solar 12v charger

[carrots 1]

anyone bought a 12v solar panel to keep your battery charged.

[Dan_Storm 0]

Yep, I've got one. It has a plug to change from cigarette lighter socket to clamps to connect directly to the battery. If I remember correctly it doesn't work through the cigarette lighter socket, so I always connect it to the battery. Works a treat though. It is waterproof, but i put it in a clear food bag for a bit more peace of mind.

I can't remember the make or where I bought it from but will take a look.

 

I have the C in the garage now, so I need to extend the cable and find somewhere outside for the panel.

[carrots 1]

ok cheers for that mate,ive seen some on ebay for about £13.i was going to stick it to window and feed the wires to battery if i got 1 and leave it on

[Dan_Storm 0]

This is the charger I have. It is not hard-wired on the panel end, so you can just unplug it when you aren't using it.

[muppetlab 0]

Just a note, i have quite a big solar charger about a foot square (30cmx30cm) for my camper van. Now you need at least about 13v to actually charge a 12v battery. During a trip to france we used it and were concerned as the bus battery was flat after a week. When i put a meter across the panel only on the brightest sunniest days did it register more than 13v enough to start to charge the battery. They are a waste of time in winter especially the small ones in my opinion. Far better to get a small maintenance charger and leave it plugged into the mains, mine cost about £15 from halfords and comes with option to hard wire in a quick release plug rather than crocodile clips all the time.

[carrots 1]

the problem ive got with that is i live in a flat and the car is across the road so no mains to plug it in :(