Does the unit stop charging when a cloud passes over the sun? Some other chargers require you to unplug and restart.
1817088
i'll concur with the other comments about the unit continuing after going into low light.
1817089
No it will continue to charge even if you bring it to total darkness and then back to light. You can tell it is charging when the red led is glowing. Charging is very slow even in strong sunlight
1817090
I leave mine in the window unless I am using it. It chrges in cloudy and sunny weather so far, though I am sure it may get more juice from bright uncloudy sun.
1817091
Unit doesn't stop charging. It continues charging as long as there is light. No restart required.
1817092
No it doesn't. You need not to worry about that :) It charges much better with natural light even if it's cloudy by the way.
1817093
No, it keeps charging just not at as high of a rate. At least that is what I understand of the red light's variable intensity that shows that the unit is charging.
1817094
From what I have seen of mine, the red charging LED dims and then brightens with the intensity of the light on it (even from a lamp!). I've never seen it stop except when fully charged.
1817095
To my knowledge as long as the red light is on, the unit is being charged. But I'm confused by what you say about unplugging the unit. I just leave mine in the sun and forget it, but I'm just a customer not an expert.
1743630
Haven't Opened mine up so I can't help you. You might be on to something as it seems to Over Charge my Battery during the warmer months. My Solar Panel Controller does not seem to be able to account for this properly so I am forced to disconnect the Solar Panel for awhile when this happens. I plan to open mine up & look once it warms up again & the snow is gone for the season.
2104421
Leaving the unit on stand-by in the sun will charge it nicely. The charge will last for a good amount of time as long as the unit has an open view to the sky and sun.
851297
Yes it does as long as internal battery is kept recharged. When it's left on after ACC power is lost the unit will run until internal power is exhausted. There's an internal setting to turn it off after a preset timing to preserve internal battery. Always remember what you pay is what you get. As for this unit it's good pricing.
373244
It does run off of AC power if you have plugged in the adapter to the wall and to the radio. And--you need to make sure it is sitting well inside the charging unit. If it is not placed properly in it (for example-not flat at the bottom--then the red charging light does not come on indicating it is not charging. Plus make sure you are turning on the ON button if you want to hear a report. It does not report the weather if it is not turned on. I hope this helps.
1807040
This charger has thermal runaway protection which means it will stop charging when fully charged or if it detects a problem with the battery. No need to unplug, it uses very little power in maintain mode.
1835362
When you charge the device, it will be automatically turned off...you have to reconnect it after it is being charged!
56628
I connected this unit to a 12 volt deep cycle battery. It was in the Caribbean and there was lots of sun. The longest I left it connected was a few days of direct sun and everything seemed fine. But I would keep checking it for awhile if I was going to leave it for very long. There is supposed to be a built in sensor so it won't over charge anything.
375789
I have only used it in Florida and the summer in Colorado so I can not answer about cold conditions. It does ok on cloudy days, it just takes a while longer to charge fully.
2079125
That's a good question. I THINK it works by either charging the connected device from its battery, or by charging the battery. There's an on/off switch that powers the USB connection. So that's a way to differentiate this from a true solar charger. With this you can charge and store, with a solar charger you have to leave the device connected to the solar charger and in the sun to charge. I could be wrong about that. I may ahve to test that the next sunny day.
1271365
Chargers don't stop...devices stop accepting charge when full. Mine stopped working within a month or so....I do not recommend this item.
448100
it does have an auto stop when charging with AC. The light will go from red to green to let you know it is fully charged. You can leave it plugged in without damaging the unit. You can not do this with DC. as with your car lighter socket. You can overcharge the battery and damage it. Hope this helps.
333704
What I found is that the devices you connect to the charger may be sensitive to how much energy they are getting from the charger, and in some cases they would stop charging if the current dropped by too much (for example, if a cloud obscured the sun) and would not restart even when full sunlight was restored. I don't think there is any mechanical reason you couldn't hike with it open and exposed to the sun, but if you were hiking in the trees, or if the sun is coming and going because of clouds, you might find that some devices don't charge. I tried charging and ipad, and Android phone, and a Garmin GPS watch - the only device that didn't mind the sun going away was the watch. What I found is that the devices you connect to the charger may be sensitive to how much energy they are getting from the charger, and in some cases they would stop charging if the current dropped by too much (for example, if a cloud obscured the sun) and would not restart even when full sunlight was restored. I don't think there is any mechanical reason you couldn't hike with it open and exposed to the sun, but if you were hiking in the trees, or if the sun is coming and going because of clouds, you might find that some devices don't charge. I tried charging and ipad, and Android phone,... » Read More What I found is that the devices you connect to the charger may be sensitive to how much energy they are getting from the charger, and in some cases they would stop charging if the current dropped by too much (for example, if a cloud obscured the sun) and would not restart even when full sunlight was restored. I don't think there is any mechanical reason you couldn't hike with it open and exposed to the sun, but if you were hiking in the trees, or if the sun is coming and going because of clouds, you might find that some devices don't charge. I tried charging and ipad, and Android phone, and a Garmin GPS watch - the only device that didn't mind the sun going away was the watch. « Show Less
1580478
It will keep charging your phone until you unplug it. I had my backup completely charged the other night, I left my phone pluged into it and by the morning the backup was drained because it never shut off. Even after my phone was 100% charged.
513126
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.
1552154
That's a good question. It stays on all the time, and seems to be indicative of whether the charger itself is getting power, not whether your device is fully charged. I have not been able to decipher whether it actually stops sending power to your device when the device is charged, so for that reason, would not buy it if that's the most important feature to you. However, it could work great for a night light for travel!
1940063
Mine works great but if you don't use it it will lose some power you can charge it 2 ways when you are not using it leave it in the sun light