Sunforce 50012 1.8Watt Solar Battery Maintainer
March 20, 2010 by SolarInfo
Filed under solar panels
| Brand: | Sunforce | ||
| Average Rating |
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The Sunforce 50012 1.8 Watt Solar Battery Maintainer gives you another reason to love the sun -- it'll help keep your car's battery charged. Just plug this helpful 1.8-watt solar charger into your vehicle's 12-volt lighter socket and position the panel to pick up the most daylight possible. Or, if you prefer, use the included alligator clips to connect it directly to the battery, so you can keep your lighter socket open for cell phone chargers or other accessories. Regardless of how you hook up the battery maintainer, you'll never get caught off guard without the juice you need to start your car. This device is designed to work with automobile, all terrain vehicle (ATV), personal water craft (PWC), and boat batteries, and is even effective on cloudy days. The 50012 is made of durable ABS plastic and amorphous solar cells, measures 6.5 x 1.25 x 18 inches (WxHxD), and has a maximum temperature range of -40 to 176-degrees Fahrenheit. more info
Does just what it’s supposed to do.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This battery maintainer keeps the battery of seldom used equipment fully charged for a strong starting event for my difficult to start diesel engine.
Sunforce 50012 Solar Battery Maintainer – CR@P
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I put the Sunforce 50012 inside my car’s windscreen and plugged it into the cigar lighter. (On this car the cigar lighter is “live” even when the ignition is off). The Sunforce 50012 worked for one day. Next day it appeared dead (There is blue LED that blinks when it is working). I picked it up, it started working, sat it down, it quite. Twisted it, it worked, then it didn’t, then it did. The old intermitant (sp) connection problem. Basically it was shot, dead, kaput, trash it. Long story short, I fixed it by taking it apart and re-soldering components. I am smart and lucky with nothing better to do. 99.999% of the users could not make this fix. So just forget about it. This thing is garbage.
Using for science experiment
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We are using this for a science experiment and it is proving out very well. Probably the best value for money solar panels you can buy for kids.
cord contacts easily detached
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I read reviews about this solar panel, and they talked about the weak soldering of the cord to the solar panel. In the face of the other reviews that praised its benefit, I decided to take my chances.
This panel works fine, but if you don’t handle with care, it’ll stop functioning all at once, like mine.
The bad thing about it is that it must be hidden from sunlight when the engine is ignited, otherwise, they’ll be really hot. May be they don’t have a protection circuit…. I Think this should be taken care of in the design.
Bought 5, 3 died within a month
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased 5 of these hoping they’d work as a cheap alternative to the more expensive solar chargers/maintainers. That was partly true; two of the five did but the other three all died within a month. Unfortunately this company(based in Canada) doesn’t offer any support or warranty, contrary to what they advertise. Very poor quality and no support.
Sunforce 1.8 watt solar battery charger
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this solar charger for a camping trip I had planned. Out in the high deserts of Arizona, I wanting protection that my truck battery will be charged. I have a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder with a WalMart battery. We did use the truck battery too much while camping and that next morning the battery would not turn over the truck motor. Hooked up the Sunforce 1.8W solar charger and by day end the truck started right up. LIFE SAVER!!! I would recomend the product HIGHLY!!!
Not reliable
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The first purchased item had broken solar glass. It was exchanged to the 2nd. one.
The 2nd. one had reliability problem.
After few days using, it broke down. No electricity no more generated.
The item would be lemon.
not for diesel trucks
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Works great as a trickle charger, but if u own a diesel with hd batteries I would go for a higher wattage. It is well constructed and performs well on my Jeeps and ATV’s 12 V–good bargin!
Works Fine!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been using the unit since Feb. to keep 2-12v car batteries and 2-12v motorcycle batteries full charged. The car batteries are used to start my Mitsubishi 6DS7 6 cyl diesel engine, without an alternator, in a 42′ banka in the Philippines. The boat has sat without use for as much as 2 months at a time without starting. My drill is to use the charger on each battery for half a day at a time. On Rainy days I do not use the charger as it is not weather proof. Never had a dead battery.
