Solar charger

by tick (Login tick54)

Yes, I have put together some components which work very well to charge AA and AAA batteries in the field. The main component is the solar panel. I am quite happy with the solar film folding panel F-15-300.
http://www.amazon.com/PowerFilm-F15-300-Folding-Solar-Charger/dp/B001QKWTCK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327696168&sr=8-1-fkmr0
they also make a model with a built in charger but it has a much lower wattage.

I also have done a lot of experimenting with chargers and also electronic charging systems for rechargeable batteries. Not all chargers work with the somewhat variable current supplied by the panel. Before I got interested in the solar panels I got interested in chargers and wanted one that would, test, refresh, and give digital read outs as to the voltage and charging rates of the batteries and would also charge batteries either singly or in groups. Many chargers require you charge batteries in pairs and my headlamp and radio uses 3 batteries. The LaCrosse BC 700 charger fits all of these needs
http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-BC-700-Battery-Charger/dp/B000RSOV50

I had already purchased this charger and it is meant to run off of a transformer with a cable running from the transformer to the charger with a 5.5 mm barrel jack. The transformer is rated at 3 volt output and the panel is rated at 12. The panel comes with a cigarette lighter adapter socket so I put in a usb adapter since they are rated at 5 volt output and normally voltages can be a bit forgiving.
http://www.amazon.com/Micro-USB-Auto-Quick-Charge/dp/B002IW79ZC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1327697633&sr=8-5

I then made up a cable with a usb connecter on one end and a 5.5mm barrel jack on the other end from components I had laying around, or you could buy one here
http://www.amazon.com/5-5mm-2-1mm-Barrel-Power-Cable/dp/B00304DZ7I/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327697789&sr=1-2

I then hooked this all up and it works perfectly.

I see many chargers that come with cables to run off of a cigarette lighter adapter and there is probably a good charger which will be much cheaper and still work fine. The problem is that as I noted earlier that some chargers will not work well with the panel, and I know that this combination does work.

I also got into some basic elementary electronics experimenting, and rechargeable batteries are actually very forgiving and if you charge them at 10% of their capacity they dont really overcharge if left on the charger for a while after they are charged. I think I could charge the batteries just fine without a charger if I just watch the time closely on how long I leave them on and if I used a holder which just connects several batteries directly to the panel. For example, the panel is rated at 5 watts at 12 volts for a total of 2.4 amps. A 2000 mili amp hour (MaH) battery at 1.25 volts is 2.5 watts. Therefore you could charge two batteries in one hour or four in two hours but you would want to time and watch the batteries closely so they dont overheat since they will seldom need the full 2000 mili amp charge. You would be better off dropping the voltage from the panel and using a longer charge time.

Most people would find the extra expense and certainty of a suitable charger to be worth it.

Here was my original post
http://www.network54.com/Forum/9927/message/1271520347/

if the link doesnt work just go to the board search and type in solar experiment.



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Posted on Jan 27, 2012, 3:22 PM

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  • Very Nice.........I'm interested in that too..... on Jan 27, 2012, 11:10 PM
  • In short. tick on Jan 28, 2012, 6:38 AM

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