Harbor freight solar panel review/test..Can this small solar panel charge a car battery???

[@AllThingsCool]

Just an update on the solar panel I cut the blue led in it and it seemed to help charge the battery faster. It was stuck at 11.90 for a few days I cut the blue led and its went up to 11.92 now

[@jp040759]

You need at least 13 volt to force any charge into a lead acid battery. If this solar thingy does not have a reverse current protection circuit it is going to discharge your battery if it does not get enough sunlight to push charge into the battery. This device does not have the power capability to charge a car sized battery.

[@vapeking466]

I think its more to maintain a battery than to charge one.

[@Kj16V]

@@jp040759 according to the box it does have reverse current protection.

[@Kj16V]

I was thinking of doing that too! I have one of these (branded Sealey). Absolute maximum current on the brightest day is only 100mA so the led draws a lot of its already meagre power output. Although, its probably not worth the small effort for an extra 20mV!

[@jp040759]

@@Kj16V That LED is drawing 20 ma. on average so it is using 20 percent of the charging current for the battery charging. If you are not reading at least 12.8 volts across battery with charger on it while charging the solar charger is not doing a damn thing except lighting the LED.

[@user-bf5rf4hs8v]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@k9er233]

I have one of these panels, and in my driveway it puts out 19.5 to 20 VDC on a sunny August day. I tilted it to the South at about 45 degrees. I am in the Sierra Nevada at about 1200 ft elevation on the 38th parallel. If I decide to try to use it as a 12 V battery charger, I will install it with a solar charge controller to limit the voltage output to avoid damaging my batteries by boiling out the electrolyte.

[@drillerusa]

I thought I would just throw my two cents in on this conversation. I think this charger works great. I had a guy who was working on my truck for a year and every time I go over the battery would be dead and we have to jump it or charge the battery. It was a brand new interstate battery and the truck has an internal drain somewhere. I don’t drive this truck very often so I threw one of these Harbor Freight maintainers on the dash and Hooked it up through my cigarette lighter. It hasn’t been driven in five months but when I go and start it up it’s got full energy on the battery. If anything it might be overcharging it a little bit. No I haven’t tested the battery or tested the energy coming out of it but when I start the car and the starter is spinning at an extremely high rpm I know the battery is fully charged. My only gripe is it’s got two suction cups that you can stick on the glass windshield and they suck. It eventually falls off after two or three weeks. But I leave it on the dash and it works fine. I went and started the truck two days ago there was no direct sunlight just reflections and it has a little blue indicator light when there’s power going through it and it was blinking. So I can give it five stars.

[@Nai-bj5rs]

Dude, you’re a legend!!! I also know how to test RPMs with nothing only than my god given senses. I did t know anyone else could do what I can. Seriously though, the 24 people that liked this…. Are y’all eating lead paint chips???????

[@thesaabster9725]

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@gregorykusiak5424]

All of the voltage measurements of the battery were taken with the panel attached, so you were reading the voltages of the panel and battery combined. A real test would be to take the panel off, then measure resting voltage, which should be at or above 12.6v. The 100w kit will get you there much faster, then you can use this little panel to keep it topped.

[@gregorykusiak5424]

Gary Krug actually the amorphous panels are a bit better than others at converting solar energy to electricity when there are clouds around because they react to different wavelengths of light.

[@tomterry2662]

Yes that is true but a 100 watt panel is too big for a jon boat. Way too big.

[@gregorykusiak5424]

@@tomterry2662 had to look up what a Jon boat is. The nice thing about the solar kit is each of the panels is 25w, so depending on battery capacity and the draw on it, you might be able to get away with a panel or 2 on the boat to prevent completely draining the battery (bank?) and then recharge faster on shore with the rest of the panels. If it can turn 6hrs of running a trolling motor into 7, or 8 into 9...

[@tomterry2662]

@@gregorykusiak5424 thanks for the info. And.ooking up jon boat. For fishing from.

[@gregorykusiak5424]

@@tomterry2662 all good. I wouldn’t get crazy with other electronics onboard though- for every hour in full sun with one 25w panel, you’re only “replacing” about 1.5AH of the battery’s capacity. You’ll have to figure out what the battery holds and what your motor draws to figure how much longer it would run. The math isn’t hard.

[@TheBeefSlayer]

These freaking things are AMAZING!!!! Got battery box from Walmart.. hooked it all up w lighter port and +- post. Used it for trolling motor battery which was main propulsion for my 16’ boat. Used it on camping trips and never lost battery. Mine was amazing.

[@AllThingsCool]

good to hear!

[@rubenmejias2503]

I used to put 2 on the battery on my sailboat and every 2 or 3 days would go to my sailboat which was moored off 79 st in Miami. And was able to use my car cooler fan I had rigged up to keep me cool all night about 6 hrs. Really charge better than when I had only 1 solar charger. Free Energy 💯

[@sharonbraselton4302]

it sóàr ektrc j88 7,5 kw 2 40⁰ watts sokarc2 600 wats skjar 1 kw tegen prop soo naxoum 2,2 kw 7,5 kw bater y coler 12 vokedt 50 too 100 watsß 75 hours miñu 3 days cóór useage

[@glentravis3710]

ITS ONLY TO MAINTAIN CURRENT BATTERY LEVEL not to charge. Great review.

