Solar

I saw this blog post on EDN about a Renogy 10 watt solar battery charger:

https://www.edn.com/jumping-the-jeep-an-alternative-cost-effective-solar-cell-example-app/

So I bought one on Ebay, not new but sent USPS in a box, nice.  It arrived today and looks OK although there was a little gunk on the panel surface which wiped off with a little distilled water, no problem.

it even came with hookup cables, nice

I hooked it up to the lawn tractor battery and saw about 170 mA in the noon sun - not super huge but the rated max short circuit current is only 590 mA  ?  I took it outside and got 500 mA of short circuit current, pretty close to the spec considering sketchy current measurement and the fact that it's still technically winter here.

specs are screened on the back covering

Note my previous solar battery charger panel from over 30 years ago (bought at a True Value like "the Mangler" pliers - why did I shop there ?  :)   only gives about 30 mA of short circuit current.

I'll start using it to maintain the lawn tractor battery and a car battery I have in the "lab" - hopefully preparation for any multi-day power outages that come up.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm