What did you do to your XV today???

[ernieb]

That’s interesting, do you have a link for the one your purchased.

ive only been doing a very short run to the supermarket so yesterday went out to top up the fuel, full tank less likelihood of water etc., and then did a longer circular route home to warm the tyres and charge the Battery.  The charger under lockdown may be a good idea for me also.

[SebP10]

This is the one I bought...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084M5ZL5L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've attached a couple of pictures so you can gauge the size of the thing!

 

[SebP10]

I've just checked the current draw with the charger connected. Even though there is full cloud cover today it was reassuring to see that it was providing enough juice to overcome the 80 mA drain and give a net charge of 3 mA!

[ernieb]

Thanks for the link. Would the cable length be long enough to connect from the back window shelf. It’s the way I park the car and the sun direction?

 

 

[SebP10]

The cable is 4 m long (3 m on the panel and 1 m on the OBD connector), so more than ample. I've just tried the panel on the parcel shelf, routing the cable loosely along the sill, and the cable on the panel reached the driver's footwell.

The rear window is quite heavily tinted, so it would probably lose a lot of efficiency through the glass. I'll give it a try and let you know how it performs.

[ernieb]

Thanks appreciate the info and the offer of giving the system a test through the rear window, appreciate that.

[SebP10]

No problem! I've enjoyed pottering about outside testing various configurations. Note that it is now more overcast than earlier so the performance of the panel has diminished somewhat.

The drive runs approximately NE - SW, and it is usually reversed in with the bonnet pointing SW (215^o according to the compass on the phone.) The net current draw results are:

 

Panel disconnected - 71 mA (I've found the "average" function on the meter so revised down the 80 mA, which was an earlier estimate from the current fluctuations.)

Panel on parcel shelf (Boot SW, panel propped up on centre headrest) - 70 mA.

Panel under sunroof (it just fits between the shade and glass, directed slightly NE as the drive is on a slope) - 66 mA.

Panel on dash (bonnet NE) - 40 mA

Panel on dash (bonnet SW) - 40 mA

 

My initial interpretations are that the panel, in these fairly overcast conditions, can provide 30 mA when placed on the dashboard, which will reduce the Battery drain by approx. 40%. But placing the panel on the parcel shelf, facing through the privacy glass, makes practically no difference to the Battery drain. And through the sunroof is not much better.

I'd check how much light your car gets on the dashboard before purchasing one of these, as I doubt putting it on the parcel shelf is worthwhile unless it is a very bright day. (It is supposed to be nice on Thursday, and I have the day off, so I will check again in (hopefully) full sun.)

[ernieb]

Thanks again for the effort. I usually drive onto my drive and reverse off. The rear of the car facing SW and has a clear view of the sky until late into the day, In fact the front garden and the house is very hot on even just a bright day. These panels are meant to work with light rather than specifically the  sun so in theory should function quite well. 
Not sure I follow your conclusion as you say that the panel produces 70ma on the parcel shelf so based on your estimate of a need to recover 80ma this would be reasonably good and boost the current when the cloud lifts. Your car orientation is similar to mine so would probably work well enough. 

i, like you, enjoy little technical projects it keeps the grey cells burning longer?

as an aside my car is due it’s 2nd year service so I contacted the dealership and talked to the owner. He’s furloughed the staff till further notice and takes the calls and try’s to resolve warranty issues etc., though the Subaru dealerships that remain open. He said that Subaru UK will not enforce the time limit Usually associated with getting a service done during the course of the pandemic. The dealership will contact me to book a service once they are operational. Nice bloke he appears in the current Subaru magazine with a guys who was buying something like his 20th Subaru!

thanks again. Ernie

[SebP10]

Ahh, sorry for the confusion. I'd been playing all day so it had become second nature but I realise now how the results could be misunderstood. I was recocrding the current draw, not the current provided by the panel. Please accept my apologies. I'll present them again to highlight the (calculated) current that the panel produced in the aforementioned locations:

 

Panel disconnected - 71 mA draw. (This is the (revised down from 80 mA due to finding a better setting on the ammeter) current draw when the car is parked and locked, no charger connected. Anything less than this value indicates charge; the lower the number the greater the charge.)

Panel on parcel shelf (Boot SW, panel propped up on centre headrest) - 70 mA, draw, so only 1 mA produced from panel.

Panel under sunroof (it just fits between the shade and glass, directed slightly NE as the drive is on a slope) - 66 mA, so 5 mA produced from panel.

Panel on dash (bonnet NE) - 40 mA, so 31 mA produced from panel.

Panel on dash (bonnet SW) - 40 mA, so 31 mA produced from panel.

 

When I checked the current draw earlier in the day, with the cloud thinner and the sun higher, the reading on the ammeter was -3 mA, indicating that the panel was charging the Battery at a (revised) current of 74 mA.

