Solar Power

Can a MacBook be charged from a portable solar panel array charger. Typically 12volt at 12 watts.
If so what connector is needed? Is there a 12volt charging option for auto power systems?

From the info on the MacBook Magsafe AC/DC car adapter web site you may have a problem. It will probably trickle charge because you are only providing 12 watts out. You need closer to 60 watts to charge better. Using the solar panel you mention your battery will run out of power while you are using the computer if you are trying to charge at the same time.

Similar Messages

  • Solar power - possible, or waste of time?

    I've got a 13" Macbook Pro and every so often when out and about I run out of charge after a couple of hours when I can't connect to the mains (I use a lot when importing photographs and editing whist on site).  Does anyone know if the various solar power devices are any good, and if so can you recommend a good one for me to get (ideally one I can carry with me in a pack and doesn't take up a lot of room - I know I don't want much!), or any other ideas on how to get more power when needed??
    Many thanks

    Small portable solar arrays tend to have pretty low output. The backpacks linked above put out 4 watts — less than a sixth of what your MBP's AC adapter delivers to a shut-down, no-peripherals-connected MBP whose battery is fully or almost fully discharged. So you could charge your battery with one, but it might take all of a long, sunny day, or even longer. Those backpacks are designed to charge cell phones, not notebook computers.
    A better solution for your purposes would probably be an external battery pack or two:
    http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=MagSafe+external+battery+pac k&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

  • Solar power for blackberry

    Dear all
    I am new to this community. I am seaking the right contact within RIM for a hardware innovation for blackberry devices.
    We are a startup company who developed a new solution to feed the batteries with solar power: The whole body of the device serves as light harvesting unit feeding solar cells which charge the batteries of the device.
    This way the batteries are always charged when light shines on the device no matter of intensity and light source. A power plug to charge the batteries is not needed as much as before if at all.
    Who is the right person and his/her condact information to whom I can talk to?
    Thank you

    Please see the CONTACT link at the bottom of this page.
    Here:  http://na.blackberry.com/eng/contact/
    I don't think anyone will be posting names/phone/email addresses for you in this public "user" support forum... just wouldn't be appropriate.
    Follow the link. And good luck!
    1. If any post helps you please click the below the post(s) that helped you.
    2. Please resolve your thread by marking the post "Solution?" which solved it for you!
    3. Install free BlackBerry Protect today for backups of contacts and data.
    4. Guide to Unlocking your BlackBerry & Unlock Codes
    Join our BBM Channels (Beta)
    BlackBerry Support Forums Channel
    PIN: C0001B7B4   Display/Scan Bar Code
    Knowledge Base Updates
    PIN: C0005A9AA   Display/Scan Bar Code

  • Solar power and iBook

    Does anyone have experience with charging iBooks with solar power? I want to know whether I need a true sine wave inverter or whether modified sine wave (cheaper!) will work.
    iBook   Mac OS X (10.4)  

    Joanivh,
    Check the watt rating on both adaptors. I think mine says 45 watt. If they're the same, and they use the same type of plug, then it should be fine.

  • When are they going to make a solar power iPod?

    When are they going to make a solar power iPod?

    Only Apple knows and I have not heard anythign from them.  If you Google, you can find Solar chargers for the iPod.

  • Firmware update and Solar Power monitor

    We have a solar power monitor that feeds information to the electricity company via our hub. It is connected directly to the router. