Owner'sManual

Please read this manual before operating the units

SunChargerPortable Solar Panel

Models: SC-05SC-10

2

INDEX

1. SafetyInstructions...................................................... .................................3

2. GeneralInformation....................................................................................4

3. PrinciplesofOperation................................................................................6

4. Installation&Operation..............................................................................8

5. Specifications............................................. ...............................................10

6. Warranty....................................................................................................11

3

1SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Pleaseensurethefollowing:

• Donotreversethepolarityoftheconnections–ensurethattheRed

PositivewireisconnectedtothePositiveterminalofthebatteryandtheBlackNegativewireisconnectedtotheNegativeterminalofthebattery

• DonotflexorbendthepanelasthiscouldcausedamagetothePVcellsandtheencapsulationlayers

• Donotattempttochargenon-rechargeablebatteries.Thischargerismeantonlyfor12V,re-chargeablebatteries

• Contactthebatterymanufacturerforquestionsonthebatteryspecifications

• Alwayschargelead-acidbatteriesinawell-ventilatedarea.

4

2GENERAl INFORmATION

DescriptionTheSunChargersSC-05andSC-10areportablesolarpanelsdesignedfortricklecharging

of12VnominalrechargeableLeadAcidbatterieslikethoseusedincars,boats,RV’s,motorcycles,AllTerrainVehicles(ATV)andPoweredWaterCrafts(PWC).ThesecanalsobeusedasDCpowersourcestochargesmallelectronicdeviceslikecellphones,iPods,iPhones,PDAsetc.Therechargeablebatteriesinsidethesesmallelectronicdevicesarechargedthroughtheirchargingadapters.

Self Discharge and Trickle charging of Lead Acid BatteriesSelf-dischargeofabatteryistheelectricalAmpereHour(AH)capacitythatislostwhenthe

batterysimplysitsidleorinstoragewithoutanyexternalloadconnectedtoit.Self-dischargeiscausedbyelectrochemicalprocesseswithinthebatteryandisequivalenttotheapplicationofasmallexternalload.Forexample,alead-acidbatterystoredat30oC/86oFwouldselfdischargeataround1%perday.Theselfdischargeincreaseswithriseintemperature.

In order to compensate for the above self-discharge, a fully charged battery that is idle or is in storage will require trickle charging at a very low Trickle Charge Current of around C/100 Amps (where C is the Ampere Hour Capacity of the battery) to maintain the fully charged state.

Forexample,an80to100AhautomotiveSLIbattery(Starting,LightingandIgnition)willrequiretricklechargingcurrentofaround0.8to1A

NOTE:Asexplainedabove,thetricklechargingcurrentprovidedbyaTrickleChargerisaverylowcurrentwithavalueofaroundC/100Aandthisverylowvaluecurrentwilljustbesufficienttocompensatefortheselfdischargecurrent.Thiscurrentwillnotbeabletochargeadischargedbattery.Forfullscalechargingofabattery,astandardchargerwillberequired.

Features• EfficientDesignandSuperiorQuality

◦ Efficientpoly-crystallinePVcells–34cellsinseriesforthe4.8W,SC-05Paneland36cellsinseriesforthe9.6W,SC-10Panel

◦ SolarcellsareencapsulatedbylayersofEVAandfiberglassthatprovideexcellentmoistureresistanceandelectricalisolation.

◦ ABlockingDiodeisbuilt-inthuspreventingcurrentfromflowingbackfromthebatterytothesolarpanelindarkness.Hence,thepanelscanbeconnecteddirectlytothebatterywithoutusinganexternalBlockingDiode

◦ Toplayerofclear,UVresistant,PVF(PolyVinylFluoride–TradeName–Tedlar)providesgoodlighttransmissionandprotectionfromcutsandscratches

5

2GENERAl INFORmATION

◦ Sealedjunctionbox(housestheblockingdiodes)has3MofULlisted,sunlightresistantoutputcableterminatedwithaCigaretteLighterPlug(with10Afuse)forconvenientconnectiontoanybatterythroughtheon-board12VDCCigaretteLighterReceptacle

◦ 12VbatteriescanbechargeddirectlywithoutuseofaChargeControllerprovidedthatthecapacityofthebatteryis>33Ahforthe4.8W,SC-05paneland>60Ahforthe9.6W,SC-10panel

◦ Everymoduleisfullyinspectedandtestedtoensurecompliancewithelectrical,mechanicalandvisualrequirement

◦ Weatherproof-includesUVprotectionandprotectionfromweathereffectsof-35°Fto175°F(-37°Cto79°C).

