Solar power charging??

[Josiah S]

Hello, first off I hope this is the right topic to put this thread on, but anyways my family lives in Haiti and when we are at our house we have electricity, but when we go out on work projects to put roofs on churches and schools there is no electricity except a generator that maybe runs once for an hour or so in the 3 or so days we are there. I like to take my MA2 with me to get neat shots of the mountains or whatever is in that area. I only have one battery. I ordered another one that is coming in the mail but it takes at least 2 weeks for anything to get here. I was wondering if there is an efficient way to buy or make a solar panel charger for dji MA2 or any other Mavic batteries. I do not want to harm the batteries with inconsistent power and very slow charging either, I would like it to be very efficient if possible. Has anybody ever done this?? Is it possible?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Howard70]

I charge my MA2 with solar, but indirectly. Solar panels on the roof of our truck charge the house batteries and I use DJI's 12 volt "car" charger to charge the MA2 batteries from those house batteries.

I feel that indirect solar charging is usually better than trying to directly charge from a solar panel. The output from a solar panel usually goes through a charge controller that adjusts the voltage and/or current to the appropriate values for the charge state of the battery being charged. With the MA2 I don't know of a charge controller that would work for direct charging.

The Mini 2 is another matter as it uses USB charge control and there are many solar panels available that have integrated usb charge controllers. There it would be easier to directly charge the Mini 2 battery via solar. Personally, I would still charge a power bank from the solar panel and then charge the Mini 2 from the power bank. That way the power bank can accept nearly full output from the solar panel. In some cases you could simultaneously charge the power bank while it was charging the Mini 2 - that way solar output beyond what the Mini 2 might accept at any moment is still available for the next Mini 2 battery. Not much use for you though as you have an MA2.

Howard

 

[lannes]

Direct solar charging would take a long time

 

[Josiah S]

Ok. So I guess solar charging might not be an option. Does anybody have any ideas on what I could do?

 

[tlswift58]

Ok. So I guess solar charging might not be an option. Does anybody have any ideas on what I could do?

If you have a vehicle that has an electric outlet - that works. If not, then you'll need an inverter with a electrical plug on it to charge from the car battery. It will be slow, but at least you have a way to charge it.

 

[Josiah S]

The only vehicle we have when we are out working is a big old army truck. I don’t think it has any power outlets.? Lots of times we have to walk a ways to get to the church or the school because there is no road, only a trail that goes up/down the mountain. The only way besides the generator is to solar charge.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

Direct solar charging would take a long time

That would depend entirely on how many watts the solar panel(s) put out. With proper solar panel sizing it could be just as effective as a wall plug in.

All you would need is a 12v auto or motorcycle battery, a charge controller and a panel. You will need to decide how efficient you want the system and size your panel(s) accordingly. As mentioned you can get a 12v car charger your your batteries.

If you want a super portable system, they make roll-able solar panels, although a bit more expensive. We used this type to charge all of out electronics when kayaking in Mexico.

 

[tlswift58]

The only vehicle we have when we are out working is a big old army truck. I don’t think it has any power outlets.? Lots of times we have to walk a ways to get to the church or the school because there is no road, only a trail that goes up/down the mountain. The only way besides the generator is to solar charge.

No outlets is fine. Simply hook up a power inverter to take 12v DC to 110v AC and you're there. Many campers do this to provide power when out in the boondocks.

 

[Howard70]

If the truck is an “old army truck” check the voltage before hooking up - many older military trucks are 24 volts.

 

[Eagle928]

No outlets is fine. Simply hook up a power inverter to take 12v DC to 110v AC and you're there. Many campers do this to provide power when out in the boondocks.

This is the best solution. If you want to take it up a notch then get a marine deep cell battery to use with the inverter and your charger. A sequential multiple battery charger would also be a plus.

You might be able to recharge 10-15 batteries this way. Also it doesn't even have to be a full car-sized marine battery. The kind they use in scooters for disabled people work fine too.

Then simply recharge the marine battery as needed. If the truck will handle it; you can even let it recharge the marine battery on the way out and back.

 

[dronerdave]

Get a good smaller 55-75 amp hour AGM battery and a small inverter with enough wattage to run your DJI brick charger and recharge your phone and/or computer. You'll have to have a 110 vAC (or whatever your home voltage is) AGM battery charger at home to recharge the battery when you get back. An old ice chest can work to house the battery and a small alligator clip type inverter can power your DJI brick. AGM batteries can sit fully charged for a few months, can be installed in various positions and recharge quicker than most wet cell types plus are maintenance free. You could probably get away with a 35 amp hour battery but you really do not want to discharge an AGM battery past 50% state of charge so that should be factored in.