[@wertiaaudit5746]

@Mistymirror Curtis I think it has to do with holding voltage and just like how a car battery works with quick volts just for starting it maintains a chemical balance of some sorts to keep it level (shit answer sorry) I just know that if you dont charge golf cart batteries for a while it dies completely

[@Josef_R]

@Mistymirror Curtis Just like you, it doesn't need a brain to function. It's 1.5 watts, that's how it maintains.

[@BowsettesFury]

Interesting was thinking of getting one from Amazon or eBay. Didn’t notice these at Harbor Freight and it already has the same plug as I put on my battery already. I’ve installed these on military trucks before and they worked surprisingly well.

[@davoid7914]

I've been using a similar model of panel to this (no LED) in Australia for a few years. They definitely work. If you don't drive everyday, then they are very handy. I had to get the cigarette lighter changed to 'live' so that I could use that to charge with rather than the battery terminals. I originally mounted mine inside the rear window as I parked on the street, but now it's been outside next to the garage for 2 years. I bought an extension lead from eBay for a few dollars to reach outside the garage. Due to the colder climate in my new place and not being able to mount in the best position it hasn't worked as well. The car battery was bought new in Nov 2013 (nearly 8 years old), previously I was only getting 2.5-3 years tops. I bought an AC trickle charge recently and they are very handy too. If you test your battery after a few cold winter days and find the volts are 11.8-12.0 (and you can't start), then 2 minutes with the trickle charger and it's good to go. There's a also a repair mode that removes some of the buildup in the battery which improves the charging. If you live in a cloudy, cold climate in winter, and/or you can't mount it in the best position, I would recommended getting a higher capacity panel than the 1.5 Watt of this one. But otherwise, they do a good job of preventing flat batteries.

[@CorrectAgain]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpKbkpKNnamlo6M you need a regulator mate, youre throwing 20 volts plus in without one and cooking your cells....link is the reg you need

[@davoid7914]

@@CorrectAgain No regulator needed for such a low charge. My battery is 8 years old.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

yés 1 watt olañyy çarsç¹9⁶9 tpó 199⁶ befurré teeçh tidayv1,5 watt ked çharg iciñ olebty

[@AdventureMan-kx3dr]

1.5 watts will take forever but it’s an amorphous panel and actually not bad ... mono crystalline panel will charge a lot better in lower light especially overcast/cloudy days

[@2011italianoboy]

I used this solar panel today. I started with 12.31V, and about 4 hours later it was 12.49V. It was sunny most of the time then cloudy. Even with clouds, the LED light was blinking. The battery is a Dyna-batt, dry cell battery. I'm not sure if that matter; just wanted to add that as an FYI.

[@eternalchilofgod3]

I think blinking means it's not working properly

[@steve4510]

@@eternalchilofgod3 I have the older 1.5 watt ones and the blinking light means the panel is detecting a light source.

[@MissionaryInMexico]

This charger... Story: My Tahoe's "On-Star" tried to connect without a break overnight, draining my battery so that the door locks, windows, lights, buzzer... Well... All dead. Battery dead. My buddy came and picked me up and we went to Harbor Freight, bought one I came back and put it on the dash, plugging it in to the dash power source. No jumping the battery, I just wanted to see what it could do. In 3 hours my truck started right up like it had a full battery. I have since bought 8 more as gifts to my family and church member friends so they don't get stranded anywhere. It works in lower light it cloudy days but at only about 30% to 50% of what direct sunlight does. I suppose your "back and forth" probably has to do with the fact that it's made in China by unskilled laborers and sometimes substandard materials. My experience: All 9 that I bought work like a charm. Worth the money, Absolutamente.

[@civildk9077]

Hey, THANKS for the 'testimonial'! So, 9 out of 10 should be FINE then? With my luck, I'm the 10th guy that gets the model that doesn't work. :/

[@tomterry2662]

Wich one did you buy from harbor freight.

[@tomterry2662]

Wich one did you buy from harbor freight.

[@tomterry2662]

I want one to maintain my marine battery that i use in my jon boat. Will a 20 watt 12 volt do the job. I stop and fish for a while and turn trolling motor off. Not constantly running the trolling motor.

[@6.....5.....Detroit]

Awesome, hey thanks for a comprehensive review on this solar panel.

[@AllThingsCool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tonyv8925]

I used two panels, hooked up in parallel, to increase current rating. Ran my lead acid sealed battery down to 10v then hooked up the panels. Took about 5 days to bring battery up to 12.3v. So, yeah, I suppose it would work in keeping battery topped off.

[@friedrice5292]

Hi, I bought one of this as well from Harbor Freight. May I ask a question since you have use it for a while. Did you use cigarette plug or directly connect to battery? My battery is about 11.8v and I plug in through cigarette lighter for couple of days. I didn't see any volt go up. I am using only one panel. Not like you in parallel. Thanks.

