User Panel
Posted: 11/13/2023 7:55:07 PM EDT
My son is looking for a solar panel that he can charge a battery bank or cell phone. He is deploying next year and wants to take it with him.
I was thinking about a tool up style. But not sure. What do you recommend? Thanks |
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Also interested.
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"Beware the fury of a patient man" - John Dryden
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God" - Simon Bradstreet "I may crossdress but I don't dress like a whore" - LittlePony |
You need keep in mind that rated numbers are under lab conditions, so always get a bigger panel than you think that you'll need.
Anker makes some well regarded folding panels, PowerFilm makes some milspec roll ups, but he might need a charge controller if he's only going to be charging USB devices. I have a Blue Sky 29w USB jobbie that's functional, but might be a bit on the heavy side if rucking it around. Chris |
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What’s your thoughts on the solar power banks?
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G36 DCO Documents Review.
Originally Posted By win: What’s your thoughts on the solar power banks? View Quote It depends on the size, but isn’t really necessary. Most are larger, not really “packable”, however you can get a good solar panel and a good battery bank. While I really like Suntactics as they’re really robust, I also have this Big Blue and got one for my son too (hey that rhymes!). He’s deploying to the middle east in January and this is what he’s taking along with a portable battery bank. I would also recommend a small universal battery charger. Oh, he used the Big Blue for a few weeks in JRTC earlier this summer and said it was perfect for charging batteries (phones were confiscated when in the “box”). Big Blue 28W The caution is to make sure you have a long enough USB cord to store the battery bank/battery charger out of the direct sun so they don’t overheat. ROCK6 |
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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my experience is that solar panels that size were good for charging NiMH type AA batteries and cell phones 15-20 years ago. even then, it would take most of the day so you'd want to have several sets of batteries and rotate them so you're charging one set and using another etc, and if you have a cloudy day or rain or something (not sure if that's an issue in the ME) you've got another set on standby. but these days phones have 16+ Wh batteries. The goal zero guide 10 kit i used to use was only a 7w solar panel. Maybe the desert sun does it a lot faster, but I'd look into bigger panels these days. I'd want something in the 40-60w range which is still portable but less so. for reference, the "fast charging" specs expect something providing a min of 20watts. so if your solar is sketchy, 40 is a good starting point, imho.
i'd look into something like this first though, unless he needs some SHTF survival stuff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMVD71P2?tag=arfcom00-20 for $40, that stores enough juice to recharge your phone every day for a week and only weighs a pound and a half. packs a lot smaller than panels. and you can charge it from an outlet when you have time. |
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+1 on the the Big Blue 28 watt
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Originally Posted By Burncycle: +1 on the the Big Blue 28 watt View Quote It's more than adequate for the task at hand, but folding panels have an issue with the tiny wires between panels, breaking after heavy use...just the nature of the beast. For my needs, during hurricane season, the Big Blue 28w and my SunKingDom 14w folder work well in minimal use. I have two 30w rigid panels joined together for a bit more power and more robust use. Chris |
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Here are a few recent threads:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Portable-Solar-Panel-Recommedations/17-706060/&page=1&anc=12117724#i12117724 https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Looking-for-a-solar-battery-charger-AA-AAA-CR123-/17-705649/&page=1&anc=12110717#i12110717 https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/Solar-panel-panels/17-705760/?page=1&anc=12113402#i12113402 Originally Posted By thederrick106: I will quote myself from this thread: https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Looking-for-a-solar-battery-charger-AA-AAA-CR123-/17-705649/&page=1&anc=12110717#i12110717 Originally Posted By thederrick106: Originally Posted By thederrick106: If it doesn't need to be small then get a decent rated folding solar panel, a basic entry level battery bank or solar generator. Then use usb powered battery chargers for whichever type of batteries you need to charge. On the low end this can be had for less than a couple hundred bucks. The high end is up to you. You can go as small as you wish for panel and even pair it with a basic power bank. Use the power bank to power your usb battery chargers. The smaller and cheaper you go the longer it all takes in good sunlight. Same applies to the reverse. View Quote Here are some budget options for solar high to low: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWRQT97Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG71GW9Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Budget solar generator that also has an AC plug: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B6H85ZQZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Power banks if you dont want or need AC plug: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRCWS6T2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BF54MTCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081C5TY2J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ----------------- I own all of the above and they all work as advertised but I haven't put them through much if any rigorous testing to see how they hold up to realistic field use. I have used the power banks with a bit of frequency but usually charge them via grid power. Keep in mind some of the smaller solar panels will only charge a bank, not necessarily a "power generator." While I do use the banks off grid I don't have a whole lot of need for solar, but figured if I have the banks, it wouldn't hurt to have a couple small solar options to expand my capabilities in a longer term grid down situation. View Quote View Quote |
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Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!! |
Went with big blue 28w.
