Wise Old Owl
01-19-2012, 09:48
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by darkage
Hi wise old owl,
I've heard from several sources you're the person i should talk to about my upcoming thru and the choice to use the goal zero nomad adventure 10 ... I'm looking to keep my batteries charged in my headlamp and camara and keep my phone around 50%+ ... I don't use it hiking often at all, in fact its off all day untill i need to find a place of buisness or check in with the wife ... I'm thinking if i got 25% charge every few days, i'd be happy ... i had planed on setting it out while i eat lunch, rest at overlooks or naps in fields ... i wanna stay off grid so i can hike and enjoy nature more, but still plan on donating to hostels for shower's and washing clothes ... but overnight kept to a minimum ... its just the way i wanna do my hike ... my exceptions are low, i hear 2-3 hours full charge 4 AA and i can charge my iPhone twice off that, then my headlamp lasts about 2 weeks on a set of 3 AAA ... so i'll beable to charge another set and have those ready when the others die ... I'm just looking for your opinion and maybe you can help me out before i purchase the unit in the next few weeks ... thanks! darkage, fights with rainwater.
Reply
The reasoning behind why folk sent you to me is due to my playing with second generation thin film solar cells - and a deep background in electronics. Actually your expectations are high - and we have had many posts on the subject over the years on Whiteblaze. I choose to build my own circuits and figured out I am spending more in the long run than an outright purchase. In preparing this answer for your post I discovered there are a lot of 1st generation Chinese knockoffs out there that appear cheap and frequently fry after a few months because they are not diode protected. The battery pumps energy back into the cell when the sun is not directly on the panel - shortening the life of the panel.
My current working theory is that the larger sized panels put on a backpack that are second generation will capture enough ambient sunlight to change anything during the course of a 12 hour day regardless of the "green mile therory of naysayers" I have tested this to death at home with cloudy days and sunsets and its sound. Keep in mind that the more items that you want to charge that they really need to be done one at a time. Charge the phone one day and the Mp3 or headlamp the next... This is not so awkward as it sounds, the rechargeable lithium batteries have dramatically improved over the years. The headlamps have reduced to sipping electricity instead of gulping like a flashlight.
The Phone
As for the tech look at the charge times on what you want to do... if it says the phone battery can charge in 4-6 hours make it 8 -10 and realize that your expected talk time will be divided in half. I would rather see you move the phone to being connected all day then charge a external battery then slip charge the phone. The battery in the phone should be replaced every year with a new certified brand battery, a two year old battery in a phone has a defined age problem from everyday use. Most iPhones will hold the charge 2 days. That's old school but reduces the losses involved.
The Headlamp
I firmly believe that you won't have any problems with the headlamp.
The Camera - I have played with this for two years and somehow came up with the wrong answer for a while. The larger heavier digital from three years ago with high performance AA batteries - eats batteries for lunch. You have to ask yourself if you are a light user or a heavy one.... Sure you might get 100 photos over a month or two and that's why you do not need rechargeable in the camera. Use E2 Lithium instead.
I just got a Nikon Cool Pix 10x wide zoom 16 mpix s6200 Model NICPS6200R and charged it Christmas night - I have taken lots of photos and a video and its still on the first charge, its smaller - lighter - pocket to hand friendly and left it in the car on a single digit cold night. - works great... With that power packed battery that was included - there is no doubt that this is a better way to go I can charge it on the trail - but won't need too.
Peace
Woo.
Hi wise old owl,
I've heard from several sources you're the person i should talk to about my upcoming thru and the choice to use the goal zero nomad adventure 10 ... I'm looking to keep my batteries charged in my headlamp and camara and keep my phone around 50%+ ... I don't use it hiking often at all, in fact its off all day untill i need to find a place of buisness or check in with the wife ... I'm thinking if i got 25% charge every few days, i'd be happy ... i had planed on setting it out while i eat lunch, rest at overlooks or naps in fields ... i wanna stay off grid so i can hike and enjoy nature more, but still plan on donating to hostels for shower's and washing clothes ... but overnight kept to a minimum ... its just the way i wanna do my hike ... my exceptions are low, i hear 2-3 hours full charge 4 AA and i can charge my iPhone twice off that, then my headlamp lasts about 2 weeks on a set of 3 AAA ... so i'll beable to charge another set and have those ready when the others die ... I'm just looking for your opinion and maybe you can help me out before i purchase the unit in the next few weeks ... thanks! darkage, fights with rainwater.
Reply
The reasoning behind why folk sent you to me is due to my playing with second generation thin film solar cells - and a deep background in electronics. Actually your expectations are high - and we have had many posts on the subject over the years on Whiteblaze. I choose to build my own circuits and figured out I am spending more in the long run than an outright purchase. In preparing this answer for your post I discovered there are a lot of 1st generation Chinese knockoffs out there that appear cheap and frequently fry after a few months because they are not diode protected. The battery pumps energy back into the cell when the sun is not directly on the panel - shortening the life of the panel.
My current working theory is that the larger sized panels put on a backpack that are second generation will capture enough ambient sunlight to change anything during the course of a 12 hour day regardless of the "green mile therory of naysayers" I have tested this to death at home with cloudy days and sunsets and its sound. Keep in mind that the more items that you want to charge that they really need to be done one at a time. Charge the phone one day and the Mp3 or headlamp the next... This is not so awkward as it sounds, the rechargeable lithium batteries have dramatically improved over the years. The headlamps have reduced to sipping electricity instead of gulping like a flashlight.
The Phone
As for the tech look at the charge times on what you want to do... if it says the phone battery can charge in 4-6 hours make it 8 -10 and realize that your expected talk time will be divided in half. I would rather see you move the phone to being connected all day then charge a external battery then slip charge the phone. The battery in the phone should be replaced every year with a new certified brand battery, a two year old battery in a phone has a defined age problem from everyday use. Most iPhones will hold the charge 2 days. That's old school but reduces the losses involved.
The Headlamp
I firmly believe that you won't have any problems with the headlamp.
The Camera - I have played with this for two years and somehow came up with the wrong answer for a while. The larger heavier digital from three years ago with high performance AA batteries - eats batteries for lunch. You have to ask yourself if you are a light user or a heavy one.... Sure you might get 100 photos over a month or two and that's why you do not need rechargeable in the camera. Use E2 Lithium instead.
I just got a Nikon Cool Pix 10x wide zoom 16 mpix s6200 Model NICPS6200R and charged it Christmas night - I have taken lots of photos and a video and its still on the first charge, its smaller - lighter - pocket to hand friendly and left it in the car on a single digit cold night. - works great... With that power packed battery that was included - there is no doubt that this is a better way to go I can charge it on the trail - but won't need too.
Peace
Woo.