- Latest generation ultra efficient monocrystalline solar cell module.
- Charge most of USB-compatible portable gadgets
- Built-in high-flux LED lamp for indoor/outdoor activities and SOS use.
- Built-in rechargeable lithium battery will hold a charge for up to 2 years, making it suitable for emergency use
- Can be charged from sunlight, USB port or a wall plug
Since I'm an engineer, I just HAVE to open the case to see what's inside. I'm quite impressed by the high-quality components found (see the photo I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section):
The internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery is rated 3.7V 4100mAh (the product description says '4000mAh')
The LEDs are mounted on an aluminum-backed PCB. This is great for thermal dissipation (but you don't see this very often due to high cost)
The battery charging/discharging operation is controlled by an 8-bit microprocessor (again, you don't see this often due to high cost). This is very important because, without the correct charging algorithm, a Li-ion battery can be easily damaged by over-charging.
I then tested the unit electrically, and found it to work more or less as expected:
When you recharge the internal battery through a computer USB port, the charging current is at 500mA. This is limited by the current capacity of a standard USB port. So the charge time is around 8-9 hours.
When charging through an external 5V 1A USB power adapter, the battery charging current increases to 0.69A. That means the charge time is reduced to around 6-7 hours.
When charging with the solar panel, the highest charging current I can get is ~350mA. This is under optimal test condition of bright summer sun at noon time, with the panel perpendicular to the sunbeam. In real life, it will take at least two full days of direct sunlight to recharge the internal battery. Also note that if you place the solar panel inside your car, the charging current is cut by half because the car window filters out most of the UV light.
Next, I tried to use this Soladec unit to recharge different types of USB-powered devices. The outcome varies according to the power requirement:
When charging a low-drain USB device (such as the Philips GoGear Aria MP3 Player), the USB device is powered up correctly, but the Soladec's LED indicator light does not cycle to show 'charging in progress'
When charging a medium-drain USB device (such as the Nintendo DSi XL), the device is powered up correctly, and the Soladec's LED indicator cycles to show charging in progress.
When powering a high-drain USB device (such as the VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet VTAB1008), the Soladec's LED indicator still cycles normally, but its output current fluctuates wildly because the maximum current limit is exceeded. This may cause the receiving device to get confused as it constantly enters and then exits charging mode. Actual maximum output current I measured is around 0.81A, even though the product manual says only 0.5A. So at least the product is performing better than specified.
When ON, the LED light draws 200mA from the battery. This means a runtime of 20 hours. However, I'm skeptical about the advertised light output of '170 lumen', as it requires an amazing efficacy of over 200 lumens per watt.
On the other hand, I have noticed some major design flaws with this Solardec charger:
1. There is no on/off switch. The push button switch beside the LED light does not turn off the whole system, only the light. The system is constantly drawing a 3mA standby current from internal battery. Simple calculation shows that this standby current will drain a 4100mAh battery in less than 2 months. So although the product description says the built-in battery will "hold a charge for up to 2 years", in real life you have to recharge it every single month, if you intend to use it in case of emergency.
2. The case is not weather-sealed in any way. In particular, there are no rubber caps for the two USB ports on top. So if it rains, water can easily get in through those openings. That makes it dangerous to leave this solar charger outdoor exposed to direct sunlight. The only safe way is to place it underneath your car's windshield. But doing so also cuts down the solar power by ~50%. So now it takes 4 days to fully recharge the internal battery by solar panel.
CONCLUSION:
The Soladec SD4000LP is a good attempt with quality components inside. But unfortunately, the two major design flaws mentioned above make it less useful either as an emergency power source or as an outdoor solar charger. It does work well as a LED work light, but that can hardly justify its high price tag. That's why I can only give it a 3-star neutral rating, meaning "It's Okay".
[Side note on capacity]
Is the capacity of internal battery (4100mAh) sufficient for you? That depends on the USB device you intend to recharge. For example, my POLAROID 7" INTERNET TABLET has an internal 3000mAh Li-ion battery. So on first glance, the SD4000LP contains more than enough energy to charge up my tablet from empty to 100%. However, the battery charging process has to go though two conversion steps. First, the 3.7V from internal battery is boosted to 5V at the USB port. Next, the 5V is stepped down to around 4V to recharge the tablet battery. Even if each conversion step is 85% efficient, you still lose 30% of energy in the process. That's why you always need 1/3 higher capacity than the device you want to recharge.The biggest problem I found with solar chargers is they never get your phone past 50%, this is the only charger I have found that will take it to 100% in the same amount of time as a wall charger. The battery in the solar unit takes 7 hours to charge plugged in and 12 hours to charge using solar, and it never has any problems keeping up with any of my devises.
I'm a hiker and I'll use the GPS on my iPhone 4S to navigate through to wood in the Sierras, and for all of you iPhone 4S users out there you know how short the battery life can be, it actually drops off on average a percent a minute so I needed a heavy duty solar charger. Even with the high power consumption, as long as I stay plugged in my phone never drops below 100%, even at night when I'm using the GPS and the rediculiously bright light all nigh long. The light is also amazing, from a 12 hour charge it will run 18 hours and will stay bright the entire night. So to sum it all up, I actually couldn't pull more power than it could put out, it always felt like there was a wall outlet in my tent becouse no matter what I did I couldn't kill the thing! It was well worth every penny spent
This new Soladec Hybrid solar powered charger, has Outdoor Chef Kurt ,ready to hit the outdoors,with confidence.
The new Micro-B USB type port allows the unit a wider variety of charging options. The distress signal from the LED light,could save your life, in all sorts of instances, if needed.
The new charge indicator, lets you know when to charge up, the unit . The electronics inside the charger ,that makes it work , have been super charged, for better efficiency overall.
Pros/// Dependable power when you need it most ,quality construction for durability.
Cons// price is a little higher ,but it is well worth it ,with quality and dependability ,and maybe your life at stake. When outdoors, in remote places.
it is important to have a dependable product , that will harness the suns power,that is why I give this new Soladec Solar Charger my highest reccomendation. 5 ***** {FISHGRILLER APPROVED}This is an excellent product. The flashlight is super bright and lasts all night long (if you don't use all the battery for charging your devices). I live on an off-grid sustainable organic farm in Hawaii and I use this every night for reading. It's the first solar USB charger I've ever owned so I have none to compare it with but I am very satisfied and this little gadget meets my particular needs. Hope this is helpful. Oh, and I use it to charge my HTC Resound cell phone.
Update: It does require full sunlight for best results. And now that I'm in a new location that doesn't receive full sunlight it requires much longer to charge a device.
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This is for all you iPhone 4S users out there...if you're like me, your phone keeps dying in the middle of the day or when your day isn't anywhere near over and it gets pretty frustrating pretty quick.This my friends is the solution to all of our problems... be honest I wasn't expecting a whole lot from a solar powered backup battery charger for my iPhone 4S, but on a full charge this thing...it really does replace a wall socket.
I would highly recommend this backup battery for anyone who is tired of their iPhone battery dying on them.
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