PieFedI bought a portable 30W solar panel to get ready for the apocalypse
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I’m only half kidding. I’m a bit of a prepper and I have lots of powerbanks and devices that charge from USB but besides idling my truck I really had no other way to charge any of them in case of a long-term power outage which seemed a bit of an oversight on my part.
Not like this solves the issue. 30 watts (under ideal conditions) isn’t much but it’s a start.
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You’re already doing better than most by testing your gear and knowing what it can do BEFORE you have to rely on it, so good work.
I would suggest investing in a charge controller if your panel or power bank doesn’t have one built in. The power delivery from a panel fluctuates with the amount of light it receives. A charge controller will ensure your connected devices receive clean, constant current, which will greatly extend their lifespan.
Depending on your setup, I might also suggest exploring some kind of mechanical backup, like a hand crank or a modified bicycle to get you through overcast days.
Solar is a lot of fun to tinker with.
I got a good deal on a 30000mAh fire-hazard for 16 euros that I’m charging with it and I then charge my devices off that. The panel just has a standard USB outlet.
Nice, that’s a good deal. If the panel just has a single USB, I would guess there’s no internal regulator; it seems to be one of those panels that just gives you the juice and relies on you to manage it. With the price point of that power bank, it doesn’t seem like it would have one either. I’m sure the spec sheet or manual will tell you for sure.
If you don’t care about that cheap power bank, then you can abuse it until it misbehaves then replace it. If you want to protect it, prepare for a bigger bank, or just tinker with your setup, a charge controller for a system your size should be around half the price of your power bank.
Those big Jackery boxes and others claim to not need one. But they’re also like $2,000. A charge controller is like $10. To me, it seems worth the $10, even if it does ultimately do “nothing”.