Solar Laptop Charger & Portable Power Kit 600 Watt - opinions?

[caseyc]

I find this solar charger interesting. &nbsp;Does anyone have opinions on this? &nbsp;I'm thinking of maybe placing the folding solar panels upright against one of my rear van windows for charging during the day. &nbsp;The energy would then get deposited to a battery, which I can then plug in my laptop for power. &nbsp;I'm looking for a solar power source that can power my 14" laptop in the van.<br /><br />See link here:<br />http://www.earthtechproducts.com/solar-laptop-battery-charger.html<br /><br /><br /><img rel="lightbox" src="http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-99239380869547_2241_91479304" class="bbc_img" /><br /><br />

 

[ontheroadagain]

seems to me that the price is crazy for 25w solar.<br /><br />can you mount a solar panel to your roof on roof racks and use a deep cycle battery?

 

[bk2valve]

OTRA....agreed....there are much cheaper alternatives....<br />Bri

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;If it included the laptop.. maybe. As it is, that setup is crazy-expensive. ..Willy.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Seems very shakey.&nbsp; BTW, 25watt laptop?&nbsp; I think mine is like 120watt <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" class="bbc_img" />&nbsp; Maybe a 10in netbook.

 

[wrcsixeight]

You could piece together significantly more &nbsp;solar watts a controller and &nbsp;inverter and &nbsp;bigger battery for about half the price that product.<br /><br />A 25 watt panel in a side window would be lucky to produce 10 watts

 

[bk2valve]

<span id="post_message_1276059857">A 25 watt panel in a side window would be lucky to produce 10 watts</span>

<br /><br />If the window has any tint at all it will cut that to zero.....<br /><br />Bri

 

[HoboBerg]

You could piece together significantly more &nbsp;solar watts a controller and &nbsp;inverter and &nbsp;bigger battery for about half the price that product.

<br /><br />Agreed!<img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img" />

 

[Willy]

120 Watt panel: $160<br />PWM charge controller: $50<br />Flooded deep cycle battery: $115 or Gel Cell: $200<br />Inverter: $25<br /><br />&nbsp;End up with a system that will blow that one away. ..Willy.

 

[caseyc]

Thanks for the comments!&nbsp; Hmmm, not looking good based on your replies.&nbsp; Yes, my windows have a darkish tint, so that just might be a problem.&nbsp; No, my rooftop is not really an option because it's occupied by 2 Yakima and 1 Thule cargoboxes, plus a large basket.&nbsp;

 

[bk2valve]

Caseyc, I am not sure where it is on the forum...you might try searching with the search engine....but we talked about a panel set-up that several people bought in Quartzsite and Bob and others helped them install at the Rubbertramp Rondy last year....they are a similar flexible material like you show on the earthtech product and made to fit on more odd surfaces...I am thinking like the top of a Yakima box or something...they can also be carried rolled up and put up with velcro when parked....<br /><br />Hopefully that is a little help....there are ways, you just need to come across it...dunno if you plan on visiting the RTR this coming Jan but if so your answers will be there....<br />Bri

 

[peacetara]

You can get flexible solar panels.&nbsp; They are considerably more expensive than non-flexible ones.&nbsp; They also make 'folding' rigid panels (i.e. the panels themselves are rigid, but fold up).&nbsp; You would still have to set it out in a park, or on the concrete, or on the front hood of the van or something, whenever you want solar electricity.<br /><br />Of course, if you are trying to charge a battery, it takes a while (the larger the battery, the longer it takes).&nbsp; While Solar is "free electricity", it's not like plugging into the wall outlet, it's not nearly the same amount of electricity for the sizing of panels that most of us use. To get something approaching what an average wall outlet can provide in electricity would take far more panels than your average van or RV roof has space <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />To truly get enough electricity to regularly and routinely charge a laptop, you would need a fairly large panel. Cloudy days, stormy days, trees, bushes, people walking by/driving by/etc can all impede your solar collecting abilities.&nbsp; Even small amounts of shade on your panel can create a large decrease in the amount of electricity coming off of the panel.

 

[wrcsixeight]

I have a flexible panel on my roof in addition to a framed panel.<br /><br />The Unisolar pvl-68 is 9'4" long and 15.5 wide. &nbsp;While it is flexible, it is not stretchable, so bending it around the curves of a rooftop carrier, even one 10 feet long is not an option.<br /><br />There is a little lump in mine where it crosses the high point of my fiberglass roof.<br /><br />I would consider sizing a &nbsp;framed panel or two to attach to the carrier boxes temporarily, and perhaps be stored within when the Van is not in use

 

[caseyc]

So many choices, almost perplexing!&nbsp; Thanks for your replies! &nbsp;I just want something relatively simple in way of solar energy for powering a laptop.&nbsp; I don't mind that it costs a few hundred dollars or so, just not thousands.&nbsp; I currently have a second auxilary battery in my van that can already charge my laptop including other appliances.&nbsp; But the problem is that I sometimes don't drive my van enough to sufficiently recharge the auxilary battery, and the auxilary battery starts to drain down to a voltage reading of&nbsp;just over 10.5 which is when the battery starts giving me the beeping low battery warning.&nbsp; I've been told by a&nbsp;van conversion shop owner that my auxilary battery is somewhat too small for all my power needs.&nbsp; If I had to do it all over again, I would have had a much larger auxilary battery installed which would have required drilling a hole underneath the van floor and creating a special compartment for the&nbsp;auxilary battery.&nbsp; I might still do this in the future, but for now was thinking of a&nbsp;relatively simple solar alternative if that exists for my particular situation.&nbsp; So my current limitation is that I cannot&nbsp;really use the rooftop for a solar setup because the roof is occupied with stuff, and I might not be able to use the inside van windows either due to a darkish tint.&nbsp;I don't really want to have to set up a solar device outside the van&nbsp;either.&nbsp; Hmmmmmm.<br />&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