• EasyInstallation◦ Slim-lineandlightweight–Nometalframe

◦ 4grommetfinishedholesinthe4cornersforfixingthepanel

◦ 12VDCCigaretteLighterPlugforconvenientconnectiontothevehiclebatterythroughtheon-board12VDCCigaretteLighterReceptacle

◦ Colorcodedwiresforeasyfieldwiring–Positive(Red),Negative(Black)

ApplicationsThesechargerscanbeusedforthefollowing:

◦ Totricklecharge12VDCLeadAcidbatteries.

◦ Tocompensateforbatterydrainduetolowcurrentsdrawnbysmallinstrumentationinvehicles.Electronicssuchasclocks,vehiclealarmsetcaddtothedrainofthebattery,evenwhentheignitionisoff.

◦ Tochargesmallelectronicdeviceslikecellphones,iPods,iPhones,PDAsetc.Thesedevicescomewithassociatedchargingadaptersthatallowchargingoftheirbatteriesthrougha12VDCpowersource.ThesechargingadapterscomewithaCigaretteLighterPlugforconnectingtoaDCpowersourcethroughaCigaretteLighterReceptacle.AstheSunChargercomeswithaCigaretteLighterPlug,asuitableadapterwillberequiredtoconverttheCigaretteLighterPlugoftheSunChargertoaCigaretteLighterReceptacle(thisadapterisnotprovidedwiththeSunCharger).

NOTE:The4.8W,SC-05and9.6WSC-10panelsarenotlargeenoughtopowerlaptopcomputers

6

3PRINCIPlES OF OPERATION

Electrical operating parameters of a solar panelAsolarpanelcanbeconsideredasacurrentlimitedsourceofelectricalpowerwitha

voltageversuscurrentrelationshipasshowninFig.1.

Voltage - Current Characteristics

Voltage (V), Volts

Curr

ent

(I), A

mp

s

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

0 5 10 15

VMP = 16 V

VOC = 20.2 VVOC = 21.5 V

VMP = 17 V

ISC = 0.6 A

ISC = 0.33 A

20 25

SC-05

SC-10

Fig. 1. Voltage versus Current characteristics.

Whenexposedtothesunandwithoutanyloadconnected,thesolarpanelswillgenerateanOpenCircuitVoltage(Voc).Assoonasaloadisconnectedtothepanel,thevoltageattheloadwilldropandthevalueofthevoltageattheloadwillbedeterminedbythecurrent(I)drawnbytheload.PleasenotethatattheOpenCircuitVoltageVoc,theoutputcurrent(I)iszero.

Theelectricalpower(P)inWattsfedtotheload=Voltage(V)XCurrent(I).

Iftheoutputofthepanelisshortcircuited,theoutputcurrentwillbelimitedtothemaximumcurrentthatthepanelcanprovide.ThisShortCircuitCurrentisdesignatedas Isc.

ThemaximumpowerPmpisfedtotheloadwhentheoperatingpointisnearthekneeofthecurveasshown.Atthisoperatingpointformaximumpoweroutput,thevoltageisdesignatedasVmpandthecurrentisdesignatedasImp.

PleasenotethatfortheportionofthecurvebetweenVoctoVmp,thecurrentdropsatafasterrate.Afterthat,thecurrentisalmostconstantandequaltotheShortCircuitCurrentIsc.

