Hi all had some issue's with the battery going flat due to lack of use so i bought one of these. Only cost me £10!!!!!!
Over how many days of none use was it that left the battery dead? Do you plug it in the cigarette lighter hole & leave it on the dash?
i had one in my mini for years. had it on the rear parcel shelf and connected direct to the battery. please be aware it will only work in the cigarette lighter socket if the socket still works with the engine off.
i brought a trickle charger for my copen back in the summer i think and its just a little ac adaptor with the red and black pliers and i think that only cost me £5 new and manages to charge my battery enough within 24 hours of being on charge which i found to be pretty good
I would say around 10-14 days of no use with the alarm on. I might yet change the battery for a new one although it's only 2 years old!!!! The solar panel unit is attatched to the outside of my garage just above the door. The cables had to be extended so the reach to the end of my garage.. They then attach straight to the battery using some crocodile type connectors...
you can get bolt on (to the battery) cable tails that have about 1m of trail then a multiplug fitting. they are not expensive. I used one of these an another car i had and had the multiplug attached just below the front grill. Means you can easily connect / disconnect the solar panel without even opening the bonnet.
princess, I don't mean to be a killjoy, but.... I wouldn't expect too much from that solar cell. From the photo you included it states a MAX output of 1.5W, so that mean in full sunlight you will only get a charging current of just over 0.1 Amps. To me a trickle changer needs to give out at least 1 Amp. So at a charging voltage of 14V that 14W. - In other words, you need 10 of them. So it may extend the time a little before the battery goes flat (if the sun shines), but I think it will still go flat. I hope you prove me wrong. Rex.
Just a quick update on my solar trickle charger.............. it's working fine,had no problems with it keeping on top of the charging... Even in this weather Not bad for a TENNER!!!
