Schumacher 12V Solar Charge Controller, Black, SPC-7A, Plug-and-play, Compatible with Schumacher Solar Products

Ok I'm not sure I'm going to write this properly cause I'm not to knowledgeable in solar anything. All l know without this part there is no control on the fluctuating temperature. Yes it works in the shade but the temperature is no where near stable without this piece. YOU NEED THIS FOR SOLAR BATTERY CHARGER!!!!!!

Muy bueno

Many people complaint reverse polarity of the cables on the charge regulator but in fact it does NOT matter. The real culprit is the cable polarity of the solar panel. Cable is the combination of several wires. To explain, first we need to clarify: red wire does not mean that it must be positive, rather if it connects negative on the circuit it can be negative. On my unit all red wires connect to + on the charge regulator. Second same idea applies to the SAE connector, I call them black (black plastic) and silver (silver metal, the naked end) -- either one can be positive or negative depending on where it connects.That said, since the solar panel is energy giving, its cable polarity will determine the polarity of all the cables downstream. As many of us buying third party solar panels, we need to first use a multi meter to determine the cable polarity of the panel. Picture 1 shows positive voltage and picture 2 indicates negative voltage (minus sign under DC) when I reverse the leads. Picture 3 shows wires are properly labeled as positive vs negative. Second be sure when solar panel's SAE connects to the SAE of the charge regular, positive wire must attach to the positive in the regulator circuit. The SAE on my panel needs to flipflop so picture 3 also shows the new connections with blue wire connectors.To confirm if there is current going from the panel thru the regulator to the battery, a positive voltage should show on the multi meter when its leads are attached to "battery" SAE on the regulator. In this way the 12V battery will be properly charged.

I purchased this solar charger controller for a compatible product from the same company. It worked for 2 months then failed to operate and caused my car battery to totally discharge at the time in the middle of WINTER leaving me without a vehicle for a period. I subsequently returned the product to Amazon for a replacement which came in a few weeks. This time the controller did not appear to work properly and demonstrated similar characteristics i.e., the LEDs did not light and there was no current being provided to my car battery although the solar panel emitted over 15v when not connected and almost 13v when connected. No voltage was measured at the battery connections and when connected to the battery, no increase in the battery voltage observed after a significant amount of time. I was warned by other purchasers and I did't heed the warnings. Due to personal health issues and the Covid situation I failed to do anything about this until I could check it out agin in warmer Spring weather. Now Amazon will not allow me to return it for a GOOD replacement after sending me a defective item! My fault for not dealing with it at the time but extenuation circumstances.

From the outset, I was only hoping for something that would keep my car's battery properly charged over long periods. This controller, used with the matching solar panel, has done exactly that. The charge has been maintained at the correct level for several months. Car started right up.Items like this, manufactured in low-labor-cost facilities to moderately low quality standards, are prone to all sorts of problems - the solar panels fail, the controller overcharges or not at all, etc., etc. Amazingly, none of that happened. I fully expected to return after a few months to a battery that was either dead or destroyed. To my great surprise and pleasure, neither of those occurred.I'm not saying that you're guaranteed to have the same positive experience, but my rating, for now, is five stars.