Laptop batteries unfortunately run low as you use your laptop. Depending on the tasks you are performing, such as word processing versus watching a DVD, your battery will last for more or less time before it needs charging.

The battery rating can give you an indication of the amount of time you have between charges. Battery ratings are in amp hours usually. Higher amp hours means a longer time between charges or the ability to do more processing in a small amount of time.

The most common battery ratings are between 1 and 3 amp hours conventional batteries and these batteries take 4 hours or more to charge fully.

There are higher capacity batteries available that go up to 8 amp hours and charge a battery fully in 1-3 hours. However, some of these batteries are external and quite heavy.

So, considering the power your battery needs each hour and an average of 8 working hours a day, this means You’ll consume nearly 20,8 KWatt each year to run Your laptop (considering 260 working days).

Now try to imagine, each notebook owner creates 0.01 tonnes of CO2 per year. Now multiply this number for the total amount of laptop used in the world and feel guilty!!

Power Your Laptop the Green Way

If you use your laptop/notebook computer outdoors frequently, you have probably found that you have to pack up and relocate to be near an outlet when your batteries run low.

To avoid this, you could use a solar charger. Since the sun is readily available, free, and a clean source of energy, this is your best choice for using your computer outside.

Since you are working outside, you are likely quite mobile, and require good portability. You also want your batteries to charge while you are working or charge in a short amount of time.

The price varies for laptop chargers. They tend to be higher priced than solar chargers for a phone or mp3 player because of the power needed for a notebook computer.

Here are the top 3 solar chargers:

Voltaic Generator

This 15 watt charger is in the form of a laptop bag that is made of recycled materials. It has batteries to store the charge, and unfortunately this makes the bag heavy, at 4.5 pounds. Also, it takes 1 full day to charge a notebook computer. The price is competitive at $600 since you get the functionality of a laptop case as well. The bag comes in silver, orange black and green.

Xantrex Technologies 852-2071 Powerpack

Xantrex Technologies 852-2071 Xpower AC/DC Powerpack Solar With 400 Watt Inverter, Two AC Outlets, USB Port, And Digital Display

This 5 watt solar powerpack charges a 400 watt battery that will run almost anything you can think of. It has two AC outlets for charging your laptop or any accessories you might have. It can also simultaneously charge small devices using the USB port. The powerpack weighs a hefty 12 lbs, but it has multiple functions. At less than $200 this item is a cost effective choice that only sacrifices portability. This is a good choice if you are traveling by car or working in a stationary location, due to the weight of the charger.

Portable Solar Laptop Charger Package 30 Watt

This 30 watt charger has a flexible solar panel. It is capable of charging while you work full time on your laptop. It has a high amount of power and a corresponding high price of $700. However, it is ultra portable at under 4 lbs.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

You Don’t Have to Be a Geek to Solar Charge Your Laptop

Solar chargers are essential if you are using electronic gadgets like the PDA. These gadgets are very useful and not just disposable items.

If You like You can watch this video I did:

When choosing these batteries there are 2 main things that you need to consider:

1) The capacity of the charger to keep the charge for a long time is one quality that you need to consider. The battery need not be very heavy for convenience during travel.

2) It would be appropriate if you choose a battery that is not easily destroyed by overcharging or undercharging. There are, however, many models of the changers that are available in the market today.

Solstice 2.5 Solar Powered PDA Charger

A good example of such chargers is the solstice 2.5 solar powered PDA charger.

This is a portable solar charger that is convenient to use. It uses lithium ion and it can be used in many gadgets. This should be the best solar charger for the travelers.

It can be charged via solar panel and solar adapters. This product has been designed in a way that it is not destroyed by undercharging or overcharging. It will meet all your power needs while on transit.

Solio Solar Battery for PDA

Another product is the Solio solar battery for PDA, it is a pocket sizable charger and it is one of the commonly used ones. It has been rated as one of the most powerful solar chargers and can be used to charge a number of devices at a go. It is very convenient since it can be charged through the socket or you can place it under the sun and it will be charged.

