Trickle charge thru Lighter?

Do folks out there know whether you can trickle charge the engine battery by connecting through the lighter port.... am looking at a little solar powered trickle charger and trying to figure out whether I need an extension to connect directly to the battery or can go through the lighter port in the dash.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Fred

If the lighter outlet is live when the key is off and not going via the ignition then yes you can use it to charge.

The 12v outlet below the cup holders on a 2013 is always live and a plugged in Battery Tender to that outlet works like a charm.

Thanks... got it. That makes sense. Will check when I get home tonite.

Tooth Fairy said:

If the lighter outlet is live when the key is off and not going via the ignition then yes you can use it to charge.

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Thanks... got it. That makes sense. Will check when I get home tonite.

Tooth Fairy said:

If the lighter outlet is live when the key is off and not going via the ignition then yes you can use it to charge.

Click to expand...

For a long time I've had a little solar panel on the dash charging through the lighter port.

Ok... so now I have a different issue... the lighter port is 'dead'... seem to recall that it was working and then went bad a while back (as in, I plugged some device in and it shorted/blew).

Haven't dug into it yet, but am wondering if others have experience... is it on a fuse or are there other common issues folks have encountered?

CJPJ said:

For a long time I've had a little solar panel on the dash charging through the lighter port.

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Yes, the cigarette lighter (in the ashtray) and the 12v power outlet (on the dash panel) each has a separate fuse.

The socket in the ashtray uses a 20 amp fuse in position #8 on panel 1 (under the steering wheel),
and the 12v outlet uses a 15 amp somewhere on the seat-side panel (location differs between Sprinters).

Note: although the ashtray fuse is larger, there have been a number of reports of that socket melting if run at high currents. The ashtray socket also feeds the radio and interior lights. The 12v outlet fuse is solely devoted to the socket.


--dick

Dick,

Thank you very much for the detailed information... would have taken me awhile to figure out the location of the fuse without your help. Really appreciate it.

-Fred

autostaretx said:

Yes, the cigarette lighter (in the ashtray) and the 12v power outlet (on the dash panel) each has a separate fuse.

The socket in the ashtray uses a 20 amp fuse in position #8 on panel 1 (under the steering wheel),
and the 12v outlet uses a 15 amp somewhere on the seat-side panel (location differs between Sprinters).

Note: although the ashtray fuse is larger, there have been a number of reports of that socket melting if run at high currents. The ashtray socket also feeds the radio and interior lights. The 12v outlet fuse is solely devoted to the socket.


--dick

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CJPJ said:

For a long time I've had a little solar panel on the dash charging through the lighter port.

Click to expand...

Hello, and thank you. Could you please offer a few more details? I'm asking because I found solar power trickle charger by Suaoki (I have liked other products from them). It's an 18w panel, but more curiously, it recommends to unplug it at night in case it fails and begins to draw off the battery rather than recharge. That of course is not convenient. Additional research tells me people have added a controller to circumvent that potential problem.

Questions 1) what panel size has been successful for you, and 2) does yours have its own controller and/or did you add one?

Thank you kindly.

wwjase said:

Hello, and thank you. Could you please offer a few more details? I'm asking because I found solar power trickle charger by Suaoki (I have liked other products from them). It's an 18w panel, but more curiously, it recommends to unplug it at night in case it fails and begins to draw off the battery rather than recharge. That of course is not convenient. Additional research tells me people have added a controller to circumvent that potential problem.

Questions 1) what panel size has been successful for you, and 2) does yours have its own controller and/or did you add one?

Thank you kindly.

Click to expand...

Pic of it, 2008 purchase @ OSH for $34dollars, plug&play cig lig., 12v 24/7 many years no pro

All you really need to prevent back-flow is a diode ... you don't really need a "controller".

An 18 watt panel supplies 1.5 amps of current at 12 volts, so a Schottky diode capable of 2 or 5 amps would be the best choice. "Schottky" (a technology, not a brand name) diodes have relatively low "forward voltage drop", so they won't steal much power from the solar panel.