7

3PRINCIPlES OF OPERATION

Factors affecting voltage and current output of a solar panelThefollowingfactorsaffectthevoltageandcurrentofasolarpanel:

• Theoutputvoltageisnotaffectedverymuchbythelightconditions-undershaded/cloudycondition,theoutputvoltagewillnotvaryverymuchascomparedtobrightsunshine

• Theoutputcurrentisverysensitivetotheintensityoflightandwilldropconsiderablyundershadedorcloudyconditions

• Variationintemperaturehasasizableeffectontheoutputvoltage–aNegativeTemperatureCoefficientof-2.3mV/°C/Cellresultinginincreaseinthevoltageatlowertemperatureanddecreaseinthevoltageathighertemperature

• Variationintemperaturehasnegligibleeffectonthecurrentoutput• Theoutputcurrentcanincreaseby25%duetowhatisknownasthe“Edgeofthe

CloudEffect”.Asthesunmovesbetweenaholeintheclouds,thesolarpanelwillseethefulldirectsunlightcombinedwiththereflectedsunlightfromtheclouds

Battery charging operation using a solar panel (See Fig 1).Whenabatteryisdirectlyconnectedtothesolarpanel,thevoltageoftheloadedpanelwill

beequaltotheinitialbatteryvoltage.Atthispoint,thechargingcurrent(I)willbeequaltothecorrespondingvalueoftheinitialbatteryvoltageontheV-ICurve

Thecurrent(I)fedfromthepanelwillstartchargingthebatteryandthebatteryvoltagewillstartrising.Asthebatteryisalwaysconnectedtothepanel,thepanelvoltagewillbethesameasthebatteryvoltage.ItwillbeseenfromtheV-Icurvethatasthebatteryvoltagerises,thechargingcurrentwillstartreducing.

Whenabatteryisfullycharged,itwillnotrequireanyfurthercurrentforchargingexcepttheverylowselfdischargecurrent.Ifachargingcurrenthigherthantheselfdischargecurrentiscontinuedtobefedtoafullychargedbattery,itwillleadtodamagetothebatteryduetooverchargingresultinginoverheatingandlossofwaterduetoexcessiveelectrolysis(conversionofwatertooxygenandhydrogen).

Charging a battery by a solar panel using a Charge ControllerForfullscalechargingofabatteryfromasolarpanel,theoutputofthesolarpanelis

requiredtobefedtothebatterythroughaChargeController.TheChargeControllertransformstheinputpowerfromthesolarpaneltoregulatedvoltageandcurrentnecessarytosafelychargethebatteryaspertherequiredchargingalgorithme.g.2/3/4StageChargingAlgorithm.

8

4INSTAllATION & OPERATION

Charging a battery from a solar panel directly (without using a Charge Controller)Fortricklechargingabattery,aChargeControllerisnotnecessaryaslongasitisensured

thattheShortCircuitCurrentIscofthesolarpanelislessthantheTrickleChargeCurrentspecifiedforthebatterythatisbeingcharged.Asstatedearlier,theTrickleChargeCurrentofaLeadAcidBatteryisaroundC/100(whereCistheAmpereHourCapacityofthebattery).

CAUTION!Inviewoftheabove,directtricklechargingofbatteriesusingtheSC-05andSC-10SunChargerpanelsshouldbeselectedasfollows:

SC-05: TheShortCircuitCurrentis0.33A.Hence,thecapacityofthebatterytobetricklechargedshouldbemorethan33Ah.

SC-10: TheShortCircuitCurrentis0.6A.Hence,thecapacityofthebatterytobetricklechargedshouldbemorethan60Ah.

AsthestandardautomotiveSLIbatteries(Starting,LightingandIgnition)arearound80to110Ah,thesecanbetricklechargeddirectlyfromtheabove2solarpanels.

NOTE1:TheoverallperformanceoftheSolarPanelisdependentonavarietyofconditionsincludingseason,orientationwithdirectsunlight,cloudyconditions,temperature,andshadowing.Asaresult,specifiedperformanceparameterswillbedependentoftheplacementoftheSolarPanel.

