Showing posts with label vector battery charger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vector battery charger. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

12V 5.4AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery for Razor E100 E125 E150 E175

12V 5.4AH Sealed Lead Acid Battery for Razor E100 E125 E150 E175Bring your e100 back to life! This battery does a great job if you need replacements. The e100 takes two batteries so be sure to purchase two of them. You will need to solder the existing wiring harness to the batteries. They are also very slightly bigger than the originals so you will need to remove the battery brackets inside the e100 tray.

As always, replacement batteries from the manufacturer are priced crazy, these are a perfect lower cost alternative. Contrary to what other reviewers say, you DO NOT have to do any soldering, just cut the battery wires (there are 4 of them on the E100 and E150 2 red and 2 black) as close to the terminals as possible and strip off a 1/4" of insulation. Make sure you only do one battery at a time and mark the wires so you know which set go on which battery. Then just attach a quick connect terminals to all the stripped wire ends, which are availabe at any Radio Shack, and you can just slide them onto the new battery terminals. The upside is that if you ever have to replace the batteries again (even with religious devotion to turning the scooter off when not in use and regular charging, they only last about 2 seasons) you'll be able to just slide the contacts off the old battery and onto the new one!!

Buy 12V 5.4AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery for Razor E100 E125 E150 E175 Now

My daughter's Razor electric scooter (E100) stopped charging, so I guessed it was the battery and saw that they were pretty expensive through Razor. I opened up the scooter and saw that the batteries (2 identical 12V's jammed under the deck) appeared pretty generic and I found these here, so I ordered (you need 2 of them).

The replacement process requires some cutting and soldering of wires, so it's not that simple, but for anyone with the least bit of automotive or electrical experience, it should be a cake-walk.

It's a bummer that these batteries are so suceptible to abuse and damage (you should not leave the scooter on when not in use, which is hard for kids to remember), but at least they're fairly inexpensive to replace.

Read Best Reviews of 12V 5.4AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery for Razor E100 E125 E150 E175 Here

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

CTEK UC 800 6V Smart Battery Charger

CTEK UC 800 6V Smart Battery ChargerQuality 6 volt chargers are hard to find and I was a bit skeptical about this one but am glad I purchased it. I have an antique car, 6 volts, that takes a good amount of power to start. Regular maintainers left me with an OK battery but not enough to turn the motor well. I always had to use a 6 volt jumper battery as well to start. This guy took a while to get things in order, but now the car starts with ease. I was concerned for a period of weeks because the light never moved from the center and I thought perhaps it was not working. However it eventually turned green and I was very please with my battery power.

As others have mentioned, put the right size rings on the harness! It should be obvious to the manufacturer that these rings are too small and we have to replace or drill to make work with most battery clamp bolts.

I recommend this unit for older 6 volt cars and I am sure it would be excellent for those applications where less amperage is needed.

The chargers come with nice leads for connecting to the battery, but a few issues for my installation. I take it this is designed for a motorcycle or something similar, as the length of the bolt-on lead to the quick-connector is short, like 14", so forget trying to get the connector out of the engine bay. I'm hooking up to antique cars and we need like 3' of lead. Plus, the connector is 1/4" and a 5/16" minimum is needed to go over the battery clamps on my applications, so the connectors did not do the job and I will have to try to fabricate some new ones with longer leads -

I have not used long enough to rate the charging systems but hopefully that is worked out. I'm going to ask the MFG for a longer lead and 12 volt style batter connectors for my applications, see how they react.

Buy CTEK UC 800 6V Smart Battery Charger Now

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Schumacher XC12 SpeedCharge 12 Amp Battery Charger

Schumacher XC12 SpeedCharge 12 Amp Battery ChargerSo I bought this because 1) it could do 6V and 12V and 2) it had a digital display for voltage and percent charge. It chooses automatically between 6 and 12V fine. The display however, seems quite off. The voltage is ~0.2V off vs a multimeter, but to be fair the resolution is only 0.1V so its hard to say exactly how off it is. The percent charge, which I was most interested in, appears way off. I had a 6V motorcycle battery that sat all winter, read ~3.5V before charging. I hooked it up, on the slow trickle charge setting recommended for small batteries, and it read 90% state of charge to begin. The SOC rose quickly to the high 90's, where it sat for quite awhile until fully charged. I understand there are a lot of battery types and sizes out there, so this may be hard to calculate, but I thought everyone should have a proper expectation about it. I like to monitor this type of information, which is why I elected for this model with SOC display (I didn't really need the 12A). Now I wish I would've just went with a more basic model.

Other Good:

It does kick out automatically to a maintenance mode once fully charged, and automatically start charging after a power loss.

Other Bad:

The fan is loud, and there is no on/off switch (you must unplug it). Also, while charging, the display switches between the SOC and the voltage setting(6 or 12). It would be more helpful to see an actual real-time voltage instead of what setting it is on. To check voltage status with the unit, you must abort charging and put into testing mode, then go back to charging.

fairly fragile construction. but worst thing was that it failed to charge at the 2 amp setting after only a few days.

Buy Schumacher XC12 SpeedCharge 12 Amp Battery Charger Now

This charger is fully automatic and will charge and maintain all types of 12 volt batteries. It also has a small footprint to fit into tight spaces. The only con is that it is rather noisy at times.

