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Old 07-07-2012, 05:21 AM   #1
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Mods to a Jayco 806.

Hi gang. I'm a new jayco owner. I recently purchased a used 2009 Jayco 806 in Massachusetts and couldn't wait to get started on modifications. First up, Solar Panels. These are 3 Keyocera KD140's. I'll try to keep you posted as I go along here.

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Old 07-07-2012, 05:53 AM   #2
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Welcome shugrue. Really nice job on installing the panels... looks like a pro did it.
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Old 07-08-2012, 09:08 AM   #3
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Good job... did you make the tiltable?
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Old 07-09-2012, 08:33 PM   #4
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I see there is a "modifications" section in this forum. I will move this thread there.
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Old 07-09-2012, 08:45 PM   #5
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Cool Mods to a Jayco 806

Hi gang. I'm a new jayco owner. I recently purchased a used 2009 Jayco 806 in Massachusetts and couldn't wait to get started on modifications. First up, Solar Panels. These are 3 Keyocera KD140's, 4 ACDelco Voyager II batteries and a Samlex 1500W Inverter and Charge Controller. Included is a picture of the wiring panel connecting everything together.

I'll try to keep you posted with performance data as I evaluate this system.
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Old 07-09-2012, 08:53 PM   #6
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Did you do the wiring yourself? Very nice job!



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Old 07-10-2012, 06:14 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shugrue View Post
I see there is a "modifications" section in this forum. I will move this thread there.
I merged the two threads to keep all the relevant posts together.
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Old 07-10-2012, 07:25 AM   #8
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In the interest of structual simplicity and safty the panel are fixed in the horizontal position. It was suggested in other solar forums that panel tilting in the summer would yield only 22% more output at my latitude and if neccesary an additional panel would achieve the same result. Which is why there are 3 panels on the roof.

-p
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Old 07-10-2012, 07:30 AM   #9
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Yes I did the wiring. It turns out that keeping the wiring neat and tidy is easy if you have the time and can obtain the cable management devices in your neighborhood with relative ease. Fortunately I am able to find just about everything I need locally in the Greater Boston Area.

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Old 07-10-2012, 07:42 AM   #10
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Yes I did. It turns out that keeping the wiring neat and tidy is easy if you have the time and can obtain the cable management devices in your neighborhood with relative ease. Fortunately I am able to find just about everything I need locally in the Greater Boston Area.

-p
Well very nice job. I deal a lot with wiring and cable management and I always stress to folks - it of looks bad on the outside - it is probably bad on the inside.



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Old 07-10-2012, 07:07 PM   #11
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Wow...nice job!
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Old 07-19-2012, 05:44 AM   #12
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Most recent field trip.

Hi folks.

My Wife and I took the 806 out for 2 nights to a local State Park to put some finishing touches on the solar system and other comfort items.
Things went well equipment-wise. I also installed a computer and monitor for entertainment which also ran great. The mission was to induce some battery loading and monitor solar recovery but the site had very poor sun exposure and the results will have to wait. Anyway, I've include a picture of the heart of the system and it's latest configuration for your amusemnet.

-p
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Old 07-19-2012, 09:06 AM   #13
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Nice job... curious of approximate cost and of course will watch for your field test...

With the POPUPS it so nice to have the roof at arms length for mods...

Nice size POPUP you have. Mine is 12-foot box and has just a little more floor space it appears... My unit is the OFF-ROAD Starcraft 14RT version which has a beefed up frame and weighs in around 4200lbs when we are loaded up for camping off the power grid. We do rather well running around 255 AH battery bank and being able to re-charge in a short 2-3 hours 2KW generator run time period. Solar Panels is next for me and I just want them to basically aid me in keeping the batteries up during the daylight hours. 120WATT panel setup would probably work just fine for me...

But being able to really get to all four sides of the roof when the POPUP is down seems like a great working environment to really get a nice setup installed. I have a perfect opened up spot for the panels you just installed.

