/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #613222

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Good Solar/Handcrank USB Charger

Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 21:37:52 No.613222 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>613250 >>613418 >>614014 >>614308 >>614324 >>614942

Hey guys, /k/ommando here looking for a USB plug charger for when /out/doors or innawoods. I want something thats sturdy and built tough, dont really have a budget limitation for this. What would you buy?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 21:47:48 No.613229 Report

Quoted By: >>613245 >>615799

/g/ here (I visit /k/ every now and again)
I have a "Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Adventure Kit" and like it.
The output on the battery pack is about 1.5a which is a bit crap but I like how it has 3 different way to charge it.
Just make sure you get good sized panels and you shouldn't go wrong.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 22:17:45 No.613245 Report

Quoted By: >>613255 >>615799

>>613229
I have that same kit, and I've been rather unimpressed with the solar panels. The charger, however, does kick ass.

What are you charging, and how long are you away from utility (or automotive) power?

You can get a 10+ A-H battery bank for pretty cheap nowadays (thank you China!), and that'll charge a modern smartphone 2-3 times over and still have power to spare.

Unless you're away from everything for weeks at a time, I think there's better (smaller, cheaper, more convenient) alternatives than solar.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 22:30:45 No.613250 Report

Quoted By: >>613390 >>613418

>>613222
I've tried several solar panels over they years (britbong) and found them all to be utterly crap. the technology just isn't efficient enough to make it practical unless you live somewhere like Saudi Arabia

you're talking 3 or 3 days to fully charge up a battery pack that may give you a single recharge to a modern smart phone.

you're far better chucking £30-£50 at an Anker pack on Amazon which will do you 5 or 6 cycles before it needs to be recharged. you could realistically get a week or more of use from one

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 22:39:26 No.613253 Report

Quoted By: >>613255 >>613280

These chinese ones aren't half bad obviously not really 50000mAh, but they get the job done.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121560213363

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 22:45:19 No.613255 Report

Quoted By: >>614084

>>613245
Yeah the Pineapple Juice 15000 by hak5 holds a hell of charge and is built well.
Not listed on their webshop atm besides in their pineapple kits which is for penetration testing, but that combined with >>613253 is what I bring with me camping/hikes for my devices or just EDC along with my pentesting devices.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 17 Oct 2015 23:00:30 No.613259 Report

Quoted By: >>613280

this guy's panels are pretty nice. very well known on candlepower fourms too

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/pickintastic/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-1-1amp-Solar-panel-charger-for-iphone-android-2-USB-ports-linkable-/291589160200?hash=item43e4117d08:g:AHAAAOxyhXRTLfKm

he used to make foldable ones that were really nice like pic related but i dont think he does anymore

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 00:04:15 No.613280 Report

Quoted By: >>613293

>>613259
Technically you could probably rig up your own foldable config, but I prefer the small size and having a bank on mine like those chinese ones like I said before >>613253 as they retain a pretty damn good charge and in direct sunlight charge relatively quickly and can charge devices while sucking in the power from solar and fit in the palm of your hand.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 00:19:56 No.613293 Report

Quoted By: >>613506

>>613280
the panel in that chinese auciton is 1/5th the power of the one i posted.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 00:56:47 No.613322 Report

Quoted By: >>613418 >>615799

There was an autistic guy here a while back dropping some knowledge on these things and how to build them. The solar panels are junk so you're better off building a power bank that can hold as much power as you need. Don't buy any premade ones because the cells are complete junk and it only takes one single cell failure to turn your entire solar panel/powerbank into a paper weight because they can't be repaired or replaced, if you build your own they can be replaced if they fail or you want to upgrade and the power transfer will be a lot more efficient.

They're deceptively simple to build and there's lots of great tutorials and you'll save a lot more money in the end by building your own.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 02:54:00 No.613390 Report

Quoted By: >>613418 >>614324 >>614344

>>613250
Also Biolite

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 03:14:55 No.613397 Report

Quoted By:

What is the best way to go about charging a netbook?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 03:33:51 No.613403 Report

Quoted By:

> crank

My crank/solar charger comes with am/fm/weather bands, LED flashlight, dc in, dc out, rechargable battery, audio in (mp3), audio out (ext spkr).

Admittedly, the solarr is cheap supplemental power, but free pwr, so happy.

Works very well for weather band reception, better than my smaller dedicated unit.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 03:55:35 No.613418 Report

Quoted By: >>614037

>>613390

I hope you're joking. I can tell you don't have one, they're shit.