In direct sun I get 22v and when light overcast 15v. I check voltages disconnected from the batteries on the aligator clips.
I have found that I will get the above voltages when the panel is kept clean of dust, smudges, etc. I use a glass cleaner and newspaper to clean it.
solar cell solar sucks
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I have placed the solar maintainer directly to the battery as well as thru the lighter. My battery continues to drain, I have it on a vehicle I only use one every week or two. There are also no instructions about the blue LED. As soon as you plug it in or clip it on it turns solid blue. Does this mean that it is using the battery ? Oh well, buyer beware.
solar charger
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product works exactly as advertised. It is a useful and easy way to keep a battery charged without external power. The shipping was fast and it has worked out great.
blue LED
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Good value. Works as advertised. Most importantly, there is a nice blue LED that indicates charging activity.
Great product
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The product was delivered promptly and in good condition. It seems to be exactly as advertised. It is extremely easy to use.
Just what I needed
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This works as advertised. I travel a great deal, so my car might sit for weeks at the airport without being driven. I did need to have an ‘always hot’ socket installed in my car since the one I had didn’t work if the car wasn’t on. A car audio seller was able to do that very cheaply. I never worry if my car will start now after being gone for several weeks.
Sunforce 50012
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the Sunforce 50012 to keep the battery charged up in my airplane when not in use, sometimes I may go several weeks without flying. But even with the cover over the windsheld, it still is able to get enough sunlight to keep the battery charged up. It’s a great little unit!
1.8W = Joke
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
We bought this for my child’s science project. It worked and we were able to show that more light generates more electricity. However, in direct sunlight, it generates a fraction of what it is rated for. Placed on the bright side of planet Mercury, it might reach rating.
If you are counting on this to generate significant power, think again.
saved my battery! works perfectly for me
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I saw “some” bad reviews for this product..but none the less i decided to give it a shot because i really needed a solution to my classic car’s battery dying form sitting all the time and never being driven.
it usually has trouble starting if i dont drive it for 2 weeks…
i bought this unit, installed it, and then after 2 weeks i went on vacation for another 2..
i was amazed that when i got back and tried to start the the ole 76, it fired up INSTANTLY. the battery was blazing!…
this has solved my problem i recommend this product because it worked for me. despite the neg reviews here on amazon, i have to say that for the cheap price of the unit, ..its worth taking the chance, and i would buy another
Hit/Miss
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I used this thing on two auto’s through the lighter circuit with two diametrically opposed results. On the older model GM it seemed to work(at least it did not discharge the battery), on the newer model Subaru it completely discharged the battery which took me 3 days of daylight hours to recharge using a standard 2 amp charger. I also received a unit in which the glass was cracked in 3 places inside the package. In all fairness I did not order it through Amazon and the cracks don’t effect the functioning of the unit;purely cosmetic damage. My advice is be careful with this thing. Even though it supposedly has discharge/overcharge protection built in, that’s not the entire story. If your lighter circuit will not accept current it may trigger a discharge through another circuit probably to protect the electrical system from overloading and sparking(pure educated guess). I therefore have found this product to be of marginal use. It’s cheap enough to not bother returning which is fine by the seller I’m sure.
Sunforce Solar
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Item was exactly as described and shipped quickly. Connected to my RV and the battery drain stopped. This is a float charge and is not intended to restore dead batteries.
Works great for me
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I actually used this in my Son’s Science Project and it works great. I’m planning on using it to keep my trolling motor battery topped off after this.
Some people complained of quality problems but I did not have any, it seems fairly solid for the price.
Solar Battery Charger
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The solar battery charger seems to be doing its job of maintaining my lawn mower battery. The unit appears to be made about as good as you would expect something made in China to be. The cable could have been a bit longer, maybe around 20 feet. If it will help make my lawn mower battery last more than one season, it will have done its job.
