How can a controller NOT be required here? This is 16W for a 12V battery...and anything over 5W and definitely over 10W requires a charge controller.
1400352
You might want to contact the seller Solar-X for a full answer to your question. Can only say I have had this solar panel attached with alligator clips to my 12V marine battery without the controller for a year and a half (boat is in marina in-water over winter January through March and not used for those 3 months) (live on the coast of S.C.). I have a power cut off switch and in April turned it on and the console gauge showed full charge and started the O/B upon ignition. Before purchasing this solar panel I bought a portable battery charger (just in case) and to this day have not had to use it. I credit the solar panel(sans the controller) for that. Hope this helps.
1400353
Self Regulating Panels (SRP) have a lower operating voltage to equalize with the battery. This represents a good value for the user. SRP's produce a higher ratio of current for the rated wattage. Panels that require regulation have a higher voltage. Most controllers regulate the voltage below 14.5V. This is known as "Lost Watts". SRP's harvest more of the wattage. Since watts is what you are buying SRP's are a good value for small charging applications. Please contact us to discuss your unique situation in greater detail. rich j
1400354
You might want to contact the seller Solar-X for a full answer to your question. Can only say I have had this solar panel attached with alligator clips to my 12V marine battery without the controller for a year and a half (boat is in marina in-water over winter January through March and not used for those 3 months) (live on the coast of S.C.). I have a power cut off switch and in April turned it on and the console gauge showed full charge and started the O/B upon ignition. Before purchasing this solar panel I bought a portable battery charger (just in case) and to this day have not had to use it. I credit the solar panel(sans the controller) for that. Hope this helps. You might want to contact the seller Solar-X for a full answer to your question. Can only say I have had this solar panel attached with alligator clips to my 12V marine battery without the controller for a year and a half (boat is in marina in-water over winter January through March and not used for those 3 months) (live on the coast of S.C.). I have a power cut off switch and in April turned it on and the console gauge showed full charge and started the O/B upon ignition. Before purchasing this solar panel I bought a portable battery charger (just in case) and to this day have not had to... » Read More You might want to contact the seller Solar-X for a full answer to your question. Can only say I have had this solar panel attached with alligator clips to my 12V marine battery without the controller for a year and a half (boat is in marina in-water over winter January through March and not used for those 3 months) (live on the coast of S.C.). I have a power cut off switch and in April turned it on and the console gauge showed full charge and started the O/B upon ignition. Before purchasing this solar panel I bought a portable battery charger (just in case) and to this day have not had to use it. I credit the solar panel(sans the controller) for that. Hope this helps. « Show Less
2055357
You always need a Solar Charge Controller between the solar panel and the battery. This particular solar panel comes with a solar charge controller, so you don't need to buy one. You will need to connect it. The controller that came with the panel I bought is not high quality. I purchased a separate charge controller. The charge controller needs to be rated for 12 V battery and at least 2 A (amps). There are many available. How you connect to the battery depends on the battery terminals. I need reliability, so I bought ring crimp-connectors that fit the clamps on the battery.
22135
Yes. Charge controllers, like this one, are specially made to go through different charging cycles to extend battery life span and protect batteries from overcharging.Thank you,AW
1796517
Yes you will need a controller a panel this big would quickly destroy the battery. When it is dark your battery will not discharge any faster than it would naturally.
1685482
It is rated for 10 amps input and output. If it can handle 48 volts (which I don't know because I have a 24 volt panel) it will receive 48 x 10 or 480 watts (volts x amps equals watts). However, if you are charging 12 volt batteries it will only put through 120 watts. I ended up trading this in for a 20 amp controller because of this. I am very happy with the 20 amp controller.
251650
It does need a controller. Will it charge/maintain your deep cell; mine is hooked in series with another 100 watt panel and it seems to work fine with my 4 group 31 batteries. It takes about two days for full charge after I run them down (which has only happened twice in two years).
99420
No. You do not need a charge controller until you exceed 15watts of power. The discharge protection is a simple diode that prevents the battery from draining back out to the pane at night. But because of that diode, DO NOT START THE CAR WITH THE PANEL STILL CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY! You will destroy the diode and weaken the panel's charging ability.
1316171
no, a charge controller must be between solar collector and the battery. The charge time depends on solar intensity, and duration.
641032
You're probably thinking of a charge controller, not an inverter. And yes, you always need a charge controller so you don't overcharge the battery with the solar panel
981795
Hello Jennifer,Yes, the Guardian 12V Charge Controller will charge any 12V battery. The Guardian can handle a maximum of 90 Watts input. You can use 3 - 4 Boulder 30 panels with the Guardian to charge your 12v battery. Thank you for your interest - I hope we can help you - Denis, PrepareDirect
49229
You can use this controller for 12v but there will be power clipping. The best controller would be the Outback FM-80 for 1KW solar panels charging a 12v battery bank.Thanks, ML SOLAR
933679
you will need a 10 amp charge controller for one of these or a 20 amp charge controller for two.The charge controller will have adjustable settings "you set"I suggest a renogy 30 amp pwm controller for three reasons it will give you room to add more panels its cheap under $35 and its all you would need to accomplish battery charging in 12 or 24 volt mode,I hope this helps
2242776
You won't want to connect the panel directly to a battery, as it could damage or overcharge it. The panel itself only provides a voltage, you need a charge controller between the panel and the battery. The one I used (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HWQZNQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is not currently available, but should give you an idea of what to look for. You want a controller that can handle at least 30 watts and 17.5 volts input for charging 12v batteries.
70467
Yes it is fine. Most solar panels have or need a charge controller because they put out 24v. This panel has an integrated controller, and will automatically adjust to a 12v (or 24v) battery system.
1316172
Buy a Solar charge controller 10 watts to the battery after you hook it up via the instructions that come with it. Cost for controller was eleven bucks. No chance of overcharging your battery. The thing ,35 watt panel, charges my battery in about 6hrs.
1563646
No charge controller needed. Just clamp onto the terminals. You could keep a modest battery topped off for a backup light, but it would not recover the battery very quickly, if you anticipated daily need. But if you just want a battery to run one bulb for a while on occasions, it's fine for that. Otherwise, for a larger lighting array or for frequent outages, use a larger charging system. I use it to keep my backup tractor and the battery on my herbicide pump tank topped off.
518849
You may way want to buy a charge controller to keep the battery from overcharging.