>>613322

I am that guy, good on you for remembering

>>613222

The panel size on that thing is a joke. Waste of money, can't charge shit.

>>613250

You also got piddly small panels, that's why they didn't work for you. You CAN have a good experience with solar but only if the panels are huge. You want minimum 5 watts for a phone, 30 watts for a tablet.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 06:36:18 No.613480 Report

Quoted By: >>613481

OP here, thanks guys, still not sure what to do :/

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 06:38:24 No.613481 Report

Quoted By: >>613491

>>613480

BUy a big battery pack. Either build your own with off the shelf commodity cells (panasonic ncr18650b, 3400mah) or buy the biggest battery from Anker that you can afford.

That should keep you going for several days. Most often you will not be out longer than that. If you are, then consider solar, but remember to buy a truly large, overkill solar array or it won't be as good as you're hoping.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 06:59:47 No.613491 Report

Quoted By: >>613493

>>613481
also if you want to build your own you could use these batteries. Huge capacity and maybe a better form factor for what you want

http://www.batteryspace.com/LiFePO4-Polymer-Single-Cells.aspx

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:03:01 No.613493 Report

Quoted By: >>613499

>>613491

Can I buy a premade enclosure for that cell type? Because I can for 18650s: http://www.amazon.com/BuW-Included-accessories-batteries-powerbank/dp/B00VHZ8ZVI/

That's why it's the type of cell I recommend. Building a pack is as easy as sliding double As into a TV remote

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:12:31 No.613499 Report

Quoted By: >>613504

>>613493
1. Well that's going to weigh more, and take up alot more space for the same amp hr.
2. It wouldnt be hard to fashion something for a .3 inch thick rectangle.
3. i really dont know why you need a premade enclosure for the battery i suggested.

Both ideas are valid and I get you think your recommendations are better than everyone elses, but that's simply arrogance.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:24:18 No.613504 Report

Quoted By: >>613505

>>613499
>Well that's going to weigh more, and take up alot more space for the same amp hr.

But I can easily carry extra cells to swap in when the ones I'm using go flat.

>Both ideas are valid and I get you think your recommendations are better than everyone elses, but that's simply arrogance.

I'm not attacking you. Tone doesn't carry online.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:29:56 No.613505 Report

Quoted By: >>613507

>>613504
yeah i realized that after i posted. my b i should be getting to bed.

it's also never a bad idea to have multiple 18650's, and the flat battery method would take alot more research and work

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:43:03 No.613506 Report

Quoted By:

>>613293
output wise what are you looking for?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 07:45:09 No.613507 Report

Quoted By: >>613525

>>613505

The appeal of the premade enclosure is that the cell protection circuitry is built in. Also the charging circuit, everything. You'd have to concoct all that yourself for flat pouch cells.

If they are LiPo they may still be the right answer for cold weather applications as they will accept a charge at very low temps and don't lose as much capacity in the cold as other lithium based cell chemistries. This is why many battery heated jackets use LiPo cells.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Oct 2015 08:40:55 No.613525 Report

Quoted By:

>>613507
I honestly found some converters in the RC field that step down 12v DC to the necessary 5v field for cheap like this which with some soldering works for common usb charging devices
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321776973611?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 01:07:06 No.614014 Report

Quoted By: >>614026 >>614298

>>613222
just had a thought...

i wonder if the could be built in to a fishing reel and not be complete shit?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 01:21:27 No.614026 Report

Quoted By:

>>614014
that almost seems like a good idea even. for the extremely specific situation where you're fishing a lot but need your phone for stuff

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 01:36:53 No.614037 Report

Quoted By: >>614038

>>613418
>BioLite's are shit.

How come the reviews on amazon are all positive then?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 01:39:32 No.614038 Report

Quoted By:

>>614037

Buy one and find out. It's the same reason you want one. The hype, and the cool idea of it.

It doesn't actually work like you're hoping though, mostly because the ashes need to be emptied out every five minutes and the time needed to boil water is a tiny sliver of the time needed to recharge your phone or whatever

Don't listen to me if you don't want to but that's how it is

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 02:50:01 No.614084 Report

Quoted By:

>>613255
Unrelated to the thread but thank you for reminding me about hak5. Used to watch the first few seasons on my iPod video years and years ago.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 11:42:45 No.614298 Report

Quoted By: >>614311

>>614014

You couldn't have a solar panel large enough to provide a significant charge. A panel the size of a reel would take about a week of sun to get enough power to charge a phone.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 12:23:33 No.614308 Report

Quoted By:

>>613222

Just get a rav power 16 000mAh. Has led torch and two charging rails with one input. Perfect for 3 day trips. If you use a dumb phone you can charge it for a whole month just on the power bank.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 12:38:54 No.614311 Report

Quoted By:

>>614298
I think he means a hand crank

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 12:43:25 No.614312 Report

Quoted By: >>614324 >>614335

Been looking at this one. 15 W seems bretty good for that size. Any thoughts?

http://www.amazon.de/Anker-PowerPort-2-Port-Solarladeger%C3%A4t-weitere/dp/B012VQWS9Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1445258492&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+solar

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 13:13:38 No.614324 Report

Quoted By:

>>613222
Solar panels are mainly prepper territory tbh. But >>614312 looks nice for the price.