[@larryboyd2806]

I bought the same panel.... I started to use it on a battery in a camper that is in storage outside. I called Harbor freight to get some clarifications. I was told by the level two tech that I should not use this charger without a voltage regulator ... that they sell for 21 dollars .. more than the cost of the solar unit... because the solar charger can put out up to 23 volts when its in full sun... the 23 volts can damage a 12 volt battery... the amperage is very low but I dont want to damage my battery so I took it off. If I used a regulator it might only be useful as a trickle charger to maintain the battery...... I dont think it has enough output to really charge a battery... it can only maintain a fully charged one.....im continuing to research this problem but this is what i have learned so far

[@Radfordperson]

I have a similar solar charger, I'm in the UK, so not that much sun. I find that the charger does not provide enough to keep my infrequently used car topped up. However, I have a spare car battery in the house, the solar charger does provide enough to keep this topped up. i.e. the charger does make up for the self discharge of the battery.

[@Martinko_Pcik]

I use this one to keep my 13V supercapacitor bank fully charged. Works great. It was 13CAD 5 years ago

[@tomrickhoff8227]

Just purchased the 1.5 Watt Solar Battery charger from Harbor Freight. I want to use it to keep our RV battery charged while the RV is in storage (up to 8 months). The instructions recommend that we use a voltage regulator. Do you have a recommendation for a regulator? Thanks for creating the video - it was helpful.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

not eñgh cars suñs rv 12 wàtts or hjghér befiré tyat 1 oerç oer hoúr ofbatter xaóty

[@daddydizakachrisscott3870]

They also sell a bigger one that's like four times this size. If you need more of a charge. These are not really made to charge a battery, just to keep it at the right level if you have a slow draw like a clock on a stereo in a side by side or golf cart.

[@adamlong54]

They work great . I got one keeps my parked car ready to go all the time even after sitting for long period of time . the car is 30 over years old .

[@firehawk6188]

If you truly want to test it and not waste days waiting for results just use your ohm meter on "current" setting. You'll see immediately if any current is going from the panel to the battery.

[@_dave4460]

at about 5:30, you tested with the charger still connected? not a legitimate test...

[@tomkiker2206]

This solar panel works good if you keep it in good sun light. I used it to charge the dead battery in my Dodge. Took about 4 or 5 days.

[@oisin1980]

I bought oneand it said it's not waterproof. is this true does anybody know

[@Blinker_Fluid_Supply]

@@oisin1980 it is not waterproof, i bought one to charge some solar lights and i built a small enclosure to protect it from the rain. Stopped working after almost two years

[@graysonstanley7467]

You should disconnect the solar panel when checking if it got charged.

[@Topsiekku]

1.5W :12v= 0,125 A , 75Ah: 0.125A=600 hours 600h: 24h= 25 days

[@ran1cohen1]

the sun is't 24 H/D

[@aryanprivilege9651]

How do you know he isn’t near poles, and it’s actually light for those days? JK, very unlikely but looks more temperate not cold, thought the same thing, assumed commenter just saying it’s silly but to top off a battery like trickle charger. Goofy toy product, wonder what folks do with it usually.

[@richt1856]

I used a multimeter was reading 28v DC from the panel was a bright sunny day? Is that right?

[@davidw5416]

Couple things to remember when using a trickle charger the charger you used only supplies 1.5 watts if the car is draining more than 1.5 watts then you will not charge the battery just slow down the discharge of it, also these chargers seldom hit their quoted wattages so a 1.5 watt may only deliver 1.2 watts or less, also with the cigarette lighter most newer vehicles have auto disconnect of the cigarette lighter after about 15 minutes so any charge going into them is wasted, might be the reason for the high number of people that say they don't work

[@AllThingsCool]

good info 👍

[@akassebaum]

Yeah, In all fairness, if this was just used to keep a battery topped off at all times, then you don’t need anything else or need to worry about how fast it charges a battery, even if it is just 1 or 2 volts. Some times small vehicles such as a golf car or a riding mower just sit unused and something like this is handy to keep it charged enough to allow you to confidently startup each time it is required. You don’t always need something that can charge a battery in two hours.

[@ryanwashenesky5044]

I have one I use to keep my garden tractor battery charged in the winter. Works great as a maintainer

[@dannyfubar3099]

Excellent post, thank you for sharing.

[@YaxisX]

Mr. Kososky, yesterday I went out and bought the Thunderbolt Solar Panels. I hope to use them to power my 100 watt ham radio with a battery. I have other uses such as the battery charger for the lawn tractor.

[@AllThingsCool]

Hope it works for you ya !! Keeps my golf cart battery topped off and I drive it only a handful of times a year

[@haroldprice1030]

The first one I brought from Harbor freight worked great for a couple of years until the sun’s heat finally melted the wires at the solar panel. The second one didn’t work straight out of the box. I’m going to take the solar panel back to HF tomorrow!

