5 watt solar charger

[Franklinstower]

I have a VW solar charger that plugs into the lighter socket. (I think this was an option on '90 vehicles - my brother said he got it when he purchased his '91 GLI.) If I leave this plugged in during a camping trip, will the solar charger discharge the batteries overnight? Or do they have diodes in there so current can only flow one way?

Thanks for the info.
Paul
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'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug

[supdude]

It depends on the panel. I bought the harbor freight one that wouldn't allow it and left mine plugged in when not in use. I would check with the manufacturer. What is the make/model?
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['83 EJ22]
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[thatvwbusguy]

The small grey VW trickle chargers should have a blocking diode, no worries about discharging at night.
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Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[berkeleyjack]

Any suggestions for buying solar trickle chargers for Vanagons?

Looking for something I can use to keep my battery topped off when I'm using the interior lights or maybe radio while parked on a camping trip.

Not going to be running any appliances or a second battery (yet) so I don't think I need anything major?
_________________
All-grain homebrewer with a 1990 Vanagon Carat.

[debbiej]

I got one at harbor freight that clamps on my battery and is supposed to trickle charge the battery. nothing is running off the battery but the occasional interior light and the refrigerator fan, so I don't know how much it actually helps.

[thatvwbusguy]

A 15W panel with a cheap charge controller should do an okay job of keeping your battery topped up when camping assuming fairly minimal battery use.

Anything less than 15W is more for keeping the battery fresh when the van isn't driven often rather than recharging for daily use.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[morymob]

FYI, stopped by last wk at the new ofc of a solar panel co doing a lot of large solar panel installs around here. They use one sized good for wbx's,200watts and made if one cell gets covered the rest keep outputting(? is that a word) anyway theyare supposed to check on selling just 1 panel/price, i'm afraid it will be pricy tho,sure would be nice to have. Is polycrystalene?spelling? latest type??

[berkeleyjack]

[berkeleyjack]

[debbiej]

we have the 5 watt. one summer we parked at a location for 5 days and the battery was dead when we were ready to go home. so we bought this trickle charger. we used it a few times when we camped 3-4 days. haven't had the dead battery again, but also have a new alternator, and new inside lights that are AA battery powered, so I don't know if it helps or not.

[j_dirge]

[r39o]

I use the little VW panel when the cars are not driven and sit outside.

Been using the VW panels for years.

You MUST check the voltage from time to time as the little plug charger can break and put out like 17V instead of the 13.8 is normally seems to do.

You can break them so keep the malfunctioning panels around for parts.

Batteries last a LONG time for me when I use these gizmos.

For longer camping a bigger array with a charge controller is what you want.

I almost have a 60W setup ready for the luggage tray.

I also have a 200W array for everyday camping use but this requires unfolding and setup on site.

Nothing is free....
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[ripvanagonwinkle]

I think you'l find that theres no electronics in the broken plastic plug on the VW dash chargers.

They will put out 17v+ when open circuit and in great sun. Mine are old and they are rated for 170ma or 3.2w. When you connect them to a load like a big battery the voltage drops and because they are so small of a charge compared to the battery they have no risk of overcharging.

[ripvanagonwinkle]

Harbor freight and solar is not amazing.

http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-System..._info.html

http://pvdepot.com/morningstar-shs-charge-controller-6a-12vdc.html

Thats around $85 plus shipping and its 4 stage pwm charging, 40w solar.

Solar has come down a lot. It may soon trend upwards for a bit.

[r39o]

[berkeleyjack]

[Jamos]

Thanks for these links.
Any idea why that panel is marked down in price so much?
And why does that charge controller say "latin america only" ?

A decent 40w panel seems perfect for my needs of keeping the aux. battery charged up while the van is parked and during light to medium use.

[berkeleyjack]

They also have a 60w panel for $80.

http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-System..._info.html
_________________
All-grain homebrewer with a 1990 Vanagon Carat.

[ripvanagonwinkle]

The charge controller is made for a world market...

http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/shs it's not ce rated

http://www.ecodirect.com/Steca-Solsum-6-6f-PWM-Charge-Controller-p/steca-solsum-6-6f.htm

Also ridiculously cheap, I can't seem to find any feedback on these, Everyone rates morningstar charge profiles as excellent.

Both of these do a 4 stage bulk/float/equalization/boost charge automatically, which I find incredible.


As to why the Cynergy panels are so cheap...
Well you can find a few negative reviews a couple of years ago and quite a few positive ones with knowledgeable testers. The solar market is having a big shakeout right now. The people who made the Q-cells are out of business .

Less than $100 for a good charge controller and a decent 40 watt panel.

[ripvanagonwinkle]

The guts are a single blocking diode on mine. I have it permanently wired into my dash, just the red and black wires with the diode (i need the lighter socket!) If you take a look at the back of yours it will say something like ~V out 18.8

Funny enough, the charger is strong enough even through the windshield to use my smartphone charger without the battery in the circuit. (around 5v/800ma) The voltage drops to 6v and the clock stops working but for a panel that is over 10 years old, not bad at all.