Read Best Reviews of Schumacher XC12 SpeedCharge 12 Amp Battery Charger Here

Very reliable machine . It shows how much charging of the battery. fully automatic. worry free. I recomond it .

Want Schumacher XC12 SpeedCharge 12 Amp Battery Charger Discount?

Friday, April 18, 2014

Premium Car Charger For Samsung Flight II (SGH-A927)

Premium Car Charger For Samsung Flight IIIt arrived on time and I am very pleased with the product. The price was great compared to retail price.

Got the charger and loved it. works like a charm. the only thing that would be nice is a longer cord. but otherwise its great Dana

Buy Premium Car Charger For Samsung Flight II (SGH-A927) Now

great for the occasional road trip. i also keep it in the car for the random times my phone dies while i'm out. this charger has always functioned perfectly

Read Best Reviews of Premium Car Charger For Samsung Flight II (SGH-A927) Here

Works sometime and sometime not. Not worth the money. Hard to plug in your car outlet.. I'd rather spend a little more money and get a charger that I know will work.

Want Premium Car Charger For Samsung Flight II (SGH-A927) Discount?

I can hear it cracking as I force it to fit in the lighter. It does charge the phone though.

Save 92% Off

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

CableForge 12v Vehicle Car Charger (Glows blue) for Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G i200 for Verizon cell

CableForge 12v Vehicle Car Charger for Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G i200 for Verizon cell phone coiled stretch power charger micro USB 4ftThe first time I tried to use this charger, it killed my phone. Thankfully, it was still under warranty with Verizon, and they replaced it. As far as I'm concerned, this charger is not compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Stellar. I will say, CableForge did refund my money promptly, but if my original phone hadn't been under warranty, I would have been screwed. At least for this phone, stick with the car charger that Verizon sells.

This is an after market product, product is as advertised glows blue when plugged in. No problems with charger.THANK YOU

Buy CableForge 12v Vehicle Car Charger (Glows blue) for Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G i200 for Verizon cell Now

What can I say? It's a car charger, it charges my phone, in my car. I have only used it a few times so far.

Read Best Reviews of CableForge 12v Vehicle Car Charger (Glows blue) for Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G i200 for Verizon cell Here

I was looking for an extra charger to carry in another car and this is perfect for that. I also like the way it glows blue.

Want CableForge 12v Vehicle Car Charger (Glows blue) for Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G i200 for Verizon cell Discount?

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Samsung GALAXY Ace S5830 - Samsung G

Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Samsung GALAXY Ace S5830 - Samsung GALAXY Fit S5670 - Samsung GALAXY Gio S5660 Cell Phone Premium Combo Pack BestCellBuy BrandExcellent Transaction. Is very helpful. Thanks a lot. It can be usefull in my work. I can be use to get ideas to send emails to my customer or to other co-workers.

We have SamSung cell phone in our family that means we all use them.. they are very good for our home.. Thanks guys & have a great day..!!

Buy Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Samsung GALAXY Ace S5830 - Samsung G Now

I HATE IT, VERY BAD QUALITY, I WILL NEVER BUY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. NOTHING MORE TO SAY.

SEE YOU

Read Best Reviews of Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Samsung GALAXY Ace S5830 - Samsung G Here

This charger kit arrived on time and is very useful and worth the price it costed. I recomend them. OK.

Want Car Kit Vehicle Charger + Home Wall Travel Battery Charger for Samsung GALAXY Ace S5830 - Samsung G Discount?

To sum it up, the car charger didn't last a week, but you get what you pay for so... Don't buy this.

Save 95% Off

Sunday, March 16, 2014

UPG Dry Charge Motorcycle Battery - 12V, 6 Amps, Model# UTX7L-BS

UPG Dry Charge Motorcycle Battery - 12V, 6 Amps, Model# UTX7L-BSI bought this battery so I could use the electric start feature on my Cummins Onan portable generator. The battery fit well and functions as intended.

I've had the battery in a 200cc motorcycle for a year and a half and it seems to work fine. I would consider it a good buy for the price I paid.

Buy UPG Dry Charge Motorcycle Battery - 12V, 6 Amps, Model# UTX7L-BS Now

Saturday, March 8, 2014

PYLE PLCD3MR AM/FM-MPX In-Dash Marine CD/MP3 Player/USB and SD Card Function

PYLE PLCD3MR AM/FM-MPX In-Dash Marine CD/MP3 Player/USB and SD Card Function
  • AM/FM Radio, CD-DA, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA, USB, SD/MMC marine receiver
  • 40 Watts x 4 internal amplifier with single preamp output for system expansion
  • Attractive multi-color LCD display with "dancing spectrum" visual
  • Features USB port and SD/MMC slot for MP3/WMA playback; 3.5mm auxiliary input
  • One-year manufacturer's warranty

I was looking for a replacement unit for my 1996 Bayliner boat. The factory unit stopped working and needed to be upgraded anyway. I was going to buy the "mechless" version of this unit, but decided to spend the extra few dollars to have the CD player as well.

The radio has good reception using the built in antenna on the boat. No static or fading. Works as expected.

I used a couple of different SD cards to test it. I filled up a 2GB and a 1GB card, both formatted to FAT32. Popped them in and hit the shuffle button. No issues, both played just fine. One card I set up with directories and was able to skip from one directory to another.

CD Player worked fine, although I will probably never use it.

Sound was better than expected in a boat at normal volume. Although when volume was high, it did get a lot of distortion. That may possibly be the fault of the speakers as they are 14 years old and have been exposed to the elements. I will be installing new speakers soon and will update this review if it sounds any better.

