Solar Panel Top Up.

[Old Miner]

Hi Everyone.

 

Having recently been stood at the side of the road after a camping trip with a flat battery. (Was my own daft fault) I have added the following system to my bike to top up the battery whilst it is stood in places without power.

 

I have at home an Oxford Oximisor battery tender in my garage but use camping sites with no power on them.

 

I purchased a cheap 12v 100ma solar panel and fitted it with two copper pipe clips with screws and spacers to fit into the panel screw holes which enables me to clip the unit onto the rack on the back of the bike. It can be fitted and face in any direction to catch the sun.

 

I then converted a 12v plug in acccessory unit with a plug that fits my battery tender, you just plug the unit into this and can run 12v items from it or charge a mobile phone, sat nav etc. The unit comes with crocodile clips too so you could charge a loose battery too.

 

I know it is not the ultimate charger nor the ultimate system but it will come in very handy.

 

Neil. (Old Miner)

 

Cost about £20 would be $15 ish.

[Freebird]

Good job. I can see where that would be very handy.

[Phoneman1981]

I always heard my Mom say "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" Nice job.

[Flyinfool]

You can get that same unit from Harbor Freight here in the USA.

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-watt-solar-battery-charger-68692.html

I have had one on my RV to keep the battery up for the last 4 years, The only time I disconnect it is while towing because it is just laying flat on the roof with the wire run in thru the corner of the door.

[dacheedah]

So I have a question, ( not trying to steel your thread) I was going to try running my cpap off of a jump pack. I always thought you needed 10 amps to recharge one, and maybe thats if it's dead, do you think this will recharge a jump pack to full capacity during the day?? I was going to run the cpap with out the humidifier.

[Flyinfool]

So I have a question, ( not trying to steel your thread) I was going to try running my cpap off of a jump pack. I always thought you needed 10 amps to recharge one, and maybe thats if it's dead, do you think this will recharge a jump pack to full capacity during the day?? I was going to run the cpap with out the humidifier.

 

That depends on what the capacity of the battery pack in the cpap is and how far it is drained each night? Need more info to give an answer.

[Hummingbird]

That looks like it would be AWFUL handy to keep the batteries on my pontoon boat charged ?

 

the pontoon is in the water all summer with no electric access and I'm thinking that a wire extension and double sided tape would keep it on the metal canapy. Unplug while using the boat and plug it back in while sitting idle.

 

Any reasons why this wouldn't work ??

[Wanderer]

Bloody good mate! But I say ole chap, I thought you had no sun across the pond.

[flb_78]

In the battery department in most Walmarts, there is a 5 watt panel.

 

Also, most auto parts stores carry 12 volt panels in their battery section.

[RSTDdog]

What FLB said and for RV and Marine Use check out West Marine, Camping World,Academy Sports, etc for ones rated to leave out in the weather for extended periods and higher outputs, although not for 15.00.

 

RSTDdog

[dacheedah]

if you use an isolator or easier yet a battery switch I think you could get er done. My question is that for my boat batteries it tells me to use a minimum of a 10amp charger, for my batteries.

 

My jump pack says it's 12v dc 8Ah sealed agm. the 12v plug says 10amp max device. The pack says it's a 300amp, 600 peak jump starter.

 

In regards to the cpap it indicates 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz. I did order the 12v plug for it and will operate it without the humidifier plugged in so it will reduce how much power it consumes.

[DarkLeftArm]

I like that idea. I'll be looking into a Harbor Freight solar panel. Big camping trips in the future.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

These small panels will only balance out the parasitic loads on a motorcycle, they wont be able to charge a dead battery.

 

They are able to offset the normal losses that occur over time, and normal battery self-discharge. But if your bikes battery has been drained at a camping trip from playing the radio all day or running several inflators or other devices, and wont start the bike, these wont charge the battery enough in one day to make a difference. Given several days of sunlight, maybe it would be able to charge the battery enough to start the bike.

 

They could certainly put out enough 'juice' to charge a cell phone if you left it sitting at the campsite all day, in the sun, while you were out riding. But I take my phone with me. While riding, I use the 12v power port on the bike.... I wired one into the trunk.

 

Not trying to rain on anyones parade, but its something that is not needed on a bike, UNLESS...you plan on camping for a week or more, and never starting the bike, and still running the bikes stereo, charging up a laptop a few times, and maybe running an inflator or compressor several times.

 

If I planned on that kind of usage, I would pack along a rechargeable gel cell, run the loads off of that, and hook the solar charger to it. Or, as mentioned, use a jump-pack...those little gizmos that include a battery, jumper cables, a compressor, a flashlight, and some other goodies.

 

 

[Old Miner]

Hi.

The Idea is to condition the battery over the period the machine is stood in areas where mains power is not available to run my battery tender. Having checked the charge rate etc it is more powerful than my Oximiser and that will top the battery up within a few hours from flat. When I get back I will run the battery flat and then see how long it takes to charge. watch this space.

 

Neil. (old Miner).

[Thom]

125 watt s/cell here in south Tx. on a high $ meter at 3 pm day lite saving time 2 weeks ago put out 7.2 amps at 14.2 volts DC .

It cost a lot of dollars to go to solar and those cheap low watt s/cell do not charge a wet or agm battery .

I kinda know because I charge a lot of money for them LOL

Aux. Power and Lite .

{ Want to git off the Grid , I can Help }

and before anybody freaks , that is not the name of my company and I am not advert. here but

you know , family

[Flyinfool]

Yes I agree with what others are saying.

The solar panel on my RV is a 5W from Harbor Freight. I do not use the camper a lot. So the solar panel can take several months to recharge the battery and then maintains it ready to go at a moments notice and is just enough to keep the battery from freezing in the winter. The solar panel will maintain the battery in your bike, it will not charge it in a reasonable amount of time like a day.

 

On the data plate for the cpap does it list either watts or amps for the power input.

 

The other thing to remember with solar panels is that the output ratings are under ideal conditions. Like high noon, in a desert, at the equator, with the panel aimed exactly at the sun. In most cases you will never actually get the full rated output of the panel.

 

I keep my jump pack plugged into my truck so that it is always charging whenever I am driving but then a relay (Yes I have added relays all over my truck too:whistling:) isolates it from everything so that a light left on does not drain the jump pack also, yet the pack is always full charged and ready to be used.