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.
Lots of posts with good spare batteries.
Here's one more to consider that I picked up on ebay for $12!!! It shipped free from China & I had it in 8 days. It's gone up now to $19 but to have an extra is always great for plane travel, etc... The set comes with 3 1600mAh batteries & a wall/usb charger. Charger is pretty nice, has a large LED indicator on the bottom that changes color when charged.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300570878464#ht_1989wt_1139
I got the same ones for my HD2. I ended up buying the pack with a charger and 2 batteries twice, I did end up loosing my offical battery one day so I am now running off 4 of these batteries. I haven't had my phone plugged in for ages.
The batteries seem to work just as well as the OEM one. As soon as I get my sensation in the post these will be the first accessory I'll be buying.
I bought a HTC Sensation from a guy and he didn't give me the genuine charger. The phone charged very slowly(6 from 1% to 100%). Since than I have tried many chargers(not genuine) and with nearly the same result. I than installed battery monitor widget. I see that while the phone is idle with the screen off it charges maximum 350mA. If i play 3D games in the meanwhile my battery goes down.
My question is how much mA does your battery charge when idle? How long does it take to fully charge? Is there any charger that I can buy from ebay or amazon that you have tried?
Sorry for the long question.Thx in advance
elvisypi said:
I bought a HTC Sensation from a guy and he didn't give me the genuine charger. The phone charged very slowly(6 from 1% to 100%). Since than I have tried many chargers(not genuine) and with nearly the same result. I than installed battery monitor widget. I see that while the phone is idle with the screen off it charges maximum 350mA. If i play 3D games in the meanwhile my battery goes down.
My question is how much mA does your battery charge when idle? How long does it take to fully charge? Is there any charger that I can buy from ebay or amazon that you have tried?
Sorry for the long question.Thx in advance
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350mAh is very low for a maximum. How much mAh a charger uses to charge the battery depends on the battery level itself. If I'm down to say, 20%, my charger will charge at a rate of around 900-980 mAh. As the battery gets closer to full, say 90%, charging will taper off, and I might see about 200mAh.
Any charger rated at 5v - 1000mA (1A) will be what your after. I got an Australian certified charger off eBay for $10 and it does a great job.
My phone from say, 20%, on average will take around 1.5-2hrs to charge to 100%
Here's one very similar to what I bought. I had to buy one because my phone was purchased from Singapore, so obviously it didn't have the right adapter for Australia.
URL: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=400208891755
Sent from my CM9 Stable Sensation using XDA Premium
I bought that anker battery that everyone keeps talking about and I have to say it works great although my phone takes a little longer to charge now (I'd say between 2.5 - 3 hours for a full charge). I'm currently tackling a new issue though, since I installed stable CM9 (a week or so ago) the battery will last most of the day but not the whole day where as CM7 would make the battery last a whole 24 hours. So around 30% less time with new rom!
I used to work in a phone shop and found that most USB micro chargers will be ok (from HTC, samsung and blackberry phones) and at home I either use the official HTC charger or a blackberry one.
First impressions of the Zens wireless charger for my Nex 4
I got the Zens single wireless charger for about 42 bucks delivered. Ordered on a Sunday and delivered on Wednesday form Shopandroid. Free shipping because I ordered an additional item and they give you free shipping for orders over 50 bucks. No tax and they were running a 15% off for the July 4th weekend.
I use a TPU case and placed the phone on it several times and each time it started to charge. It is not fussy at all about placement. There is a thin outline where you should place the phone. There is no light until you place the phone on it. When you put the phone on the pad the light turns red then quickly green when the phone begins to charge. When the charging is complete, the light and charger go off. The phone also wakes up and makes a jingle when it begins to charge. I charge my phone overnight. The first AM I got up, and the charger was off but the phone was only charged 96%. I put it back on the charger for about ½ hr and it was still charging but up to 99%. When I got home from work, my phone was 69% charged. I put it back on the charger. I checked it after about 2 hours and it was still charging but it was 100%. I again charged it overnight and it was 98% when I got up. I think when the phone reaches full charge the sucker turns off. I hope it comes back on at some point. This AM, it was 100% when I got up.
The phone does get warm when charging. It comes with a hard wired plug and not a usb cable and adapter because it puts out 12 volts not 5. It is rated 1000am.
Well, so far I like it:
It works with my case.
The phone does not fall off the pad like other I have read about
It is not fussy on where you place the phone like others I have read about
It charges faster than I thought
Lights keep you informed of what it is doing.
They give you a very thin piece of rubber the size of a dime that sticks to the pad. They say if is for the Nexus 4. I assume it so it won’t slide off if you put the phone on naked and it vibrates. I did not install it on mine as I use a case.
My only concern is whether or not the charger will turn back on after the phone has charged and then dropped down again.
A note about customer service: About a week ago, I sent a question to Zens through their web site. I did not get a answer. That Annoys me. Nowhere was I able to find if this charger worked with a case. They don’t say one way or another on their web site and not a lot of places sell this thing. I was able to find a review somewhere that said it would work.
Picked this up cyber Monday. Normally priced at $49.99. Was $8 shipped. Figured couldn't be a bad deal.
Its a pretty slick external pack in that you can use most any case I'd imagine with this external battery pack as it attached via suction cups on the back. It chargers using a micro USB. Does not come with charging block.
The package and device claim its a 2000mAh capacity battery inside. As usual...I'm always skeptical about that. I charged it fully today and charged my note with it today. My note was at 52%. The powerskin lasted an hour charging my note to 88% when it finally ran out of steam. Phone was on the whole time (sleeping for 90% of it).
Not bad for $8. I wouldn't recommend it at $50...maybe $25 max. Handy little thing to have when you're in a pinch.