The amazing thing about this charger is that it can hold the charge for a full year. The other advantage of this charger is that you will not have to limit yourself from carrying many gadgets because of charging. It can charge almost all the gadgets.

SolEX PDA Solar Battery Charger

The SolEX PDA Solar Battery Chargers is another product that you need to look out for in the market. It is made of a crystalline solar cell hence exceeds the quality of all other solar battery chargers. It takes few hours to be charged hence making it very convenient. In terms of durability, it is the perfect one to consider.

Other products like the Emergency Solar Charger for Cell Phone PDA are also readily available in the market. It is important to choose the solar charger that will last for as long to avoid occasional replacement.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Sun: The Ultimate PDA Battery Charger

When choosing a solar charger for your iphone, there are two basic options: products manufactured primarily for the i phone, and products that are universal.

With specialized chargers, you have more thought going toward the iphone, yet if you have multiple devices and want to power all equally, there is the less expensive option of purchasing a unit that can multi-task.

Below a video I’ve created on I Phone:

Integrated and Separated Solar Chargers

There are two main designs: solar panels that integrate with your iphone, and solar chargers that are separate, with a cord linking the two.

Novothink is the 1° licensed for the iphone

Novothink, the “first licensed solar chargers for the iphone,” has a solar panel on the back of their unit, which attaches to the iphone as a whole. Yet on their website they say that placing in a hot area may damage your iphone, as the operating temperatures of the phone may be more sensitive than the temperatures of the solar charger. So, put it in the sun, for hours, but make sure it’s a cool sun?

Other chargers, such as Solio, Lenmar, and FreeLoader either use a device that is attached to the bottom of the iphone, or have a linking cable that keeps the devices separate, in the off chance you want your battery juice served medium well, yet your iphone kept on a cold plate to the side.

How to Calculate Charging Time

Novothink has a 1500 mAh lithium battery, and provides 30-60 minutes of talk time after 2 hrs of solar exposure.

Video Review of Solio Magnesium Edition

Solio has different options, from 1000 mAh to 1800 mAh, and they boast 15 min of talk time per hr of solar exposure.

Lenmar has a 2200 mAh lithium battery, with a charge time of 4-6 hrs, depending on the intensity of the solar exposure. Run time of an iphone when connected is around 1.5 hrs.

Freeloader Video Review

FreeLoader has a 1000 mAh lithium battery, and with 8 hrs of solar charge, can “charge an ipod for 18 hrs.” That doesn’t say if the usage is standby or talk time.

Customer reviews for these products were partly cloudy, and many people may need to test-drive for a few days to see if this solution is right for them. Going green is definitely a newer phenomenon in the marketplace, and companies are answering the call; the difficulty is being able to distinguish a genuinely reliable alternative energy source from those that are just looking to make a quick buck.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Why Some People Almost Always Use I Phone Solar Chargers ?

Finding the right charger for your camera can be daunting especially if you are looking for something that will offer functionality as well as durability.

With advancements in technology the introduction of solar chargers has come as an advantage. The solar chargers are economical and at the same time environmental friendly.

How to Choose…Step by Step

1° The solar digital camera battery chargers are easy to use. When buying a charger for your camera it is important to check out the volts of your camera battery.

2° With the voltage in mind, finding a compatible solar charger to charge it will be easy. There are different solar chargers in the market that has made it difficult for people to get the right choice.

3° When choosing a charger you have to consider the effectiveness it offers. Most solar devices effectiveness depends on the size of the device. Going for the bigger solar chargers for your camera is a good idea.

4° You also need to check out the features of the product and how much they influence the amount of charge being produced. The factors that will influence your solar camera charger performance are the obstruction from the sun, strength of the sun and factors like location.

The best thing about the solar chargers is that they come in an array of forms. Some are flexible and light others are customized in units that look like suitcases.

