Solar, Wiring, and Equipment Installation

T-Top Mount #

• Use a ladder or bucket truck to get to the top of the pole. Mount pole T-top or side brackets and secure into position with the correct hardware. Make ready to receive bracketed solar panels.
• Place on top of the pole, fully tighten set screws so that the T-top will not swivel with force.
• Slide the pass-through pole into the T-top mount.
• Take measurements of the width between the mounting holes in the solar panel frame and secure U-bolts with saddle clamps to the pass-through pole at these measurements.
• Mount the framework brackets (onto which the solar panel(s) will be connected) to the U-bolt saddle clamps attached to the pass-through pole. Secure in such a way that the solar panel(s) can lay flat on top of the brackets to be mounted.
• Safely transport the solar panel(s) up to the mounting bracket. Lay the panel(s) flat with the holes in its frame aligned with the holes in the bracket.
• Use ¼” – 20 hardware to secure the panel(s) to the bracket. When done, do a shake test to be sure the panel(s) are immobile and tight.
• Rotate the pass-through pole, so the solar panel is at the required angle. Tighten set screws so the pass-through pole is secure and will not rotate with force.

Pole Side Mount #

• Measure the total available width of the bracket assembly, then measure the width of the mounting holes on the solar panel frame. If the holes exceed the width of the bracket, drill new holes into the solar panel frame.
• Assemble the L-brackets to the pole mounting brackets. Mount those assemblies to the pole using U-bolts, running them into the appropriate slots, and securing them to the pole.
• Attach the mounting frames to the solar panel frame. Review the angle at which the panel must sit and attach the extending arms to the appropriate holes to achieve that angle.
• Transport, the panel with mounting hardware attached to the pole mounts via ladder or bucket truck.
• Attach all 4 points of contact: The two extension arms to the bottom L-brackets and the holes of the frame mount to the top L-brackets. Once the hardware begins to be tight, make final adjustments to the panel’s position and secure all hardware down tightly. Apply limited force to the panel to test its immobility.                                                                 

After Mounting Solar Panel(s) #

• Cut the power cable restraints on the solar panel’s backside and run the cables’ existing length along the inside edge of the panel frame.
• Measure the correct lengths of wire to run from the solar panel connectors down to the Bison Box. Strip and attach the mating connectors to those wires and plug them into the solar panel power cable connectors. Let them hang until the Bison Box is mounted, assembled, and ready to receive these wires.
• Split loom the entire length of these wires that are exposed.

Camera Mounting #

• Use one corner mount per camera. Run metal hose clamps in the slots available to fasten these mounts to the pole.
• Secure the mounts between 9 – 10ft up from the base of the pole, with 10” from the bottom of one mount to the base of the next. This is displayed in the referenced drawings.
• Assemble the camera clamp mount to the cameras, then to the ram ball on the corner camera mount
• Tighten the C-clamps down, so the cameras do not move.
• Connect the camera cables and secure the threads of the connection tightly.
• Split loom all the exposed cables from the cameras to the box.

Enclosure Assembly and Mounting #

• Run a metal cable clamp or strap through the mounting brackets on the back of the Battery Box.
• Knock out the material in the two precut holes at the box’s bottom. Attach a pass-through cable gland in each hole and secure them.
• If not already assembled, attach the fixed tray to Battery Box onto the PEMs in the rear and secure it with wingnuts.
• Attach and secure the Victron solar charge controller to the available PEMs on one of the side walls. If PEMs are not available, mark the four holes on the box using the charge controller. Drill each mark with a spot at a proper size to fit ¼” bolts into them. Insert each bolt with a washer on it into each hole. Mount the charge controller and secure it with nylock nuts.
• Silicone around each bolt on the outside of the box once finished.
• Hold the box at the proper elevation (2ft. from the ground to the base) on the pole and secure it, feeding the strand of the metal banding strap around the pole and into the tensioner.
• Use a wrench or socket to fasten down tightly. Repeat this with the second metal cable clamp.
• Apply pressure to the box to verify it is holding its position and will not move.
• Attach a 24v fan to the PEMs inside the door, over top of the mesh and ventilation slots. Secure with nylock nuts, crimp on connectors, and connect with fan wires from the fixed tray.
• Run stripped (+) and (-) wires from the fixed tray to Battery 1 (+) and Battery 2 (-). The cables should be fitted with the proper size connectors to attach to the battery hardware.
• Wires from solar and cameras need to be run into the box through the glands on the underside and to the tray. Excess camera cable slack should be managed with zip ties and camera ethernet ends plugged into the switch.
• The solar panel power wires must be run to the PV (+) and (-) slots on the Victron charge controller.
• Once solar and camera cables are run to proper locations, get two 12v batteries. Place them inside the enclosure side-by-side in the space and wire them in series, as the diagram shows.
• Make sure the breaker switch is in the OFF position.
• Run (+) and (-) wires from the batteries to the terminals labeled “Battery” on the solar charge controller. Also, run a (+) wire from the batteries that go to the breaker switch and a (-) wire from the batteries that goes to one of the ground blocks.
• Flip the switch on the breaker from OFF to ON. All the components on the tray should start to light up and function. A short time after this, the IR sensors on the cameras should have a slight red glow.

After Enclosure Mounting #

• The equipment should all be checked by plugging a laptop or tablet into the switch via ethernet. Pull up a browser, log into each IP address, and verify settings and firmware versions.
• The camera live feeds should be viewable via IP. Test LPR gear using an on-hand license plate and aim the cameras so that they may capture nearby license plates from active traffic on the road.
• Connect to the solar charge controller via the Victron Connect app from a Bluetooth device. Update the firmware and adjust the settings to match the required power system.