Solar battery charger

[res308]

Looking for a compact solar battery bank to order. Looking at the ones that are about cell phone size or slightly larger. Just worried about getting some kind of what I call Triple C brand - Cheap Chinese Crap. 

[Defender]

I’m interested in this also.

[peejman]

I have a Anker A2421 solar panel that works fine on the few occasions I've used it.

I've also got an Anker Powercore 20000 power bank and another no name power bank, both of which also work fine. They'll charge 2 phones from nearly dead on the juice they hold, and they hold that juice for a long time. 

The power banks charge a phone much faster than the solar panel.  The panel is much lighter (think hiking) than a power bank. 

All of these came from amazon at different times. 

Edited October 8 by peejman

[Defender]

I couldn’t find the Anker peejman mentioned, but I saw this one on best buy.com and may end up trying it out.  It’s pretty cheap.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/renogy-e-flex-21-portable-solar-panel-black/6523136.p?skuId=6523136

[peejman]

1 hour ago, Defender said:

I couldn’t find the Anker peejman mentioned, but I saw this one on best buy.com and may end up trying it out.  It’s pretty cheap.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/renogy-e-flex-21-portable-solar-panel-black/6523136.p?skuId=6523136

That's what mine looks like. Mine is also a couple years old so they may not make it anymore. Don't plug 2 phones in at the same time, it's super slow. 

[BHunted]

Bought this one for emergency/bug out bag... Works fairly well. Might be Chinese but hard to find anything that is not.

Amazon.com: BLAVOR Solar Charger Power Bank 10,000mAh, Portable Wireless Charger, 20W Fast Charging External Battery Pack with USB C for Cell Phones, Solar Panel Charger with Dual Flashlight for Camping : Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[Defender]

I’ve got several Wyze Cameras around my house, including 2 Wyze outdoor cams that are battery operated.  They required charging about every couple weeks or so, not terribly often but still an inconvenience.  Anyway, I bought 2 Wyze solar panels and mounted them on the fence next to the cameras.  They work perfectly for keeping the cams charged to 100%.  I asked Wyze if they work with other cams or whatever and they said they’d only work with this particular outdoor cams.  They have a usb output to the cams.  If I were more knowledgeable about electronics, I’d try them on my iPhone, but I don’t want to risk killing my iPhone, LOL.  These are actually the perfect size for a bug out bad or to keep in the car, or even around the house.

https://www.wyze.com/products/wyze-solar-panel

 

[Omega]

4 hours ago, BHunted said:

Bought this one for emergency/bug out bag... Works fairly well. Might be Chinese but hard to find anything that is not.

Amazon.com: BLAVOR Solar Charger Power Bank 10,000mAh, Portable Wireless Charger, 20W Fast Charging External Battery Pack with USB C for Cell Phones, Solar Panel Charger with Dual Flashlight for Camping : Cell Phones & Accessories

 

I have a similar unit that I take hunting, it usually allows me to get through the day with both my phone and tablet.  I also have a battery bank as a backup, but never had to use it.

[Defender]

4 hours ago, BHunted said:

Bought this one for emergency/bug out bag... Works fairly well. Might be Chinese but hard to find anything that is not.

Amazon.com: BLAVOR Solar Charger Power Bank 10,000mAh, Portable Wireless Charger, 20W Fast Charging External Battery Pack with USB C for Cell Phones, Solar Panel Charger with Dual Flashlight for Camping : Cell Phones & Accessories

 

How long does it take to charge up the charger?

[BHunted]

19 minutes ago, Defender said:

How long does it take to charge up the charger?

Via solar, don't know. Charged it the first time via usb wall charger, then it has been charged ever since. I just leave it face up to the light. Had it packed and still retained charged. 
Soon as light hits it, you see the little charge indicator on.... has flashlight built in but I don't use it for that.
If you have a phone with wireless charging, works for that too. I have a magsafe case on my iphone. Works right through it.
On sale today for prime day. Can't beat the price either way. Get black one today for $22.95 with prime shipping. I bought this when it was free prime.

Edited October 9 by BHunted

[Defender]

cool, im gonna try it.  Thank you.

[Defender]

On 10/9/2024 at 5:53 AM, BHunted said:

Bought this one for emergency/bug out bag... Works fairly well. Might be Chinese but hard to find anything that is not.