Some Products Suggestions

One of the latest solar chargers you can use on your camera is the Eclipse Solar Gear. This product comes as a convenient charger in your back pack. The Eclipse Solar Gear is made from durable material to accommodate your solar charging solutions.

Another type of solar charger is the ThinFilm Solar Power, it is a charging system that helps you charge your camera, together with the ES Series Juice Bag, high efficiency is offered. With the best solar chargers you get to charge your camera onsite when there is sunlight.

The solar chargers come in handy especially during travel. The PowerTraveller solar charger is the best for travel. The portable camera charger contains an interior media pocket, just what you need to protect your device.

As you choose to buy the solar charger for your camera it is important to go for expensive ones as they are better in quality.

If you opt to buy cheap chargers, the long term price to pay will be high. With their portable nature, moving around with them is easy.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

4 Steps to a Successful Solar Camera Charging

Solar chargers for cars are becoming the most probable choice for powering cars and this is perhaps due to the convenience they create.

As you drive, the solar charger will be charging your car battery and the best thing is that as long as you connect your battery to it, your battery cannot die simply because the car has not been driven for a while.

Use of solar chargers for cars is both economical since you use the sun which is a free resource and also environment friendly.

To benefit more from your solar charger, just make sure you place the panel on the windscreen where it can receive the sunlight well.

To connect it, there are crocodile clips provided that you can use to connect directly to the battery or via a cigarette lighter socket.

A solar charger for your car should be powerful enough for reliability and this means its power output has to be very high.

Sunsei SE- 150 solar charger

The Sunsei SE- 150 will charge your car if it has a 12V battery. The charger has a 2.5 Watts, weighs about 410g and uses current of 0.2 A. It is used for lightweight automobiles such as cars as well as small boats and motorbikes. Sunsei SE- 150 solar charger is easy to connect and mount and never overcharges your car battery. It comes with a 4ft cigarette lighter adaptor cable and a 10ft battery clamp cable together with 4 suction cups hence you can connect it with the cigarette lighter socket or crocodile clip.

1W solar vehicle trickle charger

This will help keep your battery strong when parked and charges a 12V battery car. It is weather proof and you can either connect it directly to the battery or with the cigarette lighter cable available. This solar charger for cars weighs about 0.45kg and is safe for your battery since it does not overcharge. It is powered by an integral solar panel.

ICP Sunsei Se-500

This is best suited for larger vehicles and is a 7.5 Watt charger and would keep your vans, pickups and other large vehicles’ battery up when not in use. The panel of the ICP Sunsei Se-500 charger employs the latest technology. It comes with its complete set of accessories and it does not overcharge your battery hence safe for use. It is weather resistant hence ideal for extreme weather conditions such as snow.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

How to Charge and Maintain Car Batteries with a Solar Charger

Solar Cell phone chargers can be a better alternative to electrical cell phone chargers. You have to plug in your cell phone to a home outlet and then you have to wait a long time for your cell phone to be charged.

The charging of your cell phone takes electricity and the electricity costs money. It seems that you need to pay your mobile cell phone service provider for using your cell phone and you also have to pay the electric company for using your cell phone.

You are out of luck if you are outdoors and your cell phone battery dies. There are hardly any places that will let you plug in your cell phone in order to charge it.

This is one of the reasons why a solar cell phone charger is for you. You can charge your cell phone battery outdoors if your cell phone dies. It is true that you need sunlight in order to charge your cell phone, but most solar cell phone chargers come with a storage device so that you can charge your cell phone even if there is no sunlight.

How Much Time do I Need to Full Charge?

