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General Information => General => Topic started by: 8v-of-fury on July 14, 2011, 07:45:43 pm
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What type of output does your generic solar panel that originally powered a light up house number set?
The panel is about 3"x9" of solar panel. I guess easiest way would be to get a multimeter on it and test its output.. Can I test amps that way too?
I would like to use it to maintain my battery if possible.. I mean it might offset the amount of draw I have atleast :p and stop the battery from ever losing charge.
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around 2002-2003 ,they were installed on the cars shipped to the dealer and were taken off at the PDI. They would produce about .3-1 amps in strong sunlight. safe to check with a vom inline in amperage mode
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sweet. I think 1 amp would be quite nice to maintain a battery during the day while it sits.
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sweet. I think 1 amp would be quite nice to maintain a battery during the day while it sits.
Or spend a little time and find the current draw...
Fix it right the first time.
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I tried that with a panel I had around the house for running one of those waterfall fountains. It put out about 13.2 vdc and I never did measure the amperage. But I found it discharges too when the sun goes down. So I think you will need a diode on it to keep the juice going into the battery but not out. At least I think that is what does the work. Someone with more current electronics skills chime in. Mine are fair for most stuff and real good for home wiring but the newer tiny things have escaped my attention.
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Every single vehicle with an in dash clock, after market stereo, or dash mounted gps has current draw. You likely have both of the first two, and you also most likely have a .3-5mA draw.. A small solar panel to offset this draw is my intentions.. Not to charge the battery while it sits.
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I remember... vaguely... hooking up a multimeter to one of those small solar-powered outdoor garden lights and it only put out a few volts, like under 5 IIRC and a fraction of an amp. So I don't believe there is a standard for these things, just whatever the manufacturers engineers decide to use, of which, cost is probably a huge consideration. I would definitely investigate further before you sink time or money into the project.
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The one I had needed to turn a 12 VDC water pump so it put out that pretty well. Like you say depends on need. Little LED lights might not need but a few volts and that wouldn't help on a car system. I might look at the back of the panel and see if it has a manufacturer or other info about output.
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I am only even considering this because I have the good size panel already and a few smaller ones from work that would have charged 2 AA batteries.. So 3.5v max? If I wire the small panels and bigger panel together.. Am I looking at adding the wattage and amperage they provide together? Or how does that work?
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I am only even considering this because I have the good size panel already and a few smaller ones from work that would have charged 2 AA batteries.. So 3.5v max? If I wire the small panels and bigger panel together.. Am I looking at adding the wattage and amperage they provide together? Or how does that work?
buy the appropriate one for your needs off fleabay.. wont cost much..
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Depends, if the two panels produce the same voltage say 3.5 volts if you wire the positive of one to the negative of the other you should get 7 volts out the ends of the tow. On the other hand if they both produce 12 volts or better then combining the two positives together and the then the two negatives the voltage is the same but the current is double.
At least that is how I think the difference between series and parallel wiring works.
Double check with a google search.
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Or you could pick one up from CTC; which come on sale for $9 a few times per year (reg. about $22) Has mounts pre-drilled in the base; with two connectors: a 12v socket and two clamps. It's about 4" wide; 9 or 10" long. Built-in diode to prevent discharge and a very small draw LED showing charge activity. I mounted mine on the back deck of the Jetta and wired it directly into the system. Designed to maintain a battery; car, RV or boat IIRC it can supply 2 amps at full sun.
Andy
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Andy, ultimately that seems like the ideal way to go.
Ill try and rig up something with the stuff I have though, it won't be much time consumed and I love tinkering around.
$9 though, dammnn. Lol
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Or you could pick one up from CTC; which come on sale for $9 a few times per year (reg. about $22) Has mounts pre-drilled in the base; with two connectors: a 12v socket and two clamps. It's about 4" wide; 9 or 10" long. Built-in diode to prevent discharge and a very small draw LED showing charge activity. I mounted mine on the back deck of the Jetta and wired it directly into the system. Designed to maintain a battery; car, RV or boat IIRC it can supply 2 amps at full sun.
Andy
Got a link to that panel? I doubt a panel 4" wide; 9 or 10" long can put out 2 amps at 12V.
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Or you could pick one up from CTC; which come on sale for $9 a few times per year (reg. about $22) Has mounts pre-drilled in the base; with two connectors: a 12v socket and two clamps. It's about 4" wide; 9 or 10" long. Built-in diode to prevent discharge and a very small draw LED showing charge activity. I mounted mine on the back deck of the Jetta and wired it directly into the system. Designed to maintain a battery; car, RV or boat IIRC it can supply 2 amps at full sun.
Andy
Got a link to that panel? I doubt a panel 4" wide; 9 or 10" long can put out 2 amps at 12V.
More likely 0.2 amps.
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http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/Green/EnergyConservation/RenewableEnergy/PRD~0111894P/Blue%252BPlanet%252B1W%252BSolar%252BPanel.jsp?locale=en (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/Green/EnergyConservation/RenewableEnergy/PRD~0111894P/Blue%252BPlanet%252B1W%252BSolar%252BPanel.jsp?locale=en)
I've got a couple that I bought on sale. Didn't keep any batteries charged on the cars I tried them on when parked over the winter (yes, outside). I did keep the windshields cleared, still didn't work. Also note that the documentation that comes with them says you must not have them plugged in when the vehicle is running, so I doubt that there are any diodes in them.
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Absolutely right, don't know why I types amps, it should be watts. That isn't the charger on the link BTW; close but not quite; the one I have contains an amorphous solar cell. That's most likely a polycrystalline cheapo which is the k-car of solar cells. It was made by Sun Force (bought it ~2004). Dunno about the "blue planet" stuff. Seems to be a lot of new "green" companies sprouting up. Amorphous cells suddenly became expensive when someone figured out they can maintain their output at high and low temperatures...and that's what you find in the new flexible "solar" roof shingles.
As for no diodes, no one in their right mind would market that kind of fire hazard....then again you can buy the duracell brand AA batteries at the dollar store now...the ones with the pink energizer bunny on the packaging :D More likely, it's a tiny surface-mount "bead" diode from our favourite off-shore counterfeiter that wouldn't last long under a constant push from an alternator. I've had mine apart to mount it without the bottom plastic and its diode is a good old-fashioned zener and resistor package.
Andy