Can I leave this connected to the battery, but disconnected from panels with panel-side wires just hanging in my camper (with a plug of some sort)?
1764843
I'm not sure what the maker recommends but I've left it connected as you describe for several hours without any problems. I have since added a disconnect plug to my battery which makes connecting the solar array and controller quick and easy.
1764844
Yes. I have my controller mounted in my pop up hard wired to the battery. On the supply side (panels) I made a harness thst combines three ends into one and that is in my shore power port on the side of the trailer. So when I set up, I just place the panels on the roof and pull the harness out of the shore power recepticle and plug 'em in. Just got back from Bodega Bay, CA yesterday and the system works great!
791829
This switch is designed to turn on/off only one side of the battery. Normally you would remove the ground or negative wire from the frame or wherever it goes, connect it to the switch, connect the other side of switch to where the system grounds (where you removed the previous wire from). You will now be disconnecting the battery from the system. Make sure there is no other ground wires running from the battery to anywhere else. If there is you must put them through the switch.
899485
You can certainly connect it directly to the battery; however that connection needs to be fused appropriately. Also, "the winch" you referenced may be an issue since the auxiliary fuse panel is only rated for 100 amps. If you wire directly to the battery I would ensure that you have an inline 100 amp fuse close to your battery. I installed mine with a reset-able breaker (100 amp) between the battery and the fuse panel.
1199906
i guess if you want to be absolutley safe about it, you could install a circuit breaker. i run my direct off the battery, works fine.
2205413
If it's not mounted you could possibly use it somewhere else, the disconnect from the solar panel is beyond the mounting plate. It does not need to be connected to the solar panel to work.
77770
It is all a contained unit and there isn't room for another battery in it. I would imagine you could wire one externally and have it beside the unit or behind it in the wall for better appearance. Hope this helps.
127631
No. You will need to find a aux wire that is switched on and off by the key. Or you could install a relay wired to a switched power source and wire it directly to the battery or use a switch if you wire it directly to the battery, be sure to use a fuse for these last two options.
1114386
No, this is the solar panel only. There are wires (but no plug) that would need to be connected to a charge control first before connecting to a battery.
229812
You can leave it plugged in but be aware that due to the budget construction it has minimal protective circuitry and could have a short lifespan running constantly, and that many vehicles have powered OBD ports when not running so it will gradually drain your battery. Estimates for current vary but are generally between 50mA and 100mA which isn't a lot but is enough I wouldn't leave it plugged in for more than a few days without running the vehicle to keep the battery charge level acceptable.
1381608
Yes, that would be fine.Because I left mine plugged up since the day I got it, and the green and the red lights are malfunctioning.If you leave it plugged up, chances are it could fry.
2134055
It connects directly on top of your battery terminal and the back you connect you existing cable. When you unscrew the green knob, the power is cut from the battery to the vehicle. Very simple. If you are leaving your vehicle for any length of time, you might consider a "battery tender" to keep the battery from going bad over time without the vehicle being run.
474379
You can have connections to the "unprotected" side of the battery. Just keep them to a minimum as a large load can discharge the battery and the Battery Protector can not disconnect them to save the battery.
1373725
You probably could but why would you want to? Because the BatteryMinder has some pretty sensitive electronics to monitor the battery charge level and temperature, I would not recommend leaving it attached to the battery when you start the vehical... at least I wouldn't do that.
116896
leave them connected unless you feel there is a short, something drawing current, in the system. in older vehicles where there are no clocks or electronics you can remove the negative cable and put a 12 volt, pull fues test lamp with one lead on the negative battery post and the other on the cable , if it lights something is on, pull fuses until the light goes out
2129662
I think you could unplug the electrical connections in a couple minutes. The power/ground/power-on-signal wires are all on one plug. The speaker inputs are an easy connection also. How you temporarily mount this unit in your trunk may be the hardest thing to disconnect.
2175659
You have to loosen the nut on the battery terminal and strip the wire and secure it under the nut. I went and bought an open terminal instead of using bare wire.
973432
Yes. It is can always stay connected so when you bring your boat in you just plug it in. If you don't keep the battery in the boat, then you can take the wires off and on as needed.