*UPDATE*

Added new speakers. Sounds much better. The old speakers were shot. Volume on this unit is still not great, but in a boat it is more than enough.

Buy PYLE PLCD3MR AM/FM-MPX In-Dash Marine CD/MP3 Player/USB and SD Card Function Now

The term "marine" was not explained well on site. It means white, permanent undetachable face plate. Other than that, it fits perfectly into a standard in dash mount for your car. I replaced another after market CD player and wire configuration was identical. So pushing the same wires back into the same tight spot was the only real challenge. No holes to cut.

The 160 watts are more than adequate power. But the ability to handle SD Flash chips and USB and CD is extremely handy.

This is the 2nd Pyle in dash unit I have owned. The other car died before the Pyle did.

Read Best Reviews of PYLE PLCD3MR AM/FM-MPX In-Dash Marine CD/MP3 Player/USB and SD Card Function Here

the radio is an excellent buy. it is hard to find a usb radio in the market worth its price, and this one was well made and sounds great

Want PYLE PLCD3MR AM/FM-MPX In-Dash Marine CD/MP3 Player/USB and SD Card Function Discount?

Great sound and nice features! Really like the different types of input ports on the front of the tuner. Plenty of watts to push 4 boat speakers. Only a few down falls screen is hard to read in really bright enviroment, the remote has to be pretty close to the radio to work (kinda pointless) and the connection harness in the back of the radio is to loose so it will cut in and out if you dont secure it.

Save 60% Off

Unit arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Very easy installation and all functions tested (radio, cd, ipod) worked perfectly. Attractive display and decent sound quality, especially for the price paid. Very satisfied with this product.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
  • Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
  • Pre-loaded with maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
  • SmartDetour automatically prompts you to route around sudden slow freeway traffic.
  • Rechargeable battery lets you Navigate for up to 3 hours when power is unavailable.
  • 1.3 million pre-programmed POIs make it easy to find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee and more.

Don't get me wrong I know this is a very feature limited unit and I am one of those people who can find their way around just about anywhere without a paper map. I have a built in compass and can get the feel and layout of a metro area in less than a day, so I was pretty skeptical about the utility of these devices. boy was I wrong. Without a doubt its pretty useless, for instance, on I-95 going from New York to Miami its pretty hard to get lost on one thousand miles of straightaway, but the great thing about this is when you have to go off path. Everyone would prefer to skip the roadside gas stations and pull off into Florence a couple miles to find gas at local retail as opposed to full pit-stop price, or how about a better meal than McDonald's, maybe your wife would prefer to stay at a seaside hotel in Savannah instead of the Motel-6 along the interchange? You don't have to worry about getting lost or detoured by unfamiliar terrain anymore. No more missed turns, looping round-abouts, one way dead ends. Sure, you still have to use your common sense with the gadget, but the only time I missed my destination was when I failed to make the turn it recommended because it didn't look right. This small, low feature unit is all you need and by the way the screen has tremendous zoom in out ability. If you have a trip coming up BUY ONE TODAY!

Buy Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Now

I bought the Magellan Roadmate GPS because the viaMichellin I had owned for 4 months stopped working. They would not repair it so I went to a name I can trust, Magellan. My unit has performed without a flaw and I highly reccommend it to anyone. It gives me the instructions at least 2 miles in advance of a turn. On a freeway at 75 mph this is very important. The unit is light and the screen s ery easy to read. I love it!

Read Best Reviews of Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Here

Really frustrating that Magellan makes it so hard to open case. No screws, case sealed. Can't access battery, which would be like $12.00 on ebay to replace. Otherwise when working the unit was often irritatingly slow and incorrect.

Update: you can open, rubber plugs cover up screws. Problem was USB port broke on the inside. Will up my rating a bit. And buy a solderer.

Want Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Discount?

I have been using the Magellan RoadMate 1200 for over a year. I find it to be the equal of the NeverLost GPS supplied in Hertz Car Rentals. In more than 5 years of using that system, I have never been lost in many locations in the USA. I liked the 1200 so much, I bought one as a gift for my daughter. She loves it too.

I received this product as a wedding gift. It is portable, takes a while to update maps and stopped charging after a year. Not what I was expecting after a year of use. When I called the help desk, I was told since I didn't have a receipt and it was over a year (2 weeks over a year), I would have to buy a new product. They offered a preferred "loyalty" program, which for the same price as a new device you can get a refurbished model, some "loyalty" program. I don't use it everyday, just when needed, so it could have broke before a year, and I just didn't know. Spend the extra money and get a better unit.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

NOCO Genius GC004 10' Extension Cable

NOCO Genius GC004 10' Extension CableThis extension cable does exactly what it promises to do connecting and disconnecting is a breeze! This extender allows you to keep your unit in the garage while you charge up a car that is even out in the driveway. It's a long cable, truly 1o foot & it works!

I recently purchased the NOCO Genius G750 6V/12V 750mA Fully Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer (Grey) and decided to purchase the 10 foot extension, the cords the charger came with were long enough but I like having the extra slack when I need it.

Buy NOCO Genius GC004 10' Extension Cable Now

what i saw is what i ordered and what i got is exaclty what i saw and ordered no surprieses. Thank you for the timely delivery.