So far so good !!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I put this solar battery maintainer in my dually truck the other day because my truck was not cranking up without clicking. I went to a local restaurant and put it on the dash and hooked it up. I stayed in the restaurant talking to peiople and ended staying for about 3 hours. I brought some jumper cables with me just in case. I told the waitresses I might need a jump and so one of them followed me out to the truck. To my surprise the truck cranked right up. I was in shock. I had bought 2 to begin with for 12.99 and I wanted to get 2 more and the price has gone up 5 more dollars for each one. I still bought 2 more since I got free shipping. I am going to put them in all 4 vehicles. I did notice in the paperwork that you are not supposed tp expose the solar panels to the environment and they tell you how to make them usable for the outside. I have only had the 2 for 2 days now and I am impressed so far. I hope mine don’t break down like some of the other rater’s who bought this item.
Great Device
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Product was easy to use. So easy, even a caveman can do it. Just take it out of the package, find a good place where the sun can beam on the front flat pane and plug it in the lighter plug ( or use the alligator clips to the battery. All of which ( the adapters ) came with the device.
Didn’t work for me
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
It doesn’t work at all for me. I’ve been trying to use it on a Volvo S60.
Poor instructions
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m living in SG and decided to try it out on my Chevy Aveo.
My gripe is there is no clearer instruction on how to use it apart from putting it together, plugging it to ciggy or direct. There’s no instruction whether do I need a ‘live’ connection or not. If so, leaving my car keys on ON or ACC all the time when it’s plugged in and I’m not near the car would pose some risks. Still unsure about the LED light, whether it means charging when blinking and lighted up or it means there’s sufficient light.
Did not work!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I dont know how people can say that this thing works. The battery still discharged on my new car. Too weak for big car batteries. You will need at least 15 watts to make a real difference.
solar battery
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The product would not put out enough current to help with the drain on my battery. I think I purchaced too small of a unit for my needs. May work well with a smaller type of battery, not on a car battery.
A small way to go a little green
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this as a christmas present to give, but wound up keeping it for myself. We had a severe cold snap and the car started showing signs of hard-starting one morning. I put this on the front dash and plugged it up to the cigarette lighter. Since then, we’ve experienced NO weak turn-overs when starting the car, even on the coldest mornings. So I guess this little puppy is helping to keep our battery at it’s peak charge just as it claims. I’d buy another one in a minute!
Did not work for me
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I used this product following the manufacturer’s instructions but unfortunately it managed to drain rather than maintain my battery. I did confirm that my lighter was still active even when the car was off so that was not the problem. In fact, I know something was happening because when I came down later that day (after I had plugged the battery maintainer into lighter of my car) the GPS screen on my car was open (it rotates up when the car turns on) and illuminated. I figured that it meant that the solar charger was working. Unfortunately, the next day when I went to start my car all it did was click. Somehow between the time I plugged in the battery maintainer and the next day something had drained my battery. I leave it up to you to decide what that was.
Works, but be careful.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Product works well but you need to check the output at the end of the cigarette lighter plug with voltmeter. I couldn’t figure out why there was no power at the cig plug. After some investigating I realized there was a fuse inside the cig plug that was blown. Even though the blue light is flashing you’ll still have no power at the plug. I slid the chrome ring off the plug and it opened up exposing a blown fuse. Hope this helps.
Works as Described
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This device will not charge your car battery but will maintain it. I have a van that sits for months at a time and the battery always used to die. Now I unhook the negative terminal and hookup this solar panel and it started right up after sitting for 3 months.
disappointing
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
after nearly 10 minutes of the blue LED light working (which I have to assume meant the product was actually working as well) it flickered and died. Came on one more time after i jostled the cord at the joint where it attaches to the unit. since they state that you need to check the voltage to see if it is working properly (since the LED light is THAT undependable) I had to then purchase a voltmeter to even see if the piece of crap was even working. SO, yes, I give this product and the experience one blessed star since it functions as well as broken product right out of the box.
don’t waste your money.
Great little gadget
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nice little battery charger that maintains you battery. The flashing blue led lets you know it working and the cigarette lighter adaptor is a big plus for being easy to use. The only thing I noticed was that the cigarette plug adaptor sometimes pops out of the socket. Not sure why but it appears it’s a little long and the center contact sticks out fairly far and the side contact springs don’t go in far enough to hold it in place. I have to assume this a little too long and therefore pops out and would become useless to charge the battery then and if you leave it long periods wihtout being able to see if it’s still pushed in it would no longer be charging the battery. Other then that is works great. It might be that my cigarette lighter plug is on an older car but would have thought they are a standard size.
