This is what I am thinking....

[hdhp]

OK, this is what I am going to do. Let me know what you all think!
I will have 4 36W LED lights at the corners of my Safari Rack. Total they will draw 15 amps. I am going to install the ANZO remote. (Thanks, Rudee) Power will come from a 12V 35Ah Deep Cycle AMG battery.This will be a stand alone battery with an NOCO 5W solar charger attached. Now, this is what I believe can work... All 4 lights can be turned on and stay on for about 1 hour before the battery starts to get weak. But in reality, I really don't think all 4 lights are ever going to be on at the same time for that long. Also, the NOCO Solar charger will Charge /Maintain this 35Ah battery. In other words, the battery is not "too big" Also when I'm driving or when my truck is parked the solar charger will be charging/maintaining the battery.
Am I thinking in the right direction?


https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/ups-telecom/UB12350-D5722.html

https://no.co/blsolar5

Thanks
HDHP

 

[tarditi]

1) What are your lighting needs? General camp illumination? 36w LEDs are pretty bright! Maybe you could consider more smaller lights (sort of like "rock lights")
2) That charger looks small - more like a battery tender - how about a larger panel?
3) Any chance of just running dual batteries?

 

[dwh]

36w x 1hr = 36whr
5w x .8 = 4w
36whr ÷ 4w = 9hr
9hr ÷ 4.5 hr/day = 2 days

So two days of that panel facing the sun practically dead-on (solar guys call that "good sun") for 4.5 hours a day to recharge from one light running one hour. Eight days to recharge from four running for one hour.

Actually it's even worse because you'll need to replace about 120% of what you take out due to battery inefficiency.

The plain truth is that 5w (.4a) is practically unnoticable to a lead-acid battery. And you'll get less than 5w once the solar panel heats up.

If you had three of those panels to actually get one amp per hour into that battery, it would take...

35 x .5 = 17.5 x 1.2 = 21

21 hours of good sun to recharge that battery from 50% to 100%.

Depending on latitude most places get 4-6 hours a day of good sun. If you manually move the panel a few times a day to keep it aimed at the sun you can get maybe 8-10 hours a day during summer.


If you just toss that 5w thin-film panel on the dash, it'll get hot enough that the output will drop to a point where it won't even tickle, much less trickle, an AGM.


What you've described sounds like a lab experiment: "How can we ruin a battery by chronic undercharging?"



I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00X...s=solartab&dpPl=1&dpID=51iaAE5aBuL&ref=plSrch


5.5w and it does a fine job of keeping my phone (Droid Turbo) charged...

...well, that is as long as I keep it aimed dead-on to the sun, all day.

 

[john61ct]

If you already have a House bank, plan to expand it to supply all your non-propulsion needs, the bigger the more efficient and effective.

Small supplemental batteries are an inefficient temporary stopgap, until you next replace & expand the main one, unless need to be separately mobile.

 

[Happy Joe]

I use a similar battery (35 AH) to power the (5w) tent lights and occasional tunes. My opinion/experience with 5 watt battery maintainer panels is that they are way over priced and nearly useless (other than perhaps to attempt to keep a battery trickle charged during vehicle storage; no actual draw).
My small panels' combined, measured, output is near/between 6 and 8 watts (I believe the combined, advertised output is/was 14 or 15 watts) and it is barely adequate to recharge the battery if I listen to tunes for several hours in addition to the two 5 watt (470 lumen) lamps running a couple of hours per night. If I recall the lamps draw on the order of 0.6 or 0.7 amps each and the tunes draw on the order of 0.2 or 0.3 amps (more at party/higher volume).
The (much) bigger panel suggestion would get my vote (my next step up will be for 50 or 100 watts of panel(s), though they do not pack at all well)... Still torn over the weight of a decent sized (100 AH or more) house battery though (would like to upgrade but the weight and relatively poor portability (need to carry it to the tent) are off putting). I really like the portability of 35 AH batteries; eagerly awaiting decent prices on moderately powerful (100 AH) lithium batteries.

Enjoy!

 

[AndrewP]

Not even close. A 5 watt solar panel is too small to be useful for anything.

Your lights seems like they draw way too much power, assuming you are talking camp lighting. I use 2 inexpensive 6 watt lights and it's enough to cook dinner or even work on a truck in a pinch.

So I would start over again. Once you know your loads, then you can decide on a battery, and then you can decide on solar panels. For the potential 12 amp load you are talking, you ideally should have at least a 100 amp hour battery, and a 100 watt solar panel. And you're going to use them more than an hour trust me.