Read Best Reviews of NOCO Genius GC004 10' Extension Cable Here

Solid product. I haven't had to use it yet, but it's simple plug in makes it a fool proof product. No guessing on how to properly connect it.

Want NOCO Genius GC004 10' Extension Cable Discount?

I use this cable to connect my boat batteries to my charger. I no longer have to go into the engine cabin to charge the batteries when I am not using the boat.

NORCO has great product.

Save 13% Off

Friday, January 3, 2014

Power Bright VC750W Voltage Transformer 750 Watt Step Up/Down converter 110/120 Volt - 220/240 Volt

Power Bright VC750W Voltage Transformer 750 Watt Step Up/Down converter  110/120 Volt - 220/240 VoltI have both this 750 watt model and a 200 watt model. They both do their jobs fine, consistently doubling my household voltage as measured with a multimeter. I have products that I purchased overseas and this was the simplest way to keep using them. I have not used these abroad to step voltage down. Inside, there really is not too much to the units. You select the input voltage on the rear (thus bridging that circuit) and then it all goes to the windings and then to the front receptacles. My 750 watt model had the light on the power switch fail on the first day, but this is a non-issue for me. It probably got jostled in shipping but it is not worth returning. And I don't think there is going to be a whole lot of variation among competing transformers that use the same technology. Indeed, the Chinese produced transformers appear to have largely the same design, though with different printing on the front. With free shipping (since these are heavy little boxes) and the lowest price among its competitors, this was a good deal.

I moved from the UK to the US a couple of years ago and when I first came over I didn't want to replace everything which ran on 240V instead of the 110V over here. This was a great unit for the price and coped well with everything from vacuum cleaners to stereo systems, dvd players and everything inbetween. Mine is still going strong and I find it a very useful unit.

Buy Power Bright VC750W Voltage Transformer 750 Watt Step Up/Down converter 110/120 Volt - 220/240 Volt Now

I purchased this transformer before returning to the UK where I wanted to use some US 110V products. The input lead is fitted with a US three pin plug which I changed for a standard UK three pin plug, the input lead was UK standard, Brown Live, Blue Neutral, Green/Yellow Ground. Plugged in a US extension lead and there was a big bang and the lights went out. Luckily nothing was damaged.

Checks showed that Live to Neutral was OK at 110Volts, but Neutal to Ground at the output measured 240 Volts.

The (apparently) UK input lead had neutral and live crossed so watch out! Once corrected the unit works OK.

Two other transformers I bought with different power ratings, 200 and 500 Watt were exactly the same.

Read Best Reviews of Power Bright VC750W Voltage Transformer 750 Watt Step Up/Down converter 110/120 Volt - 220/240 Volt Here

I purchased this transformer for my time deployed to Iraq, and it works extremely well. I have it hooked up to a coffee maker, and even though the transformer's fuse is rated at 7 or 8 amps, the 10 amp coffee maker still functions soundly with this transformer. That may be a plus or minus depending on your personal application, but for my needs this couldn't be better. Inexpensive, good build quality, and I am a satisfied customer.

Want Power Bright VC750W Voltage Transformer 750 Watt Step Up/Down converter 110/120 Volt - 220/240 Volt Discount?

Just received the unit via Federal Express.

I opened the box and immediately noticed the un-raveled electrical cord. I then removed the unit itself from the product box & plastic bag/sleeve and immediately noticed scratches on the top of the unit.

I further inspected the unit and discovered additional scratches along with dents, obvious dust/caked dust in corners and previous wear and use markings.

There was also a plethora of smudges and finger prints.

This unit is not new and seems to be previously used, refurbished or a floor model. I wish this information would have been disclosed prior to my purchasing this item. This is UNACCEPTABLE and I am quite displeased with this Amazon.com purchase.

NOTE: I will provide additional comments once I use and test the quality of this unit.

Save 33% Off

2nd Generation Audio FM Transmitter and Car Vehicle Charger for the Cowon S9 - Uses Gomadic TipExch

2nd Generation Audio FM Transmitter and Car Vehicle Charger for the Cowon S9 - Uses Gomadic TipExchange Technology
  • Full FM frequency spectrum is available and is user selectable in 0.1MHz increments from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz. Advanced Digital PLL sound coding maintains stable and high quality sound.
  • Smart technology circuit architecture provides precision voltage and resistor regulation specific to the Cowon S9. Protects the internal battery longevity by modulating the charge in a safe and efficient manner.
  • Transmitters emit a powerful FM signal that is the maximum allowed by FCC regulation. Advanced signal isolation provides crystal clear sound quality.
  • A best-selling product from Gomadic Corp, one of the leaders in consumer electronic charging accessories.
  • Product is designed to last and is backed by our Gomadic Lifetime Warranty. Buy with confidence!

They shipped fast, it looks good, powers up and charges, but the signal is to WEAK.

I used this with my Cowon S9. It works, but not very well at all. The signal from the transmitter is way to weak, and there is still a hiss coming through from the radio's white-noise. I also have to turn the S9 to max volume / drive to get enough signal to the radio.

Very disappointed with Gomatic's Audio FM Transmitter plus integrated Car Charger for the Cowon S9 with Gomadic TipExchange Technology.

I certainly would -NOTbuy this again. Very disappointed !!

I don't care if they go to the 30th generation, I will never buy any of their stuff again. (I bought their 2nd generation.)

