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Battery Charging

I don't use my car that often, so rigged up one of these one-foot-square solar panels to trickle charge it whenever the sun is out. The idea is just to keep it topped up and ensure its reliability when called upon to start! I'm just wondering if it could cause any damage to the battery, though. Is it possible to inadvertently overcharge/fry a battery by the use of this arrangement since although it doesn't put out *that* much, it is after all left on all the time?

Reply to
Chris
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Used to use that size ten years ago to trickle charge batteries for electric fencer, or a small light in the winter. Can't recall the max current now, but it was not much and I don't think it would cause a car battery any grief.

Reply to
newshound

IIRC solar panels hover around 18 Volts so I hope you have a regulator in use.

Reply to
Tom G

Is it just a solar panel, or one with a properly-designed charger?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Just a solar panel with a diode in line for night-time and cloudy periods. I believe it's capable of 10W output in good daylight.

Reply to
Chris

Mine needed decent light levels to reach 12v. It evidently had a diode somewhere because it didn't drain the battery, but the max current was never going to cause a car battery any grief.

Different story for metre sized ones of course.

Reply to
newshound

so maybe a half amp on a good day for a few hours.

Reply to
MrCheerful

Good luck with it. A neighbour has one in his posh sports car which is a weekend toy - and the AA were round jump starting it again the other day.

If it is a well made device, it will have electronics to stop it overcharging. Same as any decent battery charger designed to be left on indefinitely. But not sure how you'd know if it is well made if the instructions don't cover this.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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