[@AllThingsCool]

harbor freight is usually pretty good with returns another reason inlike shopping there

[@haroldprice1030]

@@AllThingsCool Just a little follow up. I actually called the phone number on the instructions booklet and talked to tech. I told him that lost my receipt, but that didn't matter. They just needed my phone number and found me and my purchase history in the system . So ....They are going to send me replacement solar panel. Now that is service !

[@AllThingsCool]

@haroldprice1030 Thanks for the follow up glad to hear it 👍

[@babyTOY-YODA777]

Thank you! Much needed

[@thurm101]

I used mine throughout the winter. After I am done cutting I reconnect it. Hopefully I can get a few more years out of my riding battery.

[@edwardwatt3497]

Just want to point out that a "Good" discharged battery will naturally recover some after it is disconnected from even the slightest draw, which can be influenced by the many components in the vehicle circuit. I'm fairly certain that's what happened in this video. Not saying that these don't work (I just bought two), I just think an overcast day will not allow them to perform at the full 1.5A potential, not even close. I plan to do an amperage test during an overcast Florida day, and then compare this to results from a blistering Florida day. I have hope they work, but not much hope that these will maintain four deep-cycle boat batteries. I hope I'm wrong.

[@sonnyblu6299]

I was # 1000 Likes! LOL I "Like" doing that! Thank you for the video... and Update.

[@AllThingsCool]

haha thanks man !!!

[@SjaakSchulteis]

So, it seems to do a good enough job to keep the battery level high, without having to run the engine every once in a while. That works for me as I have sunshine 90% of the year.

[@MrStyle-sr1yv]

lol what country is that if i may ask ?

[@lordmaddrox]

Just curious so after a year is it still chargeing well , or have you had to replace it ? Thanks for the upload btw

[@AllThingsCool]

Still hooked up to battery and it keeps it topped off. Cart starts every time

[@lordmaddrox]

@@AllThingsCool thanks for the reply i appreciate it

[@5065ca]

@@AllThingsCool not my question but thanx for replying

[@RichieTNY]

Thanks for the long term review. Some of the reviews out there only cover half a day, and expect a dead battery to fire up a truck.

[@kennyhall7711]

I have one of these 1.5 watt chargers hooked up to an old jumpbox that I Jerry rigged some LED strobe lights to run on my landscape trailer. They don't draw very much power. I use them maybe 5 hours a day twice a week. As of right now I only pull the solar panel out of my tool box to charge the battery while I am using it to work. I have yet to have to recharge the battery any other way. I have to figure out where on the trailer I can find a more permanent mount for it so I don't have to really worry about it pulling it in and out all the time or worry about a dead battery. Altho I might get a bigger panel if I decide to do that.

[@backwoodsfreak]

I'm not an electrical engineer but I would have to say that working on tvs has taught me the component called Zener diode would be a good start to seeing any results if you had a charged battery and were going to leave it hooked up overnight.

[@geraldrowell7148]

I was wondering if this panel has a blocking diode to prevent current drainage at night. The cheaper panels do not. Thx

[@planetina1145]

Get 30 of them and tie them together to the same circuit. Now you got power!

[@risbill1]

Now I'm wondering if I run this through a buck converter and output at 5v how well it will charge a phone or other USB accessories.

[@veritasaequitas4800]

It just maintains the battery voltage. Not really a charger. I use one for my plow tractor and back up generator. Just bought the 25 amp thunder bolt going to see if it will actually charge a battery this weekend. But you do need the controller so you don't cook the battery.

[@AllThingsCool]

i agree !

[@dan79transam65]

Mine works for maintaining my batteries. I might get another one too.

[@AllThingsCool]

Mine maintaind my battery in my golf cart. And it sits 95% of the time

[@timg7939]

We had an old gasoline powered forklift we would use 4 or 5 time a month. Always had to bring a battery charger. Hooked one of these up and it always fired up.

[@peternorthrup6274]

Remember. It just maintains. I have a coleman unit. It works great for what it is. I use it to maintain the battery on my 5x10 trailer. I have a small winch on it.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

¹5 watts skar

[@denverbevins4052]

can you romove the charging clamps & retest the battery?

[@YaxisX]

Oh yeah, I like what you are doing. Lots of guys like me need some basic teaching, and you are a wonderful mentor. Be my friend, okay? Seriously.

[@AllThingsCool]

Thanks and sure we can be friends lol

[@civildk9077]

gotta love a good 'bro-mance'!

[@raspberrypimilitant2242]

i used to have 6 of these 1.5 watt panels 3 in each back window on a 2003 dodge durango going to the car battery to trickle charge it worked great to keep the battery up when i was running my mobile vhf 35 watt radio when not running the car i had seperate panels on the roof rack to a reap battery independent and that was a 200ah battery ran my off road lights 2 50 watt panels from china

[@raspberrypimilitant2242]

the vhf was digital btw so my transmissions were very short bursts if i used voice and was keying the mic i would certainly drain my car battery down quickly

[@sharonbraselton4302]

ñóóe car baery 1200 watss 40 wats 30 hiurs wter 15vhors day gid temp wenter hakfvday

[@breakfast7595]

You could also add a few capacitors to improve the start ability

[@jimjones5419]

At 1.5w by 12v it would take 1 year to fully charge

[@pitmonk]

PMSL Yes - 12v at 1.5watt MAX (best sunshipe conditions) is only 0.125 Amps (125mA) - I bet you gained 0.010mA by cutting the LED out lol. It would take a few days to charge a phone.

