A friend came by to look at my solar panel and the charge controller. We realized that I do not have cords to connect the two. More research online and I found what I needed at Amazon. All I need now is the wiring between the charge controller and battery. At this point I will be able to charge the battery all day long! Very nice. Nothing about this is difficult or expensive, complicated or mind numbing.

By the way, I am not mounting my solar system on the camper or van. Hail is a big problem in this area. Also, I can more easily “aim” a free-standing panel towards the sun. When traveling, I will store the solar panel in the van, using the cardboard box it shipped in or maybe mount to a thin piece of wood.

Here are the links to what I bought at Amazon. While I went the long route and ordered individual components, I learned later that the manufacturer also offers a starter kit which has  all the components : )

Complete Set-Up (except for wires to battery)

I do not know if one battery and one 100 Watt panel will meet all my needs yet. I am going one step at a time, getting ready for big trip in July/Aug. While I am deciding if one panel, one battery is enough I will install a 12 volt plug inside the camper so that I can charge my computer and other electronics.

Don’t forget the inline fuse!

Popup portal is a great web forum and covers all topics, including adding solar and 12V outlets. I highly recommend http://www.popupportal.com/

By the way, I have set up my Amazon Affiliate Account, If you access Amazon through my site I will get a small commission from any thing you buy! All proceeds will go towards my camper upgrades and my 6 week sabbatical trip in summer 2014. Thanks!