SUNAPEX 12V 30 Watt Solar Trickle Charger Maintainer - Waterproof Solar Powered Battery Charger - Solar Panel Kit Built-in Smart Charge Controller for Car Rv Trailer Truck Boat Automotive Marine

This 20W solar panel has proven to be a reliable power source for my Meshtastic node. The built-in charge controller is particularly valuable for this application, preventing overcharging of the battery without needing additional components. I'm getting consistent power output even in partial shade, which is crucial for maintaining node uptime in less-than-ideal locations.The panel's physical construction is appropriately weatherproof - I've had it outdoors through several rainstorms without issues. The included mounting O-rings are sturdy and make it easy to secure the panel to poles or other structures. While the cigarette lighter adapter isn't particularly useful for Meshtastic applications, the alligator clips work well for connecting to standard battery terminals.For Meshtastic users specifically, I found the voltage output to be very stable, which helps prevent node resets. The 20W capacity is actually more than needed for a basic node setup, but this overhead is helpful on cloudy days or when running additional sensors. You'll want to add appropriate connectors for your specific battery setup, but the included wiring is of good quality and easily adaptable.One minor consideration is the somewhat limited length of the included cables, so factor in some extension wires if you're planning to mount the panel any significant distance from your node. Also, while the frame is sturdy, you might want to add additional UV-resistant coating if deploying in extremely sunny locations for long-term installation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This has kept my battery healthy despite almost all of my rides being 3 miles or less. I think I get more compliments on it than I do my actual motorcycle.

As the built-in charge controller comes with indicator lights, if find the LED on the 12 volt plug to be redundant and an energy drain. The unit comes with a blocking diode, which is good, but the plug LED is not blocked and uses juice 24/7 making a net daily charge very slow. I took the plug apart and cut out the LED. That way I can leave the charger plugged in continuously with little overnight loss. A magnetic strip would be nice to help anchor it to the vehicle. Seems well built and bullet proof. Slow to charge, discharged batteries, I don't there will be any problem in overcharging them.Revised: On further research it appears having the SAE plug reversed is often used, to the extent that SAE polarity reversal adapters are commonly available.I just figured out that the panel and the supplied accessories are wire backwards to SAE normal. This means for example, that when you attach the battery clips to your car battery, you risk having the exposed SAE pin, now positive, to ground out on any part of the car. This will cause sparks and possible burns and even explosion due to battery hydrogen. Plus the accessories won't work, possibly dangerously, with other SAE products like battery chargers.

Works exactly as described. Keeps my boat battery charged. Well pleased.

I bought 1 to try out on my SxS for a trip to Arizona. Unfortunately for me, this one was working so well recharging my marine battery backup (I have 2 of these batteries for my lights) I purchased another 1 and hooked it up to the other battery. Now both batteries are charging at the same time when I am running around in the desert (and at home) and at night (depending upon how many lights I have on, the SxS headlights are separate from the other lights) I will have between 4 to 8 hours of battery usage longer if I use only 1. Then during the day, they are recharging. They are completely waterproof which is good because I did buy 1 and it was water resistant (not the same thing, it did stop working won't mention the product). I found out because I wanted to know how water resistant it was, so I left it outside during some local rain storms we had before going on my trip and that's how I found out the difference between water resistant to waterproof. I did the same thing with these and I had no issues yet. While on my trip we had very good and hard downpours. However I did bring my battery chargers (just in case) to help out if I had problems with the panels. During this part we had a storm move in and it was agully washer of a storm. The storm lasted 2 days and at times it was pretty dark during the day so charging was hampered. If you ask me would I get another 1, "YES" would be my answer even as a gift. I hope this helps you, I am always trying to find ways to just get another panel but the 2 I have are doing the job. No regrets

Originally to get the immediate use from these (I ordered two), I simply attached the cigarette lighter connector to the panel and plugged it in. This worked perfectly. So recently I decided to use the direct battery connector so I could just unplug the panel when I didnt need it, but when I went to connect it, I noticed the red wire (positive) from the panel was connecting to the black wire side of the direct battery connector plug. This would result in battery current flowing backwards through the panel. I know this as I have a good sized solar setup on the house going to batteries. The lighter plug seems to be wired correctly as red connects to red. In all the other plugs for direct connection to the battery or the alligator clips to the battery, the connection would be red to black, which would be a bad thing.I could simply reverse the direct battery plug to connect the black to the battery positive and red to the battery negative, but people who dont know may find themselves dealing with a direct short, possibly burning up the panel or worse. I suppose most people would use the lighter plug connection, and that seems to be the only correct one, but I do wonder about the others. i did verify this with a multimeter as well, the panel is putting out 17 volts, and red is positive.

Install was easy, and started working right away. So far I’m impressed with it.