Renogy Voyager Controller and Eclipse Solar Suitcase – Power Station Solar Upgrade

June 30, 2021 by Ben Leave a Comment

Renogy Voyager Controller and Eclipse Solar Suitcase. Having some type of portable power supply is very handy! Since building our Custom Portable Solar Power Station we have used it on countless occasions for all sorts of energy requirements. From Jump starting a car to mobile power for off-site repairs it can be a lifesaver to have a usable amount of power ready to go.

We needed a new controller for our Powerstation, so we have decided to upgrade it with a Renogy Voyager Controller and Eclipse Solar Suitcase. Keep reading to see how easy it is to wire up this basic controller and solar panel combo.

Upgrading Our Custom Portable Power Station With The Renogy Voyager Controller and Eclipse Solar Suitcase.

We upgraded our custom DIY Portable Power Station With The Following Components

Cheap Off Brand Solar Controller

Originally our solar power station was fitted with a cheap and basic PMW solar charge controller we purchased through Amazon for what seemed like a good price at the time.

It Was Good While It Lasted

I liked this controller because it had an internal relay to switch the load on or off. This is handy for USB outlets as they have a phantom load, meaning they use power even when in standby mode. Being able to switch the load means less charging to keep the power station at full charge.

Renogy Voyager

This relay switch has stopped working, so time to upgrade to a possibly better “Name Brand” Voyager Solar Charge Controller from Renogy.

Harness The Sun With A Solar Panel

Up until now, we had been charging this little power station using either this small battery maintainer or plugging it into our vans DC-DC charger via Anderson Connectors. This has worked, but what is the point of having a solar charging option if you don’t use it.

Renogy Eclipse Suitcase Folding Solar Panel

With a portable solar power station, you will want a portable solar panel. Renogy makes a great selection of these portable folding suitcase-style solar panels. The main driving factor with choosing the Eclipse model over was the weight(being much lighter). That and the fact it was on sale with a $60, I was soon parted with my money.💸💸💸

Now it’s time for the main event…

How We Install The New Renogy Voyager Controller For Use With The Eclipse Solar Suitcase.

Step-1 Pull Out The Old Junk Solar Charge Controller

Looking back through my purchase history. This junk was $50.00 too bad it failed so quickly. Hopefully, the new Renogy Controller has a longer life span.

Step-2 Label Wires and Install New Renogy Voyager Charge Controller

To make it easier to install and so I didn’t get the wires mixed up, I decided to label the wires as I disconnected them. We used a cheap knock-off label in our basic Brother P-Touch Label Maker. #Pro-Tip: You don’t need the expensive label. Just wrap it with packing tape to lock it on.

DIY Portable Power Station Wiring Diagram

In case you are interested, see the wiring diagram below to see wired up our DIY Portable Power Station for use with the upgraded Renogy Voyager Controller and Eclipse Solar Suitcase.

Step-3 Change Output Wires on Solar Panel

Renogy fits their solar panels with a proprietary design connector. I like SAE-style connections because they are widely available and easy to use. We used a spare SAE Fused Leader cable to allow connection to the solar panel supply of our new Renogy Voyager Solar Charge Controller.