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Any good experiences with solar chargers, for phones? I had a great 7W one (ALDI, Bosch panel, before they exited) years ago - full current even on a late afte

Any good experiences with solar chargers, for phones? I had a great 7W one (ALDI, Bosch panel, before they exited) years ago - full current even on a late afternoon winter's day, provided the sun was normal to the mono-crystaline panel. Mine was stolen 7 years ago when camping. Panels have supposedly improved since then, but I've not seen it in this form factor.

Scoundreller 5y ago
Folding or no? I got a Lixada clone from ebay for $10 or $20, I forget. Has a USB port on it. Advertised as 10w, but most people get 4w out of it. Like this one: https://www.amazon.ca/Lixada-Portable-Charger-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B071Z1LGFV https://www.amazon.ca/Lixada-Portable-Charger-Outdoor-Campin... You could also get a standard 12V/14V or whatever panel and rig a car cigarette light USB adapter to it. They're usually very efficient, cheap and can handle like 8-24V just fine.
- hyperpallium2 5y ago
  Thanks, folding's better for camping, but whatever is available. That linked one is super thin and light, and much smaller area than my old one. Their claimed "20% conversion" is higher, IIRC, part explains it. The exact direction makes a disproportionate difference (beyond dot product), and probably cloudiness too. I hadn't thought of using a car cigarette lighter USB adapter - isn't there an issue with non-smooth voltage regulation, that might harm a smartphone? Actually, I don't know what phones can handle, nor what panels typically put out, nor how the "solar chargers" deal with it. A better long-term solution might be to replace a phone's Li-on battery with (small 12v motorbike) lead-acid battery, for far longer life-time. But heavier for camping etc.
  - Scoundreller 5y ago
    cigarette lighter adapters are usually pretty good. Especially when they don't need to filter whatever crap is happening on an automotive supply (lots of EMI). They'll regulate output to 5V and a smartphone won't be harmed by it. Too much current won't be a problem for a smartphone, it won't take more than it can handle.

Scoundreller 5y ago

Folding or no? I got a Lixada clone from ebay for $10 or $20, I forget. Has a USB port on it. Advertised as 10w, but most people get 4w out of it. Like this one: https://www.amazon.ca/Lixada-Portable-Charger-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B071Z1LGFV https://www.amazon.ca/Lixada-Portable-Charger-Outdoor-Campin... You could also get a standard 12V/14V or whatever panel and rig a car cigarette light USB adapter to it. They're usually very efficient, cheap and can handle like 8-24V just fine.

hyperpallium2 5y ago
Thanks, folding's better for camping, but whatever is available. That linked one is super thin and light, and much smaller area than my old one. Their claimed "20% conversion" is higher, IIRC, part explains it. The exact direction makes a disproportionate difference (beyond dot product), and probably cloudiness too. I hadn't thought of using a car cigarette lighter USB adapter - isn't there an issue with non-smooth voltage regulation, that might harm a smartphone? Actually, I don't know what phones can handle, nor what panels typically put out, nor how the "solar chargers" deal with it. A better long-term solution might be to replace a phone's Li-on battery with (small 12v motorbike) lead-acid battery, for far longer life-time. But heavier for camping etc.
- Scoundreller 5y ago
  cigarette lighter adapters are usually pretty good. Especially when they don't need to filter whatever crap is happening on an automotive supply (lots of EMI). They'll regulate output to 5V and a smartphone won't be harmed by it. Too much current won't be a problem for a smartphone, it won't take more than it can handle.