Opening and setting up the
fold-up solar panel
Unclip the two buckles either side of the carry
handle and carefully open both sides of the
fold-up solar panel taking care not to over stress
the hinges.
Depending on the ground you may wish to either
position the fold-up solar panel with its solar
cell facing down or on its edge so the charge
controller is uppermost.
On the top of each solar panels frame, you will
see the leg to support the solar panel. Pull the
base of the leg outward to its maximum position
and locate the solar panel in the desired location.
Tips on solar performance
If the legs are positioned at their maximum
adjustment the angle is ideal for UK / European
use for Spring, Summer and Autumn. If you
intend to use the fold-up solar panel in the
Winter the angle of the solar panel should be
steeper. What you are trying to achieve is a right
angle strike from where the sun is to the solar
cell surface.
Solar production will always be at its best during
the hours of 10am and 3pm so ensure the fold-up
solar panel is facing South during this period.
Connecting the fold-up solar panel
to a battery
Remove the cable bundle from the bag on the
back of the fold-up solar panel and run this to a
point close to the battery. Now connect either
the crocodile or 12v auto plug cable extension
direct to the battery or into a 12v auto socket.
Either extension can be left permanently fixed
to a battery or it may be preferred to cut the clips
from the cable and replace with ring terminals so
a more secure battery connection can be formed.
Ensure the correct battery polarity is observed.
We use DC cable which is colour coded Red for
Positive (+) and Black for Negative (–).
Once the extension cable is securely attached
to the battery connect it to the fold-up solar
panel cable, which is keyed ensuring it cannot be
connected in the wrong polarity. The connector
joining the fold-up solar panel cable to the
extension cable is fully water resistant so can be
positioned in wet grass etc – but do ensure it is
never submerged in liquid.
In addition to the afore mentioned extension
cables, the fold-up is also supplied with a female
12v auto socket cable extension, which is useful
should you wish to extent the length of cable
from the panel to the battery.
Charge controller
The fold-up solar panel has an integrated charge
controller and its job is to ensure the fold-up
solar panel does not overcharge the battery and
to prevent reverse current drain during heavily
over cast conditions or at night.
When the fold-up solar panel is connected to a
battery the red
‘Sun’
LED will start to flash. This
is indicating that the management system in the
fold-up solar panel is checking the battery status
before it starts to charge it. If the battery is ready
to receive a charge the
‘Sun’
LED will change to
a constant light after a short while and the green
LEDs in the
‘Battery’
illustration will indicate the
approximate level of charge in the battery. If the
battery is already fully charged the
‘Sun’
light will
continue to flash and so will all four of the green
LEDs in the
‘Battery’
illustration. In this instance
the solar panel can be safely left connected to
the battery as its output will be automatically
switched to trickle mode and thus cannot
overcharge the battery.
