[pct-l] solar charger for lithium batteries?

[c.engberg at cox.net]

This topic came up a while ago...

The lightest weight solar chargers I can find that produce effective power are from a 
company called Powerfilm 
(http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/products/military/foldables/index.htm) and are availible from 
Sundance Solar in 5 and 10 watt versions 
(http://store.sundancesolar.com/po10wafosoba.html). REI also sells rollable solar panels 
from Brunton that look pretty decent. I would avoid silly gimicky versions such as the Solio 
(also available from REI and no offence to anyone that has one) which produces insufficient 
wattage to charge really anything effectively. Keep in mind watts produced per weight- more 
watts (at the same voltage) means batteries will charge faster. I would recommend at least 
five watts (at about 12 volts) to charge your camera batteries, especially if you have other 
electronic devices you plan on using or youll run out of time in the day to fully charge each.

Basically you end up getting the panel which has a cigarete lighter output (male end) that 
you can connet that to anything you want with a female end (read-"car chargers").

Minimum you are looking at about 6-10oz for a 5-10 watt panel (not including the weight of 
the actual battery and car charger) which isnt terrible considering the self reliance (although 
expensive). On a side note: if you feel comfortable voiding you warranty and the are handy 
with electronics, the wieght of car chargers can be trimmed down to next to nothing.

You might also just consider how often you'll be using your camera over a 4-5day trip 
between each resupply and buy a few extra batteries then just plan on finding an outlet to 
"borrow" in town while you run and do errands, buy food, shower, hit the post office, etc.

Another option might be to purchase a aftermarket eternal battery pack which offers the 
ability to use AA batteries for your camera. Not sure of your specific model so youll have to 
search on your own. This may be your lightest option and depending on the length of your 
trip, the cheapest, although over time this will become expensive (not to mention a waste of 
materials and not great for the environment).

Hope this helps
-chris


On 11 Feb 2007 at 17:01, Paul Mitchell wrote:

> Anybody know if it's possible to solar charge the lithium batteries that
> camcorders run on?
> 
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