PV Gap

Laura Said:

need information on chargers phone,laptop for a project i need to know volts watts amps Hz that stuff?

We Answered:

Solar panels are Direct current devices. They CAN be used to charge batteries of anything that uses rechargable batteries. Including laptops and DC powered televisions. Charging voltages are critical. There are dedicated foldable chargers available for different battery sizes, like AA, C, D and others, the company that manufactures them is Power film, and they are here: http://www.powerfilmsolar.com They have links to some of their vendors for their dedicated chargers.

You can get small panels here:
http://www.northerntool.com Just look in "Alternative Energy"

Watts is simply your Volts multiplied by Amps. When you see a wattage rating on a light bulb, or an appliance- that is how much power they are rated to consume to operate.

DC can be converted to AC, via an inverter.

When charging batteries, there are specific requirements for each battery type. Those used in cell phones and some MP3 players are very sensitive in charging rate and voltage applied- apply too much power, you can blow them up.

In fact, solar panels are rated with a nominal rating for power output, and under conditions will exceeded their rated output. Depending how the cell is configured, a 12 volt cell in the right conditions will produce 19 volts with no load applied to it. As your array gets larger, you need to control current output in event of a short circuit, and you need to control the voltage output to protect the battery. Many times these are simply called a "controller."

Radio Shack used to sell a "Solar Power Lab," and they may still carry it, I have not been in one of those stores for years.

You can get an idea of how they are installed in the home setting, which you can adapt it's scale to a scale model for demonstration. Lots of information here: http://www.builditsolar.com

It is an area where you need to know a lot of things about electricity and electronics to work with the technology competently when you get to larger scale installations of several thousands of watts.

Brian Said:

I'm using a Coleman CL-300 solar charger and an Enercell sealed lead-acid battery (12VC, 5Ah) together?

We Answered:

What IS the peak power produced by the solar panel? I looked it up and it is a 4.5 watt unit, which means it generates 300 mA at the most, probably a lot less.

A true trickle charge is, at the most, 1/300 of the amp-hour capacity, or 17 mA, according to one reference. But check the battery manufacturer's recommendations. But a trickle charger is not used to recharge a battery, it's used to keep the charge on the battery at peak value.

So you need more than the 17 mA to charge the battery, but without a charge controller, you have to be careful not to overcharge it. 300 mA would recharge the battery, if it were half depleted in about 16 hours, 32 hours if fully depleted.

I'd bring along a small voltmeter to monitor the charge on the battery. Typical numbers (disconnect everything from the battery and let rest for a few hours)
100% 12.7v
80% 12.4v
60% 12.2
40% 11.9
20% 11.6

I'd leave the charger disconnected until the voltage drops below 12 volts. And then let it charge for 1 full day and check it again.

Be warned that the voltage also changes with temperature, so if it's not close to 70F, then you need new numbers. A 40F variation will cause about a 0.5v change in the above numbers.

.

Adrian Said:

Is there Such Thing as Global Satellite Internet for Laptops??

We Answered:

Yes..go to your local verizon store (or another cell phone provider that sells internet)..they make things that slide into your expansion port..its just like a cell phone--you can get internet almost everywhere..and yes, it is from a satellite.