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Solar Charging

I'm going camping soon, and I need to be reachable 24/7, so I thought maybe a solar charger would work. Has anyone had any experience with these? How is the charge rate?
Any other cheap solutions? A charger that uses batteries would cost too much in batteries.

I tried a cheap eBay solar charger on my previous phone (HTC touch cruise). It was a charger with internal battery. So you could charge it during the day in sunlight and use it to charge your phone at night. At least... in theory. A full solar charge (about 1 week in the sun) gave my phone 10% extra juice I haven't tested it with my desire, but I expect it's even worse since the battery capacity is larger.
I'm not an expert, but I think the "mAh" capacity of the solar charger should be a lot higher (like double or more) than the device you're going to charge. For instance, if you connect it to a notebook (with battery capacities from 4000 mAh and up), the power will be succesfully transferred. But even then, I don't think you can fully charge your phone without draining the notebook battery completely. The Desire battery has 1400 mAh.
I would advise to look for better quality (and more expensive) alternatives. Like the solar chargers they use on campers to power a TV or fridge. Especially if you want to be reachable 24/7. If you want an emergency charger to give you enough power to make one phone call a day, a cheap solar charger will be sufficient though.

I'm a new user so I can't post link. But try googling "High Capacity Solar Charger and Battery w/ Flashlight (11200mAh)" and click on the 1st result. Bought that and am very happy with it. the charge rate is almost the same, if not the same, as the wall charger. it's got flashlight and mosquito repellent too.
theoretically it can charge the desire from zero to full 8 times before you need to charge it again. but you know it will be lower than that.
if you're looking for a cheaper solution then try googling "Solar Charger USB Hub" and click on the 4th result. but the charge rate will be substantially lower though. hope that helps.

I usually use the SOLIO solar cgarge, maybe a little expensive than the ebay but work very well, i use it about from 3 years and never had a problem.
I've testet him in very extrem condition.
You can see it on the solio web site, i have the classic version.

one of the best used by forces in iraq etc is the "solar monkey" make sure if tyou get one you choose the correct type for your device as different devices are more power hungry than others, i'd go for the top link the power traveller
links here
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/powermonkey-explorer/
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/solarmonkey/
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/

Have a car charger and will be near your car when camping? Then just use that. Worked fine for me during a 5 day camping trip.

mouth said:
Have a car charger and will be near your car when camping? Then just use that. Worked fine for me during a 5 day camping trip.
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No. We're going backpacking. Tents and sleeping bags on our backs and sleeping in the outdoors. <3
Thanks for the links guys. I will check them out. I could attach the charger to my backpack with the cable going into phone which is in my pocket, so I can charge it while we're hiking. I'll look extremely geeky, but it'll work I hope.
I need to be reachable for work. I'm also bringing my laptop with me in case there is an emergency at work. Hurray for tethering!
It doesn't really do "camping in the wilderness" any justice though.

If you are in the UK i wouldn't waste your money on a solar charger...i'd spend the money on some nice waterproofs lol.

Got this here: Energy Trends ET 3000
Wondering why they don't have a language selection... http://www.energy-trends.eu But you can see it here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ET-3000-Solar-Power-Cell-Phone-Device-Battery-Charger-/220641737521
Also described here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7093929&postcount=13
But I assume that they don't deliver to the UK.

Portable Backup Power / Solar Power

Trying to find gadgets of the type "external portable power".
That is power sources that is light enough to carry in a backpack or pocket, and have a battery (or in my dreams a fuel cell...) that can be plugged into SGS mini usb port for "emergency" power.
Also of interest is solar powered solutions, maybe to charge said portable power device while relaxing at the beach.

I believe this is what you are looking for:
spider-foot. com/1900mah-extended-backup-battery-power-charger-for-cell-phones-with-micro-usb-charging-port-1900mic-p-759.html
Ive seen a solar + wind up one as well, but not sure how good that would work.

