Solar charging for bike
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Solar charging for bike
23-11-2017 2:22 PM
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I think this counts as a technical question, so I'm posting it here.
For my bike I don't ride it as much as I'd like to, or as much as I should do which means recently I had to buy a new battery, to keep the battery topped up isn't actually all that hard, I can plug in my connectors and keep it topped up with my charger, the only problem there is that the charger would be outdoors and they tend not to react well to rain.
My solution to this was to get an Oxford Solar Panel.... thing, I'll rig something up on the back of my bike to keep the solar panel connected constantly, this will provide electricity. To prevent overcharging the battery I also have a solar controller arriving, this should prevent the battery overcharging and keep it in tip top shape, so it'll always start and the battery won't become unhealthy.
You're probably wondering what the question is by now, but there is more preamble. When you use a solar panel on a bike/car and connect it directly to the battery (for some absurd reason motorbikes don't come with those lighter thingies that cars have) you're not supposed to start it with the panel connected, or something happens, no idea what but it's probably not good and will probably fry the panel.
With a controller you have to first connect the battery to the controller, then the controller to the solar panel, when you want to remove it, you remove the solar panel from the controller then the controller from the battery. This could get annoying. So my question is, if I'm using a controller (which I am), would it be "safe" to start the bike with the battery connected to the controller and the controller connected to the solar panel, or would I need to disconnect everything before I go for a 2 minute ride?
Re: Solar charging for bike
23-11-2017 3:29 PM
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Given the size of the SP I don't think you actually need a charge regulator, they are more for large multi amp panels. If it is like the one I have it only delivers in the milliamp range.
Re: Solar charging for bike
23-11-2017 6:52 PM
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That sounds like a good solution, wouldn't I need two though, one for live the other for earth?
As for the controller, as the SP will be on the bike all the time, it's simply to prevent overcharging the battery and causing problems down the line, the panel is really just to keep the battery nice and healthy and topped up rather than my current set up of, leave the battery, go to start the bike, get that annoying WHRRRRRRRR sound, take battery off, charge battery, put battery back on and hope it held the charge
I'm also thinking of getting a simple blade fuse on the live between the controller and the battery.
Re: Solar charging for bike
23-11-2017 10:39 PM
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It would be vastly cheaper to use mains electricity to charge a battery in these latitudes.
It might just be worth the capital cost of solar cells if you are travelling in equatorial regions...
"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."
Re: Solar charging for bike
23-11-2017 11:10 PM
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@David_W wrote:
That sounds like a good solution, wouldn't I need two though, one for live the other for earth?
No, only the live.
Zen FTTC 40/10 + Digital Voice FRITZ!Box 7530
BT technician (Retired)
Re: Solar charging for bike
24-11-2017 9:47 AM
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An alternative is to wrap the charger in a plastic bag (clear) and duck tape it sealed. That way you could leave it outside. Again a quick disconnect to remove it when riding.
Re: Solar charging for bike
24-11-2017 2:26 PM
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In a cable carrying a battery feed and earth, you don't need to 'switch off' the earth.
Zen FTTC 40/10 + Digital Voice FRITZ!Box 7530
BT technician (Retired)
Re: Solar charging for bike
24-11-2017 5:38 PM
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Re: Solar charging for bike
24-11-2017 7:20 PM
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Yeah,sorry, my confusion.
Your suggested connector is 2-pole anyway, so no problem.
Zen FTTC 40/10 + Digital Voice FRITZ!Box 7530
BT technician (Retired)
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