Do I need a regulator or something between the battery and the equipment I am running( car radio and led lights). to prevent to much power during charging?
148160
Yes, I would recommend one. The panel puts out about 22 volts at peak power.
148161
Of course friend, the panel is high efficiency, full sun generates 22 volts, you need a charge controller 12 Volt so you do not overload the system, it will keep you charged and when the battery is charged, disconnect, which prevents damage to your batteries!
148162
yes you must buy a type of charge controller that prevents your batteries from being over charged or over discharged. a pwm (pulse width modulation) is a good affordable choice for charge controllers. i think the one i bought was 60$
1880649
You usually have to have some type of controller to prevent battery overcharging. I hooked my solar charger to a gate opener that has a built in controller for the battery.
1321447
I believe there is an electrical component between the plugs .. this takes care of the signal the car needs to see to charge properly..
906458
Yes....be sure and use isolation diode between battery and charging system as not to run down vehicle start battery
1186292
Buy a 12volt DC battery charger (preferably a smart charger).Make the connection soldering a 2 prong male connector on the battery and 2 prong female on the charger.You can also buy or solder alligator clips on the charger.If you put the connector system you also have a safe way of connecting to the device you are using the battery to power.
1693761
If you're just hooking up one 6W panel to a 12V automotive battery, you shouldn't need a regulator, as the panel won't over-charge the battery. You shouldn't need a regulator unless you move up to a larger panel.
312666
Doesn't have to be if you have a bunch of D cell batteries. Other option is to use the cigarette lighter adapter that comes with it.
738128
I power mine by using an Anderson Connector directly from the vehicle supply through a regulator and have no problems at all, GW
641034
If you are hooking this up by itself you'll only want a charge controller to prevent the battery from overcharging. If you are using this to hook up an ac plug in battery charger, then you need the inverter for the charger.
202893
I found this link on Instructables to make a high efficiency voltage regulator that will give you more power to charge and operate things. It's a little bit more complex, but there are schematics and step by step directions. You could probably make it with a trip to Radio Shack or an order from one of the online electronics suppliers (Digi Key, Newark, etc.)http://bit.ly/1CJj3CAI'll try to make one because I ride a ton at night and this time of year it's dark a lot.
1485988
Yeah. If the battery gets used up just plug it via usb to your computer, 115vac, car usb converter...Lights go all disco too. Pretty cool imho
879027
No, you need something specifically designed for that. Look under car starting battery or charger
2430
If installing in a vehicle, just hook it up to the battery. If installing as a base station, get a sealed lead acid battery and a trickle charger.
1248019
No. You also need a voltage regulator to ensure no overcharging of your battery, or you need to manually monitor charging so you do not ruin your battery. I think the regulator I bought was less than ten dollars and it was all I needed for three panels.
399174
It doesn't matter that much, lithium ion batteries always have a controller, anything else would be dangerous, it shouldn't be more than an hour or a few more, in any case theres no risk of damaging it from "overcharging".
1096505
1.the regulator should not be shutting off the output from your Battery (if) you are sure it's getting charged fully.2.personally it sounds like a Load short or overload ?are you using a 12 volt photo cell to turn the lights on??3.try to just Light the lights off the battery,without the controller,see what happens,add a DC ammeter to the Load,see what it shows.I hope this might help some.
480363
When you say you want to "Keep it topped off", is that without using any power from it (like storing it in your car and wanting a panel to give it a bit of power during the day)? A panel that costs $25 or under 5 watt unit can do that job. You may not need a voltage regulator with a small panel like that, but still any panel can take the voltage above 15V and risk damaging the battery, so it may be best to include a regulator in your system (unless there is one in this battery pack and you can feed the power thru it).