Don't buy this. Buy something with enough drive to get a good good clear and noiseless signal coming out your speakers. Make sure your device doesn't have to be wide open / audio drive maxed out, to get enough signal. Doing so, is pushing / driving your device to hard. Stay away from this Gomadic FM Transmitter.

Save 23% Off

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Car Charger for Motorola Barrage V860

Car Charger for Motorola Barrage V860Motorola/Verizon phones are a bit picky about which chargers to use. This one does work for my droid razr. Grounding points on both ends of the tip do make it difficult to plug the adapter, but will fit with a bit of force.

Price quality bias?

This product is pretty clear evidence of the price quality bias.

Pros

-works as well as or better than any 20$ charger

-coiled cable prevents damage from kinks.

-price

Cons

-doesn't have a motorola logo. LOL

Buy Car Charger for Motorola Barrage V860 Now

When you have to pay $40 plus for a charger at Verizon, I was very please to find to chargers for less than $10, what a value and they work great !!!

Read Best Reviews of Car Charger for Motorola Barrage V860 Here

Ordered 20 of these for our work staff. We've had them for a couple of months and no complaints from anyone, and the price was excellent.

Want Car Charger for Motorola Barrage V860 Discount?

Works perfect! There are in stores all over my city, it's hard to believe Verizon gets $35 for this in their store....

Save 29% Off

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Sunforce 52022 5 Watt Solar Trickle Charger - Pack of 2

Sunforce 52022 5 Watt Solar Trickle Charger - Pack of 2I purchased these solar trickle chargers all winter. I park my trailer at the storage facility for the winter. My batteries always drain down to nothing. I got these so try and see if I could keep my batteries from draining down to nothing. I built a small little angled mount for them using wood so I could remove it when I was not using them. I put the unit on the roof and made sure my batteries were fully changed first. I left the solar panels on the top of the trailer. I checked the trailer twice a month I checked the trailer and the batteies stayed charged up all winter. Good little units. Will not charge your battey it will maintain a charge.

Since I have several ancillary devices connected to the car's (2007 Ford Taurus) electrical system, there is always a trickle load on the battery. There is a ham radio that uses backup power when off, a GPS that trickle charges even when fully charged, and a GPS receiver that runs 100% of the time. The load is not a lot, but I wouldn't leave this stuff connected for a week without driving the car. These devices do load the battery enough that on long cold winter nights, the battery starts drooping significantly. For this reason, I looked at the charger panel(s), and after reading the reviews decided they would work perfectly in minimizing the impact of all these extra devices sitting in standby all afternoon and overnight. The combination of using the panel all day while inside at work, and from 4 p.m. throughout the night has worked out very well.

I'm only using one panel, the other is for a gift.

A few notes to clear up some confusion that I noted while reading the reviews:

1. The maximum output of 350 ma at 14 volts (loaded) is NOT enough to damage any lead acid battery (car/motorcycle/lawn tractor). Yes, unloaded the panel will put out 22 volts. That means absolutely nothing. As long as it sees a 12 v battery as a load, its output will drop into the 14 plus range, which is EXACTLY what a 12v battery should be seeing from a charging circuit, so no regulator is required (or even desirable) when charging auto/motorcycle batteries.

2. The panel will not discharge a connected battery, period. There is a blocking diode in the panel's wiring that prevents current flowing from the battery to the panel. If your panel is discharging your battery, then the blocking diode has failed (it is shorted). One possible, and I'm afraid all too common reason for this failure is having the panel connected when you start your car. VERY BAD IDEA. The instructions clearly state that one should not have the panel connected while the car is running. If the panel is connected when the vehicle is starting, very large voltage spikes are present on the 12v line and the blocking diode in the panel sees these spikes and may not be rated to stand up to them. The result: the diode shorts, and this allows the battery to send current to the panel overnight....all night.

3. As far as charging smaller (lower capacity) 12v batteries or battery packs, some caution needs to be observed. Nickel Cadmium (NICAD) or Nickle Metal Hydride (NIMH) batteries can be safely charged on a continuous basis at a rate of 0.10 X AMP HOUR RATING of the battery. For example: a 12 volt battery pack made of 2500 maH rated batteries can be charged continually at 250 maH. An 1800 maH rated pack of cells can only be safely charged continually at 180 maH. Since these panels put out 350 ma, neither of these batteries can be safely charged on a continual basis. This is where the charge controllers come in to play.

CONSTRUCTION:

The panels are quite well constructed and arrived properly packed. The supplied wire length with cig plug pigtail was long enough to go from the back window to the front accessory plug. Since the panels were provided with 4 screws for mounting, I bought some 1/4 inch plywood (cut to 1/2 inch larger around than the panel by our local lumber yard), and screwed the panel onto the plywood with rubber grommets as spacers/shock absorbers. I also bought some "gripper" feet at the local Wally World (hardware section furniture slider area), and put them on the plywood bottom to help prevent it from sliding around. The panels are clearly labeled "this side down", so it is impossible to mount them the wrong way!

PERFORMANCE:

Since putting the panel on, the rate of decay of the battery in the face of the loading of my devices, has decreased markedly. I have a digital voltmeter on the system and can see that in the morning the battery voltage is not as low as it had been prior to putting on the panel. It won't charge a dead battery, it won't make up for a significant current drain on your car battery. It will prevent a dramatic sag in battery voltage as a result of your car's microprocessor and alarm system running all night, as well as take care of a few auxiliary devices in the battery backup mode (maintaining memory of channels, for example). If your vehicle needs to sit long periods of time without running, these panels are a perfect solution, as long as you have access to sunlight. I measured the panel output at 21 volts on a fully overcast, but bright skied day, sitting in the back window of my car.

