Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy24601
I use a relay in the circuit - the relay has an ignition live feed that breaks the connection between the solar panel and the car battery - i.e. as soon as you switch on the ignition the relay cuts the solar power to the battery. I have tried using diodes but had a lot of problems with voltage drop. the relays are cheap enough off ebay
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I like that relay idea. All the solar panels I've seen do have instructions stressing the importance of disconnecting before starting. Of course, the first thing I've done on several occasions is to forget to do that!
I thought start up damage was the reason why one of mine wasn't charging until I remembered the cigarette lighter wasn't active with the ignition off.
At night though, is there a reverse drain going on with a solar charger, and if so, is it significant such that it neutralises the benefit of the day charging? If the night -time reverse current drain is significant, then a relay is surely not going to fix that and some kind of diode arrangement would be needed? Alternatively a light activated relay to cut off the device until daylight?