There are few micro usb backup battery packs. Some are sealed rechargeable batteries (like the one in above post) while others allows you to use standard AA size ones (these are good in an emergency).
But IMO better to have a spare battery. That way you don’t have to wait for the phone to charge, you get instant power. Since SGS s batteries are very small you can even carry one in your pocket.

Personally I'd prefer something that used AA/AAA batteries. That way I can carry LSD batteries, and I can use a proper conditioner/analyser/charger on them to keep them in decent condition. It also means the phone doesn't need to get turned off at any point - I find mine isn't great after a restart for quite a while. Finally very high quality batteries are not that expensive for AA/AAA and you know what you're getting, aftermarket mobile batteries can be a little bit risky and performance can vary.

I use a solution from Philips, it is called Power2Go. I use the SCE4430. Works great, only thing is that it does not support micro usb out of the box. But a standard micro usb cable does the trick. Used this also on a Nintendo DS.
http://www.philips.co.uk/c/universa...UNIVERSAL_POWER_SOLUTIONS_SU_GB_CONSUMER=true

[Q] Solar Charger
Hey guys,
First post here and it may end up costing me a bit soo..
Would it be possible to harvest one of these solar phone chargers you see on ebay and build it into the backplate of the phone?
I know it may not be powerful enough to charge your phone, but maybe we can extend the life when we just need those few extra hours.
So, really, does anyone know what we would need? I have little to know electronics experience so not sure what i'm looking for but i'm more than willing to actually do it if someone is able to explain what/how its done.

No, it's enough for you to charge a phone, even other more powerful device. But first of all you need a good solar cell.

i got one from DX it works fantastic!
4200mAh Portable Dual-Panel Solar Power Battery Pack for Cell Phones and USB Gadgets
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.40210
just leave it by any window, or light source and it turns it back into energy, then just plug your phone into the pack for recharge
you can easily recharge twice with a full charge
red light = charging
no light = off
green light = in use
comes with all the plugs for our phones
and a build in LED flashlight
it can also be charged via USB if you are in a hurry, and can't take advantage of the free light source recharge
i use it mostly for long outdooring like camping / picnics, and you know that even 3x1500 mAh will not last you for a day/week
you can get a full charge in just 1 day (from sun rise to sun down) even on a cloudy rainy sky

But what about physically attaching a panel to the back so I don't have to carry extra stuff? Is it possible? How would I wire it up?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

that works, but you wont be able to use the phone for like a whole day meanwhile waiting for it to charge, and be drained almost instantly

Have a look here>>>http://tinyurl.com/y2nrvsv
I have ordered one of these will do a small review when it arrives>>>http://tinyurl.com/2fun3k6

I have this traditional solution for emergency charging: http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/
They have Solar Charger, too.

that solar one from portable uk is okay, i only like the "bag" idea of it, but it's shy in power & recharge rate when competing againts the 4200 mAh beast from DX

mini/micro portable power pack
check this out
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320572770657&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
I have one, it has to be charge via usb, but I do that while I am on my laptop, and the bonus is that it will charge anything that connects via a mini/micro connection,

Applecrusher said:
But what about physically attaching a panel to the back so I don't have to carry extra stuff? Is it possible? How would I wire it up?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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And leave the phone under the sun ?? A very bad idea, the heat will surely damage your phone.

PhoenixFx said:
And leave the phone under the sun ?? A very bad idea, the heat will surely damage your phone.
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Agreed
I don't think a little solar panel on the back of the phone will be capable of putting out that much power
I don't know about you but my phone spends most of its time inside my pocket so it is rarely out in the sun for the solar panel to work
Just carry a spare battery or get yourself the Samsung extended battery
mobilefun
.co.uk/genuine-samsung-galaxy-s-extended-battery-case-p25834.htm
It will extend your battery life without having to leave the phone lying in the sun