For 4-5 day trips you are better off with a power bank only. I built my own from a laptop battery + ebay parts, total cost ~$2. But getting a quality one is probably the best. sadly they are all overpriced here (sweden)

>>613390 is absolute junk. I'll dyi one soon, it will probably not be better but at least it will cost me $5.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 13:52:37 No.614335 Report

Quoted By:

>>614312
I just bought one of those last week, to replace an older gen Brunton. Haven't used it /out/ yet but will be this weekend.

I'm planning to tie it to the main pole of my tent and use it to charge a 15k battery pack from dead to full. It has been sunny here and few clouds so I should get a good test.

Initial impression is that it is heavier than I expected but folds up neatly to go into a pack. Seems well made, the canvas the panels are connected to is heavy enough that it should wear well. Shining my under counter lights on it produces enough power to increase my iPhone 6 charge while the phone is being used, which bodes well for output.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 14:22:02 No.614344 Report

Quoted By: >>614348

>>613390
they are fucking awful. a buddy of mine had one when they 1st came out- it took 5 hours of feeding it e small mountain of finger sized flue to fully charge an iphone 5.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Oct 2015 14:37:40 No.614348 Report

Quoted By:

>>614344
Yeah, you should do research before you buy.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 20 Oct 2015 19:34:39 No.614924 Report

Quoted By: >>614938

Just saw this at harbor freight

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 20 Oct 2015 19:59:40 No.614938 Report

Quoted By: >>614943

>>614924
check the battery capacity, if it's less than about 3k mAh you wont even get a full charge to a smart phone out of it

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 20 Oct 2015 20:05:54 No.614942 Report

Quoted By:

>>613222
Crank monkey is the only one to impress me tbh. Solar is a waste of time

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 20 Oct 2015 20:09:21 No.614943 Report

Quoted By: >>614975

>>614938
As soon as I go back to the store you'll be the first to know
And it is probably complete shit but I was bored and thought of this thread when I saw it

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 20 Oct 2015 20:51:00 No.614975 Report

Quoted By: >>615114

>>614943
I linked a chinese one I got off ebay earlier in the thread that does the job.
Just called a "Move Power"
Specs on back (take with a grain of salt since Chinese)
1.5W Solar Panel
Capacity: 50,000mAh (know this is bullshit since I opened it up, more like half that or 30k)
DC 5.1A in (usb charge)
DC5V 1A out & 2.1A out ports
Plus it has a LED flashlight built in

Think I paid all of like $10 and it's surprisingly well built in spite of them selling the same damn device marketed from 10k-100k mAh that are all the same

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 21 Oct 2015 00:25:08 No.615114 Report

Quoted By:

>>614975
>Think I paid all of like $10

That's because the cells are garbage so it's going to turn into a paper weight after a few uses. That's the only explanation, otherwise they're giving money away.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 21 Oct 2015 10:07:52 No.615324 Report

Quoted By:

Look into ascent solar.

Their EnerPlex is pretty popular, and there is a potential military contract lined up in a few months.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Oct 2015 02:43:02 No.615799 Report

Quoted By: >>615810

>>613229
>>613245
got this too. the charger is really shit unless all your equipment runs on AAs. very limited capacity and doesn't show correct readings with AAAs. the panels seems ok though, took about three/four hours of mid day july sun in norway to charge the pack completely. i would recommend something larger, so you can leave it for a whole day. even though placement would be a challenge.
>>613322
if you factor in time as a cost i don't believe there would be any savings.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 22 Oct 2015 02:59:41 No.615810 Report

Quoted By:

>>615799
I mainly use the charger for the items I have that use AA's. (Camera, GPS, flashlight, strobes).
Used it a few times to charge my phone... and you're right, it does kinda suck for that. It'll charge it about 20%. Better than nothing, and sometimes it's what I have.
But as an AA charger that charges from a USB port... that's nice.

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