Solar-powered Phone / Tablet / Device Charger

thingiverse

After being let down by pricey commercial solar chargers (expensive + slow-to-charge + heavy) I decided to put my creative skills to use making something that delivered more power with less weight. The easiest way to shed pounds was to scrap any kind of battery storage - this will be a direct-charging device. To create my project, I sourced a cheap 6-Volt / 2-Watt solar panel + a 12-Volt USB car charger. I took apart the USB charger, removed (desoldered) the cigarette socket components, and wired it to my solar panel. Although it's designed for a nominal 12-Volt input, the charger works just fine down to anything above 5-Volts. The files attached contain a surround / bumper for the finished device - mainly to protect and reinforce it. The parts are stuck together with double-sided sticky tape (and possibly spin-welded). The panel is stuck on one side with VHB foam tape. The charger is glued onto the other side using hot glue or Sugru. Miscellaneous Notes: The end result is not waterproof! It can be used safely inside a clear polythene bag, although you might see about a 20% drop in power output. The slots on the box are meant to hold Popsicle sticks (to keep the panel at an angle). Since I didn't have any handy, my photo shows how it works with bamboo skewers. You're recommended to use Popsicle sticks. The tabs on the tapered end allow you to attach the device to a backpack (in case you find yourself in need of juice while walking with the sun behind you). The files attached assume a solar panel that is approximately 136mm x 110mm (which was a pretty common size when I was shopping for mine). In my test, the resulting device charges my phone roughly twice as fast as my friend's store-bought charger. UPDATE: The Thing you see here has just returned from New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail where it performed perfectly and made it through the entire 3000km journey without any issues.