Let the Sun Charge Your Pocket PC

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.proporta.com/detail.asp?id=324">http://www.proporta.com/detail.asp?id=324</a><br /><br />Proporta continues to bring us really cool products. Check out the iSun™ Solar Charger! The charger comes with all the cables, plugs and adaptors you'll ever need. No more power worries... at least not on a sunny day! <!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/isun_01.jpg" />

[mmidgley]

The iSun looks well-built and probably more durable than my Plastecs PocketPal solar charger that I use with my iPAQ 3650. Plus it comes with all those adapters so you can use it with different devices. If I did the exchange rate correctly its around US$85, which is close to triple what I paid for my Plastecs charger.

I'm not a hardware engineer (software engineer actually), so I'd like to ask: what are the implications of charging devices using a variable voltage/current supplier like solar?


m.

[st63z]

Does it produce enough voltage to charge a PPC, but safely at the same time?

Wouldn't it be great if the new iPAQ has all this built-in. The whole outer shell is actually a solar cell, plus you can shake it to recharge it, or insert a crank handle on the bottom and give it a few turns to recharge it...

Not to mention that pad recharging technology that was mentioned recently. It'd be cool if the whole iPAQ outer shell can be the contact point to recharge it on the pad, so that you can lay the iPAQ down in any position as long as it comes in contact with the pad. Then have this become standardized built in to office desks, so that your next desk will have its whole top surface area become the pad itself...

[xbalance]

I think that this product is great (even though I live in Seattle).

It is this type of product that allows me to meet some of my conflicting priorities. I love my gadgets and to have them with me when I am camping, but I also like to behave in an environmentally friendly manner when possible.

For 3 months a year I could use this product and feel good about myself :lol: .

[pt]

http://www.proporta.com/detail.asp?id=324
Proporta continues to bring us really cool products. Check out the iSun™ Solar Charger! The charger comes with all the cables, plugs and adaptors you'll ever need. No more power worries... at least not on a sunny day! <!>


here's my pics / review from awhile back:
http://www.pocketpcmagic.com/isun/

cheers,
pt

[Gerard]

I'm no engineer of any sort, but I have a question:
"The iSun™ can power any small electronic item requiring less than 2 watts. It can help run any small electronic device over 2 watts if you connect multiple iSun™ units."
So, am I understanding right that we would need more than one of these pricey little beasts inline to charge a Pocket PC? Or is this iPAQ I'm staring at 2 watts or less? I don't see wattage listed on the sticker on the back, but I do know my notebook PC is 20 watts, and that the iPAQ screen is a whole lot brighter than that... not that these necessarily link. Anyone have some documentation on wattage for an iPAQ? My Casio EG-800 says 4 watts on the back, so I know I'd be looking at spending enough for at least 2 of these solar chargers. Not a very 'mobile' charging solution, is it? I'd be laughed at, unless I did it alone, in the woods. One neat little solar charger, sure, great, but two? Imagine how silly that's look with a cellphone!
I never got around to ordering a Plastecs model, but that guy has a ton of experience in solar going decades back. His prices are really low, too. I think this posting serves to remind me to send off an order there. He never said anything about needing to link multiple units to charge, though he also doesn't claim to supply full power during use. His are intended as down-time chargers, or uptime supplements.

[CoreyJF]

I found over the summer that it worked pretty well with the ipaw alone but didn't seem to beable to handle charding both the ipaq and the pc card adapter. Which was what I wanted it for so I could use the wifi at the deck. I am sure if I linked another one together it could have hgandled it... But that starts to get bulky, If your outside a lot then it is a great thing but for an occasional use its far eaier to use a chemical batetry pack...

[garrans]

If you go to ICP Global Technologies site (the actual manufacturer), it states that the iSun generates up to 290mAmps at 7.6volts, now this is approximately 2.2Watts (Watts = Volts * Amps).

The back of the iPAQ indicates that input is 5volts, 2 Amps (10 watts) so prima facie, a single iSun is not enough, you'd need 5.

BUT, Just because thats the max the iPAQ can take doesn't mean thats its permanent draw,

- Peak current draw will be when its a) charging the batteries (both its own and expansion packs), b) operating c) using expansion pack services

- Lowest current draw, when sitting around off and doing nothing

When its off & charging, you'd have to overcome natural power drain, plus whatever's left over would be to charge the batteries.

Makes me want to hook up an amp meter to my plug :-)

(Disclaimer: I'm not an E Eng., just a geek and proud, so if there are any EE's out there and I'm wrong please educate me more !)

Steve.