Looks like a very nice job... I always put a lot of effort in laying things out and routing thru pvc conduit and other professional install techniques. That is what I did back in my NAVELEX Charleston SC working days. No drilling thru the middle of the roof and running the cables straight down to a box on the floor for me... Of course Momabear could hang a hair dryer on the cable maybe...

I see you are up there in Raytheon country... been down a few roads with those guys too in my working years... They were all great electronic systems installers as well...
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Old 07-20-2012, 10:06 AM   #14
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I paid $5500.00 for the camper used. The solar equipment mods are currently at about $2000.00. The labor is free. Also, I insured the trailer for somewhere around $150.00/year.

-p
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Old 08-11-2012, 07:38 AM   #15
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Recent gadget installed.

This is not a satellite antenna. It is a Radio Shack television antenna. It installs like a satellite dish but it's aimed horizontally in the direction of terrestial transmitter in your area. It has an amplifier built in and works very well. Up on the north shore in Massachusetts we recieve a couple of dozen channels from several stations. The amplifier is powered by 9vdc.

-p
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Old 06-18-2013, 09:48 AM   #16
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Jayco 806 Solar System Update!

Last september my Wife and I camped at Greenbelt Park in Maryland. This is a great park because it is right next door to Washingtin DC. From the campsite we drove our van a few miles to the nearest metro station and headed into DC every day for a full week. (All those museums and they're FREE!!) We had a great time. The camper worked out ok but good sun exposure continues to be a problem at most campsites that are set in the woods. We also experienced a problem with battery chargers for our Nikon cameras. These chargers will draw a small amount of energy even with no battery in it to charge. This in turn keeps the big Samlex 1500 Watt Inverter cycling out of standby about 200 time an hour which depleted our batteries considerably. Bad sun exposure due to overcast skys and tree shadows complicated the problem even more. But when we realized what was going on with the Nikon chargers and unplugged them when not in use the batteries charged up and everything was fine. If your look at the photo you will notice we have a 5 cubic foot chest freezer running. It's running off the inverter and runs great. It only pulls about 600 watts to start and then settles to 100 watts to run for about five to ten minutes 20 or 30 times a day. Oh by the way, this freezer is running as a refridgerator by installing an external thermostically controlled power switch. The temperature is set to 40 degrees f. All in all the campers solar system ran fine and seems to be sized right for all our power needs. Next we will try running an induction hot plate to boil water for coffee and tea. I will post the results.

Later.

-pat
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Old 07-04-2013, 06:56 AM   #17
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I was able to field test an induction cooktop in a minor way. My goal was to determine power requirements for the device and monitor load response and recovery of the solar system as a whole. The test were limited to boiling water for several cups of coffee and was performed twice over two days. Direct sunlight for the solar panels was limited to about 2 1/2 hours a day as is typical for shady campsites . The cooktop was set at 1000 watts and comsumed approximately 600 watts of battery power for 10 minutes to boil about a quart of water according to the Samlex 1500w Invertor. All went well and the battery module seemed to recover quickly under the circumstances. It's my opinion that with six hours of direct sunlite a day this cooktop could be used on a regular basis with plenty of reserve in the battery module for other power requirements. Keep in mind that the cooktop was only used for boiling and heating not frying. We use propane for all other cooking.
FYI: The cooktop cost about $200.00(US) at a local commercial restaurant equipment dealer. In fact my wife and I always buy our cookware at this store because they know the professional requirements. As a result all the equipement is built to last.

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Old 07-04-2013, 08:15 AM   #18
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Thanks for the updates...keep them coming. I'll bet you get the looks rolling down the road with solar panels and that TV antenna.
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Old 07-06-2013, 01:12 AM   #19
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Pat, really enjoyed reading your posts. Great pics and it's interesting seeing how well solar works in real world conditions. Btw that's one fancy stove.
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Old 07-06-2013, 07:14 AM   #20
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That is one "Hi-Tech" PUP!!!!!!!
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