I would concentrate on lowering your power consumption by a lot, up size your battery significantly and mount a minimum 60 watt solar panel with an appropriate charge controller.

It sounds like you're trying to run solar accessories on the cheap. It can't be done. But some different, less power hungry lights would go a long way to helping you solve your problem. But no matter what you do, a 5 watt solar panel is a joke and will end up being a total waste of $$.

 

[hdhp]

OK, Thanks for all of your feedback! I guess I did not explain my needs....

The solar panel will have to be water, shock and vibration proof. It will be mounted on my Safari Rack. The battery will be in a battery box and also mounted on the Safari Rack. I'm down for getting a bigger battery (100AH). Wow, just a thought. The solar panel can be mobile to place in "Good Sun". So scratch the solar panel being shock and vibration proof.

I have seen some Campers with a solar panel hooked up to their camper 12v battery and it lasted all weekend. I am not trying to get solar "On the Cheap" Andrew! My lights are (36W LED Cree 36W/12V =3A X 4lights=12Amps) That is not too high of a power draw. I would bet that I will not use these particular Lights for more than 30 min at a time. If I do need lights to cook, clean up or play cards. I just use my head ban LED. I also have a LED Solar Rope light that lights up the immediate area just fine. I am just trying to avoid running wire around and down and into the engine compartment to power my Lights on the safari rack.

OK so now I ask what Solar panel do you all refer? And what charge controller should I get? If I get a 100AH AMG battery.

Thanks again for all of your feedback

HDHP

 

[hdhp]

Be easy I'm learning....

HDHP

 

[hdhp]

Tariti,
I would like to run dual batteries but there is no room under the hood on my 2010 F150 FX4. And I sleep in the topper.

HDHP

 

[dwh]

The 35ah AGM should be fine for that, and you don't want too much weight up on the roof anyway.

Most solar panels are waterproof...

As for vibration, most are also rated for high winds and hail...

You just need more solar. I'd say 20w minimum, but the bigger you go, the less $ per watt.

Lots of guys use 100w solar and 100ah battery, so I'm officially declaring that to be rule of thumb for minimum solar needed. By that rule of thumb, you'll need 35w (minimum) for that 35ah battery.

And permanent flat mount should work fine if you follow that rule of thumb and have enough solar to begin with.


As to a charge controller, any PWM or MPPT will be fine.

Lotta guys around here use Renogy and I haven't seen any complaints. Try this on for size:

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-50-watt-12-volt-solar-starter-kit/

 

[snare]

And I will also echo that Renogy seems to be commonly used with few complaints. i am considering a Renogy Eclipse , mostly due to the smaller footprint for a 100w panel.

 

[hdhp]

OMG, They will NOT be used for "Camping Lights" But for Light up the Night Lights!! Or when I am sleeping in the topper and I hear a 'Bump in the night" I can Light up the night!!! :Wow1:
I have some smaller watt lights that I use for camping lights that run off 'A" and "AA" batteries... Ever see those led lanterns that run off of batteries?

HDHP

 

[DiploStrat]

Try this ...

It will not answer your questions directly and it is aimed at bigger systems, but the methodology is sound and it includes some proven rules of thumb.

You can design an effective system, but you have to make it big enough: https://cookfb.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/plan-electrical-system.pdf

 

[AndrewP]

I think I see the problem. You already have the lights and they are too much.

You need to think in terms of integrated systems. Mount 1 light. My guess is, it will be blindingly bright. One of your lights, draws as much as a normal 12 v refrigerator running a 100% duty cycle. You need to downsize the lights, or massively upsize your battery and solar.

In your case, you want to run the high current lights when the sun is not shining. That means lots of stored power. A tiny battery is not that.

I wish you well, but I think you have approached it wrong. Decide on the lighting you MUST HAVE. That is your load. Then decide on the battery you need to supply that load for 3 days without violating the 50% discharge convention. Then you need to decide on the solar it takes to recharge that 3 day power consumption in 1 bright sunny day.

Honestly, I think you could get where you want to be with that battery, but you will need to radically downsize the lighting. But don't waste any money on a solar panel less than 60 watts. 5 watts is silly/useless. 100 watts is where most off-roaders end up with an initial system.

 

[dwh]

Honestly, I think you could get where you want to be with that battery, but you will need to radically downsize the lighting.

OR...

Only run the lights for a few minutes here and there as needed.

Which the OP has stated from the first post is the plan.