Just found this online, not the best solar 'top-up' charger by far, but certainly the cheapest. Never seen it this cheap! I have one myself, it's a good quality cell (never tested output) with good insulation on the wiring. Great for offsetting alarms/stereo drain. NEED TO BUY ONLINE and pick-up in-store though delivery is available!!!
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/SCA-S…
This one has an indicator light but less output and costs less……For maintaining a 12v battery is there enough difference between 2.4w and 1.5w to warrant the extra cost.
For $5 more the 2.4W model in this deal is a no-brainer.
Only 0.075 amp… you seriously wouldn't pay the extra $5?
I would/will but just needed advice. Thanks
I have the 1.5W version & left it on my car whilst away once. When I came home the battery was flat.
The location I had the panel wasn't ideal (not as much sun as it could have), but I was surprised & presumed the discharge was more than the 1.5W panel could maintain. I would go for the 2.4W for the small difference.
does this need a solar regulator?
Yes & no. It's such a small amount of current that it shouldn't really need a regulator for a bog standard Lead Acid battery. It has a blocking diode so you don't lose energy back through the panel when not exposed to sun but it doesn't have a regulator. Unless you're trickle-charging some incredibly expensive sensitive battery I don't think you'll need a regulator with a panel like this.
What does a regulator do?
It regulates ;) Seriously though, a regulator will let power flow to the battery when it needs charging but stop it or limit it once charged which prevents overcharging. Overcharging a battery decreases its life expectancy but a small panel such as this would only really be charging a car battery about as much as it's losing each day with things like keeping clocks running or memory backup circuits in head units or the small amounts consumed by car alarms and rust protection devices etc. etc. so it's unlikely to ever overcharge anyway. If you connected this directly to a spare battery not connected to anything else then you'd probably want to disconnect it every week or two just to prevent overcharging so one week on, one (or two) weeks off kinda deal. Then again, car batteries do self-discharge at a rate of 5%-20% per month depending on the battery so leaving a small panel like this one connected would probably be on par with the rate of natural discharge anyway hence no regulator required!
EDIT: If anyone's interested in adding a basic regulator capable of handling up to 3A then you can easily add something like this for around $8: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Panel-Charger-Battery-Contr… Small, cheap & effective and very easy to DIY, just follow the pictures in the label ie. Battery goes here & Solar Panel goes there but always make sure your polarity is around the right way so Positives (Red) to Positives and Negatives (Black) to Negatives!
@SteveAndBelle: Would you recommend getting the extra regulator for using this on an AGM battery in a motorbike? I just read that AGMs are sensitive to overcharging.
To be honest I don't know if I'd even need to top up this batt - I bought it as replacement for the factory one (I assume regular lead-acid) which went flat over a few months I wasn't riding. Being AGM it might be fine on its own, tho I don't ride a lot thru the winter months.
@SuperMatty: The regulator wouldn't hurt and would ensure the battery is cared for but you shouldn't have any problems using this panel 'as is' in the short-term eg. while you wait the 4 weeks for the regulator to arrive from China ;)
@SteveAndBelle: Thanks Steve and/or Belle :)
I'm hoping it'll charge thru the aftermarket ciggie port on my bike, but that was installed by the previous owner so I dunno how it was hooked up.
If it doesn't work I'll probably have to get some wires running from the batt box to a more convenient/accessible place - it's not that easy to get into.
@SuperMatty: Yeah, the previous owner may have hooked the Cig Lighter socket up via the ignition switch as per most cars so be prepared for it not to work until you take the wiring direct to the battery.
@SteveAndBelle: Nice explanation, thanks for that. Can I ask if leaving this out in the open, and if it rains, will this cause any problems? water, battery etc
@SuperMatty: maybe get the 1.5w model if it's for a bike, especially if you aren't riding much. Might be easier to fit the panel somewhere as I assume it's smaller.
@SuperMatty: I wired up directly to the battery a small plug and lead (same plug my charger uses for the extension cord) and zip tied it behind the number plate, that way I can connect the charger easily.
@Okibi: Good idea - zip ties are the home automotive maintenance person's best friend :)
I'll have to get hold of the charging unit to figure out what sort of connector I'd need.
What did you use for connectors at the battery terminal end so they don't interfere with the actual bike's battery leads?
Awesome! Been wanting something for my ride on mower.
Thanks mate!
Can this charge my eneloops- seriously
Yep, but only with a regulator! How many do you want to charge at one time?