NOTE 2:Forsafetyagainstexcessivelyhighshortcircuitcurrentflowfromthebatterytoashortinthepanelcircuit,a10AfuseisprovidedinsidetheCigaretteLighterPlug.

Placement of the panel• Securelyplacethesolarpanelfacingthesun.Maximumpowerisgeneratedwhenthetopsurface

ofthepanelisorientedperpendiculartothesun.Hence,tiltthepanelinsuchawaythatitwillbeperpendiculartothestrongmiddaysun,between10a.m.and2p.m.Thiswillchangewiththeseasons.Inspringandthefall,atiltbetween40and45degreesfromthegroundwillsufficeformostNorthAmericanresidents.Alittlelessinthesummer(about20-30degrees)andalittlemoreinthewinter(about60-70degreesfromtheground).

• Usethe4grommetfinishedholesinthecornersforfixingthepanelintheappropriateorientation

• Makesurethatthepanelisnotshadedbyshadows• Whenusingthepanelinavehicle,thepanelmaybeplacedonthedashboardandfacingthe

sunasexplainedabove

9

4INSTAllATION & OPERATION

Trickle charging the vehicle battery through vehicle’s on-board Cigarette Lighter ReceptacleWhenusingthesolarpanelinsideavehicle,connecttheCigaretteLighterPlugprovided

withthesolarpaneltotheCigaretteLighterReceptacleinthevehicle.Makesurethattheplugispushedincompletely.

CAUTION 1!Insomevehicles,theCigaretteLighterReceptaclegetsconnectedtothevehicle’sstarterbatteryonlywhentheIgnitionSwitchisturnedtotheAccessories(ACC)Position.Inthiscase,theIgnitionSwitchwillhavetobeturnedtotheAccessories(ACC)Positiontoenabletricklechargingofthebattery.

CAUTION 2!PleasenotethatwhentheIgnitionSwitchisturnedtotheAccessories(ACC)Position,powerisavailabletothebuilt-inaccessorieslikeradio,CD/DVDPlayeretc.Hence,pleaseensurethatalltheseaccessoriesareswitchedofftopreventdrainageofthebattery.

Trickle charging an external batteryWhenNOTusedinsideavehicle,connectiontothebatterycanbemadeusingoneofthe

followingmethods:• UseseparateAdapterCable(notprovided)thathasaCigaretteLighterReceptacleon

oneendandBatteryAlligatorClampsontheotherend.PlugtheCigaretteLighterPlugofthepaneltotheCigaretteLighterReceptacleoftheAdapterCable.ThenconnecttheBatteryAlligatorClampstothebatteryensuringcorrectpolaritybymatchingtheredclampwhichisPositive(+)tothePositive(+)terminalonthebattery.ConnecttheblackClampwhichisNegative(-)totheNegative(-)Terminalonthebattery.

Directly powering small electronics devices like cell phones, iPods, iPhones, PDAs, etcPleaseusethefollowingmethodfordirectlypoweringsmallelectronicsdeviceslikecellphones,iPods,iPhones,PDAsetc.(Asmentionedearlier,laptopcomputersarenotincludedasthe4.8W,SC-05and9.6W,SC-10solarpanelsarenotlargeenoughtopowerlaptopcomputers):

• UseseparateAdapterCable(notprovided)thathasCigaretteLighterReceptaclesonboththeends.PlugtheCigaretteLighterPlugofthesolarpaneltotheCigaretteLighterReceptacleoftheAdapterCable.ThenconnecttheelectronicdevicetotheotherCigaretteLighterReceptacleoftheAdapterCable.

