Oh, Gary, thank you so much. I may have overcharged my battery on my test run, before i knew about needing acharge controller, so I'll check out alternative batteries while I' shopping for a female 12v. cigarette lighter socket.

I really appreciate the feedback and the link.

j.

thanks, SolarJohn.

I have another 12 v, 5 ah "regulated valve" (whatever that means?) battery from a backup power supply for a computer. If I can use it, too, then I can always have a charged battery/light combo hooked up and ready to go inside the house while the other battery is charging outside.

So, guys, if you have a moment, could you help me through the next part??

The solar panel was part of a "emergency solar power kit" that came with the connector cable, battery, and an DC/AC inverter.

The solar panel power outputs are embedded in 1" square white tab plug-in on the panel edge.

The panel-to-battery connector cable is a single white wire with a similar square tab plug-in connector on the panel end and a single barrel connector on the battery end.

The matching barrel connector on the battery is soldered to the negative terminal. A two inch wire terminated by a black rubber nut looking thing also comes out of this connector, but it is not connected to anything. I don't know if this barrel connector contraption is supposed to be soldered to the BOTH connectors and broke off in shipping, or if it is just supposed to hang out there in space, but that's probably NOT important since I don't want to use it.

If I leave the square tab on the panel end but strip that barrel connector off the battery what are my odds of finding marked black and red wires inside the white wrapping that I can match to the +/- poles of the charge controller?

BUT if they aren't marked, what do I have to do to figure out which is which?

Thanks again. I think this may be the last of the dumb questions, but I won't guarantee it.

J.