Solar charger for lithium and nimh cells

novarider · Mar 24, 2019

I'm looking for a solar charger that can charge my li-ion and nimh/eneloop batteries. I don't mind a slow charger and 1 or 2 at a time is fine as well. If they have to be separate I already have a nitecore f1 I can use for the li-ion but it won't work on nimh and I'll still need a solar panel. I have an opus BT 3100 and a nitecore d4 but I doubt I can run them on a portable solar panel.

What would you suggest?

trailhunter · Mar 24, 2019

novarider said:
I'm looking for a solar charger that can charge my li-ion and nimh/eneloop batteries. I don't mind a slow charger and 1 or 2 at a time is fine as well. If they have to be separate I already have a nitecore f1 I can use for the li-ion but it won't work on nimh and I'll still need a solar panel. I have an opus BT 3100 and a nitecore d4 but I doubt I can run them on a portable solar panel.

What would you suggest?

In what setting? I use a Goal Zero Boulder 100BC panels with Goal Zero 100AC. The panels stay in the jeep but the charger goes with me.

lion504 · Mar 24, 2019

Check out PowerFilm. You can direct connect your Opus BT-3100 via 12 volt to USB.

novarider · Mar 24, 2019

I don't have any solar panels currently, I need those too.

parametrek · Mar 24, 2019

What is the use case for them? If it is for at your home in case of a power outage you might as well get a decently sized panel. 50W to 100W or so. They are much cheaper and you'll be able to use it for bigger things like powering your internet router. If it is to carry with you then don't bother. Pound for pound spare batteries outperform solar panels. Eventually solar panels pull ahead of batteries but at lengths of time where you can't reasonably carry the food you'd need to outlast the batteries. The major exception here is if you are traveling by vehicle. Then there isn't any weight penalty and a very small space penalty. And in that case you might as well get a decently sized normal panel in the 20W to 50W range. But.... it is debatable if you should bother since you're in a vehicle with a battery and alternator. I've written an essay on this if you are curious about the math.

lion504 · Mar 24, 2019

parametrek said:
What is the use case for them? If it is for at your home in case of a power outage you might as well get a decently sized panel. 50W to 100W or so. They are much cheaper and you'll be able to use it for bigger things like powering your internet router. If it is to carry with you then don't bother. Pound for pound spare batteries outperform solar panels. Eventually solar panels pull ahead of batteries but at lengths of time where you can't reasonably carry the food you'd need to outlast the batteries. The major exception here is if you are traveling by vehicle. Then there isn't any weight penalty and a very small space penalty. And in that case you might as well get a decently sized normal panel in the 20W to 50W range. But.... it is debatable if you should bother since you're in a vehicle with a battery and alternator. I've written an essay on this if you are curious about the math.

Good logic. The Powerfilm 60 watt is pretty good if you're space constrained, like in a BOB.

novarider · Mar 24, 2019

parametrek said:
What is the use case for them? If it is for at your home in case of a power outage you might as well get a decently sized panel. 50W to 100W or so. They are much cheaper and you'll be able to use it for bigger things like powering your internet router. If it is to carry with you then don't bother. Pound for pound spare batteries outperform solar panels. Eventually solar panels pull ahead of batteries but at lengths of time where you can't reasonably carry the food you'd need to outlast the batteries. The major exception here is if you are traveling by vehicle. Then there isn't any weight penalty and a very small space penalty. And in that case you might as well get a decently sized normal panel in the 20W to 50W range. But.... it is debatable if you should bother since you're in a vehicle with a battery and alternator. I've written an essay on this if you are curious about the math.

I was thinking something I could put in my BOB but use at home as well for extended power outages. I guess I could just convert over to all lithium batteries since I can't seem to find a f1 style charger for Eneloops.

I'm probably going to get the pieces you have linked in that article you wrote. Could that panel run the Opus charger for nimh cells or is it to small?

parametrek · Mar 24, 2019

BOB gear is a hotly debated topic but generally speaking it is just there to get you to your bugout location and isn't intended to support you for more than 3 days. It is easy to carry 3 days of batteries. Solar in a BOB is a bit like carrying heirloom seeds or "rebuild civilization" books or hunting/trapping gear. You don't have time for it when you are on the move and all that heavy stuff is better stockpiled at your bugout locations.

The Powerfilm 60W is absurd. It costs $700 and weighs 1.2 kilograms. 50 18650 cells weigh just as much. Normal solar panels are 10x cheaper.

There actually is an F1 style charger that can do NiMH. Check out the Armytek Handy C1 Pro. The non-Pro version can't do NiMH.

I don't recommend buying any of the things that I list in that article. It is more like "least dumb way to jump off a bridge" and not a recommendation to jump off a bridge. Other than the potted wide-input USB regulator. Those are actually pretty nice.

For home power outage stuff get a nice big panel that will be too heavy to carry. Wire up a 5V regulator (USB) and a 12V regulator (car) to the panel and you'll be set.

ChrisGarrett · Mar 24, 2019

I've got both a 60w rigid system with a Morningstar 10-L SunSaver PWM digital charge controller and a 14w folding USB panel. Both work well in different settings: 12v mother batteries and 5v USB devices.

One needs the right tool for the job.

