solar panels for trickle chargers - Recommendations

[marz92]

Looking at the possibility of acquiring a garage but it has no electricity inside or nearby! Any recommendations of what to buy and what NOT to buy re solar panels to keep the battery 'topped up' via 12 volt power point in the car?
1. Will they power the usual Accumate? Currently I use one in a friends garage via the electric power point?
2. Is it just a summer thing or will they work and keep a car charged over the winter period if the car is not being used?
Not wise to this game - so any welcome thoughts would be greatly appreciated should I proceed with the idea.
Thanking you.

[Sagi Badger]

Try Thieve bay or Machine Mart. Price of two café brekkies gets you started, plug in the fag lighter socket and has diode to prevent draining over night, check lead length. Always ready to steam up straight away if charged....

j

[ShiDevil]

I have tried them in the past and they were rubbish to be honest. Just get a battery isolator fitted, so you don't get the drain. Tvrs can go for weeks without worrying about driving them for fear of a flat battery. Plus there's a school of thought that leaving on charge isn't great. It's best to drive when you can.

[N7GTX]

I tried one that was AA recommended. It didn't charge the battery so got a replacement. That did nothing either so gave up.

[glenrobbo]

Just drive the car every now & again!
Connecting a trickle charger via the cig lighter/ power socket will only work if the socket is permanently live.
A lot are dead with the ignition switched off, if that is how yours is wired, you are not doing anything to top up the battery by using this socket.

[MethylatedSpirit]

Most you get from halfords or other places are ste because they make <10 watt You need more POWER.


You want a charge controller

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anself-Controller-Battery-...

And a HUGE panel

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photonic-Universe-monocrys...

Connect to battery terminals directly don't bother with cigarette lighter rubbish.

Extra points for fabricobbling extra things like garage lights on to the 12v system. You just need a bulb that will work off of 12v.

Edited by MethylatedSpirit on Saturday 2nd April 20:25

[ChimpOnGas]

A healthy disconnected battery will hold sufficient charge to start your TVR after up to 6 months of inactivity.

But how to conveniently disconect the battery?

That's easy, "Battery Brain" is your answer.

Simple to fit the Battery Brain device can be activated from outside the car after you have used the TVR remote to deadlock the doors.

Just lock the car as normal, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, & the car is locked yet the battery fully disconnected.

The result will be you can return to your TVR literally months later after no use whatsoever, press the Battery Brain remote fob once, wait for the three flashes from the indicators to stop, press the TVR fob to unlock the car and drive away like you drove it yesterday.

No mains power & trickle chargers involved, no marginal performing solar chargers required, just one press of the Battery Brain remote and all your battery drain woes have ended.

Combine it with a decent new battery at the time of fitting a Battery Brain and your "No Start" frustrations will seem like a distant bad dream.

http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/product/battery-brai...

[marz92]

Dear all,
Thank you for your time re comments - I have read them all. On reflection this is a rented garage where I will be limited to do what I like re hooking up a solar panel from the outside in. Besides it causes me concern should the panel decide to go 'walkies' in the middle of the night - even though we are in a reletive crime free area.
So I finally made the decision yesterday to go down the Battery Brain route having googled TVR Battery Brain which then sends me direct to previous posts over the years in Pistonheads. And then Dave (Chimp on gas) came along and re echoed my thoughts!!! Nice one Dave! And thank you for yet again being the perfect sales man amongst the TVR crowds!! Your thoughts are most helpful, remember me with the Canems conversion? It looks like I follow you again for sound advice and fitting!!!
I have come across several people since this weekend who have the the Battery Brain fitted and swear by them - for what it's worth it doesn't seem to be an expensive mod for sound reassurance for the future.
Thank you all once again. It was good to share your thoughts
Kind regards
Paul

[Convert]

Got one of these

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batt...

in the Range Rover (P38 - drains battery like a bugger).

Since fitting it, I can leave her untouched for a month, knowing it'll start up.

PS panel is fixed to parcel shelf, inside the car.

[AdriaanB]

Just installed this on my garage roof to keep the Chimaera charged:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photonic-Universe-controll...

Only installed it last Sunday but will let you guys know whether it works well!

[gwentman]

Hi my garage has no mains electricity and I have been using a solar panel with controller for the past 3 years, to keep my chimaera charged, the best purchase I have made. I have a connector fitted directly on to the battery and I can leave my car for weeks and it always starts.

Got mine off E Bay for about £85

Put the heading in below and check it out

100w PV Solar Panel with 10A PWM Charger Controller c/w 4m cable for 12v Battery

[so called]

I bought a solar charger for my Chimaera.
I used to leave it in airport carparks for weeks on end and so always had a flat battery on return.
The solar charger never helped as far as I could make out as I was still returning flat batteries.

In the end I had a Battery Brain fitted and that fixed the problem.

[cptsideways]

We run one on wifey's quad bike that gets used at the horse yard once a week for raking the school. I have fitted a 10w solar panel with a diode to the stable door its kept in. It simply plugs into the battery. It works a treat. Previously it would require a jump start if it wasn't used for two weeks or so. Now its spot on, however long we leave it.

There is a guy on ebay selling the right bit of kit, here's a link. Nice bit of kit for the money, with battery clips but think he also does a plug/fitted version, great for £16.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10w-Solar-Panel-12v-Batt...