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Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:11 am

several places have a solar trickle charger for car batteries. they attach to battery with clamps or plug into lighter socket. I don't have an auxilary battery, and am really baffled by even the simplest wiring.

I know there is a thread on this but it covers a lot more information. I only want to be able to use my light and maybe the silver socket to charge a phone without fear of a dead battery. no heater, no microwave or refrigerator.

does anyone have one of these chargers and is happy with the way it works? I'm thinking if one were in use, we could feel free to use the main battery while camping.

Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:27 am

Send Hooptie Love a PM. His company www.getoutexplore.com can get you top quality solar for a good price.
I met him and his family in Moab at the syncro Solstice. He brought donw a variety of solar options and set up free charging stations.
I just bought a GoalZero setup from him for my sister and will now buy one for myself.

Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:30 am

IMHO, the smaller maintenance trickle charges are useless for your application. They do not send enough current to recover the loss of even minimal draw-down use.
Those chargers are better suited for leaving a vehicle stored for weeks at a time and keeping the battery topped off.

If you are looking to only use the OE onboard lighting.. and maybe charging your cell phone and/or listening to the vehicles stereo... Your single battery is probably adequate.

Buy a simple digital voltmeter and learn to use it. You can check your van's battery to get an idea how the battery is drawn down in your typical camping use.

I think people may tend to spend big money on solar BEFORE they get a very good handle on thier actual energy use.
Cart and horse.
Save your money.

Learn your use. Measure it.. THEN design the charging around it.

FWIW.. We camp pretty simple. 2 adults. 2 kids. One battery. No solar.
(the solar panels stay on my boat and the one I did buy for my van is still in the garage.. We don't really NEED it. For a camper van I'd almost recommend carrying a second starter battery before I'd suggest installing a solar panel.)

Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:38 am

I have one of the $15 ones from Harbor Freight - it does an adequate job of keeping the battery topped off when the van is sitting for a while, but as mentioned above, it's probably not enough to actually recharge a battery that's been drained down from use.

An aux battery would really be the best option for your situation. There are kits out there that should make the install fairly straightforward - though if you're not comfortable with wiring, you're definitely better off getting some help with the install rather than making a mistake when it comes to electricity.

Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:39 am

Agree. Your main battery should last a couple days and still start the van if you only use what you say. Don't fear a couple lights and the occasional radio use. A voltage monitor as suggested will keep you on the straight and narrow. You can get them that plug into the lighter socket so you can get a sense for what you are using. My van will start with voltage all the way down to 11 volts even. You can just plug in a unit like this when you want to check. If you do get a solar charger, get one that's at least 15 watts and just plug it into the lighter as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3721-Battery-Charging-...amp;sr=8-1

Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:47 am

thanks for all the good advice. much appreciated!!

Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:36 am

j_dirge wrote: Buy a simple digital voltmeter and learn to use it.
I have two simple ones that plug right into the cigar lighter.

One is a digital meter that reads out voltage in terms of numbers. Good for gear heads.

I have a second which is just LEDs. Good for those less technically inclined.

The LED one, I think came for somewhere like Walmart. The digital one, I believe, we got from Camping World.

I use a factory VW plug in solar battery charger just to keep the battery floated while parked. It does nothing much any time fast for a very discharged battery. Consider the solar battery charger as a VERY slow way to recharge you start battery.

Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:03 pm

Go to E-Bay and search on Volkswagen Solar. The solar panels that come up are trickle charge panels that plug into the cigarette lighter. I always keep 2 plugged into the cigarette lighter and a cigarette lighter outlet that I put in for the auxilliary battery. Both batteries had 6-year guarantees and are both now going on 12 years!!

You can get the VW solar panels for about $20 US. These were brought in by VW to keep the batteries of cars on the docks in top shape.

You can't go wrong if all you neeed is a trickle charge panel to keep the battery topped up.

Good Luck!

Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:57 pm

windnsea wrote:
You can get the VW solar panels for about $20 US. These were brought in by VW to keep the batteries of cars on the docks in top shape.

You can't go wrong if all you neeed is a trickle charge panel to keep the battery topped up.

Damn. Some of those used panels are over $40! :shock: I got mine for free from a VW dealer that had no use for the panels (it is, however, the OBD plug version). Those panels are, however, low on the wattage scale (between 1 and 2 watts). And what's with those morons not voltage testing those panels before putting them up for sale? :x

For the van, I got this one: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servle...sNum=10545 . It has multiple connections: plug it into a 12V outlet, use alligator clips or ring terminals on the battery. I've got the ring terminals connected to the aux battery and use the 12V plug for the starting battery.

Swapping interior lights to LED helps to reduce power demand as well.

Wed Jun 15, 2011 1:21 pm

I have several of those VW panels I use. Not all the ones you buy actually work right! They break and supply unregulated voltage. Not good in the long term. It has been away, but I will retest mine and I can report what is good and bad. I may have already in the past posted about this issue, but I am getting old.....

Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:00 pm

I think the solar trickle charger idea is great. I live in sunny NM and have used up all of my power when going on extended camping trips so a solar solution would be perfect but the kits they sell have super low wattage.

I've been poring over the idea of adapting a foldable solar panel like the allpowers 16W solar panel to charge my aux battery but most just have USB outputs. It's just an idea I wanted to throw out. Its space saving and more durable than large the glass panels. I like the idea of being able to put it out for a while then lock it up inside the van.

All you'd need is a solar controller so you don't wreck the batteries, right? Anyone done this before? Any tips?

Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:23 pm

bbaca75 wrote: I've been poring over the idea of adapting a foldable solar panel like the allpowers 16W solar panel to charge my aux battery but most just have USB outputs.
...
All you'd need is a solar controller so you don't wreck the batteries, right? Anyone done this before? Any tips?

I had to buy a new camera, which uses rechargeable batteries. Long story short, I dumped the aforementioned West Marine 7W panel in favor of this more versatile unit: http://www.amazon.com/Solsti-Eclipse-Portable-Sola...eclipse+10 . It has USB and SAE outputs and the set I linked to comes with a bunch of gadget adapters; it'll charge my phone, camera, iPod, Garmin, and maintain the van's batteries (I do use a charge controller*). Compact, lightweight, and works very well. The separate battery pack that comes in that set, however, is virtually useless for charging gadgets, but it's useful in running low power USB lights and such.

So, yes, if you're not using a lot of DC power (electric fridge, microwave, TV, computer, etc.) that requires 100W+ of solar, then the little panels work well for keeping batteries topped up... in my experience anyway.

*Edit: 10W and above should use a charge controller (from what I've read). The SAE connector is used to connect to the aux battery; USB is for electronic gadgets.

Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:40 pm

There are lots of small solar chargers (checkout http://www.goalzero.com/solar-kits) that are made to charge a cell phone and/or a computer without going through the Aux battery. My wife has one plus one of their small power packs and inverters and a great light we hang out under the awning for cooking outside. The panels can be used anywhere and don't require your van to be parked in the sun. They are spend per watt, but seem to work well.

If your Aux battery is charging through the charging system when you drive, all you need to do is run the engine to keep it charged up.

Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:50 am

debbiej wrote: several places have a solar trickle charger for car batteries. they attach to battery with clamps or plug into lighter socket. I don't have an auxilary battery, and am really baffled by even the simplest wiring.

I know there is a thread on this but it covers a lot more information. I only want to be able to use my light and maybe the silver socket to charge a phone without fear of a dead battery. no heater, no microwave or refrigerator.

does anyone have one of these chargers and is happy with the way it works? I'm thinking if one were in use, we could feel free to use the main battery while camping.
I use this one. Noco BL Solar5

http://www.techbatterysolutions.com/NOCO-BLSOLAR5-Battery-Charger-p/c6.htm
It seems to keep up with minimal usage, no problems.
I usually plug it into the cig socket and leave it on the roof all the time.
I use LEDs in the interior of the van and use the radio, thats about it.
They have this model at most autoparts stores, and Amazon, about $25

Sat Jul 26, 2014 4:57 pm

I was interested in getting a solar panel hooked up to charge by aux battery (not just trickle charge it but to actually reenergize the battery). The big systems seemed like too much. I didn't need 100W but I needed more that 5W! I also wanted a system that is secure. I don't like the idea of having a solar panel permanently on my van because, well it's expensive. I didn't want it to be easily stolen or damaged. So here is what I came up with (it works but yet to see how well it works). I found a 30W foldable solar panel on craigslist. It was difficult finding one that had an output other than USB! This one has an SAE output. This is the solar panel that I got for a fraction of this price.

(https://www.readymaderesources.com/cart/alternate-energy/solar-panels/global-solar-foldable-panels/global-solar-p3-30-30w-12v-portable-power/prod_1638.html)

I got this solar charger.

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00752TRNW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Strangely. This solar charger reversed the polarity of the output to the battery. After scratching my head a while I found an SAE cord like this and put black tape over the positive end and connected it to the battery.

(http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Replacement-Motorcycle-Charger/dp/B002S1MEAS/ref=sr_1_11?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1406418737&sr=1-11&keywords=SAE+cord)

I have a 25 foot SAE extension cord so I can put the solar panel wherever I want. I can also hang it on the window inside the van to get sun even while I'm driving. I tested it and it appears to be working. Next long camping trip and I will report back.

(Other notes: I have 3 UB12220 wheelchair batteries (66 a/h's total). Also have a Junior battery tender hooked up so when I'm connected to shore power, I will get a trickle charge.) Let me know if you have questions.

Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:41 pm

Someone in my neighborhood offered this VW solar trickle charger for free, so I grabbed it.

Based on some cursory Google work, it sounds like I can plug this in to the outlet that runs off my house/aux battery, which is always hot. Thoughts?