Could you use this with one of those small 12V 5AH batteries like in a power failure lighting system, and would you need to use a charge controller?
1563644
I use it to charge and keep the charge on a 12 volt 7AH battery and it works fine. No need for a charge controller because the amps it puts out are very low, so you should be just fine.
1563645
NOTE: 1 watt at 12vdc means this only produces 1/12 amp. This is a "micro" trickle charger. Look at plug in trickle chargers on Amazon-- they range from 1/2 amp to 1.5 amps. So it will maintain a battery lead acid if it is small and is not operating too many systems such as car clocks, on-board computers, etc.
1563646
No charge controller needed. Just clamp onto the terminals. You could keep a modest battery topped off for a backup light, but it would not recover the battery very quickly, if you anticipated daily need. But if you just want a battery to run one bulb for a while on occasions, it's fine for that. Otherwise, for a larger lighting array or for frequent outages, use a larger charging system. I use it to keep my backup tractor and the battery on my herbicide pump tank topped off.
1563647
It kept my boat charged all summer on a mooring with no problem. You do not need a charge controller.
1563648
I am using it on my SeaDoo and just purchased a 2nd one to wire into my Prius for it's smallish 12V battery.So far it has worked great for my jet ski which doesn't get used a lot. The battery in my Prius didn't work after over 2 weeks in my driveway. I am not using a charge controller. The jury is still out on long term results, but the documentation says one is not needed.
1563649
I am using it on my SeaDoo and just purchased a 2nd one to wire into my Prius for it's smallish 12V battery. So far it has worked great for my jet ski which doesn't get used a lot. The battery in my Prius didn't work after over 2 weeks in my driveway. I am not using a charge controller. The jury is still out on long term results, but the documentation says one is not needed.
1563650
yes you could use it for that and no you would not have to use a controler because of the 1 watt output.
1563651
Yes, since you can use it to charge even a vehicles battery if needed, it will trickle charge any 12 volt battery.
1563652
My ATV battery is 12V/10AH. Granted, that's double the size you want to charge, but if it's truly a 12V battery, it shouldn't matter as this is designed to charge 12V's. This product has kept my battery alive, connected to my bike, for the last six months. I don't have a charge controller. Once in a while I will check it with a voltmeter just to be sure - this solar charger keeps the battery between 12.8~13.0 volts. The amperage it puts out is very low. Normally I'm buying a new battery yearly and by the time it's six months old, it'll have trouble cranking my ATV motor. No problems at all here now... the bike kicks over first try. Hope that helps. My ATV battery is 12V/10AH. Granted, that's double the size you want to charge, but if it's truly a 12V battery, it shouldn't matter as this is designed to charge 12V's. This product has kept my battery alive, connected to my bike, for the last six months. I don't have a charge controller. Once in a while I will check it with a voltmeter just to be sure - this solar charger keeps the battery between 12.8~13.0 volts. The amperage it puts out is very low. Normally I'm buying a new battery yearly and by the time it's six months old, it'll have trouble cranking my ATV motor. No problems at all... » Read More My ATV battery is 12V/10AH. Granted, that's double the size you want to charge, but if it's truly a 12V battery, it shouldn't matter as this is designed to charge 12V's. This product has kept my battery alive, connected to my bike, for the last six months. I don't have a charge controller. Once in a while I will check it with a voltmeter just to be sure - this solar charger keeps the battery between 12.8~13.0 volts. The amperage it puts out is very low. Normally I'm buying a new battery yearly and by the time it's six months old, it'll have trouble cranking my ATV motor. No problems at all here now... the bike kicks over first try. Hope that helps. « Show Less
1563653
No, this is just a trickle charger for a small 12V battery I am doubting you would be able to create much juice with it.
1042254
What kind of charge controller are you using? and how are you measuring the wattage? How long are your wire runs? Make sure you use large wire size....#8 minimum. Are you charging a bank of batteries?
2181142
It doesn't come with a charge controller. Generally speaking, with a charging system 5 watts or higher, you will need one. Usually, they are sold separately.
838779
Yes it can be used with any 12 V source of power. But however it is not bright enough for what I needed
2181665
You will need a controller, such as the Schumacher SPC-7A 12 Volt Solar Charge Controller that Amazon sells. The necessary connectors minus a long extension are included. It'll work fine.
993067
No. You will need a small charge controller. There are some cheap effective ones here on Amazon that I have used and work fine though... You're looking at about $20 extra for the charge controller
30433
Of course you need to use a charge controller and you could wire it up no problem.
1555809
yes you can,I bought some solar lights that had very low voltage batteries and it charged them just fine.
1885014
I have successfully used it to keep my rv house batteries charged up during downtime. You should have no problems for your use. You will not need a controller as there will be no chance of overcharge with the small wattage.
1307712
No. It doesn't work very well on the 48 volt system. My batteries are depleted before the diode lights are showing that it should be half charge. 12 volts probably would not even light up one of the lights.
225364
Yes it is actually very forgiving as far as power is concerned... a 12 volt battery should work just fine... the unit is very simple to wire... I use it with a small strobe light
1450266
Without a charge controller battery life will be compromised, due to heat issues accidents may happen as well. MPPT type charge controller is most appropriate for any battery voltages ie; 12, 24 ..... Since this panel is 24v a PWM charge controller will work fine for 24v battery banks. Charge controller is highly recommended.
840397
Yes, BUT as with any solar panel, it should be connected with a Charge Controller. FYI, if you plan to run any significant use from your batteries, this solar panel would not keep up. You will most likely need at least a 60 watt panel or more.
686192
Yes this will work. The whole purpose of having this controller is so that once a battery is "fully charged" (at ~14V), this will "disconnect" or "shut-off" the charging so you don't get the battery up to levels like the 17.5V you mention (where it will damage the battery). Even if the solar power is at levels like ~30V (while it's not charging the battery), this will still function blocking the solar power from getting to the battery until the battery voltage comes back down to 13V where it again lets the "charge" power thru.
594755
Without a controller and a battery, the answer is NO because this panel will put out almost 40 volts under no or a light load. With a controller and proper battery, it will do a fine job up to it's rated power.
1331536
If you match the proper size batteries to your panels through the right size charge controller you will have no problem charging the batteries. The generally accepted ratio is 1 1/2 watts of panel per amp hour of battery for a productive charge. This unit is not a charge controller. This is a 12 volt power inverter that converts the 12 volt power in your battery to 120volt ac for common use. I have one of these. It works ok for the money but it doesn't produce very "clean" electricity.
345245
Not exactly it does not have a charge controller. You will need one. It had a cigaret female plug. You can adapt to that. I use to charge batteries for my ham radio equipment. You might look at the deltran solar charger. They go buy battery tender.