Very dumb question about solar battery charger

[M1Accord]

I have a small solar charger and it comes with two connector types. The first is the alligator clips so I know I can just clip those in the battery and know that I get at least 4 decent hours of sunlight on my backup battery. The second type is the 12 volt cigarette lighter male connector and I don’t have a clue what is it for? Do I plug that into the car’s 12 volt and it will trickle charge the battery in a car that isn’t used much?

Thanks. And yeah, I know it is rookie question but this is very new to me.

 

[eljefino]

If your lighter fuse works with the key off then yes that's what it's for.

 

[M1Accord]

If your lighter fuse works with the key off then yes that's what it's for.

I drive Honda so the lighter fuse doesn’t work with the key off.

But if that does, can I run a 12 volt splitter and have the trickle charger goes to one 12 Volt socket while I connect some USB phone charger to the other socket? Basically, the concept is similar to using the battery bank to charge phones while the battery bank itself is being recharged as well and the battery bank in this car is the car’s battery. That would be neat on Sunday days where I can sit in the car for hours charging the phone, which would be on background music using very little juice but I am still confident that both the phone and car battery are being recharged in case I need to run a fan a bit.

Not to beat the dead horse but I just upgrade my Fit to 51R so I am very happy. Next step is to figure out how to run a deal battery setup with the secondary being a biggest affordable battery in the back to run accessories while the smaller 51R is for starting. I do carry a large lead acid jump box and a lithium jump box; both very highly rated and of very high capacity so I can always jump start myself but running a dual-battery is on my mid-life bucket list. After that, it is dual-alternator and dual battery setup.

 

[eljefino]

You can do better than that, get a generic lighter socket on ebay, place it wherever, and tap into an always-on fuse. You can then also use it as a regular, second power port when driving.

 

[k1xv]

Some cars and SUVs have a 12 volt always energized socket in the trunk or cargo area. It serves a dual purpose. One is for battery maintainers, such as a CTEK, to keep the battery conditioned when the vehicle is not in use for extended periods. The second use is to provide power to accessories such as a 12v powered cooler when the ignition is off.

So, if you have one of those always energized sockets in your car, you can use it to charge your car battery from your solar charger.

 

[M1Accord]

You can do better than that, get a generic lighter socket on ebay, place it wherever, and tap into an always-on fuse. You can then also use it as a regular, second power port when driving.

Ooh. I need to do this and run a splitter with an extension to the backseat. This would work great with a roof rack system with a large solar attached to the bottom of the rack and behind the wind deflector.

I got a spot at Panama City Beach that I always want to hobo at and this would be a great setup. With a solar system, I may not need a dual battery setup but rather just build a battery box out of another 51R to use as battery utility box to run accessories, jump start people without having to connect to my car’s battery and electronics, and backup in case my main 51R battery gives up the ghost.

 

[M1Accord]

Some cars and SUVs have a 12 volt always energized socket in the trunk or cargo area. It serves a dual purpose. One is for battery maintainers, such as a CTEK, to keep the battery conditioned when the vehicle is not in use for extended periods. The second use is to provide power to accessories such as a 12v powered cooler when the ignition is off.

So, if you have one of those always energized sockets in your car, you can use it to charge your car battery from your solar charger.

Honda doesn’t believe in that concept. I don’t even think their Ridgeline truck’s 12 volt in the bed is on with the key off. They have this great setup potential under the bed and they couldn’t figure out how to put a giant backup battery and/or auxiliary fuel tank in it to make it into a real modern play truck.