Something like this: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...Q8nqTKtFS/BUuz6Zx2fl0NYBAaqNap32HC4WiiJklLA== at $1.44 each.
If there's a Fry's Electronics near you, they'd probably have something similar ... it could be soldered in-line with the panel's current wiring (snip one of the wires, insert diode (properly pointed), solder the leads and wrap it in tape).
Look for a "reverse voltage" of at least 20 volts and a "forward current" of at least 3 amps.

"regular" solar panels (like the Renogy or Grape Solar) have bypass diodes on the panel... sourcing one of those diodes would work. (such as a friend throwing away a damaged panel)

--dick

wwjase said:

... but more curiously, it recommends to unplug it at night in case it fails and begins to draw off the battery rather than recharge. ...

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To me that indicates that it is ok unless it fails. They don't say to unplug it during cloudy days or while shaded do they? If they don't mention that, a properly operating unit will not discharge your battery.

Are there any problems related to leaving it connected mentioned by actual users in their reviews?

I would ignore it as legalese/marketing speak for lawsuit avoidance.

vic

autostaretx said:

All you really need to prevent back-flow is a diode ... you don't really need a "controller".

Click to expand...

Thank you. I have since purchased a solar panel that included a diode and a controller. It was ENORMOUS and provided very little recharge to the battery for its size, so I returned it.

autostaretx said:

... it could be soldered in-line with the panel's current wiring (snip one of the wires, insert diode (properly pointed), solder the leads and wrap it in tape).

Click to expand...

Thank you. Gosh, seems so easy, but it’s unfortunately lost on me. I need to find a course to learn more.

Aqua Puttana said:

To me that indicates that it is ok unless it fails. They don't say to unplug it during cloudy days or while shaded do they? If they don't mention that, a properly operating unit will not discharge your battery.

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Very good points. Thank you.

This all began for me because I have a sudden battery drain of about 1v per day. Dealer says it’s the up-fitter’s work and I live quite far from the up-fitter.
After I posted my questions, I thought I would try my already existing 80w panel, prop it on the dash with a cigarette lighter plug into the hot socket under the cup holder. I can also now vouch that this works quite well actually. It’s a large panel and there’s no controller (I don’t know if it has a diode), so I top up the battery each morning while I have sun and unplug at noon before the battery might get over-charged and before the panel in darkness might drain. It’s high maintenance, but this short-term fix seems to work for now until I can get to the up-fitter, and I thank you guys for your wisdom.

Is the cigarette lighter socket that is on the wall cabinet always on, and is it fed from the house batteries? I was considering hooking up my trickle charger through that port for the house batteries.

danielmccoy said:

Is the cigarette lighter socket that is on the wall cabinet always on, and is it fed from the house batteries? I was considering hooking up my trickle charger through that port for the house batteries.

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Plug something into it (like a USB adapter that has a glowing LED) to get your ground-truth.

--dick

Wwjase can you give specifics on your set up. Want to put a solar trickle charge in the 2018 sprinter passenger van because we only use it as a family once a month. Want to preserve battery. What panel are you using/ trickle charger etc...

cheato said:

Wwjase can you give specifics on your set up.

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I'm using an ALLPOWERS 80W Foldable Solar Panel that I had bought on Amazon for another purpose. I use it because I had it, but I don't know that I'd recommend it for your purposes of trickle charging the battery of an unattended vehicle. I don't think this panel has a controller that would top off and then maintain. I think it just keeps on charging, so I literally plug it in and unplug it again 4 hours later, daily. When I leave my van unattended more than 4 days, I unplug the master by the gas pedal (my van requires a wait of 10 minutes after turning off the van before unplugging the master). Unplugging the master is not ideal because the clock goes, the alarm cuts, etc., but it's better than a dead battery upon my return. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I never did find a good option for unattended leaves.

Thanks for the heads up and the information. Will continue to search.