Chris

lion504 · Mar 24, 2019

parametrek said:
BOB gear is a hotly debated topic but generally speaking it is just there to get you to your bugout location and isn't intended to support you for more than 3 days. It is easy to carry 3 days of batteries. Solar in a BOB is a bit like carrying heirloom seeds or "rebuild civilization" books or hunting/trapping gear. You don't have time for it when you are on the move and all that heavy stuff is better stockpiled at your bugout locations.

The Powerfilm 60W is absurd. It costs $700 and weighs 1.2 kilograms. 50 18650 cells weigh just as much. Normal solar panels are 10x cheaper.

There actually is an F1 style charger that can do NiMH. Check out the Armytek Handy C1 Pro. The non-Pro version can't do NiMH.

I don't recommend buying any of the things that I list in that article. It is more like "least dumb way to jump off a bridge" and not a recommendation to jump off a bridge. Other than the potted wide-input USB regulator. Those are actually pretty nice.

For home power outage stuff get a nice big panel that will be too heavy to carry. Wire up a 5V regulator (USB) and a 12V regulator (car) to the panel and you'll be set.

Thanks for giving your opinion. I think the discussion is better for it.

We can agree that it's hotly debated. But I don't think that there's any "generally speaking" when it comes to any of this. Just enthusiast opinions and different use cases. Mode of transportation, distance, speed, weight/capacity, whether or not there is another pre-planned destination, type of disaster, budget, MTBF - these variables are totally different for everyone. If the OP stated any of this (other than 'slow' and 'also use at home'), I must have missed it. Consider the options/opinions, then make your own choices.

For example, my BOB isn't a backpack, and goes in the trunk of my car. And the trunk of my car is space constrained, to a degree. I'm not putting ridgid panels in there. But I can imagine why others might do so.

Perhaps a $600 panel is the same kind of 'normal' absurdity as a $200 flashlight... Wait, which forum is this? Did I post to the wrong one by mistake?

Type A or Type B?

Neither end of the spectrum is right or wrong.

parametrek · Mar 24, 2019

Lion504, a vehicular BOB is very different from one that is carried on your person.

If you bought a Powerfilm product I am sorry. For $50-$200 (depending on how good of a deal you can find) you can get a 30W-100W flexible panel. They are a few millimeters thick and have grommet holes in the corners. It can't be folded but it can easily fit behind a seat or under the trunk carpet. They are very robust since they are meant to be permanently installed on boats and RVs and other vehicles. I'm not saying Powerfilm is bad but they aren't as sturdy or reliable as the normal commercial panels. When you pay 10x as much for an HDS you get a 10x sturdier light. Not so for folding panels.

But if you are in a car it is still a lot more practical to charge your batteries from your car. Or go for a full boondocking camper-style setup and mount the panels on the roof which can be easily done with these flexible panels and some cord.

lion504 · Mar 24, 2019

parametrek said:
Lion504, a vehicular BOB is very different from one that is carried on your person.

Yes, exactly, that is one of the points I was trying to make.

parametrek said:
If you bought a Powerfilm product I am sorry.

Which one did you test?

lion504 · Mar 24, 2019

parametrek said:
I'm not saying Powerfilm is bad but they aren't as sturdy or reliable as the normal commercial panels.

Probably, but I haven't seen any direct comparison or data. More importantly, I think the applications are different. A friend of mine is SOF and used them overseas and recommended them highly. I valued his endorsement. I also like that they're made in the USA. YMMV. I won't try to convince you of the value. Just offered a suggestion to the OP. You provided a different one. If you're happy with your setup, great.

trailhunter · Mar 24, 2019

lion504 said:
Maybe, maybe not. A friend of mine is SOF and used them overseas and recommended them highly.

I've seen people from down under use them.

ChrisGarrett · Mar 24, 2019

The PowerFilm 30w, 60w and even their bigger folding panels are in the military supply chain (NSN) and have been used extensively, to good effect, in Middle Eastern combat theatres.

There's a reason folding panels only come with 2-3 year warranties—the thin wires eventually break after X amount of 'foldings.'

Chris

novarider · Mar 24, 2019

ChrisGarrett said:
I've got both a 60w rigid system with a Morningstar 10-L SunSaver PWM digital charge controller and a 14w folding USB panel. Both work well in different settings: 12v mother batteries and 5v USB devices.

One needs the right tool for the job.

Chris

What folding usb panel do you have?

ChrisGarrett · Mar 25, 2019

novarider said:
What folding usb panel do you have?

Sunkingdom 14w folder. It was $40 a few years back and claims to deliver 2.5A to its USB ports. I have seen 1.75A through my USB amp meter.

The Anker PowerPort 21w is a good one, but about twice the price.

Chris

carl · Apr 5, 2019

I need a home solar charger, doesn't need to be portable, setup next to my window when I need it. Rigid one panel setup which is good but not pricey (I notice Goal Zero Boulder panels are not cheap).
Uses: power a battery charger (18650, 26650, CR2, AA) and a car battery just in case it goes dead.

I see 5V regulators and 12V regulators with various types of connectors which can be confusing.

1) What would be a simple way to set this up with compatible connectors so everything works? Who makes good regulators with connectors compatible with a good rigid panel?

2) I was looking at the Newpowa solar panels with the attached 3 foot wires with bare ends. What type of connectors are generally used for this application?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0159PHIXW/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Thank you for your help!

Solar charger for lithium and nimh cells

novarider

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lion504

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