Vampire Drain solar cell mounting option

[DayTripping]

First, I want to thank all those whose research and testing have led us to at least a Rube Goldberg approach to mitigating the vampire drain loss of our trucks. I went with a 30w solar cell as I may not have good light all the time, and a 20w might not be adequate. I planned to mount it on the roof to get the maximum exposure to the sun and the slightly larger size wouldn't be an issue. I also realize that the tinted roof may limit the energy output but all my windows are tinted and my windshield is typically pointing away from the sun so the roof was my best option. I haven't done any extensive testing yet so this is more of a POC type thing at this point.

The cell I ordered came with suction cup mounts but I didn't think they'd be adequate for my semi-permanent installation. So I looked for options. I ran across this Starlink mini mount. I thought with minimal modification it would work and it seemed pretty robust. They are much easier to take down than the included suction cups. I've posted pictures below of the mount and the suction cups that came with the scell.

Once I got the mount, I realized I could basically get by with doing nothing but slightly bending the cell to slide it in. That is my temporary solution, and I found some foam core board that I will cut ti fit in there and slightly bend or file down the outer tabs, and I'll be done.

Obviously, I am dependent on sunlight, but this could be a good option to help offset the VD I am dealing with now. It could be useful at the airport if I park outside or I can try and park on the edge of the garage and take down and angle the cell accordingly. My truck is mostly outdoors and I park it by the garage and I'll see if the high intensity security lights I have by it provide any energy at night. I may get just enough energy from this combination to not bother with plugging it into the trickle charger I have. If you are in the southern US with more daylight, this will be more beneficial and maybe a somewhat seasonal solution as well. Today in Dallas, we have almost 12 1/2 hours of daylight already.

This could be a very viable option when outdoors and truck camping. You could easily mount it on the side of the truck, the roof, etc. This mount seems very sturdy and the suction cups are very strong.

I haven't had a chance to do any long term testing yet but I thought I'd put it out there in case it might work for others.

I bought this solar cell battery maintainer.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHD3GRSF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Then I paired it with this Starlink mounting bracket to mount it on the inside of the roof.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSVTPQ34?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Here is the mount on the cell.

A few photos of different angles.

Suction cup that came with cell, separately and mounted.

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[bigsky]

You know, there is always THE other option, what you may never hear a Texan say: duct tape can't fix that.

 

[Mathme]

Be weary of the suction cups if you plan to leave your truck over several days. Pollen, Dust, and Dirt will affect their ability to stick to the vehicle. I'd also be concerned about wind if one or two of those suction cups come loose

 

[mkhuffman]

Be weary of the suction cups if you plan to leave your truck over several days. Pollen, Dust, and Dirt will affect their ability to stick to the vehicle. I'd also be concerned about wind if one or two of those suction cups come loose

He is mounting it inside, under the glass roof.

 

[mclark2112]

I wonder how much efficiency will be lost to the glass roof?

 

[MacO512]

Be weary of the suction cups if you plan to leave your truck over several days. Pollen, Dust, and Dirt will affect their ability to stick to the vehicle. I'd also be concerned about wind if one or two of those suction cups come loose

Even if inside my experience with suction cups is pretty bad.

I'd either tape to the glass, prop the panel up somewhere, or if you want to build something build an x with plastic poles or something and have them slot into the spot where the headliner and glass meat. The sun shades have little flat clips that slot into this space. So just need to get a very flag piece of material on the ends like that to hold this x frame up.

(Edit actually two rails might be better than an x)

 

[DayTripping]

I currently have it mounted under the pano roof. I cleaned the glass thoroughly with glass cleaner. I'll see how it holds up. I like that it is out of the way and I don't have to move it all the time.

 

[CBRacerX]

Good luck - did you moisten the cups at all before sticking? (yes I know how that sounds).

I have the same setup but just putting the panel on the dash for now. It's been working, but would like a semi-permanent setup and the glass over my head would be fine with me. I have a similar setup in an ICE car I don't drive much, but haven't had good luck with the suction cups once the car interior heats up.

 

[DayTripping]

Good luck - did you moisten the cups at all before sticking? (yes I know how that sounds).

I have the same setup but just putting the panel on the dash for now. It's been working, but would like a semi-permanent setup and the glass over my head would be fine with me. I have a similar setup in an ICE car I don't drive much, but haven't had good luck with the suction cups once the car interior heats up.

Yes, I always lick it before I stick it.

I'll find out about heat over the next few days. It was already in the 80's here and cabin temps were in the 90's according to the app.

On a side note, I used the 3 amp battery tender for a few days. Most days, I had no vampire drain; some days, I might lose ~400W. Often I was at 1.5 kW or more. So charging through the OBD port hasn't totally eliminated it, but it definitely helps with my truck.

I'll probably run just the solar cell for a week and see what I get with it and then maybe go back to plugging in for at least a week. I only tried plugging it in for a few days and not really long enough to baseline it.

 

[agame32]

Thanks for showing iterative progress on this solution that now may include a good permanent mounting option.

Question: I currently use an ODB-II to usb adapter to power my left-side phone mount. This adapter “repeats” the ODB-II port, which is where I’d plug this battery tender into. Is there any issue with this setup given I have this usb-based phone charger in the “path” of the ODB-II electricity that would maintain the Rivian 12v?

 

[DayTripping]

I don't what your adaptor looks like but it if it inserts into the OBD port, and only has one output, it likely would have to be unplugged to use any of the trickle chargers that plug into the port.

Alternatively, you might be able to use a port splitter and run them both but the charger might just go to supplying power to your phone adaptor.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OBD2+por...e Splitter to 2 Female J1962 Adapter (1 Pack)

 

[agame32]

I don't what your adaptor looks like but it if it inserts into the OBD port, and only has one output, it likely would have to be unplugged to use any of the trickle chargers that plug into the port.

Alternatively, you might be able to use a port splitter and run them both but the charger might just go to supplying power to your phone adaptor.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OBD2+port+splitter&crid=1T66MPHXLBT8I&sprefix=obd2+port+splitter,aps,263&ref=nb_sb_noss_1#:~:text=OBDII Splitter with Rotatable Male Port, bbfly-B33 1 Male Splitter to 2 Female J1962 Adapter (1 Pack)

It’s this one that essentially serves as a splitter, so yeah now I’m worried this solar setup may not provide the intended Rivian 12v benefit.

https://a.co/d/h6eVMdA

 

[MacO512]

It’s this one that essentially serves as a splitter, so yeah now I’m worried this solar setup may not provide the intended Rivian 12v benefit.

https://a.co/d/h6eVMdA

Looks like it would be fine to use both to me. 3A is such a small load shouldn't be a problem. Even if you use both at the same time one is pushing current the other pulling which would just result in less than 3A. Would imagine your not planning to use them together anyways. Try it out and see that the charging lights are working on the trickle charger.

 

[birming]

How about this? Is it worth?

https://lensunsolar.com/collections...nel-charge-12v-battery?variant=41487587147841

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