General Rule to estimate total hours of direct sunlights to full charge: (Amperer per Hour of the Battery / Amperes per Hour of the Charger) + 10%

Assuming You have a 5 Watt / Hour Cell Phone Battery and a 2 Watt output solar Charger, You need first to convert Watt in Ampere:

Ampere= Watt/Volts

It’s about 5/12 = 0.417 Amperes per Hours for the batery and 0.167 Amperes for the charger

To Calculate how much time You’ll need to charge the battery with a 2 Watt solar charger You’ll have:

1° Calculate the Ampere per hour of the charger: 2 Watts /12 Volts = 0.167 Amperes
2° Divide 0.417 amp hours (cell phone batery) / 0.167 ampers (solar charger) = 2.50 Hours of direct sunlight to full charge You cell phone Battery
3° Add 10%: 2.75 hours

Result: You’ll need an average of 3 hours of direct sunlight to full charge Your cell phone battery using a 2 Watt solar charger or 30 minutes if You have one of 18 Watt.

What to Look for Before Buy

There are many kinds of solar cell phone chargers. When choosing a solar cell phone charger look for one that is best adjusted to the kind of cell phone you have.

Find a cell phone that is useful, reliable and that is affordable.

The ISun is one of the best solar cell phone chargers in the market. This solar module comes with two watts of energy output. It is reliable when going on a long trip and there are no places to charge you cell phone.

The iSun can also charge navigation systems, iPods and other small electronics up to two watts of energy. If you need to power another small electronic device of more than two watts the iSun allows you to plug in one or more iSun devices for more energy.

It is only of any use if there is no other source of power

The Portable Solar Charger for Cell Phones is a great acquisition that saves both money when charging your cell phone and money when buying this exciting gadget. The solar charger can be powered via the sun with, a USB cable or directly to the wall.

This portable solar charger comes with one solar cell. The output voltage is 5.5 volts and it is compatible with most brands of cell phones.

The Solio Classic is ideal for those people that are constantly moving around. It uses both electricity and solar energy to charge your phone. It offers 20 minutes of talk after an hour period of sunshine.

The batteries are replaceable and they last for up to one year. The Solio is perfect to power other hand held devices.

Solar cell phone chargers can help you save money on cell phone usage over a year’s period. They are handy devices that provide energy to your cell phone when your cell phone dies.

Cell phones are an important part of people’s everyday life and lots of communications are relayed through a cell phone that is why having a good cell phone charger is important.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Here’s a Quick Way to charge Your Cell Phone

Based on these i Pod sales statistics, have been sold over 220,000,000 worldwide as of September 2009

This graph explains it all:

1 I-pod could Kill 1 Polar Bear

What pulled me to write this articles were these quotes from: here

“In a report Wednesday, the Paris-based International Energy Agency estimates new electronic gadgets will triple their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours, the equivalent of today’s home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.

The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030, when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the IEA said.”

Based on what Apples says about battery duration of different iPod models here we can estimate an average of 20 hours of Ipod battery duration.

So, doing some maths and considering an average of 8 hours a day of iPod utilization we can estimate that I should charge my ipod each 2.5 days. This means I’ll charge my i-Pod 146 times in 1 year (365 days/2.5).

“146 Charging times each year x 110,000,000 people (estimate 50% of actual i Pod users considering product substitution, etc…) means nearly 473,000,000 Kh/Watt of yearly electricity consumption, corresponding in 290,000 tonnes of CO2 produced each year to use our I Pods.“

Now try to imagine the environmental benefits of using solar charger to power our ipods and lower CO2 emissions.

How to Charger You I Pod on the Sun

Charge your iPod, mp3 and other electronic devices with one of the best solar chargers such as Freeloader, Power Monkey or Solio.

They are ideal for use when you are out and about; on vacations, or travelling. Since they use the power of the sun to recharge your devices there is no chance that you will be without charge.

The solar charger uses the high power solar panels to charge its internal battery. It may require between 7 to 9 hours fully charge depending on the weather conditions.

Once the battery is fully charged, it is capable of delivering sufficient power to charge a mobile phone to up to 70 hours standby time, over 5000 page turns on an e-book or fully charge a digital camera battery.

The best solar chargers have a multi voltage switch that allows charging power hungry high voltage devices like MP3 players, SLR camera batteries portable DVD players and iPods.