This regulator ($6.76) will charge 6 Eneloops (totalling 7.2V) at once: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Panel-Ni-MH-Battery-Charger… and this one ($8.11) will charge 10 Eneloops (totalling 12V) at once: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Panel-Charger-Battery-Contr… … however the latter isn't really designed for NiMH so it'll be programmed slightly differently and may reduce the life of your beloved Eneloops.
I'm getting a no-load [aside from the cheap crappy meter] reading of 21.2 in full sun, and 14.3 with the unit lying at about 12 degrees towards and 2 meters from a south facing french window. Hooking up a full charged 38AH car battery drops the both voltage to 12.6, the same as the battery reports alone. Using a tired autotech 400 amp Jumpstart unit as the load, I get 3.7 volts across the terminals with a pale "charge" indication on the jumpstart inside, and a nice beefy 21 volts when I face the cell to the evening sun - currently 19 degrees.
That may mean something to someone. It means I can put the dishes off till tomorrow now I've wasted some time.
MSY are dropping out "Ritmo" battery chargers that have LCD charge indicators,a wall-wart, USB and car accessory terminal for $1. Ritmo, if you are unaware, have a great safety feature if anything goes wrong. Rather that rely on flaky 'Net or SMS warnings, they use the tried and tested "Smoke signal" protocol.
Link… or even better Submit a Deal (assuming there isn't one already)?
For the "Ritmo" ? They aren't really out as a deal as the whole Ritmo line has been dumped in cardboard boxes marked '$1, $2, $3, $5' in the various stores, so it is luck of the draw when and where you find them. I grabbed a wonderfully horrendous "lap-top extension box" which offered a lap-top power supply, 4 USB2 ports, 1 external SATA, a DVD writer and provision for 2-/12 in SATA drives. The power supply lasted 20 minutes but thankfully let its excess smoke off a few minutes after I had switched its output to 19.2 V and checked it's polarity, but before I hooked a sacrificial old lappy on to test it.
It had either an LG HL-DT-ST GT30N inside, or a really convincing replica that reports as the same, and is doing sterling and better service that the one that came with my ASUS lappy when I bought it :-)
It's worth checking in your local - the battery charger revived a pair of dead phone [800mA] AAAs and is worth it for the leads if nothing else. Give the 'loops ~ 2 minutes, then 10 minutes and see if they are getting warm. I don't have any tired 'loops to try in mine.
I had two of these on my boat batteries and they worked well. Only issue is they are not waterproof and so you have to place them in sun but out of water. If not they discolour and get condensation around them and eventually pack it in.
lol only 467 left in stock
These were about $12.70 last week
SERIOUSLY? Holy crap!
Sure you're not thinking of the 1.5W model?
ahh yeah that could of been it, I got halfway posting on here and had to go..
So these just maintain the charge? Do these actually charge the batteries as well? (I don't expect much charge from such a small module)
Designed for maintenance charging BUT it all depends on how much you take from the battery too. If the battery isn't connected to anything else then you may find that over a week or two a small panel such as this will keep it maintained plus might have enough to add a bit of extra charge but it wouldn't be much.
You have answered your own question. Rule of thumb is they will produce 5 times their wattage in Watt/hours per day averaged over a year.
So about 12wh, at 12v is 1Ah per day. A17Ah battery back up for a house alarm would therefore take 17 days to charge, actually a little more as it will lose charge via discharge over that period.
Google says a car battery might have 70Ah, so it would take over 2 months to charge without any losses…
I guess if you hooked one up to a battery and came back in 3 months it might be charged!
Yep! I used to live with the most idiotic woman who would keep asking me how long it'd take to charge my battery using this. She couldn't understand it when I kept telling her 6 months or so…
Buy this as a Christmas gift for your boss and explain to him that it takes 3 months to recharge your batteries :)
Cheers guys. Yeah I figured it wouldn't be much but I was wondering if it were possible. I guess it is.. if I leave it in the sun for 3-6 months haha.
Could I use this to keep my battery charged while the radio is playing (for camping)?
If your radio draws < 1/2 an amp …
Seriously, it may pump up enough surface voltage to kick your starter motor over if you are leaving at lunch-time, are bush-bashing in a Subaru Sherpa [not as daft as it sounds] and have 1/2 an hour to wait. If you plan to rely on this out bush, let us know if you make it back:-p
No…
Let's say your radio was wussy and only used 1A, this solar panel in ideal conditions (might) put out the claimed 0.2A, means your going backwards. I'd suggest most modern car radios use more than 1a.
Thanks for a straight answer.
Awesome. 200mA will recharge your car battery in a few months. About as useful as tits on a bull.
