Anyone got a solar bike charger?

colm_c

Thinking about charging options for the bike battery, given the current situation.

I've no power in the shed, but one of these solar trickle panels on the roof might do the job.

Anyone got one? Are they any use in the Irish climate?

Del2005

I had one for my KTM. It was setup inside the roof under a clear plastic panel and was useless bike wouldn't start after being left up for more than a week, don't know if it was a bad charger or bad location but got a trickle charger and haven't had any issues

CJhaughey

What is the Battery capacity? 10% of that is what you want as a max charge rate, See what output the panel produces under optimal conditions and you will probably find the panel is way underpowered for charging at anything other than bright summer overhead sun.

galwaytt

CJhaughey wrote: »

What is the Battery capacity? 10% of that is what you want as a max charge rate, See what output the panel produces under optimal conditions and you will probably find the panel is way underpowered for charging at anything other than bright summer overhead sun.

This.

The solar panel to charge a 12v standby battert engine on a refrigerator is a bit 600mm x 400mm - and a good one is very expensive.

Cheaper to bring power out there tbh

Pythagorean

I have a battery "maintainer" I got in Halfords fairly cheap. I tested it today, bright sunlight, about 5pm. The exact output varies with the orientation, but I measured 40 milliamps at 20 volts. Not enough to charge a battery, but would probably match the actual loss of charge, that occurs when a battery is not in regular use.

CJhaughey

I have 3 of the battery maintainer type chargers, 1 Optimate which is about 15 years old, a Louis Procharger XL version and a cheap Lidl charger.
All my batteries stay ready for use all the time, if attaching clips is a hassle most of the good chargers have built in fly leads which you hardwire to the battery and leave the connector somewhere convenient.

Hotblack Desiato

Mini-DIN sockets for the win

What about one of those jump starter packs? Can be charged in the house from the mains and then brought out to the shed - I presume they have a charging mode. Lidl and Aldi do them every so often.

lalababa

Solar 12v batt chargers are fine in Ireland , even in winter. As long as they are open to the sky. You would get away with one on a clear clean window in the summer. You can get by with between around 1.5W to 5W .
I had a 5W one open to the sky charging a car batt used on a fencer. The batt was always fully charged-just with the solar!
Trickle chargers can also bring back fupped batteries. And improve tired ones. Coz a battery 'wants' to be used.

colm_c

Ended up ordering an oxford bike charger, I will just top up the battery once every few weeks.

Bike is brand new, as it the battery, so I'd like to keep it in good condition.

The solar ones had mixed reviews, so will leave it off for now.

Hopefully we will get back to some sort of normality in 6 months and I'll be out again daily!

Breezin

lalababa wrote: »

Solar 12v batt chargers are fine in Ireland , even in winter. As long as they are open to the sky. You would get away with one on a clear clean window in the summer. You can get by with between around 1.5W to 5W .
I had a 5W one open to the sky charging a car batt used on a fencer. The batt was always fully charged-just with the solar!
Trickle chargers can also bring back fupped batteries. And improve tired ones. Coz a battery 'wants' to be used.

Is there a particular one you'd recommend? I was particularly looking for one with an sae connection, though I'm a bit concerned about polarity.

lalababa

Nothing to recommend I'm afraid , twas years ago and I just bought a 5W solar panel with a diode. All I can say is look for one with a diode. I assume the advertised ones have diodes.

Breezin

Thanks for that. Hadn't thought about a diode but, now Google has reminded me of what that is, it makes sense!

SixtaWalthers

Would it work in winters? Or how will charge it without sunlight?

Del2005

SixtaWalthers wrote: »

Would it work in winters? Or how will charge it without sunlight?

We still get sunlight in winter, most solar panels will generate some electricity in cloudy/overcast conditions.