With the weather up north being what it is lately, we have been thinking a lot about backup solutions for power. Since we never know when we might lose power, we try to have all of our battery powered devices fully charged, with alternate charging mechanisms at the ready. Some of these mechanisms include generators, crank powered tech and solar chargers. Of course there is usually quite a chunk of change associated with these backup solutions so we were rather thrilled when we discovered this solar battery charger DIY project which costs a whopping $4 to make.
Instructables user JoshuaZimmerman created this solar battery charging device for $4 by using easy to find parts like Tupperware-like containers.
The project takes about 20-30 minutes to make and is rated as an easy project. To make this project you will need the aforementioned container, AA battery holder, 1 or 2 solar panels rated 4 volts or above, and a blocking diode. The tools that are required are a soldering iron, solder, tape, safety goggles, and some wire.
With the small amount of time and money that this project needs we think it is definitely something worth doing even if it will only charge AA batteries.
Check out the post on Instructables, for the DIY instructions.
For some more solar powered fun, check out these posts:
- Green Dollhouses Complete with Solar Power and LEDs
- Tech Devices That Never Need New Batteries
- Making Your Own Solar Panels For Your Home
(Image: Instructables User JoshuaZimmerman licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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Though this may be handy to use in some situations be aware that if used on a regular basis this thing will fry your batteries. There is no circuit to prevent over charging, which can cause the batteries to explode. Plus this is feeding it 80mA (2 panels at 80mA going to two batteries) which is less than half of what you should be using, 95% of NiMH batteries should be charged at 200mA current.
Definitely handy, but why not just be prepared with a real solar charger of some sort? Much more durable (not to mention, easier to grab in an emergency). A great option is the Solar iCharge (www.solaricharge.com). It functions as an iPhone battery extender, durable case and solar charger backup.
Something most accessory solar chargers don't tell you: it can take between 3-4 days of adequate sunlight to garner a full charge (not the 2-3 hours that some claim). Believe me, we've tested the heck out of this thing. So just be sure you keep it charged in case there's an emergency and you can't afford to wait 3-4 days.