So in the conditions here this afternoon the panel only produced 1 mA when placed on the parcel shelf. The tint is quite dark (I could barely see the panel once I'd shut the boot) and the sun obsured by reasonably thick cloud so the fact it produced anything was a bonus!

Once again, sorry for any confusion. I'll try and rig-up a set of leads to put in the circuit before it gets to the Battery so I can measure the output from the panel and get a definitive reading. This will also save a lot of time by negating the need to disconnect the Battery negative lead each time and therefore resetting the time / date / auto-window, so probably worthwhile!

 

It's funny you mentioned the dealers, as my wife informed me that she'd received an e-mail from ours on Saturday regarding the service and MOT on the XV. Apparently they're hoping to open, with safe "SD" measures, on the 11th, which is handy as I booked it in for the 15th when we went to the Subaru openday that they held in August, thus getting £75 off!

 

 

 

[ernieb]

Thanks for the explanation, fully understand now. It’s so easy when your locked in your own bubble to record what you see, we all do that. I just appreciate the effort. I looked through my rear screen today and agree it’s looks pretty dark. However, after I’d shopped and was home I was opening the boot and looked at the carrier bags through the glass in the boot, cover not extended, and was surprised how bright and clear they looked.

[SebP10]

I've cobbled up a patch lead to monitor the current output from the panel. This way it's easier to see the amount of charge the panel is providing without having to worry about how much the car is drawing.

I pointed the boot of the car (I used the Levorg as the XV is covered in bunting!) and propped up the panel to face the sun. The output with the boot open was 270 mA. When I closed the boot (I had to move the panel slightly to keep it in full sun, but kept the angle the same) the output dropped to 65 mA through the privacy glass. This was at about 12:30, so the sun was nearly at its zenith.

It's not worth getting one of these for the parcel shelf as the glass blocks too much light. The output drops off depending on both the angle of the sun's height and direction, so if it barely provides enough at noon it will be worthless for the rest of the day.

[ernieb]

@SebP10,  many thanks for all the effort you’ve put into this project, match appreciated.

I've looked at some of the reviews of the AA solar charger on Amazon and others and a few suggested the voltage is very high and unregulated, one even said it blew the port circuit and caused damage to the panel.  I’m always wary of some of these reviews and personally I’m not convinced as once connected the Battery would act as a massive capacitor and be its own regulator. Any thoughts?

 

Ernie

[kash0613]

On 5/8/2020 at 2:56 PM, ernieb said:

@SebP10,  many thanks for all the effort you’ve put into this project, match appreciated.

I've looked at some of the reviews of the AA solar charger on Amazon and others and a few suggested the voltage is very high and unregulated, one even said it blew the port circuit and caused damage to the panel.  I’m always wary of some of these reviews and personally I’m not convinced as once connected the battery would act as a massive capacitor and be its own regulator. Any thoughts?

 

Ernie

i already had a solar charger which plugged into the 12v socket but as we know,thats no good for the xv or indeed my sons corsa which,if not used for a few days,goes flat.

Reluctant to spend forty quid or so on buying another charger with the obd attachment i looked on Amazon and found a female 12v socket with an obd socket on the other end for just over fifteen spondulas .I had a quick chat online with the seller and he assurred me that it would be perfect to adapt my existing solar charger for use on our cars.

So i ordered one last week and fitted it to my sons corsa initially (worth less than my xv,so a more suitable test bed!)

I had to cut away a small portion of hidden trim in the vauxhall to allow it full acess to the obd port (the adaptor has the wires protruding from the side,not the back) but it was a two minute job.

It seems to be working but ill check it properly tomorrow.

 

 

[SebP10]

From what I have read from the pamphlet in the box, the voltage peaks at just under 18 V. I measured the panel voltage in full sun on Saturday and it was around 17.5 V, dropping to 14.5 V when a handy cloud passed over. Although seems high, my Optimate charger will kick out 22 V if it decides the Battery is very low. I struggle see that 18 V will cause anything to "blow" when the current is only 300 mA. The connector is only going to Battery positive and negative, not any sensitive ECU outputs, so shouldn't cause an issue at these low currents / voltages? (Note: I'm not an expert in auto electrics, it's just my considered view on this.) I also measured the voltage across the Battery (in full sun) and it was around 12.2 V (with ~17.5 V at the panel.)

The pamphlet also states that it won't overcharge. With only ~300 mA peak output, which it won't achieve as the sun has a habit of moving around the sky and the panel is in a fixed (more technically, plonked on the dash) position, coupled with the ~70 mA system draw, it will struggle to keep up, let alone overcharge. When I used my 1970s (possibly earlier, as it was my Gran's) "Daviset" charger it was indicating a 2 A charge. As this is nearly 7x the output of the panel (in optimum conditions), I'm not overly concerned!

