| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Tom Morgan
141 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Jun 2020 : 10:45:29
|
| I've been given a small solar charger with croc clips. At some point, a previous owner has replaced the clips, but they're not a matching pair - not the same pattern. One has a + sign pressed out of the handle, and the other has no polarity indicator, but has some red insulating tape wrapped around the handles. One wire is black, and the other is black with a thin, whit stripe. How can I tell which is the positive clip and which is the negative? |
|
|
Mad Harold
United Kingdom
228 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2020 : 11:13:27
|
Put a voltmeter on both wires,and you will get a reading when correct.Word of warning.I was given a 10W solar panel,and wired it direct to the battery,as I was told that only being 10W it didn't need a controller.
Went to the boat one day to find the CO alarm going off.
The battery had been overcharged and was gassing,setting the alarm off.
Put the voltmeter on the battery and it read 16.4 volts!!
Now have crocodile clips and only connect to the solar panel when necessary. |
 |
|
|
Tom Morgan
141 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2020 : 19:42:34
|
| Thanks, MH. I'll wait till we get some decent sun and give it a go! |
|
|
|
df
United Kingdom
5991 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2020 : 21:31:18
|
Positive wire is probably the one with the white stripe but check with multimeter first,over 12v is quite normal without a battery connected with no regulation, 10w is very little and will probably only get near 10w with full sun and perfect alignment, most of the time will be far less.
Does it have a blocking diode built in? If not it will flatten your batteries overnight.
NBAS--The communal colostomy bag of the boating community.
 Visit leomagill.co.uk |
|
|
|
Tom Morgan
141 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2020 : 22:01:01
|
DF - I don't know about the blocking diode. I'll have to check up on that. Thanks for the warning.
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Small solar charger with crocodile clips.
