More commonly known as SOOOLAAAR POOOWEEER! It's magical, it's mystical, and it's all mine! Haaahahahaha! Well, actually, it's not that magical or mystical. But it is mine. Thanks to the generous M, I'll have a constant and renewable energy source to take with me on the trail. Just as long as it's not pouring for weeks straight.This little SOOOLAAAR POOOWEEER! setup will be the system that charges my phone and allows me to keep in contact with all of you lovely people out there. And thanks to a handy-dandy battery charger, it will also fuel my Petzl headlamp. All I do is strap it to the backpack by the four grommets attached to each corner and plug in the phone or batteries. The charging times on the packaging and online are a bit unbelievable... 4-6 hours for a full charge on AA batteries, 2-4 hours for a full charge on a cell phone. But even if it takes twice as long as they say to charge these things, I'll be in good shape.
Okay, I admit, there's a bit of uncertainty as to whether or not it will work exactly as I've got planned. And M was a bit weary about buying me something that hasn't been tested out yet, but like I always say "live life like you're gonna' die in 45 minutes and you'll only be disappointed 25-80% of the time" I've tested it in-home by sitting it next to a bright window for the day. When I returned home at night, all four batteries were fully charged. So at least I know it works! I'll be conducting more tests over the next two weeks to make sure that this SOOOLAAAR POOOWEEER! setup work well on the trail.
3 comments:
OK Royce, the website has been bookmarked.
I will be checking in often..be safe out there!!
Make sure to pack extra 'bear' spray.
Thanks! I'll be sure to make it nice and interesting for you so you don't get bored and un-bookmark me.
I've been testing the setup on and off this past week. Charging batteries with it will work great. I've had no problems getting a full charge in to my AA and AAA NiMh batt's with half a day's worth of sunlight. I've also tried hooking my cell phone up directly to the solar panel with less success. It appears that the connectors I have don't do the trickle charge thing too well, and it actually DRAINS power if there is little or no sunlight! So, I'll probably go the AA battery route and pick up one of those AA battery adaptors for the phone. It shouldn't be a problem to work it out this way, and I'll also be able to charge my phone with disposable batteries in a pinch. Naaaaice.
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