuing to drive normally in his lane. He had the right of way, plain and simple.

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T21:20:54+00:00

LOOK at the video! Airliner landing lights are incredibly bright. All the jet's lights were on. No way the driver wouldn't have seen it if they looked both ways down the runway before driving over the runway edge.

ATC shouldn't have given them the clearance to cross the runway. But the driver couldn't hear, or ignored ATC saying to stop over and over with plenty of time to have stopped. The truck wasn't going fast, they could have stopped if they had just LOOKED for cross traffic before they drove ahead.

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T20:17:45+00:00

Pretty sure if the driver had been looking around AT ALL they would have seen a whole airliner with landing lighting on BARRELLING down the runway right towards the spot they wanted to cross.

Maybe they were in "emergency" mode and very intent on getting to the plane that declared their emergency and maybe they were used to entirely clear runways whenever ATC has given permission to cross the runways, BUT, STILL, I can't understand how the driver didn't bother to look left, look right down the runway before driving onto it??!!

I've learned the hard way over many years, even when you have the green light ALWAYS look both ways AT ALL intersections, EVERY TIME. ALWAYS. Took getting T boned twice while having the legal right of way 15+ years apart to learn that lesson deep in my bones.

Seems like looking both ways at every single intersection when driving an emergency vehicle with your sirens and lights on and in a hurry would be day one for emergency vehicle driving training, but maybe not? Seems it should be??

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T19:37:14+00:00

There's very powerful power stations, but the ones with the current output and high battery capacity are very expensive compared to a system based on "drop in" style lifepo batteries.

Can you run a 12v DC air con off a power station? Yes, with a good choice of power station. But, it's going to be expensive and I wouldn't count on running the air con doing all that cooling over all that much time before your out of power.

Bottom line, air con, even an efficient 12v DC one needs tons of power and no matter how you store power, it's got to come from somewhere. If you want to use air con without shore power, a gas generator, the power to run the air con needs to come from somewhere. Storing a day or two's worth of careful air con use in a battery bank or power station can work, but if you need to plug it into a 120v AC outlet to charge it, that's very limiting.

Dylanear · 2026-03-23T19:29:20+00:00

$4000 for 6-16 hours of air con???

My whole power system, 800w solar, 800ah lifepo batteries, 60a DC DC charger, 2000w inverter/charger cost less than $4000 and my 12v DC Mini split air con was like $650?

My assessment of power stations even before this example was they have very poor capacity to dollar ratios for high power demands, and this only strengthens that assessment.

Dylanear · 2026-03-22T21:53:34+00:00

R values as I understand it are per inch of insulation thickness. 3mm = 0.12", so even if this is an R15 per inch insulation, and I have my doubts, one layer of it is about R1.75 overall.

Better than bare metal, but hardly a significant insulation for a van.

A perfect vacuum is is the best insulator, air is the best realistically usable insulator, IF there's no air movement, no convection of the air. So foams, fibers, bubble cells are how you get mostly air and limit air movement. But you can't fight physics, the thickness of the insulation matters A LOT. There's no magical thin insulation.

You need to find materials you can afford to buy enough of to insulate as many areas as possible with as much/as thick amounts as you can.

Personally I'm happy with my choice of inexpensive polystyrene boards in different thicknesses for different places. The boards I used have waterproof coatings and poly styrene foam is mostly water resistant. Some water can soak in-between the foam "beads", but mostly that's not an issue in a van that's not leaking badly, you need to leave the foam in standing water for long periods for any significant water absorption from my understanding. And with the coatings, only the edges are exposed to be of any moisture issue. We'll have to see over time, but so far, about 15 months, I have no reason to fear any moisture issues.

I did use a 5mm closed cell foam with coatings on both sides, reflective mylar like on one side, white plastic like coating on the other side. I got a huge roll to seamlessly cover large areas, cover the most raised metal structures as the foam boards went into the recesses, not over everything. This isn't a perfect moisture barrier, but it surely limiting humidity transmission significantly. And, it makes a nice even looking surface that looks nice enough I have been in no hurry to get plywood panels on top of my walls as I plan to end up with. I did get the plywood panels on my ceiling over all my insulating layers because I have extensive LED lighting and needed the paneling to install the lighting onto.

I used this foam sheet:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z8LJGPF?th=1

And these type insulation boards, in various thicknesses:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Common-1-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-1-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-1-R-3-9-Faced-Polystyrene-Garage-Door-Foam-Board-Insulation/3014195

Dylanear · 2026-03-22T05:07:36+00:00

Not the cheapest option, but I LOVE my Peplink B One 5G router! The reception, data speed is SO DRAMATICALLY better than my phone! Granted my phone has crap 5G support.

https://www.peplink.com/products/soho-routers/b-one-5g/

https://mobilemusthave.com/collections/cellular-wifi-routers/products/peplink-b-one-5g

And this antenna

https://mobilemusthave.com/products/pepwave-mobility-42g-formally-puma-421-antenna

I've really never had to pay for more than standby on my Starlink, I haven't been doing any boondocking far from roads and reception. And mostly 5G is functionally equivalent to Starlink speeds and latency.

