Is it a bad idea to run your laptop off of this ?

[WyteWatt]

Solar power energy ? Seems like it could help get a laptop to have longer use time when not having access to a plug. I know there are different kinds but the kind I am talking about is where it runs off energy from the sun instantly. There is laptop battery chargers that are solar powered but there not exactly like this. They still look ok though. Is it worth using this or would it damage the laptop or battery ?

 

[imverygifted]

i doubt it would damage the batterys with the newer battery technology but it would take a really long time to charge im guessing since the only thing ive seen solar powered are calculators

 

[WyteWatt]

Thats why I would use the product called Isun but not sure if it would beable to give a laptop enough power sense how powerful laptops are getting.

Not sure how many watts the average laptop takes. Guessing pretty much.

You can daisy chain the Isun for more watts and it gives you energy from the sun instantly when you plug a device into it. Its like a solar power plug I guess you could say.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: imverygifted
i doubt it would damage the batterys with the newer battery technology but it would take a really long time to charge im guessing since the only thing ive seen solar powered are calculators

I've seen two things full of computers that are run off solar power.. Spirit and Opportunity!

I think I read somewhere those things have solar cells that are supposed to generate like 700 watts at their peak. Not sure about their CPUs, but I vaguely remember reading they got 486s which are hardened against radiation.

Imagine some Martian ripping off those panels to run their computers when JPL Mission Control isn't looking, LOL..

 

[SrGuapo]

Originally posted by: imverygifted
i doubt it would damage the batterys with the newer battery technology but it would take a really long time to charge im guessing since the only thing ive seen solar powered are calculators

Solar power can be very powerful. There are homes and even cars that are completely solar powered. However, it would have to be a pretty large panel in order to make eough power, and it wouldn't be very safe (way too hot). I hear they are making new fuel cell packs and are planning on introducing them to laptops and other portable devices.

 

[sharkeeper]

The best way to do this is use a straight PV to charger system and have your batt banks power an inverter that will power your loads.

This is true for SWECS (wind power) as well.

 

[WyteWatt]

Originally posted by: sharkeeper
The best way to do this is use a straight PV to charger system and have your batt banks power an inverter that will power your loads.

This is true for SWECS (wind power) as well.

Could you explain that a little more please? Thanks.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: wisdomtooth

Originally posted by: imverygifted
i doubt it would damage the batterys with the newer battery technology but it would take a really long time to charge im guessing since the only thing ive seen solar powered are calculators

I've seen two things full of computers that are run off solar power.. Spirit and Opportunity!

I think I read somewhere those things have solar cells that are supposed to generate like 700 watts at their peak. Not sure about their CPUs, but I vaguely remember reading they got 486s which are hardened against radiation.

Imagine some Martian ripping off those panels to run their computers when JPL Mission Control isn't looking, LOL..

I'd imagine that the rovers have some pretty decent charge regulators in there though, as well as good quality DC convertors. I don't know that you can run a computer directly off the sun, except maybe a pocket calculator. Look what a computer does when the 3.3V line fluctuates a bit - instability. Now try a solar cell - oops, a bird flew in front of it, or a tiny cloud blew over - instead of feeding the computer 12V@5 amps, suddenly it's down to 11V@0.5A = computer shuts down.

Solar panels going to a charge regulator, charging a battery, which then goes through a DC-DC filter, then to the laptop - that'd be safe. You want the DC-DC filter, because to charge a battery, you want voltage a bit higher than the battery's regular voltage. So while the battery's charging, the laptop would get 14V; when running off the battery, it'd get 12V (hypothetical situation using lead-acid batteries).

 

[sharkeeper]

Could you explain that a little more please? Thanks.

The solar cells charge a bank of batteries; either NimH or Pb. These batteries run an inverter which converts DC to AC at 120-240V for your appliances. In case there is insufficient light for an extended period, a generator with rectifier can be run to keep the battery banks charged. This system can be very small or very large.

In areas where wind is abundant (i.e. at sea), a wind generator can be used to capture "free" energies as well. The same charging scheme would be used with the solar power example as above. I've seen quite a few sailboats with a small SWECS (wind) system in use. Provides "free" power for things such as TV, radio, laptop computers and the like.