Thanks for the help |
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I periodically drag out my Goal Zero solar panels and use them to charge the multiple battery packs.
Trick to these solar gizmos is to protect them from the rain/precip, as very few are made to be waterproof. |
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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Originally Posted By raf: Trick to these solar gizmos is to protect them from the rain/precip, as very few are made to be waterproof. View Quote Most quality solar panels are water resistant. The BigBlue is IPX4 rated and my Suntactics are IPX7 rated, meaning they can be submerged, dried out and still work just find (sadly, my favorite American-made Suntactics company folded as they couldn't compete with Chinese stuff and Amazon hosed them). A couple considerations as mentioned is making sure your device is off the ground and covered from the sun or rain. Get a USB cord long enough to locate in the shade/cover, but not too long as to increase the resistance and make charging slower and less efficient. For battery banks, use dumber banks; those with just a few LED lights and less features as they will drain faster or slow charging. ROCK6 |
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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Tell me about that battery box/charger you have in the pic please!
Originally Posted By ROCK6: G36 DCO Documents Review. It depends on the size, but isn’t really necessary. Most are larger, not really “packable”, however you can get a good solar panel and a good battery bank. https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/Solar_2.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/Solar_2.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20230205_171151.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20230205_171151.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Flashlights%20Electronics/.highres/DSCF0560_zpspegg25ju.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Flashlights%20Electronics/.highres/DSCF0560_zpspegg25ju.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds While I really like Suntactics as they’re really robust, I also have this Big Blue and got one for my son too (hey that rhymes!). He’s deploying to the middle east in January and this is what he’s taking along with a portable battery bank. I would also recommend a small universal battery charger. Oh, he used the Big Blue for a few weeks in JRTC earlier this summer and said it was perfect for charging batteries (phones were confiscated when in the “box”). Big Blue 28W The caution is to make sure you have a long enough USB cord to store the battery bank/battery charger out of the direct sun so they don’t overheat. ROCK6 View Quote |
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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I sure will. My son will b over in the sandbox next year too.
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Originally Posted By ROCK6: Most quality solar panels are water resistant. The BigBlue is IPX4 rated and my Suntactics are IPX7 rated, meaning they can be submerged, dried out and still work just find (sadly, my favorite American-made Suntactics company folded as they couldn't compete with Chinese stuff and Amazon hosed them). A couple considerations as mentioned is making sure your device is off the ground and covered from the sun or rain. Get a USB cord long enough to locate in the shade/cover, but not too long as to increase the resistance and make charging slower and less efficient. For battery banks, use dumber banks; those with just a few LED lights and less features as they will drain faster or slow charging. ROCK6 View Quote Again, suggest making provisions to "encapsulate" these devices to prevent water/precip issues. |
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Originally Posted By raf: Degrees of water-resistance vary amongst mfrs. Few mfrs spec water-resistance concerning cable connections, which is an obvious "weak point". Again, suggest making provisions to "encapsulate" these devices to prevent water/precip issues. View Quote That's a fair point and worthy of consideration. It's just sad to see Suntactics stop product as their solar panels were IPX7 rated; could literally dunk them under water as long as you blew/dried out the connection ports before using, they're good to go. Heck, in one of their tests, they literally shot a hole through the charger, and it still worked, just not as efficient. Most outdoors "packable" ones are at least IPX4 rated (essentially rated for rain). possibly putting some tape over the USB port connection with USB cord and making sure your device is covered and off the ground...most importantly, you're not getting much charging done in a rainstorm. That said, I did get a few infrequent showers on the trail and would just throw my pack cover or over the panel until it passed. Much depends on how you use it. If just setting it up and leaving to for the day, you might have more concerns. ROCK6 |
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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