[@pitmonk]

@Les Fernandez Canoe? I paddle my canoe. Yes you need larger panels depending on what you need to charge. Look at the size of these, just to charge a couple of USB devices. www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-UK-RP-PC005-Waterproof-Smartphones/dp/B01FH2HYCW/ref=sr_1_7?crid=30Y0D8RNMWY2C&dchild=1&keywords=solar+panel&qid=1595873183&sprefix=solor%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-7 Its very simple really. All you need to work out is, what do I want to charge and how quickly. This will determine the size of the panels needed. Tip: Remember that its dark for half of the day :-)

[@ehrenreich9607]

12v battery is 70 amp-hours, 1.5Amp 12v solar panel is 0.125amp 70 A-hour / 0.125 A = 560 hours ...at (very) roughly 10hours of sunlight per day, requires 56 days (or more) Best to go for the 25watt solar panel, should cut your time down to 4-5 days. (I.e 56 days / (25watt/1.5watt)

[@civildk9077]

@@pitmonk humor.. it's ALWAYS 'BEER-THIRTY' somewhere!

[@fungames24]

No, a 12v panel will never charge a 12.6v battery. In fact the battery will charge up the panel.

[@jaredz9507]

I'f you open the panel you can cut the led out and get a lil bit more current

[@babisglykiotis2723]

It works well because is not designed for such big battery as yours... Here in Greece now summer time, out is about 32-36C, with exactly same solar (different brand) it gets 21V output direct from the panel ... So at this high voltage connected direct to the panel has charged a 4 year old 12V / 4Ah moped 50 cc bike drained battery from 9.1 V to 12.3 V with in 3-4 hours ... winter time out 14-18C at bright day it gets output about 14-16V .... winter time tested to charge a drained 12V / 3Ah from 8V it needs 2-3 days to reach 12+ Volts ... So it works for me only fully sunny days, how ever note this is a charger to maintain capacity really & not charge, only hot countries may benefit to charge fully small bike batteries ... EDIT apart a nice sunny day, HEAT also matters on these solar panels

[@dublinvids5146]

Maybe do a video where you measure the drain over 48 hours and then what the charge is over 48 hours. Least then you'll know. I was housebound for years and used my car only once a month and one of these was enough to offset the drain (which was just the clock and ecu). Depends on the car I guess. Newer cars have more of a drain than older ones. My solar charger connected via ODBII also which was handy as my cigarette lighter didn't work :) Good video.

[@80srockr1]

Wondering if it’s waterproof. I bought several for equipment that sets long periods at a time. Tested myself. Seems to help if it will last

[@mattmatt4618]

I believe you could splice 2 of the panels together and charge the battery a little faster. This gauge wire should be able to handle the amperage.

[@averyalexander2303]

You could, but connect them in parallel. Not in series. You may also want to use some type of charge controller with more than 1 of these panels. I had one of these a few years ago and if I remember correctly it got my battery up to almost 14 volts when the sun was shining on it, so I worry that more than one panels could possibly overcharge a battery depending on its size, sunlight, etc.

[@carltongadgettmannprice352]

A double 12v adapter will also work as it will accept two 12v plugs and reduce the two 12v plugs down to one 12v port.

[@MissionaryInMexico]

Chuck there is a solar cell phone charger that I just bought and reviewed, called the Carga "Blob." Mine is the 800 mAh. I do not know if it is for sale in the USA cuz I bought mine here in Mexico. If it is, could you do a review on it? (Mine cost me just over $20) Thanks. God bless. Edit: March 2021 I have bought 8 of these Blob chargers. Recently, I've seen a YubTub ad about them that they're "On Sale" for $75 plus shipping. Holy Molé. That's 4 times what I paid for mine here in Mexico. They work well, for the most part, but we had a bad run of them, and 2 of the last 3 would not hold a charge and Coppell did allow us to exchange them. So I'm holding off buying any more until they fix the problem.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

yiu r dolar cell out out 800 mha 4.4 wàtrs oer hiur

[@justmedontknowdoyou7860]

They are mostly a battery maintainer (ie) as vehicle that is in Storage. I just put mine on the dash board for the winter and it keeps the battery up all the winter. I have them in 3 vehicles threw the winter months. Not sure about using the cigarette lighter thing though. I looks more like an UTV not a golf cart,!!! Just my 2 cents

[@tmbrealestatephotography2328]

Do you use a regulator with any of your 3 vehicles? Any possibility of overcharging?

