Harbor Freight Solar Panel Battery Charger

[FarmTracRay]

I bought one of the 12 buck solar battery chargers from harbor freight a while back. Got ready to use it and thought I would check with volt meter first to make sure it put out. 24 volts!!!!! This may be a stupid question for you super smart guys, (common sense tells me it would) but will it hurt a 12 volt battery at 1 1/2 amp. I've learned so much here just observing. Thanks. Ray

 

[biggerten]

I bought one of the 12 buck solar battery chargers from harbor freight a while back. Got ready to use it and thought I would check with volt meter first to make sure it put out. 24 volts!!!!! This may be a stupid question for you super smart guys, (common sense tells me it would) but will it hurt a 12 volt battery at 1 1/2 amp. I've learned so much here just observing. Thanks. Ray

Not to worry - your voltmeter has a high impedance input, you are measuring essentially open circuit. As soon as you place a load (connect it to the battery) the voltage will come down.

By the way, I think you mean 1.5 Watts, not 1.5 Amps.

 

[Skyco]

Yeah that would be a big solar charger for 1.5 A at 12V....

 

[RonMar]

1.5A @ 12V is only 18 watts. That is not a very big charger. Trickle charge for a battery is usually around 1/10th of it's amp hour rateing. A car battery is around 50 or so amp hours, so a 5A charge rate would be concidered a trickle. 1.5A is only a maintainer...

 

[zzvyb6]

You could hook the solar cell up to one of those highly acclaimed hydrogen generator systems and run your cars and trucks off it without ever having to buy gas again. Be careful, it would put out so much the Saudis would want to put you out of business. I read all this on the innernet so it must be true. I bought a bigger one for 1/2 price at TSC. I'm afraid to use it on the car because it would probably blowed up...

 

[Skyco]

1.5A @ 12V is only 18 watts. That is not a very big charger.

It would be about 1ft x 3ft. To me that's a pretty big solar panel

he said it was $12- so that means unless he found a heck of a sale it is the 1.5 WATT one......the 15 watt ones are closer to $100 and MUCH larger.

 

[schmism]

1.5 watt $15

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Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Richard]

dumb question....do these things really work?

I've got a backhoe (industrial) and seems my battery is always dying over time. Either from lack of use or perhaps a charging issue. I've thought about buying something like this to clip onto the battery leads when not in use.

Should I?

 

[Slacker]

dumb question....do these things really work?

I've got a backhoe (industrial) and seems my battery is always dying over time. Either from lack of use or perhaps a charging issue. I've thought about buying something like this to clip onto the battery leads when not in use.

Should I?

I'd use a "battery tender". They are reasonably priced and work well. I use one on my TLB (along with a battery quick disconnect).

 

[Soundguy]

dumb question....do these things really work?

I've got a backhoe (industrial) and seems my battery is always dying over time. Either from lack of use or perhaps a charging issue. I've thought about buying something like this to clip onto the battery leads when not in use.

Should I?

I use them on a few tractors.. yes.. they do put out electricity when in sunlight.

soundguy