10

5SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL NO. SC-05 SC-10

TyPE OF CELLS Poly-crystalline Poly-crystalline

NO. OF CELLS IN SERIES IN ONE STRINg 34 36

NOMINAL RATED POwER 4.8W 9.5W

OUTPUT VOLTAgE (OPEN CIRCUIT), Voc 20.2VDC 21.5VDC

OUTPUT VOLTAgE (AT MAxIMUM POwER POINT), Vmp

16.0VDC 17.0VDC

OUTPUT CURRENT(SHORT CIRCUIT), Isc 0.33A 0.60A

OUTPUT CURRENT (AT MAxIMUM POwER POINT), Imp

0.30A 0.56A

CONNECTINg CABLE 3M,AWG#18,SunlightResistant

CIgARETTE PLUgStandardCigarettePlugwithreplaceable

10AfuseTypeAGC-10

OPERATINg TEMPERATURE -35°Fto+175°F(-37°Cto+79°C)

DIMENSIONS, MM (L x w x H) 304x254x13.5 304x381x13.5

DIMENSIONS, INCHES (L x w x H) 12x10x0.53 12x15x0.53

wEIgHT, Kg 0.55 0.9

wEIgHT, LB 1.2 2.0

NOTE: Specificationsaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.

11

6WARRANTY

2 yEAR Limited warrantyTheSC-05&SC-10SunChargerPortableSolarPanelsmanufacturedbySamlexAmerica,

Inc.(the“Warrantor“)arewarrantedtobefreefromdefectsinworkmanshipandmaterialsundernormaluseandservice.Thiswarrantyisineffectfor2yearsfromthedateofpurchasebytheuser(the“Purchaser“).Forawarrantyclaim,thePurchasershouldcontacttheplaceofpurchasetoobtainaReturnAuthorizationNumber.

ThedefectivepartorunitshouldbereturnedatthePurchaser’sexpensetotheauthorizedlocation.Awrittenstatementdescribingthenatureofthedefect,thedateofpurchase,theplaceofpurchase,andthePurchaser’sname,addressandtelephonenumbershouldalsobeincluded.

IfupontheWarrantor’sexamination,thedefectprovestobetheresultofdefectivematerialorworkmanship,theequipmentwillberepairedorreplacedattheWarrantor’soptionwithoutcharge,andreturnedtothePurchaserattheWarrantor’sexpense.

NorefundofthepurchasepricewillbegrantedtothePurchaser,unlesstheWarrantorisunabletoremedythedefectafterhavingareasonablenumberofopportunitiestodoso.

WarrantyserviceshallbeperformedonlybytheWarrantor.AnyattempttoremedythedefectbyanyoneotherthantheWarrantorshallrenderthiswarrantyvoid.

Thereshallbenowarrantyfordefectsordamagescausedbyfaultyinstallationorhook-up,abuseormisuseoftheequipmentincludingexposuretoexcessiveheat,saltorfreshwaterspray,orwaterimmersion.

Nootherexpresswarrantyisherebygivenandtherearenowarrantieswhichextendbeyondthosedescribedherein.Thiswarrantyisexpresslyinlieuofanyotherexpressedorimpliedwarranties,includinganyimpliedwarrantyofmerchantability,fitnessfortheordinarypurposesforwhichsuchgoodsareused,orfitnessforaparticularpurpose,oranyotherobligationsonthepartoftheWarrantororitsemployeesandrepresentatives.

ThereshallbenoresponsibilityorliabilitywhatsoeveronthepartoftheWarrantororitsemployeesandrepresentativesforinjurytoanypersons,ordamagetopersonorpersons,ordamagetoproperty,orlossofincomeorprofit,oranyotherconsequentialorresultingdamagewhichmaybeclaimedtohavebeenincurredthroughtheuseorsaleoftheequipment,includinganypossiblefailureofmalfunctionoftheequipment,orpartthereof.

TheWarrantorassumesnoliabilityforincidentalorconsequentialdamagesofanykind.

SamlexAmericaInc.(the“Warrantor”)

110-17FawcettRoad

CoquitlamBCV3K6V2Canada

(604)525-3836

110-17 Fawcett Rd

Coquitlam, B.C.

Canada V3K 6V2

T: 604 525 3836

F: 604 525 5221e-mail: samlex@samlexamerica.comwebsite: www.samlexamerica.com

SC-05_SC-10_Manual_V2010-08-16