DOKIO 200W Portable Foldable Solar Panel Kit (20x27in, 9.7lb), with Separate Controller and Dual USB, Monocrystalline Charger for 12V Batteries & Power Stations, RV Camping Trailer Emergency Backup

This kit can charge a lifepo4 battery. Maximum charge current is coming from this cheap pwm charge controller, it's only at around 14.6 volts max voltage from this controller with this solar panel. Which is enought to charge a 12v lifepo4 battery at 14.4 volts charging. The only trick to charge a lifepo4 battery more quickly, is to have full sun day on solar panels. Best to invest in a mppt controller charger, but not totally necessary for a small solar panel setup like this. 14.4 volts in full sunlight on this solar panel to charge your lifepo4 battery fully. Make sure solar panel face is facing sun at 90 degrees to sun for best voltage. These solar panels seem to work, but they are fragile. Do not bend them too much, I heard one making a slight crackling sound when bending slightly. Good to have or make a solar stand that supports this solar panel well so it doesn't bend much. Like make a solar stand out of pvc pipe and carriage bolts to make a folding frame stand. Nice to have this light weight portable solar panel. Does charge a 12v lifepo4 battery 50 ah pretty quickly. But better to buy another solar panel to get more juice to battery for when you have loads on battery, and for charging, topping off your battery much faster. Too bad that all solar panels are only about 23 percent efficient or less. Can you imagine if solar was 100 percent efficient ? You could then run the whole World off of pure sunlight !!! Plenty of power comes from solar if We could get much more efficient panels, controllers and batteries. We need about 50 percent more efficient solar for it to really take off, and for a forever energy source. Solar panels used in space by NASA etc. like on all satellites, work better in the coldness of space, if you chill a solar panel down in temperature you can get much higher charge current. Much More effeciency from freezing temps, on a solar panel.

Since they arrived, I've been quite cautious with my panels, given the mixed reviews, reports of very little power delivery (both initially and degrading over time). I suspected that the people reporting decreased power production over time may be over-bending and over-flexing their panels, damaging them over time. I've been using my panels for a few weeks now, and so far, my experience has been very pleasant! I also have made sure not to bend or flex them, avoiding leaning them against anything (esp at a harsh angle). So, I've really just placed them on top of my van. I've been very happy with the power delivery. I have been sampling it over different days in different conditions: - Midday, light clouds: 128W-149W @ 16-17V, giving 8-9A. (see images of screenshot for example @ 146.2W, and the partly cloudy sky) - Early morning, full sun: 90W @ 18V, giving 5A - Midmorning, very cloudy: 40-65W @ 16-17V, giving 2.5-3.5A - Summer evening, cloudy, tree coverage: 20-40W @ 16-17V, giving 1-2.5A So, I was shocked. I've seen it get up to 160ish Watts, and never expected to see more than 75% power (150W). So I was happy with that. And I'm also surprised that even with pretty heavy clouds, I was pulling in roughly 3A. Since I'm mainly planning to run my laptop and phones, (and possibly a small fridge), even this 3A is enough power for me if I let the panels run all day. One other location I was curious about was placing panels on my dashboard. I want to try exposing just a single panel, hoping that it can fit on my dash without shadow. 2 unknowns: I don't know how much my windshield will block the light, and I don't know if 1 panel can pull 1/4 of the full power potential. My understanding is the panels are wired in parallel, which is excellent, because they're essentially operating independently, or additively. (If they were wired in series, that would mean whichever panel had the lowest power, that would be the max power possible from every panel.) Still, in practice, I think I'm getting less than 1/4 power from the single panel. My thought is that the full panel covers so much ground, it's more likely that at least 1 panel will receive good light. However, the smaller footprint of the small panel will only pull 1/4 power when it's getting full sun. In other words, in full sun, I suspect the single panel will pull 1/4 of the 4 panels. But with any clouds, having all 4 panels present will actually help maximize power. I have a LiFePo4 battery, so the included charger won't work. Still, I'm happy to have this junky little charger in case I want to drag the panels out to the beach, providing USB power, or for emergencies to trickle power into my car battery. It would be nice to be able to lean these panels against a wall, or the side of my car. I'm just too nervous that I'll damage them with flexing. I'm thinking about creating something out of some old tent poles, but haven't yet landed on a design that I'm excited enough to build out. The other day, I came outside to find the panels had blown off my van and were just laying in the lawn. They seem to be still functioning fine. So, I'm happy that the panels are sturdy enough to withstand a 7 foot fall onto grass. I also need some basic solution to keep 'em strapped down, because I don't want a $200 kite. In terms of the quality, I'm pretty happy with the fabric itself, the quality of the handles, etc. The little metal rings seem pretty flimsy, but I can work with that. And some of the stitching is coming undone, leaving some dangling threads around. Again, I can mend that and deal with it. Overall, with a couple underwhelming features, I'm more than happy with the power output. Nothing in this price ranges is even close, and I can't even find another panel offer this kind of wattage.