Amazon.com: BLAVOR Solar Charger Power Bank 10,000mAh, Portable Wireless Charger, 20W Fast Charging External Battery Pack with USB C for Cell Phones, Solar Panel Charger with Dual Flashlight for Camping : Cell Phones & Accessories

 

Ordered one and it came today.  It was mostly charged but i plugged it in to top it off.reading the directions for solar charging, it says it takes 56 hours to fully solar charge! Yikes!  LOL.  10000 milliamps is the same as I gave in. Much smaller MagSafe charger for my iPhone.  But for emergencies, it might be ok.  

[Omega]

50 minutes ago, Defender said:

Ordered one and it came today.  It was mostly charged but i plugged it in to top it off.reading the directions for solar charging, it says it takes 56 hours to fully solar charge! Yikes!  LOL.  10000 milliamps is the same as I gave in. Much smaller MagSafe charger for my iPhone.  But for emergencies, it might be ok.  

When I use mine, I place it on a sill in the sun while charging and after charging to see if it will top off or at least get some charge back.  I normally need to top off my phone once and my tablet once, I connect when I am at 25-30% so they won't go into power saving mode.  I've never needed to recharge it with just the panel, just good to know I can if I need to.

[BigK]

21 hours ago, Defender said:

Ordered one and it came today.  It was mostly charged but i plugged it in to top it off.reading the directions for solar charging, it says it takes 56 hours to fully solar charge! Yikes!  LOL.  10000 milliamps is the same as I gave in. Much smaller MagSafe charger for my iPhone.  But for emergencies, it might be ok.  

56 hours sounds like a really long time, but 10K mAh is a LOT. I bet most folks would never drain it much more than a day in the sun won't make up. I'm ordering one too.

[BigK]

On 10/8/2024 at 2:39 PM, peejman said:

I have a Anker A2421 solar panel that works fine on the few occasions I've used it.

I've also got an Anker Powercore 20000 power bank and another no name power bank, both of which also work fine. They'll charge 2 phones from nearly dead on the juice they hold, and they hold that juice for a long time. 

The power banks charge a phone much faster than the solar panel.  The panel is much lighter (think hiking) than a power bank. 

All of these came from amazon at different times. 

I have that Anker solar panel too. I got it for my birthday one year and I love it.

[BHunted]

I charge it via wall charger. It has not lost charge since I've had it. You don't turn it on till you need it. Stored in dark.

So, I'm testing it on and off when I'm bored. all indoors just using what light is available. Not in any particular order.

- Last night I tested my iPhone 16 Pro with solar panel down and it just sitting on top.
Results: It took ~ 1 hour to charge 10% to full. Charger maintained full charge.
- Next test will be similar with solar facing up sitting on phone. 
Results:
- Then will test charging phone plugged in.
Results: 
- Will try depleting power pack, and charge in sun as long as it's sunny.
Results:
- Possibly other tests when convenient.

Remember, this for emergency. It has remained charge in my go bag for months. You also should turn it off when not in use.
It's not meant to be used for constant supply. I only got it for emergency. I also have a Geiger counter for my go bag which can be charged by the solar pack. It does maintain its charge, but I hope to God we never need to use it.
 

Edited October 16 by BHunted

[Defender]

Is anyone in this thread knowledgeable about electronics and volts/amps, etc?

I have 2 small solar panels hooked up to 2 of my Wyze outdoor cams. They have a usb c output wire, so I was wondering if they’d be safe to power other devices as well, like a cell phone.  I do t want to try it and risk damaging one or the other.

[BigK]

1 hour ago, Defender said:

Is anyone in this thread knowledgeable about electronics and volts/amps, etc?

I have 2 small solar panels hooked up to 2 of my Wyze outdoor cams. They have a usb c output wire, so I was wondering if they’d be safe to power other devices as well, like a cell phone.  I do t want to try it and risk damaging one or the other.

