Van solar starter kit (controller, monitor, fusing)
$635.71 complete kit
Ground shipping is $9.95 per order, added at checkout. Ships to the lower 48 states.
10 parts, picked to work together. Bring your own battery.
Add the whole kit to cartAlready own a part? Set it to 0 in the list below and add the rest.
The parts between your solar panels and your 12V loads in a van: MPPT controller, SmartShunt monitor, main fuse holder, switch, two busbars, a 12-circuit fuse block, 100 ft of duplex wire and ring terminals. Bring your own battery and panels.
- $9.95 ground shipping, lower 48
- 30-day returns
- Secure checkout
- Specs from the maker
- Questions? 831-477-9600
Guides that help
Description
The parts between your solar panels and your 12V loads in a van: MPPT controller, SmartShunt monitor, main fuse holder, switch, two busbars, a 12-circuit fuse block, 100 ft of duplex wire and ring terminals.
For a first solar setup in a van: panels in, 12 V loads out. Bring your own battery or add one from the list below. Example, our math: the SmartSolar 100/30 tops out at 30 A of charge, so 4 hours at full output puts back about 120 Ah, if your panels and the sun can deliver it.
Add all parts to cart. Already own a part? Set it to 0 below.
What’s in the box
| Qty | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 | Solar charge controller (MPPT), up to 100V from the panels and 30A to the battery, with Bluetooth. |
| 1 | Victron SmartShunt 500A/50mV Bluetooth | Battery monitor. Counts every amp in and out and shows state of charge on your phone over Bluetooth. No screen to mount. |
| 1 | Egis Class T fuse block 225-400A sealed | Main fuse holder for class T fuses (225 to 400A), mounted right at the battery positive. |
| 1 | Egis XD Series single 500A heavy-duty battery switch | House battery on/off switch, sealed. Turns the whole house side off for work or storage. |
| 2 | Victron Busbar 250A 4-point with cover | Busbar, 250A, 4 points, with cover. One for positives, one for negatives. |
| 1 | Egis ANL fuse block up to 4/0, 35-750A sealed | ANL fuse holder for the fused feed from the busbar to the fuse block (fits cable up to 4/0). |
| 1 | Egis RT fuse block 12-position with ground + LED | 12-circuit blade fuse block with a ground bar and blown-fuse LEDs. Takes ATO/ATC/ATF fuses from 1 to 40A, output wire up to 10 AWG (Egis). |
| 1 | Pacer Duplex wire 14/2 red/black, 100 ft | Duplex wire, 14 AWG, red and black, 100 ft. For 12V branch circuits like lights, fans and pumps. |
| 1 | Pacer Heat-shrink ring terminal 16-14 AWG 1/4in, 100-pack | Heat-shrink ring terminals for 16-14 AWG wire, 1/4 inch stud, 100 per pack. |
Swaps on this page: Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50; Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15. Set the part you don’t need to 0 and the swap to 1.
Add a battery (optional): Pro-Guide 31M180-DP 12V 180Ah Dual Purpose Lithium Battery; Pro-Guide 24M100 12V 100Ah Group 24 Lithium Battery. Set the one you want to 1. Check its manual for charge voltages and the main fuse it calls for: the class T holder here takes 225 to 400A fuses.
Not in the box
- The battery, unless you add one above
- Solar panels and panel cables (MC4 connectors)
- Battery cable for the main runs, and lugs with a 5/16 inch hole for the busbars
- A fuse holder for the controller’s battery cable
- Fuses: class T, ANL, the controller fuse and blade fuses, sized to each cable
Who it’s for
Van builders putting in a first solar setup on 12V, up to about 30A of charge from the roof. Works with a lithium or lead-acid battery, as long as the controller is set to that battery maker’s numbers.
Good fit if: You’re putting a first 12V solar setup in your van, up to about 30A of charge from the roof, on lithium or lead-acid.
Not the pick if: You want more than 30A of solar charge: swap in the SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 listed on this page.
How it goes together
You can do this. Here’s how.
- Turn everything off and disconnect the battery, negative first.
- Mount the class T holder as close to the battery positive as it fits. Battery positive to the fuse, fuse to the switch.
- Switch to the positive busbar.
- Battery negative goes to BATTERY MINUS on the shunt. Nothing else goes there.
- Run one cable from SYSTEM MINUS on the shunt to the negative busbar. Every other negative lands on that busbar.
- Connect the shunt’s thin fused red wire to the battery positive. That’s how it reads voltage.
- Controller battery side: positive through its own 35 to 40A fuse to the positive busbar, negative to the negative busbar.
- From the positive busbar, the ANL holder feeds the 12-circuit fuse block. Fuse it for that cable.
- One circuit per blade fuse. Run the small negatives to the fuse block’s ground bar, then one wire from the ground bar to the negative busbar.
- Fit the fuses and reconnect the battery (positive first, negative last). Set the controller to your battery, then connect the panels last.
Read next: Camper van electrical system kit · What size MPPT charge controller?
Fit rules
- The Egis 3912 holder takes only 225 to 400A class T fuses. If your battery maker calls for 200A or less, you need a smaller holder (not in this kit).
- Pick panels whose open-circuit voltage on the coldest day stays under the controller’s 100V limit. That limit is the first number in the name “MPPT 100/30”. (Victron naming)
- Set the controller to your battery maker’s voltages, or its LiFePO4 preset if your battery maker says it matches. (Victron SmartSolar MPPT manual)
- Fuse the controller’s battery cable at 35 to 40A. Its terminals take wire up to 16 mm2 (6 AWG). (Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 manual)
- The controller output lands on the positive side through its own fuse, and its negative on the busbar on the system side of the shunt, so the shunt counts the solar. (Guide 2)
- The fuse block’s small negatives gather on its ground bar; one cable from there goes to the busbar.
Maker’s pages: Victron SmartSolar MPPT · Victron SmartShunt · Egis class T holder · Egis XD switch
Questions
Are solar panels included?
No. Any 12V panels whose open-circuit voltage stays under 100V in the cold work with this controller.
Can I run more than 30A of solar charge?
Swap the 100/30 for the 100/50 listed on this page. For a small roof, the 75/15 is there too.
Does it work with lead-acid?
Yes. The controller and monitor work with lead-acid or lithium. Set both to your battery.
Is 14 AWG wire enough for my fridge?
It depends on the fridge’s current and the length of the run, out and back. Use the wire gauge calculator before you cut.
Each part ships from the maker’s distributor, so a kit can arrive in more than one box.
