the advantage of power

I've been looking out for a portable charger like this, since my batteries too frequently die as I'm running out the door.

Energizer must have read my mind with the Energi To Go IPod Charger.
This thing holds two AA batteries and snaps directly onto the IPod like a small backpack, and blinks a blue LED while charging. It came packaged with two lithium cells that they claim will run my music for approximately 40 hours, but I plan to run with my rechargeable AA cells. I was able to re-charge twice using my NiMH batteries before the charge light went out.

I already have my solar panel charging batteries. I thought it a poor idea to leave my expensive gadgets outside all day. By my estimate, the rechargeable AA battery is nearly a perfect size, cheap, and highly available. Even more available than a power-outlet for outdoor listeners like myself.

At $29 retail, this is not the cheapest IPod power-pack out there. However, this 3 ounce charger does fold up nicely and carry a brand name I know.

The quality of the build & finish is ok, but does not match that of the IPod, or even it's wall charger. The IPod needs to come out of it's protective sleeve for charging, and the attachment to the charger is just a friction fit. These are aspects that Energizer should consider improving with future designs, but I am thankful that it is black and has no external wires. Seeing the other Energizer designs, I see it could have been worse.

For those thinking about personalization, I've noticed the outer shell, the battery cover, can be removed without tools. That would be easy enough to paint; one would need to mask off a little LED window. Also, with a bit more work it might be possible to integrate this unit into a plastic case for more secure attachment to, and protection for the IPod.

my free trip around the Sun

Using solar energy is getting easier and less expensive each day. Now I can charge all my gadgets while camping, or even during a power cut. I thought one universal charger would be more cost effective than many solar gadgets, and so after some research, here is my solution.

The Brunton Solaris i6 is a 12v, 6.5W solar panel that comes with a great selection of connectors including a 5.5mm coaxial DC plug and a 12v auto plug. I've had one small panel hanging in the greenhouse with bungee cords for a few months, but I understand a few of these panels can be linked together and I do look forward to trying that next.

The Duracell Powerpack 600 is a 28 Amp-Hr battery with lots of included goodies including 115 VAC and 12 VDC auto outlets, an AC charger, light, and a even a clock radio. It also has a jack for a 5.5mm plug and a handle for lugging it around. The instructions for the Powerpack specify as much as 2.5 Amp or 30W can be used for charging, but the built-in AC charger is only 0.3 Amp; it appears to handle a wide range of power levels for charging.

Together these two items become a pico utility company. A gas generator is smelly and loud, so I plan to try this little system instead. I can charge the cell-phones, ipods, camera, and even run the laptop. Previously, I had a combo smaller than this, based on a motorcycle battery; on the larger side, these things could require a forklift.

UPDATE: I've found the 12v auto plug is the better way to charge this setup. Since my solar panel is only 6W, I get more efficient charging not using that built-in charging circuit. I can't explain why the 5.5mm adapter is charging slowly, I can only guess that it isn't putting all that power into the battery.

The battery's on-board %capacity meter only moves in increments of 10 and is difficult to see in daylight. You have to hold a button for a second to get the display to read-out and only when the 5.5mm plug is disconnected; no disconnect is required when using the 12v plug.

Using the 12v auto plug and the built-in meter, I refilled about 10% capacity in one sunny day, 2.8 Ah. That stat seems about right for this solar panel.

UPDATE 2: A USB port should fit into the 12v auto plug; this should remedy one problem.  I also think the 6W panel is too weak, so I've started looking for something more powerful.  I don't really have the patience to wait 4 hours to charge a device.