Solar charger for SGS and other mobiles.
Few days ago I was searching for the Solar charger for my SGS in India.In local stores I brought 2 solar chargers but these are the china made chargers with very low quality internal battery.
Then one of my friend suggest me the Amzer 3500 mAh Battery Backup Solar Charger and Solio Emergency Mono Solar Hybrid Charger.
I ordered the Amzer 3500 mAh Battery Backup Solar Charger and believe me, the charger is one of the essential accessory for every mobile phone.
Also this Charger is available in India, USA and UK regions.
For India, take a look at this, http://www.fommy.co.in/Amzer-3500-mAh-Battery-Backup-Solar-Charger-P83981.htm
For USA and UK, visit http://www.fommy.com/

the one i mentioned back in post #8 is way better and cheaper
and free shipping with tracking number
trusted site

actually i hv read all the backup power all u guys suggest but i found that these all are just rebranding some chinese low quality products and it cant survive for long and there r some potential hazard that may end up damaging our sgs...i hv tried solar charger and some portable backup power before, the solar charger dun hv a high efficiency to exchange solar energy to electrical energy...it takes me too long time to charge it and it can only recharge the battery once. for the backup power, the mAh thing is not accurate, u need to try it yourself n c how many cycles u can charge the stock battery in order to estimate the true backup power battery capacity

I love my PORTAPOW
Received it yesterday.
5000 mAH USB rechargeable battery in a piano black case.
Fantastic.
This means I can go out on an all-day hike with GPS on.(Yep, I'm that sad)
The phone battery would last 2- 2 1/2 hours max with GPS (and MyTracks or similar on) while hiking.
Really good build quality.
Really good price.
(PS I am in no way connected with the company etc...)
HTML:
http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/portapowPremium.htm

limit for amps of current for charging? increase wear?

I have a 2 fold question. I was looking to get a wall to USB adapter for charging multiple devices such as this item for instance. I saw that the 2 ports (power iq?) charge with (up to) 2.4 amps and the other 3 ports charge with what it calls standard power. I am assuming this is somewhere around 1 to 1.2 amps or something like that. So my 2 questions: Is the 2.4 amps safe to use on my phone? (Nexus 4) And if it is, does the faster rate of charge shorten the lifespan of the battery? If I could just pop a new one in, it would be no big deal. But I'm limited on options with my N4, and opening cell phones in the past has not led to good results for me in the past. So I'm a little apprehensive on the idea of opening another cell phone to replace a battery I abused.

corbmonster said:
I have a 2 fold question. I was looking to get a wall to USB adapter for charging multiple devices such as this item for instance. I saw that the 2 ports (power iq?) charge with (up to) 2.4 amps and the other 3 ports charge with what it calls standard power. I am assuming this is somewhere around 1 to 1.2 amps or something like that. So my 2 questions: Is the 2.4 amps safe to use on my phone? (Nexus 4) And if it is, does the faster rate of charge shorten the lifespan of the battery? If I could just pop a new one in, it would be no big deal. But I'm limited on options with my N4, and opening cell phones in the past has not led to good results for me in the past. So I'm a little apprehensive on the idea of opening another cell phone to replace a battery I abused.
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Click to collapse
Replacing the battery on the Nexus 4 is actually pretty dang easy for having a "non-replaceable" battery. You need a T5 TORX driver for the 2 screws at the bottom of the device. Take out the SIM card tray. Then you have to pry the 2 halves apart. They make plastic tools specifically for this, but honestly, you can use a plastic knife if you want. Metal objects will work too, but you might mar up the plastic where the halves meet. Be careful not to flex the back piece too much so you don't break the glass. Once apart, all you need is to remove the 2 screws that hold the battery's connection to the phone and pry the battery out (it's held in with adhesive). A brand new battery OEM off eBay costs $20. This is obviously something you don't want to do on a daily basis, but it's not like you're screwed and forced to buy a new phone if you kill your battery.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781
The faster you charge a battery, the hotter it'll get, and that's what does the real damage. Tablets typically have upwards and including 2 amp chargers. The tech behind the batteries are identical (Li-ion/LiPo, it doesn't matter). Tablets come with more powerful chargers because a) bigger batteries take more time to charge, and b) a bigger battery will have more surface area, meaning it will disperse heat better, so you're less likely to damage it by using a more powerful charger.
Personally, I keep 2 chargers handy. A 1A for normally charging my phone (say, overnight, or during long hours at work), and a 2A for when I need to charge it as much as possible as quickly as possible. I don't really worry about the battery getting too hot with a 2A charger. Just don't leave it sitting in the sun, or on top a hot computer case or something like that.

