Waterproof 50W 12V Solar Panel Kit, 50 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Battery Trickle Charger & Maintainer + Smart 10A Charge Controller + 3PCS SAE Cables for RV Marine Boat Trailer Gate Opener

I was offered reimbursement for the cost of this product in exchange for writing a review but there was no suggestion or pressure for the review to be positive. In order to give a valid review I did the following automotive battery test protocol: The battery is a Napa Legend #7525, rated at 770CA and 625CCA; purchased 05/06/2019. Other than when the vehicle is being driven, the battery is always kept on a "smart" multi-stage maintenance AC powered charger. In order to simulate a situation in which the battery had been accidentally discharged by something like leaving a dome light on all night or longer, I turned on the headlight/taillight combination and monitored the battery voltage until it came down to 12.3V, which is approximately a 60% depth of discharge. I then removed the battery from the vehicle, and shifted it to an area with unobstructed sunlight from early morning to late afternoon. This guaranteed that there could be no "phantom load" from the vehicle electronics which might affect the test data. The solar panel and controller were connected according to the written and pictorial instructions, set for the AGM battery type, and the charging process started. This test was done over the period of 9:20 AM on 6/30/2021 through 10:20 AM on 7/3/2021, with controller readout monitoring and charting done multiple times over the course of each day. Within one minute of connecting the solar panel (Important Note: the instructions say to connect the controller to the battery first.) the controller readout showed 1.4 amps / 12.5V. During the test period I periodically shifted the orientation of the panel for ideal solar input, so this is not typically what would be done if the setup were being used routinely for battery float voltage maintenance on a daily basis with the panel in a fixed position. Because I had deliberately discharged the battery beyond the normal overnight self-discharge I wanted to accelerate the re-charge period. Over the course of the first day the amps fluctuated between 1.1A and 1.5A, and the voltage increased from the 12.3V starting point to 12.9V at 6:00 PM. On the third day the 11:00 reading was 0.9A and 14.4V for a short period. The online tutorial I checked says that 14.4-15.0V peaks are acceptable during the bulk charging stage, with 12.9-to-14.1V being the ideal final float voltage. By 9:20 and 10:20 AM on 7/3/2021 the controller readings had stabilized out to 0.9V and 13.7-13.8V. At that point I interpreted it as the final float voltage, and ended the test. Although some of the charging readings didn't seem to follow a strictly linear progression through Bulk-Absorb-Float, I assume that the programmed charging algorithm of the controller was following moment-by-moment parameters for the best balance between rate of charge and minimization of an overcharge. Realistically, this kit is not intended for routine rescue of excessively discharged batteries. The test I did was intentionally subjecting it to a load well beyond routine maintenance charging for vehicles that may sit unused for extended periods, and only need the charger to offset the normal small daily self-discharge that all lead-acid batteries exhibit. I'm satisfied with the performance of this kit, and will now use it for battery maintenance on a vehicle that has been on an AC-powered maintenance charger. It will be nice to eliminate the extension cord. The only improvement I'd like to see would be a bit heavier gauge battery clips, although this is a minor issue. They are quite adequate for the amperage that the panel is capable of producing. There are separate instruction sheets for the panel and the controller, with a lot of duplication of both written and pictorial information - between the two it is fairly straightforward how to set the system up, including the options of having a simple resistive load like a light bulb and/or an inverter to power small AC devices. Overall I think the value/price balance is good. UPDATE: This is ~ 6 months after putting the kit into service. The controller started showing both a solid red "low battery" light, and blinking red " over discharge" light. My voltmeter readings with the controller leads disconnected indicated that the battery voltage was within a normal range, and when I took the battery to Napa their test device indicated no problem with the battery. I also had opened up the cell caps under the label on top of the battery, and saw that the electrolyte level in all six cells was the same, and not low. After giving this info to Sun Energise customer service they sent me a replacement controller for no charge. When I was ready to install this new controller, and saw that its default battery type setting is AGM I realized that I'd made a mistake in setting up the original controller, which I'd left in the AGM setting back in June. Back then I'd just assumed the battery was the AGM type because there was nothing on the battery labelling that indicated the type. My main clue now was having seen liquid electrolyte in the cells, which means it is the flooded type. Duhhh. Just to make sure, I did an online search of data for this specific Napa battery code number, which confirmed it is a flooded type. With that new realization I again contacted customer service, admitted my mistake, and said I wanted to test the original controller with it set correctly to the "flooded" type of battery. For the first day the indicator lights stayed in solid & blinking green, but on the second day the solid red and blinking red lights appeared again. So, I hooked up the new controller, set to "flooded," and for the last 16 days its battery lights have stayed green, and the readout has been staying at 12.3 - 12.5V / 0.0 - 0.2A. So, my final conclusion is that the original controller did in fact become defective after a ~ half-year in service as a float voltage maintainer. I've passed all this on to customer service, and asked if having had the original controller in the incorrect (AGM) setting was the likely cause of the malfunction. There's something else to pass along here, as long as I'm blabbing about hookup details: The instructions say never to connect the controller to the solar panel without also being connected to a battery. And it explains that the reason is to avoid a possible high open circuit voltage that could damage the controller. I would have phrased the instructions differently, to say, "ALWAYS CONNECT BATTERY FIRST!" along with the rationale re high open circuit voltage.