[@esqueue]

It is a fact that this will NOT even maintain a battery on a vehicle. Vehicles do have some parasitic drains to keep the clock and ECU powered. I had one of these on vehicle that I only moved across the streed twice a week and this did absolutely nothing to help it. The current is just simply too low to even keep the battery charged. The battery was low and It was fully charged my a charger and ran for years after. This is a waste of money. I didn't cut the blue LED so I don't know if that would have helped but it didn't work.

[@AllThingsCool]

Did u cut the blue led in it ?

[@gavinlynas2833]

If you started you car twice a week, which uses a fair amount of battery power, but didnt drive it long enough to regain that power through your alternator; then you used up what little charge the solar panel had generated just to keep your battery's level where it's at - so its like not having a charger at all therefore your battery just kept getting lower and lower. Without the charger it would probably go flat quicker especially with the starting twice a week.

[@chitibusu]

@@gavinlynas2833 agree

[@hartnurz]

I bought the 5 volt yesterday from Harbor Freight to trickle charge my RV battery, but...I cannot for the life of me figure out how to connect the wiring to the panel. The panel itself looks like it has a USB connection, and all the wiring ends look like yours. Thoughts?

[@kroalex81]

I bougth solar battery maintainer 7.5 watts on amazon keep my battery charge ...i have a parasite drain battery keeping my baterry draing during nigth but this solve my proble problem temporarily ...dealer wants $1000 for bcm replacement this solar panel make the job no mater itis a cloudy outside

[@65csx83]

If you know which circuit is causing the drain, you can remove the fuse for that circuit when not in use. If it powers equipment with memory, it probably wouldn't be a good idea. I has a drain problem which sometimes could kill the battery in as little as 2 hours.

[@patrickweaver1105]

Under ideal conditions it will produce 1/8 amp. That will keep a fully charged battery maintained but it will take over a month to recharge that deep cycle battery. A 12 watt solar charger is about the minimum I would use to top it off between infrequent uses.

[@AllThingsCool]

Thanks for the info, your right it does take awhile to charge this battery but it does charge it

[@keepchrist]

@@AllThingsCool ,how long does it actually take to charge up the battery, a couple of days/1week & thanks for the video?

[@AllThingsCool]

@@keepchrist it was real slow but it was overcast alot.of.days took like 2 weeks

[@keepchrist]

@@AllThingsCool 👍✌

[@tmbrealestatephotography2328]

So no concern of overcharging since it doesn’t have a regulator?

[@jimseviltwin1]

Good thinking for putting the solar panel on top of your ATV: closer to the sun…

[@idekmarijke2380]

I bought this same one, my problem was that when I left it hooked up to the cigarette lighter at night, it drained my battery! Also, would it be better to hook it up with the cables directly to the battery? And do I take it off at night and on rainy days as well? Thank you!

[@arod8596]

If the battery is flat it’s not gonna charge it it’s mostly a trickle charger

[@BostonPower]

I USE A 25W AMORPHOUS AND A CHARGE CONTROLLER TO KEEP MY BATTERY TOPPED OFF. I HAD A 7W TRICKLE CHARGER BUT IT WAS NEXT TO USELESS. AMORPHOUS IS THE WAY TO GO...

[@TheGrandma1013]

flexiblematthew I’m looking to maintain my 2 house batteries for winter Don’t want to have to take them out. What’s your opinion on that? In my Rv in michigan in winter?

[@BostonPower]

@@TheGrandma1013 AMORPHOUS PANELS

[@niacal4nia]

The light is LED( light emitting diode) which is a one way diode so by cutting it, you battery would drain at nigh and flow goes backwards.

[@jp040759]

The LED is not in series with the charging circuit so it does NOT have anything to do with the charge control. It is only there as a pilot light to indicate that you are getting some light to generate some power. It is actually robbing charging current from the charging circuit so when it is cut out the current wasted to light the LED is going to charge your battery instead.

[@dontblameme6328]

Some special kind of idiot right there.

[@dennykeaton9701]

Incorrect

[@chivainmanfoumbi9026]

cool stuff... does it have a charge controller built in it to prevent overcharge ?

[@joeycuddington7749]

no. have to buy a voltage regulator for another $20.....

[@JonTanOsb]

@@joeycuddington7749 Any panel under 10 W doesn't need one. My solar trickle charger is a 7.5 W Coleman from Canadian Tire. It's been in my van for a week (and the 12 V plug is active when the Pontiac Montana is turned off) so I'll see if it'll start. Jon in rural BC, Canada

[@ForgivenBob]

I put one on my 03 s-10, with some undefined parasitic draw.. Sits for up to a week in between starts.. Charger seems to be helping a lot..

[@civildk9077]

hahaha.. "parasitic draw". NICE! (aka 'small drain')

[@sharonbraselton4302]

10 watt one best 120 hourd fuócchar exot eyrric s¹⁰ 70 orv⁸¹ mióecrabge

[@utoob7361]

Personal experience (twice): even under ideal conditions, too small to do any good. Kills the battery overnight. So, worse than useless. Get something bigger, with a proper controller. HF has both. You get what you pay for.

