Can I use any 20 Watt solar panel to charge the battery or does it have to be a Goal Zero specific solar panel?
1725099
The previous answer you received is correct. You need an 8mm adaptor......http://www.goalzero.com/p/261/mc4-solar-to-8mm-adapter-cable/
1725100
Any panel can work as long as you have an 8.0mm plug at the end to insert into the sherpa battery unit.
984229
In basic terms, the watt rating is irrelevant to whether or not a solar panel CAN charge the battery, but can help you determine how quickly it will charge the battery. You'll need a solar setup that can output 12V. Watts = Volts x Amps, so if you had a solar setup outputting 60W at 12V you would have a 5A charge. This means that you could recharge 5AH in one hour, or 35AH in 7 hours (but you should never discharge your battery completely - this battery should be fine with around 80% discharge). The tricky thing with solar is that they rate for ideal conditions, which you will not achieve (or even come close to) the vast majority of the time - unless you're under perfectly clear skies and have a sophisticated setup that changes the angle and direction of your panels to follow the sun's movement. I would read up on solar setups, what you'll need (panels are only one piece!), and what level of efficiency you should expect under different conditions where you'll be using it.
26869
That depends on what you want to use it for. For charging a battery I would use a separate charge controller. A 12 volt panel can put out 20 volts in peak sunlight which would over charge and damage your battery. For something like an DC attic ventilation fan you can just run it direct. The fan will spin faster or slower depending on the amount of sunlight / voltage, which is not a problem.
1089839
You can use this with the Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel but it will charge at a slower rate than what is possible with this battery pack because while the battery pack can charge at 2A, the Nomad 7 panel only has an output of 1A through the USB port.
705302
The charge controller should have two pairs of wires: one pair each for input from solar panel(s) and output to battery. There should be words or symbols indicating which pair connects to which device. The wires should be color-coded red, yellow or white (+) and black (-). A 20-watt (also called 18 watt) is good for charging 1 cellphone and 1 tablet PC at the same time in full sun by connecting outputs to a female 12v DC recepticle and then using a male 12v DC plug with 1 or 2 USB recepticles. Do not expect more from this unit. I live completely off grid; so, if you need more solar power, ask at alolmstead at g m a i l d o t com.
1450266
Without a charge controller battery life will be compromised, due to heat issues accidents may happen as well. MPPT type charge controller is most appropriate for any battery voltages ie; 12, 24 ..... Since this panel is 24v a PWM charge controller will work fine for 24v battery banks. Charge controller is highly recommended.
2204261
No, it is just a generic 4 x AA battery holder with led light. The goal zero solar panel will charge other usb battery backups with mini usb (or you can use a different usb cable to charge micro usb). The Goal Zero battery pack is handy as AA fits torches and devices. If you just want to store energy then buy a 50,000 mah battery pack instead of 4 x AA (only 8,000 mah)
1154265
I do not have the papers for the tender anymore however i have a 20 watt solar panel charging my truck battery since i do not drive much anymore, it works great on 20 watts.
1902506
It depends on how many amps you need. The solar panel can only out put a maximum of ~1 amp and 26 volts
1523596
yes, i use three 20 volt panels in series so i am putting in 60 volts. the MPPT type of controller means that it an take in any voltage (up to a max, i think 100volts for this controller) and converts it to 12 volts for charging the batteries.
2231190
This solar panel will charge any 12 volt battery. What you need to determine is the amp hour rating of the battery to power this item. You would also need an inverter to convert DC power to AC power. If, for example you used a 108 amp hour capacity battery, you could run this item for nearly 7 hour before the battery voltage would drop and cut off the inverter. You could use two batteries and connect them in parallel to double the amp hours to 216. The preferred battery of choice would be absorbed glass mat batteries for solar applications due to their ability to withstand deep discharge and recharge cycles.
1332096
The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle batteries. The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle... » Read More The charge control can handle up to 7A. Your 30 watt panel puts out ~1.68A at high noon. You should be fine with one charge controller charging two or more batteries and it would require more charge time. Just make sure you hook up your batteries correctly. Personally and for convenience I would much prefer to get two charge controller with two solar panels for the two batteries so that I could avoid having to move and or reconnect the batteries. A larger solar panel can would benefit you quite a bit if you need to drawn power from the battery each night. Hope you are using deep cycle batteries. « Show Less
443419
The Goal Zero Boulder 15 can charge 12V batteries. This solar panel can produce up to 1A of output. For example, if the battery is rated at 12Ah, it will take 12 hours of optimal sunlight to charge the battery. The sportsman guide has a 12V battery, so it should be able to charge your device. On a side note, the output from the solar panel is unregulated; so it is possible you could overcharge your battery. I hope this answer helps.
1311912
You need to connect the panel with solar wire connectors like the MC4. You can connect to several batteries as long as they are connected with the correct voltage ie 12 or 24 volts depending on which way you go with the charge controller. Connecting 12v batteries in parallel will give you 12v. Go in series and you get 24v.
1836483
Sure, but you will want to make sure that you have the solar panel hooked up through a contoller/regulator to avoid overcharging the battery. This is true with any battery.
1067292
you can charge via USB or the solar panel sold by Goal Zero which is sold seperately..the charge holds for several hours...we charge once every couple of weeks and use daily for at least an hour or so a day off a USB charge. Much like you would woth a cell phone usb jack.
1283048
A 30A Charge controller WILL be adequate and will work but it is a narrow margin for your 145 watt panels. I estimated the amperage on your panels @ 7.25 amps each, that put you right at 29 amps. Barring any solar fluxes that might tip the controller to temp shut down you should be ok.