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Product Description
With the Nature Power Solar Power Battery Maintainer, you can turn the sun’s energy into a fuel bank for your car, boat, SUV, tractor, or anything else with a 12-volt battery. Since no AC power is required, the Battery Maintainer is a great alternative to traditional chargers Read More
I also had a bad experience originally from a cheap import from Harbor Freight. I think i only paid 10 bucks. Now, I always check the reviews first from reputable websites like Home Depot and others before looking for a deal on a site like this. If these are the Nature Power branded ones, they will be fine as that is the company that usually charges a bit more for their products but the 2 different models I have work great after a couple of years.
These are REALLY bad. I picked one up for $15 NZD, and it stopped working after a couple of days sitting on my dashboard.
0/10, would only recommend to an absolute fool.
No, I initally bought the Harbor Freight Model and they stopped working as soon as they got wet. These are the same ones ones as Home Depot, West Marine, Camping world and Academy sells. I did a lot of research. It is a great price. Academy puts them on special from time to time for $34.99 which is also a great price.
linerrorThey appear the same to me. So they might come from the same manufacturer. Who knows.
A community member
Dec 10, 2018
Numbers posted here don't make much sense since 110A is huge amount of current. This is most likely typo and 110mA is the amount where Watt rating would make sense. That said, it's important to note that PV panels lose efficiency as the temperature grows, so I am expecting this to drop if left in car during summer.
It's an okay price for these and if they are indeed weather-proof they could be a great addition for small projects. Personally I wouldn't use it for battery maintenance as there's no mention of charge controller and even though maximum current is not all that big (assuming there was a typo) I wouldn't want something catching fire.
I don't think people get what these are. They are "trickle" chargers, designed to keep a charge on a 12V battery (like a riding lawnmower, boat battery, tractor battery, etc) when not used. And this is a very good deal compared to comparable units from Battery Tender or Goal Zero .
Can you use these to maintain the sub amplifier battery in a car? In cold weather the amp battery drains quickly and the radio won't start until its charged by the alternator. Would I also have to buy a solar charge controller?
Alexdre119I'm curious about the solar controller portion of the question. Neither the spec sheet nor the manual seem to indicate there's any type of overcharge protection.
Cry_DubsYes, you could wire them in series for twice the voltage, but that would only help you if you were charging a battery with a nominal voltage greater than 12 (if the panel's output voltage isn't higher than the battery you're trying to charge, no current will flow). You could also wire them in parallel for twice the current. The most effective way to combine them would be to run their outputs into an intelligent charge controller designed for this purpose with "maximum power point tracking" (or MPPT), but that's kind of an advanced topic. Google around with a phrase like 'solar panel MPPT' and you'll find lots of info and probably some devices you can buy if you're interested.
Massdrop, please check your specs. I realize you may have copied and pasted them from the manufacturer, but this one is clearly wrong and very misleading: "Amperage (amps): 110 A"
110 amps is an enormous amount of current that this tiny, inefficient panel wouldn't be capable of even if you shot it into the sun. If the 12V and 1.5W specs are accurate (and they seem plausible, though probably a best case scenario), then the current delivery will be 1.5 / 12, or 125 milliamps. It seems likely that someone forgot to add a small 'm' in the spec (e.g. 110mA).