[@AllThingsCool]

used this on a lawn tractor battery and a utv battery to keep it topped off while it sat for months at a time worked for that

[@Louise-zs9rl]

More solar panels may increase the voltage on the battery quicker.

[@user-dn2dr8px3d]

Is it possible that people are using the cigarette adapter and they turned the car off so that basically disabled stop so you don't have like your GPS or cell phone charger that basically depletes your battery overnight because you forgot to unplug it

[@FrankAustinLowney]

How does the cig lighter attachment work? Seems counter-intuitive that you could input power through such a port?

[@johnn3542]

It's connected by wires...as intuitive as jumping a car battery.

[@civildk9077]

Power flows both ways. ONLY, the cigarette lighter, draws ALOT MORE power FROM the vehicle than THIS unit will supply TO the battery.

[@c.juneau410]

DO YOU PUT YOUR TESTER ON DC TO CHECK THE ACTUAL SOLAR CHARGER ALLIGATOR CLIPS??

[@AllThingsCool]

Yes

[@korybeckwith834]

I think it could be described like a trickle charger, not a full battery charger.

[@OtisAdonisChad]

Get a monocrystaline 50watt. Get a solar charge regulator or buck converter pcb and set to 13 volts max on it's screw setting.

[@IndependenceCityMotoring]

I'd be worried about this thing overcharging a battery if left on?

[@AllThingsCool]

I've had it on my golf cart battery for months haven't seen any problems

[@danielleyva7881]

Its prolly too weak to overcharge

[@LordofStormsEnd]

I don’t understand how plugging that into the 12v would charge a car battery

[@jankavan7537]

My blue light isn't flashing anymore and my controller says low voltage. I'm wondering if leaving the solar panel flat wasn't the best idea and water got in the panel.

[@CorrectAgain]

cant be used without a regulator, these pumpout 20+ volts and destroy batteries without that regulator, yes i just learnt this myself after playing with them years ago

[@Josef_R]

Lots of morons on YT think it's made to charge a dead battery, which it is not. Ideally, your battery should be fully charged before using the charger, in order for it to work properly.

[@pt3407]

Hey Chuck will it charge from lights shining in an underground parking lot?

[@AllThingsCool]

Hmmm I know the light would go on when I had it inside but not sure of the power of the charge u would get never tested it. You could try it and if not harbor freight is good on returns

[@pt3407]

@@AllThingsCool I'll give it a shot. I have one sitting around.

[@jago5300]

Little things that may improve detergent the LED light disconnected and uses power that will boost your milliamps a little. Number two solar panels put current into a battery. But when the charging gets too low oh, and a current will reverse and go to the solar panel. At act like the little red diode draining the battery. So disconnecting the battery at night would prevent that. Do a little research and you'll see that solar panels are diodes any M Image a low-level light that you cannot see, which causes a drain.peracetic

[@nathanwelch2082]

Thinking of getting one of these or the schumacher brand from oreillys for my f150. With gas being over $4 a gallon and only 10mpg not the best. Just wanted to see if woukd be worth it since my truck only goes out like once every few weeks to month

[@AllThingsCool]

definatelyvworthba try if you don't have any major electrical drain on your battery this should be fine to maintain it

[@nathanwelch2082]

@@AllThingsCool no electrical drain just 40 year old truck

[@JSNurFRND]

What tupe of conector do they use? What are they called and wonder if they make a cellphone adapter for it to use for a cell phone

[@JSNurFRND]

Charge a cell phone

[@genkiferal7178]

My vehicle battery jump-starter (the portable thingie that jump-starts your car) has a slot like a car's cigarette lighter does. Would this thing power my jump-starter so that I could use it as a power bank? My jump-starter also has a micro-USB slot, so I can charge small devices such as a phone, headphones, LED camp light, or speaker.

[@genkiferal7178]

found out online that this can work. obviously, a stronger solar panel would work better.

[@Takeoffin321]

I have used a small solar like this panel to charge my jumper boxand it worked

[@Takeoffin321]

But it was a5 watt panel I think

[@MrLOTZALUV]

Should have tested the battery as soon as you hooked it up

[@Stylezsnyc]

I’m thinking about trying to set this up on a storage unit to maintain my motorcycle battery. Are the wires long enough to attempt that?

[@HondaFit4Adventure]

Please invest in a better product. Just my opinion.

[@jp040759]

There is no way this thing can charge a battery. If it puts out 1.5 watts at say 13.6 volt minimum if there is enough sunlight (13.6 volts is recommended float voltage to maintain a lead battery). You need at least 13 volts to push enough current into a battery to provide any charging current. This would mean that 1.5 watts divided by 13.6 volts is 110 milliamps of current. Per the box that is "peak" output. During extremely bright days this thing might be able to maintain a fully charged battery. It does not have enough power to charge a battery. Anything under 12. 8 volts output will discharge the battery instead of maintaining it if this device does not have reverse current protection built into it. Don't waste your money on this thing.