CAVEAT:

I have one concern about these panels. On a 30 degree day in full sunlight the panel became surprisingly warm to the touch, considerably warmer than the dash I had it sitting on. I'm not sure how things are going to work or how I'm going to deal with how hot they may get in full sunlight on a 90 degree Iowa summer day. At this point, it appears I have a month or two to ponder this issue. It certainly makes no sense if you can't put a solar panel in your car, (because it might get damaaged by excessive heat), when it is sold as a car charger.

Summary:

For the price and my purpose, this panel appears to be an excellent solution. Properly used and mounted, and with certain precautions taken, I would recommend this panel to anyone needing a 12v TRICKLE charging solution, where a charge controller is not needed (lead acid car/motorcycle/lawn tractor batteries).

Buy Sunforce 52022 5 Watt Solar Trickle Charger - Pack of 2 Now

They work great, but it would be good if an LED indicator was on these so one can verify there is traveling current, or not.

Read Best Reviews of Sunforce 52022 5 Watt Solar Trickle Charger - Pack of 2 Here

These things rock! I bought a pack and connected them to my ATVs and now they are always ready to go! One thing to take note of, though, is be careful not to switch the polarity if you use an extension cable!! I can say that from experience... Batteries aren't cheap either.

Want Sunforce 52022 5 Watt Solar Trickle Charger - Pack of 2 Discount?

These panels worked great. I had a small window and these fit perfectly within. Gives a good charge of 22.5v each. Maintaining a deep cycle battery this worked great.

Save 39% Off

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Lenmar Battery, PRO, AAA, 10 Pack, 1.2V 1000mAh NI-MH

Lenmar Battery, PRO, AAA, 10 Pack, 1.2V 1000mAh NI-MHI had heard some good things about Lenmar nimh batteries about two years ago but had bought another brand. This time around, with the good price on Amazon, I gave these Lenmar batteries a try. I ordered two ten-packs. Only 4 out of 20 batteries would accept a charge. I tried an Energizer charger, a LaCrosse BC-900 charger, and a RipVan100 Lightning Pack 4000N charger. The LaCrosse is a high-end charger, including diagnostics on batteries (voltage, etc., displayed for each battery). None of these would charge 16 of the batteries even in the 'recovery' modes available on the RipVan and LaCrosse. Returned the batteries to Amazon.

Bought these on 6/6/7.

Right out of the box these Lenmar 1000mAh could be charged hardly to 600mAh. After several days of retesting they could barely be charged till 600-900mAh. Very disappointed by this gross misrepresentation. This Lenmar product should be sold as 600mAh. The only reaction from Lenmar's seller ANTOnline was they don't know what they are selling.

Buy Lenmar Battery, PRO, AAA, 10 Pack, 1.2V 1000mAh NI-MH Now

I've had 8 of these AAAs that I've been heavily using for well over a year along with a couple dozen AAs. All have them been running fine at their expected mah rating. They've excepted a charge fine every time on 3 of my chargers, all of different brands. However, about half of the AAs would not accept a charge on a fourth, Sony, 15-minute charger. So if you have problems, just try a different charger.

I'm buying 10 more of these today.

Read Best Reviews of Lenmar Battery, PRO, AAA, 10 Pack, 1.2V 1000mAh NI-MH Here

I bought a set of these and 4 batteries were dead in a few months with no much use. I also bought a Lenmar for my digital camera that holds half of what it used to hold. The original battery that came with my camera almost holds the same charge as when it was new. I honestly don't think Lenmar makes good quality batteries. I am not planning on buying Lenmar again.

Want Lenmar Battery, PRO, AAA, 10 Pack, 1.2V 1000mAh NI-MH Discount?

I purchased these to replace batteries for my Panasonic KX-TGA101S phone handsets (Panasonic KX-TGA101S Extra Handset with Charger for KX-TG1032S, KX-TG1033S, KX-TG1034S Cordless Phones, Silver) which barely held a charge anymore. These are great. While I've never timed the original batteries or these replacements, they keep these handsets charged for a very long time. They can also be charged with the standard base that these handsets use. So the replacement is cheap and transparent to my family members; they just realized one day that their handsets weren't dying after a few days of usage without being recharged.

Before researching replacements for the stock batteries in my handsets, I didn't realize they used "regular" batteries that are similar to batteries I already use (eneloop)(Sanyo Eneloop Ni-MH Charger and 8 Rechargeable AA and 4 Rechargeable AAA Batteries). I've been using eneloop batteries in my other devices for some time. So, a cool thing that I do now is use the phone handsets as "free" battery chargers. When another device (such as a tv remote) dies, I just swap the batteries with the batteries from a phone handset (or two) and place the handset(s) back on the base(s). Now I always have fresh AAA batteries available without even thinking about it.

As far as I can see, these work pretty much identical to the eneloop batteries. Time will tell which ones last longer (per charge and lifetime) for the dollar, but I'm pretty sure I've found a less expensive alternative to suit my rechargeable battery needs.

Save 25% Off

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Nature Power 40050 Solar Powered PowerPak with 2 Super Bright LED Lights

Nature Power 40050 Solar Powered PowerPak with 2 Super Bright LED LightsI was really excited when I bought this. I was going to use it for camping cause it is so light and portable.

