Jay L Snyder wrote:

> I bought one of those battery saver solar panels that puts out 1/4 amp in
> full sunlight.  I put it in my car that was sitting outside for several
> weeks without being started.  The battery was "not saved".  It was quite
> near death when I went to start the car.  Is there some reverse current
> leakage when the sun goes down?  Does it need to be un-plugged at night?
> If so, this is a real pain.  I saw an add for a similar, but larger panel,
> that had some kind of circuitry to prevent reverse flow.  I was planning on
> using this for my '85 Westy, but not if I have to disconnect every night
> and re-connect the next morning.
>                                                         Jay

If you have a multimeter which can measure current,  hook it up so that it
monitors the current from the panel to the car. Don't connect both meter leads
to the battery terminals when it is set for current! Make the meter part of the
current path for ONE of the wires from the panel, a series connection.  If the
current flow reverses when you cover the panel to make it dark, there is a
problem.  Adding a silicon power diode of a 1 or 2 amp rating in series with
one of the wires should solve the reverse current problem.  It will also,
however, introduce a voltage drop of about .6 or .7 V and reduce the charging
current a little.

Larry A.