[@niacal4nia]

The blue LED( light emitting diode) is actually a one way diode. Google it.

[@jp040759]

@@niacal4nia This LED in not effecting the charging circuit. It is just wasting current that could be used to charge the battery, thuis the increase in voltage when it got cut out of the circuit. AGAIN, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS TO CHARGE A CAR SIZE BATTERY!!!!!! It might work for a small 5 to 7 amp hour lantern size battery, nothing more.

[@chitibusu]

Inside is a diode too for protection, i looked inside my panel. The blue led is in parallel. In a sunny day, oriented perpendicularly to sun, will give about 90 mA. Is very low but will keep battery charged and, over time, a very low charge 90 mA x 11 sunny hours = ~ 1 A.

[@jp040759]

@@chitibusu Here's the math. Most 27M size batteries are 90 Amp Hour capacity. Let's say you discharged the battery by 20 amp hours of capacity. At 20 amp hours divided by .090 (90 milliamps) amps per hour from the solar panel assuming optimum sunlight conditions it will take 223 hours of bright sunlight. Assuming 11 hours a day charging light it will take 23 days assuming you have 23 days of super bright cloud free, haze free sunlight. Let's assume 50% of the days are super bright, it will take 46 days to charge the battery and that is from a 22% discharged battery. It is very unlikely that you will have anything close to constant 90 milliamps of current available for that long in any one day. This does not even take into account the charge efficiency of a lead acid car battery which is 70%. What this means is if you have a 100 amp hour battery, it takes 143 amp hours of current going into it to get the 100 amp hours of capacity out of the battery. 43 amp hours of energy is going into changing the chemistry of the battery back to power generating chemical combination. So again! There is NO way this thing is going to charge a car sized lead acid battery. Don't waste your money on this thing. I would recommend at least a 15.0 watt solar panel to have a good stiff trickle charge capability. OR get 10 of these 1.5 watters and wire them in parallel..

[@chitibusu]

@@jp040759 I said "will keep battery charged". This means no discharge. And I said "very low charge". If people are fooled that this tiny solar panel is a fast charger that's not my fault :) I use this panel to keep fully charged an UPS 12V/7A battery that I use rarely on a hobby tool. It's perfect.

[@Memyselfandvan]

1.5w isn't going to help, you want 7.5w to 10w small solar panel like the AllPowers brand.

[@davidmiles2597]

No sun, no charge. Watch that charger, you have no charge controller, I doubt it will over charge at such a low current, good luck, also no blocking diode.

[@rebelbatdave5993]

i tried mine. & haven't seen a light? where is it? THANKS!

[@AllThingsCool]

Should be on the side of panel... blue led

[@owensrayfeilds6800]

get a 50 watts panel

[@fugeelahahaha]

Those are supposedly just battery maintainers.

[@AllThingsCool]

This is true

[@dwheeler016]

Nice. Is it waterproof so I can leave it on the roof on my UTV?

[@AllThingsCool]

That's kinda how I have it setup on my golf cart. If you got the extra money get the bigger one so your battery will get a quicker charge

[@dwheeler016]

@@AllThingsCool Thanks. So it handles the weather Ok? I just need it for a trickle maintainer, not really to charge it up.

[@AllThingsCool]

@@dwheeler016 yea I haven't had an issue with weather

[@dwheeler016]

@@AllThingsCool Good deal. Thanks

[@qw7154]

I'm sorry for my stupidity ignorance but why would you want to plug it into your cigarett Lighter what does it do after you plug it in

[@ud4458]

Can you leave this outside in the weather?

[@InspiredJJ]

But you didn’t start it?

[@AllThingsCool]

It starts no problem. I've had this panel on the battery ever since. Cart sat for as long as 3 months turned the key and fired right up so the panel is keeping the battery topped off

[@CaliforniaCarpenter7]

Chuck, I am wondering if I need to unhook the charger when there is no light out. Will it drain my battery when it is dark?

[@mel2000]

How could the charger stay connected to the battery when the instructions state that the charger could be damaged if connected when starting the car?

[@CaliforniaCarpenter7]

Why would you keep it connected when starting? If the instructions say not to, then don't. For what it's worth, I have this identical charger and it is always connected to my truck, even when I start it.

[@billbrunton2361]

Will this charger work through the cigarette lighter on a 2002 Dodge camper van?

[@cobyaguilar1889]

Dumbass😂

[@JonTanOsb]

It will if the 12 V plug is active when your van is turned off. Check the fuse box to see if there's an on/off switch for it. Don't expect anything under a 7.5 W to do anything but maintain a charged battery. Jon in BC, Canada

[@larryboyd2806]

i have a 2001 dodge grand caravan... it has one powered all the time socket and one that goes on with the car ... according to harbor freight it will only work on the constantly wired one.... I started to use in on my camper but I took it off when i heard that the panel can put out 22 volts in full sun... that might fry ur battery ... u need a controller to be safe

[@alabamaoutdoors4468]

What if you used 2 of them ?

[@kylea4186]

Ahhh yesss it is a "defellent" increase