I'm kinda with you manic. Good for those who FIFO or leave their vehicles for long periods without use, pretty useless for everyone else.
I couldn't be bothered making a separate post, but here's another 12V solar deal (20W panel for $50 is pretty good):
https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=123&it…
just wonder if it can charge cell phones through an micro USB adapter if I can find such an adaptet?
No it'll produce over 18v in full sun and smoke some if not all your phone.
This thing can charge mobile phones?
You can get a car accessory port, clip on the leads, and plug your car charger in. I'm not sure how it would go with a phone that was wanting > 1.5 amps to let it know that it can charge :-/ Some of them are finicky.
Can this charge a dashcam whilst in parking mode?
Your statement could be taken two ways:
(a) the solar cell is charging your car's battery, and your dashcam is also connected to your car's battery. This will be safe, but the charger may not put out as much power as your dashcam consumes while charging, so you could flatten your car's battery. Particular concern if you park in the shade, or on cloudy days.
(b) the solar panel is connected directly to the dashcam. Don't do it, once your dashcam reaches full charge it will stop drawing power, and the solar cell's voltage will rise to 19V or so, which is probably higher than your dashcam can handle. Could start a fire.
There is also the problem of what happens as the sun sets and the voltage from the solar panel drops. If the solar panel is putting out only 6V, can your dashcam handle that? It probably isn't designed to handle anything other than 11V-14V, the normal range of a car battery.
Ditto. Thanks for the detailed explanation :)
I'd just grab a nice USB battery pack
Neat, how long will this take to charge my iPhone 6 plus?
depends. if its switched off 4.5 hours. if its on, 4 days
Would this be sufficient to maintain the charge on my ride on lawn mower (only used every 2 months). Or would a 20W system be better, Radar in a few comments above found this one that looks very sharp in pricing https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=123&it… Thanks!
I reckon it would suffice, my bet is the unregulated 20w will overcharge and kill your battery pretty quick.
From Whitworths,
When do Panels not require a Regulator?
As a general rule panels that produce less than 1.5% of a battery’s rated capacity in amp hours do not require regulation. This means that a 1.5 amp panel is the largest you should use without a regulator on a 100-amp-hour battery. Regulators should generally be used any time you have two or more large panels connected to your batteries.
where should i "mount" the panel? on the roof of my car?
These devices are not meant for permanent mounting to a car.
Many people mount them in a sun-facing garage window, and then run wires to the car. Don't forget to disconnect before you go driving, and remember to re-connect when you get back!
If your car is parked in your yard, you could put it on the dashboard or on the rear parcel shelf. But don't leave it there when you go driving, in an accident it will become a missile, or it could fall in front of the airbag just as the airbag inflates, propelling it into you at 200kph!
thank you very much. it doesnt suit my situation.
How does an object accelerate to a speed faster than the car was travelling in the first place? And if the crash is so severe that it turns this into a missile, then flying objects would be the least of your concern…
He's saying if it falls in front of the airbag and the airbag gets deployed Mr Dingbat lol
@XeSSiV: There's nothing XeSSiV about your reading skills.
He said if in an accident OR if it falls in front of an airbag, it will become a 200kmh missle.
The airbag scenario is just absurd anyway, the air bag would be fully deployed before anything even has a chance to even start moving inside the car.
Heard of momentum?
@pmupsinep:
A quick google tells you.
Air bags inflate as fast as 320 km/h (200 mph)
You're welcome.
Obviously, the sequence of events would have to be completely unlucky for that scenario to happen, but hey, it's an ACCIDENT after all.
the air bag would be fully deployed before anything even has a chance to even start moving inside the car
Not all accidents involve a single "bump".
Example: little kid runs into the street, in front of you. You swerve to avoid them, going over the kerb and then hitting a tree. Solar cell is dislodged as you go over the kerb, airbag deploys when you hit the tree.
Second example: I know someone who recently got "sandwiched" in an accident, they were stopped behind a right-hand turner, a third car ploughed into the back of them. Airbags don't usually deploy from a rear collision, but when you hit the car in front, they do. So the first bump would have thrown the item off the dash, second bump activates the airbag.
The output rating of solar panels is when it is at the most efficient scenario at a certain cell temperature. So factor into account the angle of the sun on the panels and the cell temperature when estimating how long it will take to charge a device. If you are not tracking the sun, then the power generated will drop.
Yeah nice! Can't find these for anything under about $40 elsewhere so even the normal SuperCheap price was slightly better to begin with.