However I had to test it for home use before a camping trip. There is no problem at all with the 7.5W solar Panel. In fact it puts out around 18V DC. The PowerPak is well thought out with 5V USB port and two 12V socket port for small gadgets but the problem is that there is no indicator on how much charge the PowerPak holds so it is all guessing.

My first unit died on me when I overused it in a week because there is no indicator on how much charge is left. After talking to a customer service rep at Nature Power, she told me never let it fall below a certain level. Well what level? Because again there is no indicator for how much juice the PowerPak has. She said it was ok to continuously overcharge it from the solar panel.

Returned it and got a new one. This time I followed all directions given to me by the company but still it doesn't hold full charge. I charged it every day and used the light for 4-5 hours continuously. Finally after two weeks of use it only holds a fraction of the charge and only lights the two bulbs for two hours versus the 30 hours it claims on the box.

Some of the other flaws are the directions in the manual. Then the mislabeling of 6V ports which are actually 12V ports. You can tell it was interpreted wrong. Also outside the box it states the package comes with a female cigarette lighter port adapter. Unfortunately from both packages I couldn't find mine.

This is nothing more then an expensive toy that just isn't made to last.

First, there's no real manual for this product. The instructions are very simple, but there's more to this product than is described in the manual. Specifically, any kind of statement about battery life, best practices for longest lifetime, and any details about operations, as in what does it mean when the red light goes on and blinks?

It soon became clear why there's no manual. Because this product is a joke. Specifically, the battery pack. The solar panel itself seems pretty rugged. And a cluster of LEDs is pretty hard to do wrong. But the battery is a joke. After one good, long use, which probably drew down the battery all the way, there's no capacity left. If there was a metering system to keep you from running the battery down too low, what's the point? Since it only has a nominal 2.6 amp hours, and you can't (I'm guessing, since there is no meter and no specs) use more than a third or half of that, it's basically useless.

Nature Power has other products, including solar cells of higher power and adapters/converters. I've got nothing to say about those. But this product, specifically the battery back, is absolute junk.

Buy Nature Power 40050 Solar Powered PowerPak with 2 Super Bright LED Lights Now

I purchased the single pavillion light from Nature Power and was totally satisfied! I later found this item on Amazon and was stoked on the package deal. When it arrived i set it up and let it charge all day, the lights didnt even turn on and felt a little lighter then the one that came in the single pack. Then i tried to charge a little ipod speaker with the usb port and got nothing from the battery pack. Nature Power has some good products, this is not one of them. dont waste your time.

Read Best Reviews of Nature Power 40050 Solar Powered PowerPak with 2 Super Bright LED Lights Here

This could have been a really cool device especially to teach students about alternative energy. However, after two days of short-term use, the battery has not reach a full charge and has been charging for a week. Also, the usb and two light plugs are no longer working. Waste of money and can't find my receipt. Too bad it's a hoax. I liked the idea.

Want Nature Power 40050 Solar Powered PowerPak with 2 Super Bright LED Lights Discount?

Well as mentioned in previous reviews there is no indicator for how much charge the unit have; the only two indicators one for charging and the other for on. The charging indicator does not let you know whether it is fully charge or not, just that the solar panel is sending electricity. The solar panel also have a led to tell the same. The USB port can charge a phone and will do it very slowly. Tried to use the 12v outputs for other purposes but as soon as the device detect more current disable the ports and needs to be restarted, thereby the 12 volts are only for the included lights. The instruction manual is one page with picture how to connect the panel and the lights. For the 2012 summer storm for the east coast the system was handy, without electricity for almost three day, I used for lighting the basement. The light was adequate, but I wished that the lights had some kind of hook, I used tape to attach it to the ceiling. I never tried to run it for "30" hours as claimed, I charged it at least one time during the blackout for 1-2 hours with the included solar panel, it never completely discharged. Solar panel includes several plug which can be used to charge other 12v batteries.

Final Verdict: The solar panel is very handy for changing and the light system is ok for camping and occasional blackout.

Suggestion to manufacturer: Please add a remaining and full charge indicator. Lights should have some type of hook for hanging.

Save 19% Off

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Grape Solar GS-S-100-TS 100 Watt Monocrystalline Off-Grid PV Solar Panel

Grape Solar GS-S-100-TS 100 Watt Monocrystalline Off-Grid PV Solar PanelHeads up people. As of 6/10/2012, this item or something very similar, Grape Solar 100W monocrystalline PV solar panel, is on Costco.com for $189. The panel spec sheet says the model number is GS-S-100-Fab36.

If you are going to get an off-grid solar panel...THIS IS IT. I have looked high and low for the right panel and this thing out does every stinking single one of them. Mind you, this is before I even got the thing. This is just with research alone. For example, solar cells have a module efficiency rating that is anywhere from 7-18%. Pretty crappy ones have around 12%. Average ones have 14-15%. Really good ones have 15-16%. THIS ONE HAS 18%. This is the ONLY solar panel you will find out there that has a TRUE module efficiency rating of 18% (basically, how well it turns sun energy into electricity). A lot of them will try to claim that they get around 18% and such, but when you look at the actual manufacturer specs, it's only around 14%.

