Solar to USB charger for DR1000

vwinstead · 12-04-2008, 01:36 PM

OK - this thing charges off USB exclusively. I know there's a USB to wall adapter for it. Now - is there a convenient USB to Solar option available? I mean one of the cool things about e-ink is being able to read in the sunlight without any problems. So why not keep the battery trickle-charged with a small solar panel on the flip cover which protects it? It would just be a matter of getting the correct voltage (same as USB) from the solar power converter to the DR1000s, right? Something tells me this option must already be available somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions about this?

Adam B. · 12-04-2008, 01:46 PM

I'm not sure how long it would keep the DR powered for, but this might be a good soulution.

omro · 12-04-2008, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B.

I'm not sure how long it would keep the DR powered for, but this might be a good soulution.

I had one of those for my mobile phone

it offers only ONE hour of extra life on a mobile phone
you can't trickle charge it, you have to charge the battery pack and then plug something into it.
And it lasted six months and stopped working for some reason.

A spare battery for my mobile actually cost as much and lasted longer.

Krishirex · 12-06-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwinstead

OK - this thing charges off USB exclusively. I know there's a USB to wall adapter for it. Now - is there a convenient USB to Solar option available? I mean one of the cool things about e-ink is being able to read in the sunlight without any problems. So why not keep the battery trickle-charged with a small solar panel on the flip cover which protects it? It would just be a matter of getting the correct voltage (same as USB) from the solar power converter to the DR1000s, right? Something tells me this option must already be available somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions about this?

Have you looked at the Solargorilla (www.powertraveller.com) and/or Powergorilla ?

This is a solution but quite expensive. I am thinking of getting one due to a surfeit of gadgets all of which are "mission critical" so to speak, so I need some charging source all the time.

However, it can be used for Laptops including Macbooks, mobile phones and anything else that charges off a USB port. It could charge DR1000 several times over I should think. Maybe I will get it when the price drops !

Senkrad_Luna · 12-06-2008, 05:10 PM

The one to look at is the solar monkey listed at 35 pounds.
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome...r/solarmonkey/

Krishirex · 12-07-2008, 07:02 AM

Afraid not. The Solarmonkey output is only 150mA, so while it is okay for cell phones etc, it is unlikely to provide the output for a higher capacity device like the DR.

I may go for Solargorilla & Powergorilla combination, it can charge all the gadgets I have a few times over. Expensive though, if anyone can suggest differently, I should be obliged.

Senkrad_Luna · 12-08-2008, 08:09 AM

150mA is the battery capacity, 250mA is the working capacity. My wall mounted usb port does 1000mA, which charges my DS in about 3 hours time I would expect the Solarmonkey would take 12 hours to charge my DS if it is a straight conversion. However as I get about 6 hours constant use from my Nintendo DS, I would expect I could use it non stop with a Solarmonkey for about 9.8 hours before having to put it down to just charge. If the same applies to the DR1000 I would expect to see a similar 63% extension of battery time. Which should be about 16 hours based on the last post I read about current battery life.

Having said all that, I have done my calculations with little education about the proper relations between charging mA and battery capacity. I notice my DS has a battery rated as 350mA which makes me think it just takes 3 hours to charge this battery and I could connect more devices to charge using the additional capacity of the adapter. But I don't know.

Edit: If the diff in mA means that it results in the DS only taking 28% longer to charge then it would never need plugging in.

Does anyone know the math to figure out how much mA the DR1000 uses over time?

Am I even asking the right question?

Senkrad_Luna · 12-08-2008, 09:28 AM

Based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus USB power pushes 4-6 units of 100mA 5v+/-5%. Low power items use 1 unit and high power items up to the maximum.

Probably a question for the irex forums then, how many units does the unit try to acquire from usb for power?

12-04-2008, 01:36 PM	#1
vwinstead Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 26 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: iRex DR1000S	Solar to USB charger for DR1000 OK - this thing charges off USB exclusively. I know there's a USB to wall adapter for it. Now - is there a convenient USB to Solar option available? I mean one of the cool things about e-ink is being able to read in the sunlight without any problems. So why not keep the battery trickle-charged with a small solar panel on the flip cover which protects it? It would just be a matter of getting the correct voltage (same as USB) from the solar power converter to the DR1000s, right? Something tells me this option must already be available somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions about this?

12-08-2008, 08:09 AM	#7
Senkrad_Luna Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: ds1000s hopeful	150mA is the battery capacity, 250mA is the working capacity. My wall mounted usb port does 1000mA, which charges my DS in about 3 hours time I would expect the Solarmonkey would take 12 hours to charge my DS if it is a straight conversion. However as I get about 6 hours constant use from my Nintendo DS, I would expect I could use it non stop with a Solarmonkey for about 9.8 hours before having to put it down to just charge. If the same applies to the DR1000 I would expect to see a similar 63% extension of battery time. Which should be about 16 hours based on the last post I read about current battery life. Having said all that, I have done my calculations with little education about the proper relations between charging mA and battery capacity. I notice my DS has a battery rated as 350mA which makes me think it just takes 3 hours to charge this battery and I could connect more devices to charge using the additional capacity of the adapter. But I don't know. Edit: If the diff in mA means that it results in the DS only taking 28% longer to charge then it would never need plugging in. Does anyone know the math to figure out how much mA the DR1000 uses over time? Am I even asking the right question? Last edited by Senkrad_Luna; 12-08-2008 at 08:13 AM. Reason: provide the added possible conclusion

12-08-2008, 09:28 AM	#8
Senkrad_Luna Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: ds1000s hopeful	Based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus USB power pushes 4-6 units of 100mA 5v+/-5%. Low power items use 1 unit and high power items up to the maximum. Probably a question for the irex forums then, how many units does the unit try to acquire from usb for power? Last edited by Senkrad_Luna; 12-08-2008 at 09:40 AM. Reason: change 150mA to 100mA

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12-04-2008, 01:46 PM	#2
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	I'm not sure how long it would keep the DR powered for, but this might be a good soulution.

12-06-2008, 05:10 PM	#5
Senkrad_Luna Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: ds1000s hopeful	The one to look at is the solar monkey listed at 35 pounds. https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome...r/solarmonkey/

12-07-2008, 07:02 AM	#6
Krishirex Member Posts: 14 Karma: 30 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Irex DR1000S	Afraid not. The Solarmonkey output is only 150mA, so while it is okay for cell phones etc, it is unlikely to provide the output for a higher capacity device like the DR. I may go for Solargorilla & Powergorilla combination, it can charge all the gadgets I have a few times over. Expensive though, if anyone can suggest differently, I should be obliged.

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