So I have been thinking about one of these for the past few months, just cause I thought it was kind of cool. But RealSlowww got me thinking about it again in my other thread about the electric fuel pump and mentioning the 3g upgrade and these trucks taking forever to charge.


Just curious if anyone has heard of these, thought about installing one, or actually has any experience with one?

It might be kind of cool, I wonder how long it would take to bring up the batteries in these trucks if you killed your battery and didn't have access to a charger?

Thoughts?
Devin

 

I think if my math is correct, two of them would put out 2.5 amps?

Amps = Watts / Voltage?
2.5 = 30 / 12

That would be equivalent to a trickle charge on most battery chargers.

Devin

 

No maintenance/trickle charger will charge a battery from a "dead" or significantly discharged state. This charger must have some inefficiency, because it's listed as "15 watts", but "12V nominal voltage, 830mA", which is closer to 10 watts. No, when you _kill_ your batteries (and it's batterIES; with them connected in parallel, you're very unlikely to kill just one battery), you need a 10A or more charger to restore them.

A panel like this might be good to prop up in your windshield, depending on which way the truck is facing and where you are geographically, to maintain the charge of your batteries if the truck sits for long periods.

 

i use the harbor freight 1.5 watt solar charger in all my vehicles that sit.
i never have any problems starting, even after sitting for 6 months.

1.5 Watt Solar Battery Charger
and it is only $15 compared to $104 for the one you posted.
most of mine are over 5 years old.

 

^^^^ And the key to this is that you plug it in and face it to the sun WHEN you park the truck, BEFORE the batteries can discharge.

 

My boss has one of these floating around and used it for years to keep the charge on an old class B truck maintained(read: two large batteries equivalent to ours). Just plugs into the cigarette lighter.
I can't believe it has the juice to keep that old pig topped off but it does! Worked for years and probably still does, we just don't use it anymore.
Oh and this was in Western WA too where it rains 9 months a year!

As also mentioned it will do nothing for *dead* batteries. There are electro-chemical laws involved there that I don't understand but a dead batt needs serious juice to wake it up. Not 10-15w.

 

the solar chargers do not need direct sunlight to work. yes, direct sunlight will produce more energy, but all it needs is the equivalent of a 60 watt light bulb to make power.
the amount of light coming through the window in the garage door are enough light to keep the battery topped off in my 7 litre

 

Thanks for the info, this is a easy way to make sure your batteries are always up and snuff.....

 

Here is a thread I started when I was going to do solar, amazing info in this:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ing-solar.html

Thanks - Preston