Mini solar panel for charging small devices

[usmcveteran]

I already have a panel and battery backup but thought this looked good for price and its small. http://www.ebay.com/itm/360872788987

Anyone have any experience with it?

[Jackalope]

Nope, but I've had experience with a similar panel. I have a small panel from www.suntactics.com which has had excellent performance. I used their 5 watt unit charging an iPad while traveling in the Middle East and in Sri Lanka, and I used it to charge AA and AAA batteries. The panel charged the iPad as fast as the wall charger. Suntactics also offers a 15% discount for current and veteran members of the armed services. The quality of their solar panels are superb and the panels are extremely rugged. I'll probably buy at least one more to put away, but I carry one with me all the time in my EDC backpack.

[Lord Timelord]

This is one of the best bang for the buck portable solar panels for cost per watt out there in the $100.00 to $125.00 range:
At 28 Watts, it's capable of charging both USB devices and 12V Batteries. http://www.ebay.com/itm/161536128205

The next step up would be a Poweradd 40W folding Solar Panel for $167.00, which is my current personal choice to buy. It is capable of charging both USB and 12-18v outputs at the same time. I'm just waiting for the price to drop down a bit further. A good reason for wanting this particular panel is that they use SUNPOWER brand Solar Cells, which are the most durable and highest output currently available on the market.

Check out Poweradd's website for more info on what models they have available.

Watch this YouTube video about Sunpower's Solar Cells:

Another good reason is that this panel uses a "Voltage Regulated Output". This helps TREMENDOUSLY during days where the clouds are going by and constantly blocking out the sunlight. It helps maximize the solar panels output, getting more voltage/current out than models that lack this feature.

[gtnorry]

Hmmmm this is s great idea. I 'm taking a trip to Puerto Rico and a lot of areas don't have the best phone service. As you know when your phone searches it drains your battery fast. One of these would be nice to have along for the ride

[usmcveteran]

Another tip is when you don't have signal or know you wont put it in airplane mode that way it doesn't search and you save battery life.

[Schmendrick]

I love my http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it hangs on the headrest in my car. The size of a smartphone and will charge my phone 3 times without needing any recharge.

[Guest]

I love my http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it hangs on the headrest in my car. The size of a smartphone and will charge my phone 3 times without needing any recharge.

I got one pretty similar to that..came with like 10 adapters to fit and charge/power almost anything. Just for the peeps on a budget..they got thrm at the "as seen on TV" store (if your malls have that store) for 19.99$. Thats the one I bought and it's awesome and smaller than my iPhone.

[Schmendrick]

Lordtimelord had an amazing explanation and was very informative about how these things work. Wish he would chime in with that explanation again. Basically what I remember him saying was that solar panels shouldnt charge electronic devices directly, especially with out a charge controller regulator thingy, that they should charge a battery that should be used to recharge a device. I thought the poweradd fit the bill both ways...

[Lord Timelord]

Lordtimelord had an amazing explanation and was very informative about how these things work. Wish he would chime in with that explanation again. Basically what I remember him saying was that solar panels shouldnt charge electronic devices directly, especially with out a charge controller regulator thingy, that they should charge a battery that should be used to recharge a device. I thought the poweradd fit the bill both ways...

When using small solar panels, you want to use one of two items as a intermediary between the panel and the battery/device.

For example #1, I want to recharge a 12 volt battery with a solar panel.

I have a 40 Watt Rigid Solar Panel that is Glass in an Aluminum Frame. To charge a 12v Battery off of the solar panel, you need a "Charge Controller" between the solar panel and your battery. The Charge Controllers job is to regulate the panels output to the battery, and to charge it up without overcharging it. Without a charge controller, it will cook your battery and ruin it. It could also reverse drain your battery to zero over the night because there isn't anything in the circuit to keep power from flowing backwards to the panel from the battery. When running any solar panel over 5 watts, you should have a charge controller in line between the panel and your 12 volt battery to protect it.

For example #2, I want to recharge my portable electronics devices.

I can use a portable folding solar panel that consists of small panels sewn into a nylon case. These types of panels have a output box that has a usb output and a 12-18 volt output. The panel may or may not have 'voltage regulation' on it's output. The better panels will have this feature, and it's the one that you should get. The voltage regulation will help stabilize the output of the port that you are using. Why this is important is as clouds move in the sky, they'll reduce the solar cells output, causing the voltage to drop below what's needed to charge your device directly. This will cause your smartphone/tablet to actually DISCHARGE over time.

When there is enough power, your device will 'wake up' and start charging. 30 seconds later a cloud causes the voltage to drop and it stops charging your device. Then it does this charge start/stop routine like a yo-yo, constantly 'waking up' the device to charge, but not maintaining the power necessary to start charging the battery up. Over the course of a day, my smartphone actually went from 55% to ZERO because of this constant waking up and going to sleep. That is why you DO NOT CONNECT your portable devices directly to the solar panel to charge them.

The proper way to charge small devices like Smartphones, Tablets, Cameras and GPS devices is to place a USB Battery Bank in between the solar panel and your device. Obviously you leave the usb battery plugged into the panel during the daytime. Any power that the panel generates will SLOWLY charge up the usb battery. I have two usb battery banks, one is 2,200mAh, and the other is 13,000mAh. The small 2.200mAh battery can be recharged in less than 2-4 hours of sunlight on a normal day. The 13,000mAh battery will require roughly 12+ hours of sunlight to fully charge, and might require more than one full days worth of sunlight to fully charge from zero. Of course you can fully charge these batteries up BEFORE you start your trip, so they're already at 100% and ready to recharge your devices.

So you used the solar panel to charge up your usb battery bank. Good! Now you can charge up your portable device at full USB 1.0 Spec of 1 Amp, or USB 2.0 spec of 2.5 Amps if you have a newer battery that supports the higher current output. This is the proper way to recharge your devices off of a low wattage solar panel.

Here's some quick numbers for you:
USB 1.0 Specifications are 5 Volts at a maximum of 1 Amp. This is 5 Watts of Power.
USB 2.0 though 3.0 can utilize anywhere from 1.8 Amps to 5 Amps Charging Speed (10-25 Watts). Most current Smartphones and Tablets use 2 - 2.5 Amps of Charging Current, but the usb 3.0 specs can go all the way up to 5 amps with current hardware. This is to 'future proof' the usb 3.0 spec somewhat for more power hungry devices that are going to come down the pipeline.

If you had a 5 Watt Solar Panel, you will only get 5 Watts of output under PERFECT conditions. If you want to really charge up your batteries and/or devices fast, you should be getting at least a 20-40 watt folding solar panel, which at current prices will run you between $90.00 to $200.00 on Amazon or eBay. Don't forget a Solar Charge Controller for your preferred battery type (Sealed Lead Acid, Lithium Iron Phosphate, etc.) as well!

Option #1 (low output panel + Electonics Device Charing via the charged up usb battery):
Anker 14W Solar Panel + Anker 20800mAh External Battery = Happy Electronic Devices


Option #2 (higher output panel + 12 Volt Battery Charging):
Instapark Mercury27 Foldable 27 Watt Solar Panel + Instapark 12V / 5A Waterproof PWM Solar Charge Controller = Happy 12 Volt Battery


Option #3 (Higher Output Solar Panel + Capabilities to charge 12 Volt Batteries and USB Battery + External 12v Battery to power more stuff):
Poweradd 40W Foldable Solar Panel + Sunforce 7 Amp Charge Controller + 12V / 18Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery + Anker 20800mAh External Battery = Happy Everything!

If you haven't figured it out yet. Option #3 is the best setup to have as you can run devices both at home, and portable!