NOTE THIS REVIEW IS ON THE PANEL ONLY. I only needed the panel and this "kit" was on sale cheap lol, I have not used any of the cables or the controller that came with the panel (I did connect the controller to my battery and it powered up fine). They do all appear to be of good quality however, and I don't see any obvious issues with them. After looking thru what seemed like hundreds of panels I decided on this "kit". The only thing I wanted out of the whole thing was the panel and on sale and free Prime 2 day shipping it works. The panel is equipped with a standard SAE plug (like what is found on the end of your battery maintainer and other similar items). I didn't want the PWM Controller or the "XT60" cables. THINGS TO NOTE: 1) Panel has NO STANDS OF ANY KIND included. You will have to have a way to stand it up and adjust the positions. I wasn't going to but am glad I did, I ordered a 2 stands...I will be getting 2 more for a total of 4. When this panel is unfolded it is long...the given measurements are accurate. 2) It is unruly to work with as it is somewhat flexible and you definitely don't want to bend them so setting it up is kind of a challenge at first...again, I recommend stands lol. NOTE: When the panels are folded up for storage they are much more rigid and stiff. There shouldn't be any concern of them getting bent in storage when folded up. 3) Pay SUPER CLOSE attention the polarity of any connectors. If you are using everything out of this kit, it will not be an issue I don't think. If, however, you are doing like I did and are using this panel on all SAE connectors and connecting to different controller and cables than what came with it or different manufacturer items, you may need a "polarity changer" that changes the polarity between two cables to match them up. I needed 2 in my system...trace wires and make sure + goes to + and - goes to - and you'll be good. Got it set up and plugged into my controller and worked great. Charged my 100Ah Lithium battery from about 50% to 100% within about 5 hours in direct sun. The cables linking all the panels and to connect to the panel "set" are all secured and sewn into the panel frames so there are no cords flopping around loose on the panels. When folded up it has Velcro that secures it shut and has a nice heavy sewn on strap handle. Folds up to pretty much the sizes stated in the listing, it is very thin making it easy to store.

Excellent product. Does exactly as advertised. Been searching a long time for an affordable 100 watt, foldable solar panel, for my solar generators.

Ok well after thinking portable are the way to go because I want to park in the shade! & not drill holes in my roof. Well folks the massive advantage to doing just that is when your DRIVING! U R in the sun most of the day here in the west, but being stubborn I went with the largest foldable panels available, 300 watt 4 sheet fold. It is easy to carry easy to set up PWM works ok love the simple alligator hook up even though experts like to say they don't like them, 4 geta bout it they work great! So here's the full detail>> After 3 months in asphalt, dirt, rocks, concrete & the roof of my camper the case is holding up really really well they must have improved them because I saw quite a few say it tears & falls apart, my tie down rings still fine & all edges fine, the energy collected is good, they are 300 watt rated with a PWM it comes with the best I've gotten is 175! WHICH I LOVE If I could always get that I would be freaking happy, I have 1 BBorn lithium bat 12/100 amp hour it was at 18% in 4 hours took it to 94% ((I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND A BATTERY MONITOR!)) WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD THE EXPERTS USE (VICTRON WITH BLUETOOTH) I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT TELLS ME EVERYTHING, GO POWER tells me NOTHING! My average in full sun is (125-140w) 175w was achieved in full sun with a cool breeze, yes it makes a difference heat actually lowers watts on the portable Dokios, this time of year March April they work fantastic California 60 70F with cool breezes. I achieved 40-70w in the shade which again I was happy, Now as for MPPT? I have the Rich MPPT but have not reconfigured the Dokio SAE wires, I believe with an MPPT I could be getting 200-220 watts? (ONLY WHEN THEY WERE BRAND NEW COULD I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS) I think after this much time (7 MONTHS) & different locations, weather & charges no way, All in all I say {DO NOT BUY) if I had 1 less panel (the 3 panel is by far their biggest seller) I don't think I would be as happy, I waited to get the 4 panel monocrystalline & I would say get 4 because they must be better then 3 (I would love 2 test that!) These are easy to store, travel well, set up so easy! & carry is a breeze. Overall 4 stars because (originally because they were new) they are not close to 300, are expensive, & don't have an easy option for an MPPT hook up. UPDATE AFTER 6 MONTHS DAILY USE>> They are diminishing to fast & are now down to about 80w full sun, (50w 9 months!) the rings did all brake so added holes in the frame (very easy & safe) PWM is fine & an MPPT would not make much of a difference with this small amount of power, I will be adding a Rich Solar flex cigs panel (the cigs is JUNK!) HAD MAJOR ISSUES FINALLY GOT A STORE CREDIT) so with the Dokio working as it was the combo would be perfect, sadly these Dokio are dropping FROM 135w new TO 50w 9 MONTHS, was a fantastic collection of power for 1 battery in the beginning. Not sure now about how long I will be able to use & now can not recommend at the price I paid I simply want 'portable' panels to work for 2 years at least. I would say put the money to morepowa Solar 100w solid or portable multi-mount ( u can place mounted or portable) & forget the Rich Solar flex 80w flex 'cigs' panel. with hard frame solid glass portable & 1 solid on roof would then be in real good shape for 2 batteries. I have learned a lot in 9 months on the road & having both portable & fixed I truly believe is the way to go.