The best solar chargers are of tough material such as aluminum and finished in a stylish manner. This makes them durable and still look good in no matter where they are used. They are the perfect companion for adventure travelers, explorers, journalists, armed forces, etc.

Freeloader Solar Charger Review Video

One of the best solar chargers is the Freeloader Pro “This is an incredible battery charger, it is good looking and stylish. It comes ready to charge virtually any electrical device. In fact, it can charge anything that has a USB connection.

It is capable of delivering charge from anywhere whether it is on a beach, mountain or the polar ice cap.

Deep review of Freeloader here

Power Monkey Solar Charger Review Video

The power monkey is another incredible solar charger that can charge your electronic devices from almost anywhere there is sunshine. The Powermonkey Explorer Solar Charger stores up to 96 hours of power that you can use to charge mp3 players, iPods, mp4 players, iPhones, PSPs, PDAs, Digital cameras, etc.

Deep review of Power Monkey here

Solio Solar Charger Review Video

The other incredible solar charger is Solio. One of the customers of Solio charger comments, “I have used many other solar products in the extremes of the Arctic but never have I used one as reliable and indestructible as the Solio” one other user of the Solio Solar charger is Saol, a Masai Junior Elder from IIkinye Village in Kenya. A donated Solio allows Saol to call for help when the village has a medical emergency. These chargers provide an eco-friendly way to charge your iPods and mp3 players no matter where you travel.

Deep review of Solio here

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Save the Planet with an i Pod Solar Charger

Would You like to play Call of Duty or PES 2010 for ever without energy expenses?

No joke, it’s true. There is lots of information on the internet on the different solar chargers for PSP.

Researching on the various features of the solar chargers will enable you choose the best charger.

Video: How to use Solar Chargers for PSP

PSP solar chargers are fairly hard to get and are fairly expensive. However, you can be able to learn more on how they operate and the special features they have online. You can even be able to order for it online.

The solar charger should be portable and environment friendly. You should consider buying a charger that will be able to capture maximum sunlight so that even when it is cloudy you can use it.

The charger should be easily portable with all its attached devices like cables. It should be very reliable.

A quality solar charger should have an extra port for charging using other forms of energy. To know which solar charger to choose for your PSP, going through users reviews on e-commerce will enlighten you on the charger to choose.

Some of the good chargers you can consider purchasing are listed below based on reviewers’ ratings.

How Much Time to Fully Charge It?

A 2.2 Amperes hour (2,200 mAp/h Lion battery) PSP battery requires nearly 13 hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged by a 2 Watt solar panel (this means 2 days). More powerful the solar charger the less time required.

Logic 3 solar charger

Logic 3 solar charger; it does not require any source of power and is well designed making carrying it easy. It has well designed cables to connect to wide models of PSP and after it’s fully charged can power your PSP for more than four hours. This charger can even be used on cloudy days and can even use artificial light to charge by connecting it to either USB or Dc port charge of a computer

Freeloader Solar Charger Review Video

Freeloader portable solar charger is another solar charger that can be highly recommended. It can power your PSP for more than two hours. It’s designed from stylish aluminium body and is very durable. It has power master cables and adaptors that are compatible to a variety of PSP models. It is compact in size and is very light, it can even fit in your shirt pocket. Apart from charging through it using solar it can charge using the USB port of computer.

PSP 2000 fast solar charger

PSP 2000 fast solar charger is another good quality solar charger for PSP. It has a folded design to effectively protect the solar panels from damage making it durable. It can use DC charge port as spare battery and has a unique eye appealing lithium pack.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Solar Chargers: How to Get a PSP That Saves You Money

One of the best ways to generate electricity is by using solar energy. Solar battery chargers are now widely used, are easy to install and can work for very many years without any problems.

They are usually packed in a kit that has a solar panel, battery pack, conversion technology needed and any necessary wiring.

