Hi all

My cheapie 740 Turbo is not my daily driver and as such, I am looking to keep the battery trickle charged when not in use. I bought a solar car battery charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket to do this, but I am now wondering if makes sense to use it at all as the lighter socket/circuit is not 'powered' when the ignition is not activated? (As in the circuit seems to be 'open' when the ignition is not activated - judging by how the lighter doesn't work when ignition is not properly keyed)

Can anyone give me advice about this?

I used a multimeter to test the voltage output of the solar charger when its not plugged in and when it is and I get around a 2V difference (the solar panel generates around 19-20 volts in full sunshine). When I test the voltage on the lighter socket itself immediately after I unplug the solar charger I get about 7V, which then drops gradually to zero.

Note, the lighter socket itself is working fine: I have tested it using the push in lighter unit which heats up correctly.

Appreciate any tips guys!

Thanks in advance.
Lucast :-)