I haven't noticed any problems yet. But then, I've been "experimenting /  playing / having fun" with it a lot so it hasn't really had chance to sit there and do its thing! However, I've connected and disconnected the OBD plug many times, in cloud and bright sunshine, and neither cars have seemed upset.

 

Let us know how you get on with yours, @kash0613, please. Useful to know that there are OBD - 12 V socket adaptors out there for quick permantent-live solutions!

[ernieb]

I think that typically most car alternators charge at a max of 14.5 v (ish), if it were to run up to 18 v plus it would boil the Battery. As you suggest the low charge rate from the panel and probably higher impedance than the Battery would give a high level of protection. I also think that an AA branded product is safe to use.

Ernie

[kash0613]

Managed to obtain a set of Subaru ownership badges from a good friend in Canada and received and fitted them today.

Very pleased with them,it's a shame Subaru UK don't have the same scheme running here.

[ernieb]

15 hours ago, kash0613 said:

Managed to obtain a set of Subaru ownership badges from a good friend in Canada and received and fitted them today.

Very pleased with them,it's a shame Subaru UK don't have the same scheme running here.

What is the scheme?

[kash0613]

2 hours ago, ernieb said:

What is the scheme?

Basically,you send your vin number to Subaru on a application together with the activity badges you are interested in and the number of subaru's you have owned and they send you out the set of badges for free.

I'm a Subaru noob so I asked my friend in the states to order me the my first Subaru badge together with the activity badges you can see.

Unfortunately they won't accept European vin numbers,hence the convoluted way I had to go about it,using my anerican friends vin number.

[ernieb]

59 minutes ago, kash0613 said:

Basically,you send your vin number to Subaru on a application together with the activity badges you are interested in and the number of subaru's you have owned and they send you out the set of badges for free.

I'm a Subaru noob so I asked my friend in the states to order me the my first Subaru badge together with the activity badges you can see.

Unfortunately they won't accept European vin numbers,hence the convoluted way I had to go about it,using my anerican friends vin number.

Interesting concept and I can see the appeal. I’m on my third Subaru the previous two being Forresters. Thanks.

[kash0613]

Yeah,it's just a bit of fun which encourages brand loyalty I suppose 

[Siluro]

On 5/8/2020 at 2:56 PM, ernieb said:

@SebP10,  many thanks for all the effort you’ve put into this project, match appreciated.

I've looked at some of the reviews of the AA solar charger on Amazon and others and a few suggested the voltage is very high and unregulated, one even said it blew the port circuit and caused damage to the panel.  I’m always wary of some of these reviews and personally I’m not convinced as once connected the battery would act as a massive capacitor and be its own regulator. Any thoughts?

 

Ernie

Your measuring the panel without a load on it. When connected to the car Battery it will draw all the current the panel can provide. At this point the voltage will drop to just above the Battery voltage. With a <10w panel this will be fine. Anything above this then I agree you would need to regulate for safety reasons as the current output gained now is enough to easily start a fire in an already hot car parked in the sun.

I have been running a 7.5w panel for the past week (max voltage no load 21v) which is doing just enough to keep Battery level at 12.40 to 12.50 volts which above 75% charged. This week there has been a decent amount of sunshine, in the winter however this may be a different story. Panel size and it effectiveness will also depend on what your car draws when parked, all will be different.

[ernieb]

The panel is very unlikely to go higher in voltage that 21v or so unloaded and as agreed the Battery presents a massive regulation all by itself.  Although I had considered a panel based on the original post on the subject the way my car is parked and the tinted glass really prohibits its use. None the less interesting for those who could use a suitable powerful enough panel (current) and may not be able to use the car to give it a charge boost from a 20 min drive.

[SebP10]

Found out (from watching a YouTube video on spark plug replacement) that there's an extra hole in the bonnet for the stay. This puts the bonnet practically vertical (and gets the stay lower) for better access when working on the off-side cylinders.

Probably not recommended when it's windy!

[Ned Kelly]

Hi SepP10 whilst I am familiar with the bonnet stay option I'm keen to hear how you did with replacing the spark plugs and whether you undid the motor mounts and jack up the motor ??
I look forward to you comment(s). Ta

[SebP10]

Hey Ned!

I haven't replaced them (still under drive-train warranty, so avoiding doing anything to affect that yet), but the videos just popped up on YouTube suggestions, and the extra lift on the bonnet seemed like a good tip (nowt in the handbook, obviously.) The two I watched both did them without messing around with engine mounts, they just took the Battery out for the N/S and the airbox for the O/S (links below...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLet3J2KAT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuAv2ZcjN-I&t=376s

It looks a bit fiddly but straightforward. There is no need to mess around with engine mounts, and the second video completed the job in 30 mins-ish. I'm not so concerned about working on it now (once the warranty expires.)