Small Solar Panel To Charge Flashlight

[D45]

Long time lurker, first time poster...........

I have a 3 hole, 12V accessories strip in the bed of my truck








However, I do not like to keep things plugged in all the time, so the truck's batteries do not drain

I was thinking about mounting a small solar panel on top of the cap, and keeping it plugged in , directly to my rechargeable Maglite

1.5 Watt Solar Battery Charger


Good or bad idea?

The Maglite uses a 6V battery.......even if I find a solar panel that is 1-2 watt capacity, it might take longer to charge, but it will be charged all the time and won't be an additional pull or load


A few panels I am looking at:

Weatherproof 1 5Watt 12volt Solar Panel 12V Battery Charger Maintainer w Plugs | eBay


1 5 Watt 12 Volt Solar Panel Weatherproof Battery Charger Maintainer w Clamps | eBay


I am only looking to charge a flashlight, or provide enough power to have it on a slow charge

It does not need to charge the flashlight in 1-2 hours.........just in between uses, which might be 2-5 days

I was thinking a 5W panel should be more than enough, but was just guessing

 

[Lumpy70]

Just keep in mind that a 5W solar panel will only deliver 5W under lab conditions with perfect light. When planning for solar you need a panel with 2x the wattage as what your loads are.

My 60W solar panels on my trailer deliver 20W-40W during the day when in direct sunlight, never actually approaching 60W delivered.

Also, solar panels degrade efficiency at 1-2% per year, so a 10 yr old panel could be as much as 20% less efficient.

Just food for thought.

 

[D45]

Thanks for the info......I would not be using the light daily, just 1-2 times a week

I was hoping that the weekly charge would be enough to maintain the 6V battery with a 5W panel...............but maybe I should look for a 10W panel, since it will soley be used for the Maglite

 

[D45]

Is anything else needed or required...... or can the solar panel be wired directly into the charger?

 

[ismael D]

Cool
were can I find the 3 way splitter 12v

 

[pugslyyy]

Cool
were can I find the 3 way splitter 12v

http://www.galls.com/galls-3-hole-outlet-box

 

[D45]

They are really good, quality pieces