WTK Solar car battery keeper........ctxt

Hi guys,

This is a low priority project. Got 93 more days until Im home.

When I get home I will be in the fortunate position to choose between two vehicles. No doubt the vehicle not picked battery will discharge over time.

Depending on my travel schedule they may sit for weeks at a time. Im tired of replacing batteries I let die.

Got this insperation from the Army. One of the cute things the military has on some of it's humvees is a little solar batter charger/keeper. This unit makes enough energy to keep the trucks battery from going flat even if the vehicle is parked for weeks at a time. I can't beg or borrow one form the vehicle repair unit here. Military trucks are 24 volt systems.

The personal car is an I4, and the truck is a large V6. Each vehicle has more than a little aftermarket electronics in it. Figure a car alarm, and some ham radios. My discharge rate will be a little higher than stock. I don't have any numbers at this time. After I get back (in early december) we can get some exact numbers.

Project One.
I want to mount a solar panel on the back deck of the car (L4). Under the rear glass. It should be mountable with screws. Virginia is a bit warm in the summer and adheasives tend to come apart. I want one that can be hard mounted.

Project Two
(V6) It's a full size Chev pick up truck. At this time I don't have a camper back for it. Been thinking about mounting it vertical on the back glass with a bracket holding it in place, or mounting it on the roof. I don't want to mount it military style by shooting it into the hood like the Humvees here.

I know about diode isolation and other related issues.

What I would like is a product recomendation and perhasp links to dealers with stock. These can be ordered and shipped to my home address. I will install the parts when I get home.

The unit for the car will not have to be water resistant. The unit for the truck might have to be.

Im figuring anything between 80 to 150mA in bright sun should be enough.

As a side bar, I was thinking of having a small volt meter mounted in each vehicle.

When you live in an apartment, you don't get much time to look over your vehicles. Mostly check for parking tickets, and see if a tire is flat. I want to get a quick check of the state of the battery on such walk by's.

Something visible from outside the vehicle. A small CB "S" meter with a resistor and a zener diode offset to give a 'segmental' voltage reading. Perhaps an LED to back light the meter.

Ideas welcome, it seems I have the time.

Thanks in advance.
Later people.
Jack Crow in Iraq

Here's an option for you: go to eBay and search using the words "VW solar". You'll get tons of hits for an OEM solar battery charger/maintainer that Volkswagen ships with every new car. They use it to maintain the battery charge from the time the car is built until the car is ready for delivery to its new owner. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and suction cups to the windshield. It's inexpensive and ready to go "as is", and I'm sure you could modify it to fit your bracketing / wiring needs better if so desired.

Here's an example.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Dave

I have the Solarex 15 watt flexible panel mounted on top my van been there for years,does just perfect,,I have GPS,RDF,Doppler sitting idle all the time,with this unit my battery stays topped off all the time!

Units like the VW one mentioned above are available off-the-shelf at places like Radio Shack and sometimes even at discount mass-merchandisers.

Guys,
Thanks for the answers. Will dig into the project over the next few days and place an order for state side delivery.

Dave,
Your VW thing looks very similar to what is on the humvees here. Yes something like that would work rather well.

LN,
Ok, you got my interest, you do DF as well? I got some ideas to share with you. I used to hunt people who played rude games with my clubs repeaters in New York. Caught four in the act. Blackmailed three into behaving, and number four turned out to be a psycho. Interesting world.

This is the link for my current club. You might like them. Try
www.amrad.org

I will look into the Solarex item.

Lurk,
Remember ive been out of town since December. I think the nearest radio shack is in Kuwait. But will look at their 'on line store' and see what there is to see.

Ok guys.
Hope all is well, many thanks

Jack Crow in Iraq

I use this little 1.5 watt unit to keep my truck battery charged. I get about 3 hours per day of direct sunlight and another 2 to 5 of indirect. It's placed on the dash of the truck. I drive the truck 1 or 2 times a month. The battery has been properly floated for the 2 years.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44768

Note that item number 44768-2VGA will get you the unit for $9.99

I took it apart (6 or 7 screws) and painted the red plastic to match the color
of the dash.

Two or more of these can run in parallel to increase the wattage.


Good luck and stay safe.

Daniel

Dan and Company,
Guys, thanks for the tips.
Ive got a bid on Ebay for Four VW type units for about 35 bucks. I will look at Dan's unit and see what it is.

Also get a deal on a 6m ham radio.

Later dudes
Jack Crow in Iraq

I am interested with your RDF ideas..
I use the Roanoke KB6D0L

I purchased a VW solar charger off Ebay & am very satisfied with it!

This is a good idea. I once went on vacation for just 2 weeks, and came back to a dead battery. The battery wasn't bad, and after recharging it, it lasted another 1-2 years.

I may also be in a position of having 2 cars, so I'm going to look into it. Thanks for bringing this up.

Laser,
Check your private message icon.
I don't see the guys here getting all excited about RDF methods. It is arcane. Ive always called it a black art. Just a step away from Voodoo, hexes and spells.

Later dude
Jack Crow in Iraq

Hello Dave,

Thanks for the information on the VW solar panels on eBay. I just picked some up and am installing them in our vehicles.

Two of my sons have cars that have battery problems. One son has a car that is driven infrequently and his current method is just to disconnect the battery, but this adds one more step when we want to go for a "spontaneous" drive in the boat (1963 Cadillac). The other son tends to drive around town a lot and finds his battery is low in the winter when using lights, wipers, and heater motor a lot.

Tom

[ QUOTE ]
SilverFox said:
Two of my sons have cars that have battery problems. One son has a car that is driven infrequently and his current method is just to disconnect the battery, but this adds one more step when we want to go for a "spontaneous" drive in the boat (1963 Cadillac). The other son tends to drive around town a lot and finds his battery is low in the winter when using lights, wipers, and heater motor a lot.

Tom

[/ QUOTE ]

Tom,
BOTH those usages are fine if you have enough sun, but the winter driving deal may be a bit much - tends to be dark a lot of the day /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have a cheap "battery maintainer" hard wired into the truck - I come home, and plug in the truck. Plugging in also give you the nice advantage of being able to add 2 other toys - a battery blanket, and an engine heater. No more low battery due to cold, AND the engine is warm, so easier to crank (never mind that you get heat the second you start the car/truck)