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Revisiting Solar Power

stevenc20063

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I have come across this solar charger on Amazon. I am attaching the link in this thread with the hopes that someone who has a more firm grasp on the power requirements of our drones can tell me if :
1) Will this power the smart charger enough to charge a Mavic Pro battery ?

2) Would you use it's 12v plug and connect that to one of DJI's car chargers or what setup would you recommend ?
A reputable reviewer's link:
Instapark Review 2017 | Best Portable Solar Chargers

The Amazon link :
Amazon.com: Instapark Mercury27 Portable & Foldable 27 Watts Solar Battery Charger with DC 12V Output: Automotive
 
If it really does 27W it would allow charging a battery in 1h30-2h in ideal conditions, but I've rarely seen such a consumer solar panel actually reach its marketed rating. I have a "14W" one but get at best about 9-10W out of it.
The "review" really isn't a review at all and gives absolutely no useful information.
It is not clear if the output is regulated or not and thus whether you could use the car charger and if not what else would be suitable.
 
Ok. So I could try and scour the internet for a more technical analysis of the panel and post any info, maybe some actual consumer reviews....would that help ?

Edit:
At such a low price I am tempted to buy it just to do a review of my own on it. This may help others in the search for portable power....the worst thing that could happen is it would not charge, right ? In that event it WILL charge other devices. I plan on going on a 3-5 day backpack trip and would like to take the Mavic , but as we all know it is a power thirsty little hog.
 
Apparently there are multiple models. This link gives a bit more technical information. Will this help ?

Instapark Solar Panels Review (5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, 30W,50W, 80W, All Black 100W Monocrystalline,130W, 180W, 360W ), 12V charge controller, Solar Charger Review | Green World Investor



30W Mono-crystalline Solar v Panel With a 12V Charger Controller
  • Monocrystalline cells
  • Power (Pmax) : 30 Watt
  • Dimension 21-1/2 x 17-1/4 x 1-1/8 “
  • Maximum power voltage ( Vpm ) : 17.5V ; Maximum Power Current: 1.68A
  • Open circuit voltage ( Voc ) : 21.95V
  • Cable lengths : 12.5″
  • Charge controller prevents overcharging of 12-volt batteries
 
It won't charge your Mavic flight battery, at least not with the DJI branded car charger and probably not with the aftermarket ones.

Peak current when charging the battery is about 5 amps IIRC and if the power supply can't deliver it, the battery doesn't charge - it'll just sit there blinking it's lights and doing nothing. Most of the charging circuitry and intelligence is in the battery, so this likely applies with the cheap aftermarket car chargers as well.

27 watts is about 2.25 amps, nowhere near enough.
 
Solar chargers are certainly comfortable, but there is no way to get the right power for charging a drone .. I`m not sure that you can find something suitable in stores. has never before interested in this type of chargers, but surfing on the Internet gave only the most usual models from 3.5v to 27v. Such charges are good for cameras, phones and other things that do not require a large current at the output. I'm not a technician, but I only see one option as you can get what you want - do it yourself. I think here must be quite knowledgeable people (I do not rule out the fact that you understand the "hardware" well too) that would solve this problem. I wondered if it was possible to build something suitable. I found a small "how-to" in which the author tells how to make a small solar charge, it does not look very difficult and you just need to increase the power. In general, share your thoughts on this topic, maybe I'm wrong and it's impossible to assemble the desired device by oneself)
"How to" I`ve mentioned - How to Make a Solar USB Charger! (simple!)
 
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