Hi all, I have an almost westie (no top, but most everything else inside) with a second aux. battery that I've been using quite happily for a few years. I have it wired in to the charging system with a big cannister relay. I also use a Seimans M-20 solar panel with a lighter plug to keep the battery up. I have used this panel successfully on many of my camping vehicles, but I have never had any diode(?) or controller. Seimans says this panel limits it's charge to what the battery will take...and that seems to be true...I have never had any problems with it anyhow....I simply plug it in to the secondary (coach) power system and let the sun shine. I have always tried to unplug the panel when the sun sets, because I've been told the panel will draw down the battery without any sun....I have also heard I should have a 'diode' in the line to stop the reverse of electrons from the battery out to the Night, backwards through the solar panel. Is this correct, and will any diode do the trick or should I get a specific size? The panel output is pretty low, it is 22" x 12" and does maybe 1.4 amps? Anyway, I would like to perhaps mount the panel semi-permanent, at times, on my van's roof or rack and not have to 'deploy' it each day and unplug it at night. Can anyone advise me about this? Thanks in advance Don Hanson |
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