Intocircuit® 2nd Gen Power Castle 13000mAh with SmartID™ Technology Review

Well I was looking for good battery pack and I have spent around 5 hours researching nearly 30 USB battery packs, eliminating models that were too expensive, too bulky, or too short on storage and I found the $35 IntoCircuit Power Castle 13,000 mAh is the USB power bank that most travelers should carry in their bags or briefcases. Some of pictures:
The IntoCircuit Power Castle is an amazing option for you as you can keep a smartphone running for a few days away from an outlet, and it can add hours to the life of a big tablet when you’re stuck on a long flight. Portable USB battery packs are a dime a dozen, but this one saves space, weight, time, and money—even if just a little bit of each.
It charges an iPhone5S almost 6 times, a Galaxy S5 over 3 times or an iPad Air once that’s much better if you compare with other alternative ones. One of key things for me about the product is stylish aluminum alloy shell with blue LCD display. The intelligent LED status bar indicates the current battery status and the current charging status will be on the LCD display as well which a great feature is for me and I am sure many other people also.
It this rate, with a staggering capacity of 13000 mAh, it is capable of delivering 3~8 full charges to most smart phones (Depending on your phone's battery capacity you will get best product at affordable price and you can forgot about charging as you don’t need to worry about your devices running out of power as you can run it with couple of days.
They build it with SmartID technology which not all chargers charge a device equally fast. Enhanced by the SmartID technology, the 2.1A smart USB port is capable of identifying a specific device, and thus ensuring maximum charging efficiency and speed. With SmartID, your charger "knows" your device and charges at full throttle.
Product link: .hisgadget.com/product/intocircuit-power-castle-11200mah/

Power banks - charging and using phone at the same time

About to pull the trigger on a OP7 (not Pro) and thinking in terms of charging.
I'm aware that OP phones have a proprietary fast charging standard that isn't really available on power banks (unless you trust Aliexpress gear) and that it falls back to about 1.5A, maybe 2, possibly 3 if the one post about it is correct and the non-pro model supports PD.
Use case is Pokemon Go - I like to do the community days which is 4 hours of screen and GPS with a notoriously thirsty game (3 for the event itself plus up to an hour sorting through the resulting mons and evolving them etc to get the time limited exclusive moves). I know the OP7 battery is said to be pretty good, but there are no miracles, nothing can handle PoGo for that long without a power bank.
Anyone used the OP7 like this, couple of thoughts/questions
1) If it drops down to 1.5A is that enough to charge it or will the power drain from the GPS, SOC etc outweigh the power bank? I remember on some phones if you had GPS running, low speed charging wasn't enough.
2) Dash Charge protects the battery by keeping the charge circuit in the plug rather than the phone, so that heat isn't generated. Obviously normal charging doesn't have this benefit. Would I therefore be killing the battery (charge heat + heat of GPS / SOC / display / etc) or is the lower current cap enough of a protection?
3) Worst case scenario I wear out the battery before its time, are they fairly easy to replace or stuck down under a mountain of parts and glue?

I've seen 2.5a from a non dash charger. Add the 500ma idle draw and you are at about 3a. That's about what's safe at 5v without dash or warp communication.

"Nothing can handle Pokemon Go that long without a power bank"
Turns out OP7 can! I have not needed a power bank for this beastie yet. It lasts forever. In comparison with anything I've had before, anyway! Only time I can envisage needing it is a very long, full day out or weekend camping trips, and I'd be happy enough to just top it up with the screen off in most cases.