I would recommend it 100%
a must have
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had ongoing problems, with dead batteries, in my boat,.
but,. never again,. this solar maintainer works,. and I shall take this on future boat camping trips,.
Solar Battery Maintainer
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hooked it directly to battery.Don’t know if it works,haven’t had no problem.Recommend this item to others.Very useful.easy to install and works.
Meets my needs
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I ordered 4 of the solar panels. One was not functional out of the box but has been replaced with no hassles. As far as there performance I live in W. WA and our famous cloudy skis do not stop these units. I have one for each vehicle I am not using and my generator. All now have perfectly topped off batteries and are ready to go when I am.
Not sure what’s going on with this product
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The blue light just stays ON when hooked up to a battery (with alligator clamps, not cig lighter adapter).
It stays ON whether the solar panels are exposed to light or not…and I’m not sure what it’s doing to the battery.
Measured the voltage coming out of it in sunlight – was ~20V…fine
Checked current going to battery – was ~45mA…also fine
Covered the solar panel from sunlight with cardboard and:
* Voltage dropped to 14V
* Current dropped to ~2.5mA
The above corresponds to 35mW which is prolly about enough power for the LED.
I have no reason to believe that this is not coming out of the battery!
I called SunForce and was told that the LED indicates “availability of ambient light”.
When I asked how come the LED stays lit even when the solar panel is fully covered, he goes “how could you possibly cover the solar panel fully without covering the LED itself”…
To the question “why does it stay ON most of the time and blink some of the time” I was told that is “expected behavior”.
Very condescending!
And I still have no logical reason to believe that the 35mW is not coming out of the battery!
Initially was very happy about being able to use a “green” solution and all…but the company attitude kinda killed it for me…
It’s prolly a good idea to disconnect the panel when there’s no sunlight.
Works Great, saves money, but suction cups could be better
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought a scooter, and as a result of not driving my car as much, its security system drained the battery. This solar trickle charger was all that was needed to make it start right up even if it sat for a couple of weeks. My only complaint is that the suction cups don’t want to stick very well given the curvature of the window glass. It could use more suction cups or bigger or softer ones. Or a different attachment strategy altogether. I made hangars out of some thin, stiff wire to hook over the top edge of the window and roll it up. Works great and doesn’t fall off whenever the temperature changes like the suction cups did.
Car batteries are not designed to be deep discharged. One deep discharge in cold weather can destroy a brand new battery. This will not only save me inconvenience, but money.
Perfect for what I need.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Does what it says – keeps your battery from discharging slowly. Using it in my 98 Jeep Wrangler every day, since the battery seems to drain in a few days normally. Instead of troubleshooting the problem, I bought this. Works perfectly.
70 mA Trickle Charger
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this array to trickle charge my 12V battery in my ’05 Civic (I don’t run the engine long enough between startups to maintain battery voltage). Attachment through the factory accessory plug was not feasible–the key must be turned to “accessory” for the plug to work, which then also powers up the radio. [Curiously, if I connected the array to the plug without the key on, I could turn on the radio, implying that the array was powering everything in the car that runs on "accessory"!] I therefore installed an always-on power socket; to do so, I installed a Bussmann BP/HHH ATM Add-A-Fuse to a unused fuse plug in my interior fuse panel, and attached to it a Radio Shack 270-1527 socket (after clipping off the battery clips).
In full sun, the array produces 70mA of current at 24V (60mA when properly attached to the battery). When attached in reverse, the array LED and diode together draw microamps of current (my ammeter could not measure that low of current).