Boat Usage

They are used on boats to guard against any natural electronic drain and battery discharge. These solar chargers for boats are made using designs that are weather proof so they cannot be easily damaged while in the water.

Solar chargers can be used on boats for any complimentary electronic gear that may need to be used while the boat is out on the water.

The complimentary gear

The complimentary gear includes communication and entertainment devices, fish finders and sonar. There are some full kits that are available to run this electronic gear on the boats.

The solar chargers can also be used to charge the boats’ batteries and this usually comes in a different kit from the ones used to charge the electric gear.

The kits have some solar panels that you can mount in various locations on your boat. The panels are connected to a controller unit that will charge the battery.

A solar power charger works well on a boat because the solar panels are very well exposed to the sun while on the water and this reduces the amount of time it takes for the batteries to be charged.

Some of the panels that are used for charging boats have integrated batteries that function as power packs. You can charge this internal battery then use it to charge the gear on the boat or the battery used to run the boat.

The panels that do not come will require a converter to switch the power supply and also regulate the voltage on your battery by stepping it up or down.

Know Before You Buy

When choosing the solar charger, you need to know the kind of battery that you have but in most cases, one charger will work for any gear or battery except if it is for Gel Cell.

It is also important to calculate the wattage on the solar charger by knowing just how many Ampere per hours the battery stores.

Choose a charger that has a solar controller so that it will monitor the charging on a regular basis and stop it once the boat or the gear is fully charged.

How to Calculate Charging Time

Assuming You have a 115 Amperes hour battery and a 15 Watt solar charger, this mean You’ll need nearly 92 direct sunlight hours to full charge it if it’s completely empty (this mean You’ll need 11 days to full charge the battery).

If Your only purpose is to avoid battery drain while the boat is not used, than the solar charger combined with a charge controller makes a great job.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

What Everybody Ought to Know About Boat Solar Battery Chargers

Solar charge controllers help in protecting batteries from overcharge and excessive discharge. The controller assures that the battery is charged fully and keeps it that way without causing damage to the battery.

A basic solar charge controller will monitor the battery voltage, open the circuit and then stop charging when the voltage rises to a given level.

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)

The modern solar charge controllers use pulse width modulation (PWM) which gradually lowers the amount of power as the batteries get closer to being fully charged.

The battery is charged with lesser stress thus prolonging the battery life. PWM has no mechanical connections that need to be broken although it’s quite complex.

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)

The newer version of solar charge controllers is the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) that converts excess voltage into amperage. This ensures that the charge voltage is kept at an optimal level while the time needed to completely charge the battery is reduced.

MPPT also helps to reduce power loss and preventing reverse current flow.

Before You Buy

When choosing a solar charge controller there are various factors one should look out for. First is the operating voltage and its rated current. A good solar charge controller should be able to handle the rated current of different panels combined.

The other point of consideration is whether an indicator is required (to show how the charge controller and the solar panel are working) or a meter which will display the charging current and battery voltage.

Some Suggestions

Morningstar solar Charge Controllers are made to specifically meet the needs of the rural solar home systems especially in the developing countries. General features of this product include accurate voltage and current display, weatherproof, longer battery life and remote temperature sensor. “It’s cheap and reliable” says Brian from Austin (September 12, 2008).

Blue Sky solar Charge Controllers are MPPT type photovoltaic controllers which can serve as 20 amp load controller, they have an automatic /manual equalize function to offer periodic condition flooded lead-acid batteries. “They are cost effective” commented D. Muirhead (Jamaica) on June 8, 2009.

Shunt-mode Solar Charge Controllers use the MPPT technology where a series of regulators are used to control the charging current by interrupting the current flow to the battery when the voltage reaches a certain preset level. The solar panel is connected permanently to a battery through a series diode. Features of this charge controller include battery capacity of 0.1 to 50 Amps hours, solar short circuit current of 0-1 Amp.

Post from: 12 Volt Solar Panels

Now You Can Avoid Battery Frying and Control its Charge