I wouldn't be concerned with giving it a try because there's no way it produces too much current. USB-C is designed for 5 volts at up to 3 amps. Worst case, it would charge your phone at 5 volts, but very slowly. Here's a brief description of what you're concerned about and a link with more details if you wanna read it all:

Quote

Power Supply Considerations So if a product requires 2.1 amps, then the power supply should supply 2.1 amps or more. If the power supply provides more than 2.1 amps, the product will still only take 2.1 amps. If the power supply only supplies 1 amp, the device may fail to charge, or it will charge very slowly.

 

[DL126]

21 hours ago, Defender said:

Is anyone in this thread knowledgeable about electronics and volts/amps, etc?

I have 2 small solar panels hooked up to 2 of my Wyze outdoor cams. They have a usb c output wire, so I was wondering if they’d be safe to power other devices as well, like a cell phone.  I do t want to try it and risk damaging one or the other.

Volts x Amps = Watts

If you know any of the 2, you can decipher the third.
A 15amp breaker in your box is rated for ....
120VAC x 15amp = 1800watts

Same formula works for DC.

[CylonGlitch]

On 10/16/2024 at 8:45 AM, BigK said:

I wouldn't be concerned with giving it a try because there's no way it produces too much current. USB-C is designed for 5 volts at up to 3 amps. Worst case, it would charge your phone at 5 volts, but very slowly. Here's a brief description of what you're concerned about and a link with more details if you wanna read it all:

 

This is not really 100% true, it really depends.  USB-C in its initial form could only supply 5v and 3A, and ALL USB-C connectors are required to supply that.   BUT as the specification has grown, it now can supply up to 50v and 5A, depending on the cable as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#USB_Power_Delivery

 

In theory if you use a height power distribution power cable (one that supports the 50v, 5A mode), and a power brick (solar panel in this case), that cannot supply that; if it is poorly designed, then it could cause the electronics to overheat and be damaged (on the panels, not on the target device).   That being said, most devices are designed to only put out the maximum it is designed for, regardless of the cable and device plugged into them.

 

It should be safe to do.

[BigK]

1 hour ago, CylonGlitch said:

This is not really 100% true, it really depends.  USB-C in its initial form could only supply 5v and 3A, and ALL USB-C connectors are required to supply that.   BUT as the specification has grown, it now can supply up to 50v and 5A, depending on the cable as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#USB_Power_Delivery

 

In theory if you use a height power distribution power cable (one that supports the 50v, 5A mode), and a power brick (solar panel in this case), that cannot supply that; if it is poorly designed, then it could cause the electronics to overheat and be damaged (on the panels, not on the target device).   That being said, most devices are designed to only put out the maximum it is designed for, regardless of the cable and device plugged into them.

 

It should be safe to do.

Sure, technically, but even if he had a specialty cord like a PD cord, the power source dictates the current/power. His Wyze solar panels put out 5V at either 2.5 watts or 4 watts, so they can't even supply one amp of current, so he's safe. He just wants to be sure his solar panels can't fry his phone.

[Omega]

One thing I found is that some USB cords just don't charge the same as others.  I used to have an app that would tell me what power was incoming and marked my good cords.  Apple used to flip some wires inside the cord so only original apple cords would work on apple phones.  My phone charges pretty quick, from around 30%, way quicker than an hour, so if yours is taking long, may want to test other cords.

[Defender]

42 minutes ago, Omega said:

One thing I found is that some USB cords just don't charge the same as others.  I used to have an app that would tell me what power was incoming and marked my good cords.  Apple used to flip some wires inside the cord so only original apple cords would work on apple phones.  My phone charges pretty quick, from around 30%, way quicker than an hour, so if yours is taking long, may want to test other cords.

I've noticed this as well.  Wish that app was still available.  Sounds really useful.

[Omega]

19 hours ago, Defender said:

I've noticed this as well.  Wish that app was still available.  Sounds really useful.

I think others are available, mine is called Galaxy Charging Current and is no longer available on GooglePlay, It stopped working some on newer phones, the Max mA is blank, but it still shows the Reference and Average mA.  But with it not showing one value, it is hard to believe the rest.

[Defender]

16 minutes ago, Omega said:

I think others are available, mine is called Galaxy Charging Current and is no longer available on GooglePlay, It stopped working some on newer phones, the Max mA is blank, but it still shows the Reference and Average mA.  But with it not showing one value, it is hard to believe the rest.

Did a search h in the Apple App Store and saw a few but reviews weren’t great though.