Not weatherproof out of the box
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought one of these to try to keep the battery in my boat charged up over the winter. I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me ahead of time, but this unit is not weatherproof. It is designed to be inside the cab of your car, etc. However, the instructions do describe how to weatherproof it with silicone sealant, but say that voids the warranty. So I’ve sealed mine, but won’t have a chance to try it out for a while. Just thought I’d put up a review that mentions the need to seal it for outdoor conditions.
melted in my window! killed my cap!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this for less than two days and this thing has started to deform from the heat of the sun(melted). its not supposed to be used while the car is on(would have been nice to know before i got it). Also it’s illegal to use it in your front window as shown in the picture while driving. im going to try to use it to keep my battery booster boxes charged. This panel can’t be used outside…so if its illegal to use it in my car, and can’t charge a battery outside in the sun i can’t think of many ways to use this(in a garage with a big sunroof maybe). After using this product my system’s capacitor has stopped working.
GREAT CHARGER
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This charger is perfect to keep my elec. start generator always fully charged by placing on window sill. I’m very pleased.
The minor details
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It looks a lot like the solar panels they have on calculators. There is a blue LED that flashes when it’s producing power. The light gets brighter the more power it is generating. When there is a load on the cell the light stops flashing to let you know it’s charging the battery.
The light was flashing right when I took it out of the box. It works pretty well in low light conditions. I got .5 watts outside during a cloudy day.
Sunforce Solar Battery Maintainer
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I installed this battery maintainer on the dashboard of my motor home and plugged it into the cigarette lighter while the motor home was in long term storage. Since the rig faces the morning sun, the maintainer did an excellent job of keeping the battery up to charge. I am well pleased with this Sunforce Solar battery Maintainer and would recommend it to anyone in need of such a unit.
the best
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
works perfect, charges battery with a indoor lighting, has led to show its charging, keeps battery charged, as good as as any trickle charger. best for its size and price I have ever used. if it does not work for you, you did not read directions, big dummy
Works very well indeed! And charges iPods and cellphones!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Used it to keep my car battery topped up (the battery was on its last legs) and it worked excellently until we left an interior light on and we were ‘dead’ in the morning. So, my fault, the solar panel doesn’t charge the battery and especially not in the evening (for obvious reasons!). But did what it was advertised to although (as other reviews have mentioned), you should connect it to an ‘always on’ lighter socket rather than one which is only live with the ignition on.
So, anyway, we replaced the car battery and I re-purposed the solar conditioner as a solar charger for my iPod and LG cellphone. Works fantastically! Needs *full* sun (I’m in Southern California) but when connected up to the car charger cable (with the croc chips connected to the connectors on the lighter plug), it charges 100%! Again, I must stress that it needs to have full sun (outside on a table or angled up through a window, not flat against the pane of glass) but it works a treat in the right conditions.
Really useful little product! I’m happy with it.
Sunforce 50012 has it all at a great price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This battery maintainer had all the necessary connections and features I was looking for including discharge protection. It was easy to install and use. I bought 4 and use them for vechicles that I don’t use for months at a time (quad, lawn tractor, motorcycle, boat). I spent over $400 on dead batteries last year alone, whose lives were dramatically reduced because they completely discharged. I am hoping to extend battery lives with this product for at least a couple of years, which over 10 years (hopeful product life) gives me about a 1000% to 2000% return on my investment!
Best battery maintainer set with affordable price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Pros: Affordable price, good choice of connectors and clamps, compact design, long cable length, blue led indicator helps determine activity, very good shock proof packing, simple easy to understand instruction manual, light weight, environment friendly and saves electricity money.
The price of this item is reasonable and affordable. Perfect battery maintainer for the long winter months. Panels comes with its own clamps, adapters and connectors. Just to make sure, I checked the battery voltage before using this item and after using the item and the maintainer surely works great. The batteries show no sign of drainage or loss of voltage since one month. I have seen the voltage has gone up slightly indicating a good charge everyday.
Cons: One panel-wire had a loose connection (soldering). The LED light indicator turned ON sometimes and if I moved the panel-wire it went OFF. I understood it is loose soldering. If I had a solder iron, I could have easily repaired the loose connection. Since I don’t, I returned the item and got another set which is fine.
All charged up
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Super tool. Leave it on the dash and your battery will stay charged. Love this solar maintainer especially in the winter.