It also comes with a kind of glass that reduces reflection so that it can absorb as much of the sun energy as possible. It is specifically designed for some pretty heavy weather. It has MC4 connections which are easy as cake to deal with (you can get MC4 splitters and such to run these in parallel which is also easy as cake).

Believe me, I did a lot of math before purchasing this as well such as price-per-watt compared to module efficiency rate in relation to panel size, etc...and every single time, it pointed to....the Grape GS-S-100-TS. THEN, I receive it. After having some polarity "issues" and getting them fixed, I finally get this thing up and running. Well, On a really cloudy day (I live in WA...) I was pulling in 4-6 amps (not AH mind you) for two of these panels (200W total) before the MPPT controller upped it a couple more amps. That's not too shabby. I could charge about a 90AH battery in about a day or so. Then I wiped down the panels (they were getting dusty and dirty from all the rain), and a sunny day happened to emerge and wow...I'm pulling 15 amps on two panels. As long as I keep these clean, and it's at least somewhat sunny (somewhat even!) I can literally charge two 100AH batteries in parallel within 3-4 hours. I couldn't believe it. I put two 100AH batteries on it before I went to bed one night, and by noon the next day, they were both not only fully charged, but fully equalized (the controller bumps up the voltage to 15VDC to give each cell in the battery equal charge and to hit any cells that might have gotten "skipped over" so to speak).

All in all, if you are going to get any type of off grid system, or just a couple panels to have backup power, and you're willing to spend a little more cash, THESE are your panels. They are amazing. The numbers impressed me immensely, and when I received them, their performance impressed immensely.

Buy Grape Solar GS-S-100-TS 100 Watt Monocrystalline Off-Grid PV Solar Panel Now

These are positive grounded panels and are not compatible with Morningstar TriStar MPPT Solar Controllers(TS-MPPT-60).

These controllers have panel (-) and battery (-) in common.

The panels are great they just need special grounding requirements.

Read Best Reviews of Grape Solar GS-S-100-TS 100 Watt Monocrystalline Off-Grid PV Solar Panel Here

I have two of these panels in a four panel system on my boat. I use a Blue Sky 2000e MPPT 20A controller. There are no special grounding concerns. Grape Solar indicated to me that positively grounding the frame is not necessary in an off the grid system. The instructions that came with mine indicated otherwise but I am told the new instructions have been corrected. If you are concerned I would call Grape: they were very helpful.

That said I find the performance and build very good. I would say that their low light and off axis performance is especially good so that even on cloudy bright days or early morning sun I am still getting quite good outputs. Far superior to and much smaller in size than my 10 year old Siemens 85W panels.

I heartily recommend them.

Want Grape Solar GS-S-100-TS 100 Watt Monocrystalline Off-Grid PV Solar Panel Discount?

Grape Solar has two 100 watt panels. The GS-S-TS at Amazon has 32 cells. The GS-S-100-Fab 36 at Costco has 36. Otherwise quite similar. In marginal conditions the 36 will beat the 32 every time. Check the specs. Both good panels but if price is close go with the GS-S-100-Fab 36.

Save 6% Off

Monday, October 14, 2013

Jabra Wave (Tangle Free) Retractable Car Charger Adapter

Jabra Wave Retractable Car Charger AdapterI recently found my power charge cord missing for my favorite mobile earpiece (Jabra Wave). Searching options via Amazon, I came across this device, the retractable car charger adapter, that I purchased. The buying experience exceeded expectation, as I received the item well over a week ahead of the suggested delivery time. The product itself is terrific, too! VERY happy with Mobile City Online!!

Save 20% Off

Friday, September 13, 2013

Cellet Retractable Car Charger for HTC Sensation 4G

Cellet Retractable Car Charger for HTC Sensation 4GI bought two of these from seller Boho Tronics I did NOT receive the Cellet charger as described and pictured. I received two generic, unbranded, very cheap chargers with no packaging in a plastic envelope. The micro USB end is difficult to fit into the phone and the cable is extremely thin. It does appear to work but I have very little confidence in how long it will work. To me this is blatant false advertising. I'm disappointed when you buy something you expect to get what you purchased not a knockoff.

Update 4/4/13: The one I used broke about a month ago. The micro USB end does not make proper contact to the phones USB in so it will not charge without holding it and applying pressure.

I bought two of these car chargers for our new HTC Sensation phones. Works like a champ! The retractable feature is a very nice touch allows you to have a relatively long charger cable without it laying around your car getting messed up or looking "messy." The retractor works very well.

I can't compare the speed of charge on this charger with others, as I haven't used others on the Sensation. It does seem to charge at a rate of speed not noticeably different from our wall chargers.

Nice product! Very happy with it.

Buy Cellet Retractable Car Charger for HTC Sensation 4G Now

I love this product. I haven't had it long, but so far it works great. The blue light comes on when it is connected so you can always tell when it is working. The cord retracts with the click of a button. I love it.

Read Best Reviews of Cellet Retractable Car Charger for HTC Sensation 4G Here

Broke in less than a week, I understand why the price is now so cheap. I paid much more. I would not use this item again.

Want Cellet Retractable Car Charger for HTC Sensation 4G Discount?

When we first got this charger it looked nice, but the wire is really thin. It worked for like 3-4 days (Less than a week) and just stopped. The light comes on when you plug it to the car but it doesn't charge the phone. The metal piece feels loose and the wire is very thin. I am surprise that it stopped working before the wire had time to rip. Be careful when you purchase this product.

Save 89% Off