My battery seems to be dipping down into Power Save mode quite often now that more overcast days are among us. I was looking at the power boost accessory and was going to get an external solar panel, but the directions are a bit unclear to me.
I see it says " * 6V, 12V, 24V solar panel (no solar regulator required )"
Can someone give me examples of off the shelf panels you can purchase and plug-and-play? I see plenty of solar panel options on Amazon but I am not sure which ones (if any) won’t also require a bunch of other adapters.
The PBA can operate on 110-240 VAC or any 6-24 V DC/AC auxiliary power. The included 12V power adapter uses a 5.5x2.5mm barrel connector to the lower component which is approximately 5ft (1.5m) in length.
Other power source options include…
Any other 1A+, 6-24V power adapter
6V, 12V, 24V solar panel (no solar regulator required )
6V, 12V or 24V external battery system
12V AC landscape lighting system
24V AC security system
or whatever is available in the above range
I would go for a 12V solar panel, to be safe from over-voltage in a lightly-loaded circuit. 100W would be massive overkill, but maybe not so much in a shady deployment. Most come with a standard solar two-pin plug connector, but some come with a 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel connector. The PBA needs a 5.5mm x 2.5mm barrel connector, which you can either find adapters for or just cut the wire off of the PBA’s included transformer and splice it to the solar panel…
I had to cut the plug off of the included wall wart transformer and use it to connect the 12V/35Ah battery to my off-grid Tempest, which is charged by a 100W solar panel and charge controller. All items purchased at Harbor Freight on the road. This setup is massive overkill, but I needed something in an emergency and wanted the setup to be 100% hands-off since the station is 750 miles from home…