Portable Solar Charger

[dominiquer60]

I am looking to purchase a solar powered charger large enough to charge AA, AAA batteries a phone and macbook, as well as run a small fan and reading light. I travel a good amount and would like to have the freedom and energy conservation that such a device could provide.

Right now I rely on a deep cycle marine battery that I have to charge frequently off of the grid, and I do the same with my macbook too. I never have to pay to charge off the of grid, so it will actually cost me more to live this way when I am on the road. Conservation is important to me and the payoff of such an investment.

I looked a little at a few sites online and it seems that small devices for phones are not compatible with my phone (a casio G’zOne type V, a decent phone because it survives unplanned underwater adventures and can get weather radar) so hopefully a larger unit for my other needs would take care of this problem.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Erika

[Carl Russell]

Erika, I would consider getting a small solar panel, charger, and inverter to run your deep cell. Then you can use all the appliances you need right from that. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them as small as 200w.

Check out;
http://www.cabelas.com
http://www.benmeadows.com
http://www.realgoods.com
http://www.northerntool.com

Good luck, Carl

[Bruce VanOstrand]

Erika.

Check out The Long Riders Giuld website as it has links for off the grid equipment such as roll-up solar panels that can be put over the top pack on a pack horse and is designed for charging phones , laptops , cameras , etc…Hope this will help

Bruce VanOstrand

[dominiquer60]

The long riders have a link to uni-solar that doesn’t work, however http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=103&fragment=1&SearchType=ExactPhrase&terms=portable
will get you to a page that is useful (sorry it wouldn’t let me paste this into the insert link box). My problem is that I am terribly uneducated in electrical systems, I am having a hard time deciding what would work best for me, rugged, reliable and simple are my priorities. I know that I will retire my deep cell to the string of fencing batteries, I would like a sealed battery, I am not a fan of loosing things to battery acid leaks. I am open to any further suggestions and I will keep you posted as to how well the new system works.

Erika

[Julie Clemons]

Hi Erika –

Check this out – a company started by one of my former students 😀

http://www.verandasolar.com/

[Heaven Net]

The cost of most forms of energy has increased a lot recently and will likely only go up in the future. And not only the monetary cost but the cost to our environment needs to be considered. Thankfully, the energy emitted from the Sun is still free (until some scrooge genius figures out how to charge for it). The Freeloader Portable Solar Charger can help you tap into this free source of energy; you simply plug it in and point it towards the Sun.

Freeloader Portable Solar Charger is an advanced portable charging system that can power any hand held device anywhere, anytime. The Freeloader gets power from its solar panels or via a supplied charging cable that plugs into your computers USB port. Once charged, the internal Li-Ion battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours a PDA for 22 hours and much more. Supplied in a tough but stylish aluminium body, Freeloader can take the knocks of every day life whether on a business trip in New York, back packing in the Andes or chilling on a Caribbean beach.
Supplied with a computer USB charging cable and a power master cable with 11 adapter tips. Freeloaders solar panels can charge its internal battery in as little as 8 hours or 3 hours when using the supplied USB charging cable.

* Takes power from the Sun and stores it to power your portable devices
* Can store a battery charge for up to 3 months
* Impact resistant, rust free aluminium body
* 1000mAh Li-ion battery
* Dimensions: (120mm x 60 x 17mm)
* Weight: 185g
* Note: Li-ion rechargeable battery requires 3-4 full charges before optimum capacity is reached – suggested to initially charge via USB
* Compatibility list

[gunslinger598]

Check here
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/NTESearch?storeId=6970&N=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=solar%20chargers&Nty=1&D=solar%20chargers&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial

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