I was looking to purchase up a small portable solar setup when I came across this combination package on Amazon. Next spring I intend to set up mobile chicken run so I can free range my birds in multiple locations in the yard. This 30 watt solar charger seems like it should work perfectly for my needs so I can relocate my battery powered electric fence as neededThe solar panel itself is about 14"x24" and about 1" thick with a glass top and nice aluminum frame. It has a nice long cord for connecting to the charge controller, and it uses standard 2 pin 12V DC connectors that are commonly available. The frame is also pre-drilled to accept several types of optional mounting brackets that are shown in the instruction manual.The charge controller is fairly compact in size with a plastic housing and an aluminum, heatsink on the back. There are 3 clearly labelled connectors for the panels, the battery, and your 12V load. A nice feature about this controller is that it's water resistant, unlike the one I already own for my barn lights.Finally the kit includes 3 sets of wires. Each wire is terminated with the 2-pin connectors that plug into the controller. One wire has bare ends so you can connect it to the load in your system (the electric fence in my case). The other 2 cables are for your battery. One has plastic alligator clips that you can clip directly to your battery terminals for a temporary set up, and the second one has ring terminals so you can bolt them directly to the battery lugs for a more permanent solution.I was excited to see that the system is easily expandable. In addition to the optional mounting brackets I mentioned earlier, there is also an optional 5-way splitter which allows you to connect 5 panels in parallel for even more charging capacity. The instructions also say that may use multiple 12V batteries in parallel if needed, too.I live in the northern USA, and it's midwinter right now with a bunch of snow, and very few hours of weak sunlight, so unfortunately it's not a great time to do a full outdoor test to see how much current the panels will produce in full summer sun. But that said, I have hooked the system up to a small battery in my workshop to test it as best I can. Even under my shop lights everything seems to be working and I'm getting some small amounts of charging even off the indoor lighting (see photos).I've bought a 20W panel from this company in the past, and it works great for LED lighting in my small barn. One nice thing is that the 20W (old) and 30W (new) panel are the same height, and have the same mounting holes. (see photos), meaning it should be easy to create an array of multiple panels if I ever decide to combine them into one system.I'm really excited to get this fully set up in the spring, helping to guard my chickens so I can load up my freezer!!

Panel works good and outputs the expected amps when charging my house battery on my boat. The charge controller, however, was defective - bad wiring on the panel input cable causes it to not charge unless I move it to a very specific position. Using another controller I had laying in the meantime. Hopefull I can get a replacement controller, because I really liked being able to quickly check battery voltage and monitor charging amps.

The 50 W solar panel and charge controller is a mess it’ll set up in a good value. As long as you pair it with your need. It’s gonna do a great job for you. I hope I have mine running a solar lights and fan in a vault toilet and it’s just perfect for that job. It’s definitely not gonna run anything very power-hungry by for a small point of use kit it was great

The battery on my 2008 Ford Mustang kept dying after 3 days of not driving, I don't know if the battery was going bad or I had a parasitic charge but I bought this as a interim solution and it works great. I've been able to leave my car for up to a week and it stays charged. It fits perfectly under the back window of my car.I took a star off because even in direct sunlight I get more like 6W out of it (12V @ 0.5A); that's under a window but still. I understand 30W is absolute max, but 20% in peak sunlight still seems a little low. Also, the charging unit is powered off of the battery, and stays on/lit up 24/7; I assume it doesn't draw much power but I wish there was a way to turn off the screen or it auto-shutoff. Given the low power output and the always on charger, I wonder what the balance of power is on cloudy days (might be a net negative).So far it's kept my car charged, so it's doing it's job, I just wish it put out a little more power.