E the massive
.308 Win
Anybody with experience? Looking for something to charge phone, laptop and batteries. Holds a decent charge and solar/house rechargeable. So many products and I have almost no clue. Currently use a small one I got free.
Portable power/charging
- Thread starter E the massive
- Start date
You can buy solar powered battery banks on amazon,,,,,if this is what you are looking for. They can charge phones, run thermal or night vision scopes, trail cameras. Heres one that I found after a quick search
Amazon.com: Solar Charger 26800mAh, Solar Power Bank, Portable Charger Battery Pack with 3 Outputs & 2 Inputs(Micro USB ＆ Type-C) Huge Capacity Backup Battery Compatible Smartphone, Tablet and More: Electronics
Buy Solar Charger 26800mAh, Solar Power Bank, Portable Charger Battery Pack with 3 Outputs & 2 Inputs(Micro USB ＆ Type-C) Huge Capacity Backup Battery Compatible Smartphone, Tablet and More: Solar Chargers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com: ADDTOP Solar Charger 25000mAh Portable Solar Power Bank with Dual 2.1A Outputs Outdoor External Battery Pack Compatible Most Smart Phones, Tablets and More
Buy ADDTOP Solar Charger 25000mAh Portable Solar Power Bank with Dual 2.1A Outputs Outdoor External Battery Pack Compatible Most Smart Phones, Tablets and More: Batteries - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
E the massive
.308 Win
Was looking at those. Wonder wich one ain't trash.
technicalgadget
.223 Rem
I have had decent luck with Goal Zero products. I am currently using sealed lead acid battery type Yeti 150 for basic phone charging needs and occasional remote laptop powering. It’s small enough to be charged to about 95% by solar panels on a 5-6 hour sunny day. The majority of them these days are lithium battery powered but are restricted by capacity by most airlines for air travel and lithium batteries are not usually user replaceable whereas the sealed lead acid type are. Much of what you purchase will be dictated by your remote charging needs.
The Yeti 150 is rated for;
Smartphone 9-12 Recharges
POV Camera 25 Recharges
Headlamp 25-50 Recharges
Tablet 6 Recharges
Laptop 1-2 Recharges
Light-a-Life 50 Hours
The downside to Goal Zero is that they are pricey but are made in USA and have very good US based support.
The Yeti 150 is rated for;
Smartphone 9-12 Recharges
POV Camera 25 Recharges
Headlamp 25-50 Recharges
Tablet 6 Recharges
Laptop 1-2 Recharges
Light-a-Life 50 Hours
The downside to Goal Zero is that they are pricey but are made in USA and have very good US based support.
Solar charging is largely a joke unless it's with a big fold out panel(s). The battery itself may be OK for charging from a wall or whatnot, but the solar part is largely a gimmick.
Long(er) explanation:
In perfect optimal conditions (sunny clear day with your solar panel(s) perpendicular to the sun) solar output hitting your panels is about 1000 Watts per square meter.
There are 1550 square inches per meter.
This means solar output is about 0.64 watts per square inch on a perfect sunny day.
Most of these "pocket sized" solar recharger battery combo units are like 7x5 inches or smaller. So the panel is at best 35 square inches, give or take.
Meaning the solar energy hitting the solar panels is about 22 watts (at 35 sq. inches). However, this is just the raw unconverted solar energy.
Solar cells in these devices are only around 20% efficient. So that 22 watts just became a bit over 4 watts from the panels to the unit if they are using good solar cells. Typically they use Thin Film solar panels here.
Also, the electric circuitry inside is not 100% efficient at converting the voltage from the panel to LION compatible voltage for storage in the internal battery. This conversion is give or take 80-90% efficient depending on design and component quality.
This means in optimal, perfect conditions (full sun, no clouds, perfect solar panel angle) you effectively get about 3.8watts per hour from a 35 sq inch solar charger/battery combo system.
Many of these things have 20000 mAh (aka 20 amp hours) hour batteries or more (if the specs are to be believed). Meaning it would take over 20 hours of perfect conditions to charge the battery in the device (assuming 20000 mAh). IE. it's a clear sunny day and you are sitting around ALL day in the sun keeping the panel perfectly aligned as the sun moves across the sky. Realistically (the real world is not perfect lab conditions) if you just set it out in the sun to charge and went about your business, it would take more than a week. Oh, let's not even talk about leaving LION batteries in a case in the sun all day.
A few reference points:
The Sun's Energy
ag.tennessee.edu
How Efficient Are Solar Panels? (2020) | GreenMatch
Which Factors Determine Solar Panel Efficiency? Solar panels are usually able to process 15% to 22% of solar energy int...
TLDR:
Some basic math and observable science proves that the small panels on these devices are incapable of charging one of these battery banks in any reasonable time frame. If this isn't enough for you to believe me, read the longer explanation above.
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Deplorable Me
.577 Tyrannosaur.
How about a car battery and 12volt dc to 120volt ac inverter? You could charge critical electronics off of any car battery, boat battery, lawnmower battery.