They do make high dollar battery power supplies such as Goal-Zero or others priced less.
I'd think being around water that you can get trolling motor type AGM batteries for a reasonable price. Maybe even a actual fishing battery box but DYO solution is pretty simple and the cheapest route. The one pictured is for a large trolling motor motor battery. Has a little battery gauge. Some have built in 12vDC ports as shown.

 

[Josiah S]

I was thinking about getting a coupla high capacity battery packs and put them together.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

There's been a fair amount of threads on this in the past.
Post 11, dronerdave good solution if you have the solar panel and controller already.

You can either purchase an inverter to power your normal mains charger, or run a 12v charger off the battery or cigarette lighter plug.

Just watch power voltage needs of the MA2 charger, though I believe it is less than the requirements of say the M2P or old Mavics like mine (M1P), which need 13.1v otherwise they won't cope.

See this post I did in another thread . . .
Charging Batteries in Car?

You could use the 12v charger off the trucks battery (12v) / batteries (if 24v using single battery hook up, not from outlet etc).
Just don't drain the battery to where the truck won't start, your work colleagues might not be happy !

Search here on things like > charge charging battery car < > charge charging battery off grid < > charge charging battery hike hiking < . . . you will get lots of reading material to see if anything helps further.

 

[joeywestside]

Getting a 12v charger is much more power efficient than running an inverter to charger off of 110v, especially if you're planning to use a cheap inverter. Inverters can use a lot of power themselves, sometimes exceeding the power needed for your chargers. However, you want to make sure you get a pure sine wave inverter if you go that route since the cleaner power is much safer for electronics (this is the route I take).

 

[kingston]

There was an article in a Canadian Paddling Mag for the Mavic Air. They went from Goal Zero Nomad 28 panel to a power pack, their Sherpa 100. I do not have familiarity with either product.

Issue 62

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I am looking to charge my Mavic Pro 2... I tried charging with a solar panel to the 12V car plug in off a 7.5W panel... lights came on... but not sure if anyone was home.... more testing required. My 7.5W panel is great for cellphone, GPS, and power packs... I am a canoe tripper so when off grid, no motors....

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I tried charging with a solar panel to the 12V car plug in off a 7.5W panel... lights came on... but not sure if anyone was home.

Your charger most likely needs higher voltage output, it would be similar to my M1P charger I imagine, the hub needs 13.05v, higher than any resting 12v battery.

While driving and alternator keeping the circuitry charge level around 14v, I could charge fine with the 12v DJI car charger.
Once stopped, vehicle voltage goes down to 12.7v or so resting state very fast, then the charger would cut in and out . . . I never did get a drone battery to charge in those circumstances.

Once I made and used the 12v to 13.8v step converter as in my link in post 13 above, never another problem.

 

[Beerhunter341]

What about getting a power pack? Something like this that you could take with you. At least you would get a few charges in. Not recommending this one, just using it as an example.

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[MAvic_South_Oz]

What about getting a power pack? Something like this that you could take with you. At least you would get a few charges in. Not recommending this one, just using it as an example.

JS1003 - 15,000 mAh, 800A, 12V, Portable Jump Starter & Battery Pack - Up to 6.0L Gas Engine - Free Shipping & Lifetime Warranty - XenonPro.com

JS1003 - 15,000 mAh, 800A, 12V, Portable Jump Starter & Battery Pack - Up to 6.0L Gas Engine - Free Shipping & Lifetime Warranty. Easy Plug-n-Play Installation, Fits Right Into Your Vehicle.

www.xenonpro.com

With a cable cigarette light plug like this ?

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Would work IF the voltage for a particular charger is around 12v - 12.5v . . . not the M1P, MP2 for sure, without a step converter.
(Not sure what voltage the OPs MA2 charger requires.)

My Spark charger does ok on lower voltages than 13.05v, suppose some of the later smaller battery DJI chargers may too.

 

[bugg creecy]

No outlets is fine. Simply hook up a power inverter to take 12v DC to 110v AC and you're there. Many campers do this to provide power when out in the boondocks.

Make sure it is a pure sine wave inverter not a modified shine wave I know from experience I'm all solar at my house