Am I suppose to unplug the solar panel cord once the unit is charged? And if so how long to leave it I plugged?
1048501
Leave the power cord plugged in to the unit at all times, it only charges when the battery needs re-charging, shuts off automatically.
927966
I have not had this issue, but I do not leave mine plugged in. I would check to see if a power surge took out the unit, or a battery issue
1059892
You can leave it unplugged but the battery last 3 or 4 hour, after that it needs to be plugged so it can charge.
300296
You can leave it plugged in if you wish. I usually unplug it after fully charged and let it sit. It keeps the charge for many weeks.
1229304
Also, make sure you remove the plastic over the solar panels, otherwise it wont charge as well. I leave mine inside my truck on the dash and it charges in 6 hours.
1786861
Unplug the power adapter from unit, leave it unplugged for about 5 mins and plug it back in. This procedure has worked for me
712396
Just started mine. The load goes to the equipment you are powering, the battery goes to the battery as indicated. This unit is to automatically control the charging of the batteries only when needed and take power from either the solar cell or battery when the load is on. I can give more in a couple weeks after mine has been fully tested. If you hook the batteries to the load terminal it can overcharge the batteries and cause problems, maybe even fire. Not knowing how you are using this it is the best I can answer. Correct connections will be important if the load is not constant.
1345055
U should charge it once per month. Never let it drained completely. We hooked ours to solar during the day. We don't charge it using AC power much
2153877
There is a charging LED light on the charger that will be red when you first plug it into an outlet. It turns green when the battery is fully charged, about four hours or so. You should unplug it when it turns green and not leave it plugged in indefinitely.
1315634
How long should it take to charge this unit once it is completely drained?Unit has only been used once. Charging seesm to be taking an abnormally long time. (8 hours?)
2210784
Only shut off would be to disconnect the wire to the solar panel. Then reattach when your ready to use again. Hope this helps,Larry
896854
I have left mine plugged in for 2 weeks or so and it still works good. I know it says not to charge over 8 hours, but I have and it has always worked for me. I keep it at my 2nd home and don't remember to unplug it from time to time, but, it does still work. Probably not the best for it but....
1558605
that's really it, there is a transparent sheet over the solar cell, to keep it from being dusty, remove that. there is also an on/off switch next to the solar cell. So after you charge it in the sun, make sure it's on for later.
1558903
I have found it best to run a 10 watt solar panel and double the battery size. If all goes ok I can get about 2 years out of the battery. As others have answered, if the sun is not shinning the solar panel is not charging. When we get an extended period without sun I will pull the battery and charge it with a battery charger
513125
it doesn't matter; just leave it in the sun to charge it! IF your unit won't charge from the sun, then there are 2 possibilities:1. your circuit board is faulty and you need to replace the whole unit.2. you live in a place with latitude above 41 degrees or so, so solar power DOES NOT WORK in the winter because the sun is too weak.Seriously though, it uses a pair of AA Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries but THE UNIT IS SEALED so you can't really get to them.
1381607
That's up to you. We leave ours plugged in all the time because that green light is so tiny. But if you want to unplug it just to be extra conscientious, it certainly can't hurt.
2160546
No, don't leave it plugged in. It will drain the battery. The green light is cool but it drains the battery slowly but surely.