random solar powered charger question

[taofishdude]

So i purchased a brunton solar/usb charger device a while back. Originally used it with my first pv, an 808d-2. It would fully charge my 808d with no problem, but when i upgraded to the ego batts it won't charge it. When i plug in the ego charger and a batt the light comes on, and it charges for a few minutes but then turns off. I notice the ego charger flashes green while it is charging, does it have something to do with the way the charger operates? when i plug in an ego passthrough, it will charge the battery, and run the passthrough. this may not be the place, but i figured if anyone had any insight the modders might know.

 

[asdaq]

Certainly not random and nice sturgeon there tao. Which charger is it exactly? I looked at a couple and is seems they are folding panels without a battery on board to store the electricity won. How it converts voltage and delivers it can matter too. Chances are the ego charger is not getting a stable 5v so it's protection doesn't allow it. IIRC the ego passthrough just uses a USB cable without the seperate charger and since the battery can act as a capacitor, it works. With some jimriggery, you could add a trickle charging battery to the solar panel and an adjustable regulator for voltage out, and deliver what the customer wants. Have you perchance seen raidy's CB radio looking solar charger?

 

[slimest]

808 have 280 ma-h accumulators, so charger's current should be about 100-150-max 200 ma. eGo eats 450 ma. Seems that your good-old charger just cannot supply needed current (wattage). To resolve the issue you have to buy something more powerful.

 

[taofishdude]

@asdaq,

its a brunton freedom 2,200 mAh battery with a solar panel charger, specs say it has a 5v 1000 mA output. The last time i tried, it was not fully charged. So i tried it tonight, it is fully charged and i plugged in a completely dead 650 mAh twist. It hasn't shut off yet, it seems to be working. perhaps the last time i tried the freedom's battery did not have adequate voltage to charge @ 5v?

dammit Jim, I'm a biologist not an electrical engineer!

 

[asdaq]

OK the problem is from the other direction. I looked at a few panels from that company and they are flat fold out kind of things, looks like no battery. The one you have has a 2200mah battery, but a 100mah panel, so it needs 20+ hours of 100% ideal sun to charge that battery to full capacity. The bottom line of amazon reviewers was that it is an OK portable battery, but horrible as a solar charger.

Theoretically, if you added 4 or 5 more panels to this unit (like the foldout screens I saw) a day of sun could actually keep up with the internal battery, but those screens are quite pricy.