I like it so far. Would be nice if the charge controller displayed the amps. Only used a couple times, but plan to put in heavy use next month. The only drawback is their is nothing to tilt it for the winter months. You will have to come up with your own contraption A month later : The panels work great, as for the control charger, it’s a piece of junk. The panels put out over 11 amps, so why would they pair it up with a 10 amp control charger ? Not only that, it’s a pwm type which looses 30 percent of your panel output and with a 10 amp controller you might get 100 watts out of the 200 watt solar panel. Another thing is the controller is mounted next to the solar panel connection which is a loss as well. The controller should always be as close as possible to the battery. So I moved it by cutting and splicing, gained a lot more amps. Also I found a 15 amp true mppt controller on Amazon for $52, I’ll gain my 200 watt output minus 1 percent loss from the mppt solar controller. I made a rack out of aluminum angle to keep it light and adjustable angle for the best performance for the panels to sit in. If weight is not a concern then a sheet of plywood would work. Overall it was still a good buy if you don’t mind doing a few mods. Started out as a 5 Star , lost one for the mods I had to do. Two days later, Ok, just installed the mppt controller from GreeSonic with 15a capability, unfortunately it doesn’t have a monitor to display amps or watts. I have my own battery monitor so it’s not that big of a deal. Batteries are getting with Dokio’s pwm charger for the whole day is about two hours with the mppt controller. Without any mods the battery bank wouldn’t get past 12.10 volts and moving the control charger closer to the battery bank I got it up to 13.2 and that’s charging all day. Now it’s at 13.8 and climbing. That’s within a two hour period. Sure to some that doesn’t seem like a lot but my bank is 430 ah. I was at 12.4 before plugging in the solar and toasted a English muffin off my inverter while charging, dropping it down to 12.1 and with in a hour it’s back to 13.8. If it wasn’t for the 200 watt kit being so cheap I would knock down the rating even farther. So if you can handle a few mods then I’d say go for it. If not, then spend somemore money for true performance as advertised from another company that says made in the USA ! 2 yr update From traveling the panels are loosing their protective covering when folded. Also the fabric is deteriorating and total output is only 20%.i kept them as a back up to my glass panels mounted on the roof. Now I’m thinking about throwing them in the trash. I will say for the first year and a few mods they did a decent job.

I'll be honest. I really didn't know what to expect with regard to performance of this type of setup. But, I have to say they work really well. Now I just bought these so longevity wise I don't have that information, but I tested these as soon as the sun came out about 9:30 am. They were generating 21.8 volts at 13.8 amps equaling 288 watts! Nice! That's a 90% efficiency right out of the box of their stated capacity. Incredible. They're super compact for what you get. Lightweight, easy to store, a nice durable material on the outside for protection, and are somewhat rigid. Cons: When I first started looking at these I saw a picture showing supports behind it holding it up. NOT! These do not have back supports any kind. You are on your own for that. The cord seems just Long enough to be helpful. The charge controller is a lesser expensive 20a PWM but it is constructed very well with plug and play connectors for a very easy setup. Of course I'll have to test the performance of the charge controller, with regard to actually charging a battery, so we'll see. I'll compare it with my MPPT controller and see if there is a major difference. But as it is, it's a really good setup. I'm very happy with it and highly recommend.

I own the 110 watt portable solar panel suit case. I have read many posts talking about how this panel will not produce a good charge or just half of the rated watts (so for my case I would expect to see 55 watts). So I decided to test it today. I live in Florida and its almost noon so the sun is at its peak. Yes that is snow on the ground we just had the winter storm come through the panhandle. I have it in direct sunlight and propped the panel up to create a decent angle. I am receiving 13.9 volts by 5.8 amps. This equates to around 80 watts of solar coming in. I am using the 110 watt panel and was hoping for close to an 80-85% efficiency, but I feel like the 80 watts is fair amount of wattage for the cheap price of this panel. I would buy again, but would rather buy the larger 220 watt next time. When you lay it flat on the ground it does pull in 55 watts. This should be expected due to the angle being less efficient. Update: I recently received a Bluetti AC 180 with a built in MPPT Charge controller. I used the adapter that came with the solar panel plugged it directly into the unit and I received the same wattage as I did when using the PWM charge controller connected to a battery. I also have a 100 watt hard solar panel and did some testing with that. I did receive higher wattage (around 15 more watts on average) from the hard/heavy/not really portable panel. So you need to decide how important the portability is. My main usage will be when camping on my boat or to help top off my power station at home. This will still help to charge up my power station during the day so I can use the microwave when I want and possible run my mini-fridge for a few days. Still satisfied with the purchase but still wish I just bought the bigger portable panel.