Quote:
Originally Posted by jack65
Geeze, I wasted my $$$ huh? It says trickle charge on it... so what in the heck does it do then?
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Can't answer what it does, I didn't buy it. What I can tell you is that the rating on solar cells are the MAXIMUM wattage at the IDEAL conditions. So, IF that is getti9ng direct sunlight and the solar cells are exactly perpendicular to the sun's rays, then it MIGHT produce the advertised 6 watts. If you have a riding mower that sets outside in the sun you maybe could use that as a "trickle charger".
Reality? Even if you get it oriented perfectly in direct sun (no shade) with a perfectly clean surface (no dust) how long will you get that maximum output? A couple of hours? Then the rest of the day will be even less output.
Here's the issue, with the parasitic draws on the battery exceeding 6 watts by a factor of likely 3 or 4 it's a losing battle. This is why RV's start out with a 100 watt solar cell as a STARTING POINT. Most fo0lks that dry camp regularly use 200 watts or more of solar.