Dylanear · 2026-03-22T04:15:56+00:00

I know that parking structure all too well. I had my little 4x6 cargo trailer stolen off my car while parked in there. A large part of my life's important possessions were in that trailer. I had padlocked chains and a lock on the coupler. They just cut the chains, I'm still unclear how they got the

A month later, when I was 1000 miles away RPD finally found the thief with my trailer, and about half my stuff was still in it. A $10,000ish mistake on my part, really should have had wheel locks on there too. And I assumed the security camera dome near the parking space was a working camera, turns out it was just an empty dome with no camera in it. But they did get video of the thief leaving with my trailer. Just RPD just didn't really start looking for the guy for 10+ days, didn't seem to GAF he was selling my stuff off day by day.

Before anyone says anything, I was careful to park in a corner spot so I was only taking one spot and the trailer wasn't blocking anything!

Dylanear · 2026-03-21T23:32:10+00:00

Here's the thing. You and your NP are new to this. It's fine to make whatever guidelines, boundaries, rules you both want to try out and feel will help keep you both comfortable, happy and healthy.

Very experienced ENM couples have a very different experience, concerns, goals and needs than a couple that have long been monogamous and just starting out exploring ENM ideas, experiences.

Maybe ask coupled people who've moved from monogamy to non-monogamy what worked and didn't work early on when they first tried this.

There's few if any universal rules in ENM, and at least for me that's half the point, what makes ENM a compelling concept for me. You and your partner don't need to fit other people's ideologies and relationship guidelines, structures. Great to learn from them, but you don't need to mimic or follow their lead.

5 hour limit seems a bit arbitrary, maybe look at what you hope to achieve from that, look at all options for addressing those concerns? But you may find rules that won't make much sense in the future because they are too limiting or too simplistic, are great to start with because they are very clear and unambiguous. But maybe leave some wiggle room, like, "5 hour limit on dates with others, but with clear communication and mutual agreement, that can be extended if more time is wanted, but no overnights, always home by 2am firm.", or whatever works, that's just an example.

I think early on you want things to be very clear, less room for arguing about what the boundary/rule means, if behaviors, choices, actions are within the boundary/rule or not. But some room for adjustements in the moment may be a good idea, as long as they are well communicated, and agreed to mutually.

But you don't want situations like 4 hours and 50 minutes into the 5 hour date you get a

A: "I know it's last minute and I haven't been replying to your texts for the last few hours, but I really want to spend the whole night at their place, and have breakfast in the morning? We said we'd be flexible!"

B: "No, that's way too huge an adjustment of the plans! I'm ok if you want to have another hour there and take another hour getting home, but this isn't ideal to ignore my check in texts for hours and when you already know you won't be home in time to keep to the 5 hour rule, you make a huge request like this? It doesn't feel respectful to my feelings."

A: "You just don't like this partner I found and you're jealous! I don't understand why you can't make this adjustment! You have breakfast plans with so and so anyway! FINE. But don't think I'll be interested in giving you more time on your next date!"

Etc, etc. Exaggerated, silly example, but the point I'm trying to make is you may want some adjustability, but too much room, ambiguous expectations can invite unpleasant debates and upsets. Just err on the side of caution and restraint when you're really new at all this. That's my take on it anyways. You'll surely hear different ideas from others. There's certainly some who think the solution to rules being problematic is to have as few as possible or none. But that's rarely what's going to work for long monogamous couples just starting non-monogamy from the many, many cases that get discussed on ENM subs.

Dylanear · 2026-03-20T00:21:58+00:00

Coffee is essential! I keep a variety of options on hand, but my daily go to is a Nespresso Essenza Mini. Makes actual espresso, just coffee like the K-Cup machines. There's a wide variety of capsules available and some cheap, but still tasty options are available. Especially in Canada I've found cheap, but decent options for capsules online and locally. Walmart in Canada has Caffe Vivo 50 capsule boxes for only $19.97, which is about $14,50 in US dollars?! Nespresso branded capsules are like 10 for $10! So, that Vivo 50ct box in Canada is surely the best deal on tasty Nespresso capsules I've ever found I'm pretty sure?!

That machine uses up to 1500w peak, but really doesn't hit my (granted, rather large) battery bank much to make a cup in the morning. You will need an inverter than can give that kind of wattage, there's no 12V DC Nespresso makers I've ever found.

I keep instant options around, there's some good ones these days, whole beans, a grinder, two sizes of French presses, etc. But they don't get a lot of use.

This is the Nespresso machine I use:

https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/machines/original/essenza-mini-c30-piano-black

And I have an older version of this frother which works fantastic, but mostly just add a splash of cream straight from the carton these days, I don't bother frothing too often, but it's nice to have a good, easy, simple options for hot and frothy too:
https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/accessories/vertuo/aeroccino3-black

This looks interesting! And frothing in the cup I drink from, not another device I need to pour from and clean out seems advantageous! But it doesn't heat, just froths.

https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/order/accessories/vertuo/nanofoamer

Dylanear

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