There are a few fold out framed panels out there, or you could get creative and hinge your own pair and add a carry handle or 2, and just set it up with a quick disconnect when your are in a campsite situation, vs the urban boondocking thing. &nbsp;See what panels are out there which might be able to be stored in the rooftop boxes.<br /><br />If you can park facing south, then a panel in the front windshield can certainly work for a few hours each day.<br /><br />If your aux battery has been slowly drained to 10.5 volts numerous times and not fully recharged afterwards, then you are already/ or soon will be shopping for a new Aux battery anyway. &nbsp;Inadequate cabling between alternator and aux battery significantly limits recharging potential when the battery is 70% and under. &nbsp;An additional fused cable between alternator(+) and the &nbsp;engine battery &nbsp;side of the isolator/ solenoid can make a huge difference in amps that make it to the aux battery. &nbsp;The original alternator circuit does not need to be touched, but the ground cable to the Aux battery should also be beefed up. &nbsp;I ran mine (4awg) right to the alternator(-) stud from aux battery.<br /><br />I have set of 4 awg cables paired up between my alt(+) and isolator, and this is good for a minimum 50% increase in alternator amps to significantly depleted aux batteries, if I am keeping the rpms at 800 or above. &nbsp;My idle speed alternator amps are always pathetic, especially with a hot alternator that has been working hard. &nbsp;Not much improvement, if any, or just very briefly, if the aux batteries are in the 80% charged or above threshold.<br /><br />That said, I also do not drive enough for the alternator to compensate for my electrical usage, especially the laptop. &nbsp;But every little bit helps, and the batteries seem to appreciate short bursts of 90 amps when cold and depleted and enough engine rpm's to produce that much current.

 

[caseyc]

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Thanks for your helpful replies. &nbsp;I have an update here. &nbsp;I went to a van conversion shop that has been doing work on my van and let them know I'm interested in adding a solar panel. &nbsp;I had previously thought I ran out of room on top of my roof due to cargo boxes occupying the roof top. &nbsp;<br /><br />But it turns out I have just barely enough room to add a rectangular shaped solar panel on left and right sides of my rear Thule cargo box. &nbsp;Even better, they are able to make it so that the collected solar energy will get deposited directly to my existing auxilary battery so I don't need to add an additional battery! &nbsp;<br /><br />If everything works out right, that means while the van is parked, the solar panels will hopefully collect enough sunlight energy to top off my auxilary battery, so I don't have to constantly drive the van to energize the battery.<br /><br />I've attached an image of my van and drew a yellow highlight showing where the proposed solar panels will sit. &nbsp;<br /><br /><br />

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[ontheroadagain]

very nice setup there. I love it. Glad to hear you have space up there.

 

[peacetara]

YAY for finding space!!!!<br /><br />Just remember, if the sun is on the driver side, you will get next to no electricity out of the panel, but if the sun is on the passenger side, you should do OK, especially if the sun is on the rear passenger side.&nbsp; So think about how you park the van in relation to the sun, you want to keep shadow off of the panel for it to do really well.<br /><br />Even a small amount of shadow on the panel (and your big cargo boxes could generate a LOT of shadow), can decrease the output of the panel by 50% or more. (depends on the kind of panel, how it's wired internally, etc, but most panels are susceptible to shadows decreasing the output considerably).<br /><br />Also, as a side note, when your battery voltage is at 12.2,&nbsp; you are 50% of your battery drained (very roughly speaking), The rule of thumb in battery land (to keep nice healthy batteries for a long time) is to never go below 50% of the batteries capacity.&nbsp; So 10.5V is basically a dead battery. <br /><br />12.2 = 50% charge, you want to stay above 12.2 volts as much as possible. If you do go below 12.2, it's not the end of the world, but you want to charge it up to 100% as soon as you can reasonably do so. Also, try not to do it all the time.&nbsp; Going below 50% is hard on the batteries, do it enough and like wrcsixeight said, you will be shopping for a new battery, and sadly, they are still super expensive!<br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[caseyc]

Thanks Tara,<br /><br />I was able to drive the van for about 2 hours the other day, and got the auxillary battery up to 12.7 on the voltage meter. &nbsp;Unfortunately, there are times I don't drive the van enough for a stretch at a time, and the battery gets low between 11.0 to 11.5. &nbsp;The battery starts getting peeved if it gets to 10.5 and gives me an obnoxious beeping sound to let me know it's too low. &nbsp;That's why I'm hoping with the 2 rectangular solar panels installed in the future, this will help to alleviate this problem. &nbsp;The van conversion shop will check around for the right solar panels that will fit on top of my Yakima MegaWarrior basket to the left and right of the rear Thule cargo box. &nbsp;This may take a couple months, but I will provide an update again on this. &nbsp;Actually, the auxillary battery doesn't really cost that much, it's about $200 if I recall from my invoice, plus labor. &nbsp;So if worse comes to worse, I would have to go back to the car stereo guy to re-install another auxillary battery replacement underneath the driver captain chair. &nbsp;I will try to avoid a pre-mature battery death, of course.<br /><br />Casey<br /><br />

 

[caseyc]

Hi OnTheRoadAgain. &nbsp;Thanks for the compliment.<br /><br />Casey<br /><br />