Solar car charger recommendations and mounting

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Solar car charger recommendations and mounting

gzt

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#301926 16-Oct-2022 12:17

Flat battery several times due to infrequent vehicle use over several weeks. Charging is a pain. I'm looking at small panels for battery maintenance. I can live with connecting and disconnecting a panel. I'd like it as easy as possible. I'd prefer it to remain connected while driving and forget about it.

Some panels come with a cigarette lighter plug. I doubt that technique really works in a modern car?

Internal suction cup mount is common. I was originally thinking of external gutter mount. There's nothing like that available and I'm not sure I'm keen on the cable routing required.

tweake

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#2983305 16-Oct-2022 13:25

first thing is those little charge panels are pretty useless. you would need to have a small car battery and full direct sunlight for a long time.

i had a 10w panel for the ute but it got to much shading so it didn't do anything. i have a 20w panel connect to a small car battery to run a pump now and then and that takes about a week to charge up. thats with permanently mounted panel with no shading whatsoever.

also if its going flat in a few weeks you either have something in the car running or the battery is pretty stuffed.

richms

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#2983308 16-Oct-2022 13:33

I got some about 300x300 panels designed for car charging a while back to put on the disused cars to replace the smaller ones that I was using that were not enough in winter.

On the old falcon, there was a feed in the back by the lights that I thought was a battery feed for the trailer hitch, but it turns out it seems to cut off after some time, so was useless.

Nanny state laws mean that the lighter socket dies with the key off, so that's a no go.

In the end I picked into the stereo loom which has a permanent feed that stays connected all the time.

Richard rich.ms

gzt

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#2983359 16-Oct-2022 13:55

tweake: also if its going flat in a few weeks you either have something in the car running or the battery is pretty stuffed.

It is a small battery. When replacing the last one an auto electrician recommended lock the car when left for a period. Apparently this shuts a few extra systems down and reduces the quiet current. Reminds me now I meant to go measure that..

SomeoneSomewhere

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#2983362 16-Oct-2022 14:10

Shuffling the cigarette lighter onto a different fuse that does not get ignition-switched is a fairly common mod and you can probably find instructions.

I would still recommend hardwiring the panel to something.

gzt

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#2983365 16-Oct-2022 14:19

One more issue. I believe it's a calcium battery requiring the higher charge voltage associated with those.

davidcole

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#2983398 16-Oct-2022 18:17

I got one of these (car In Garage)

https://www.rvsupercentre.co.nz/schumacher-spi-1-battery-charger-6-12v-1a?gclid=CjwKCAjwtKmaBhBMEiwAyINuwPoTjMHxjgeUryVGk6A3Nf_1xYfc8JwzbmnyhZxWi77slJGnFCRa7BoCodgQAvD_BwE

You don’t say if external power is available where you park.

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gzt

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#2983400 16-Oct-2022 18:22

Not easily. I'm specifically looking for a calcium capable solar maintenance charger.

tweake

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#2983509 16-Oct-2022 19:59

gzt: Not easily. I'm specifically looking for a calcium capable solar maintenance charger.

a quick googled shows there is cal bat solar regulators around. a regular regulator will work ok, the voltage difference between cal and normal bat is not much so it will be under charged a small amount.

MikeAqua

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#2984174 18-Oct-2022 09:00

Do you always park in the same place?

If you do you could mount the panel where you park and run a lead from the battery to the tow bar or some other convenient point and have some sort of weatherproof socket.

Fit the controller to the solar panel. I think you also need some sort of DC-DC charger to get the right voltage for your battery.

Or you could just buy a new battery ... not as interesting, but likely cheaper, easier and more effective.

Mike

gzt

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#2984841 19-Oct-2022 19:09

MikeAqua: Do you always park in the same place? If you do you could mount the panel where you park and run a lead from the battery to the tow bar or some other convenient point and have some sort of weatherproof socket.

Not always. I still like this idea. I can use a larger panel. Problem is someone might need to move the car and start off without disconnecting. Banana plugs might be enough to prevent a disaster.

Or you could just buy a new battery ... not as interesting, but likely cheaper, easier and more effective.

Without a remote charging solution that will degrade too and it's getting expensive : ).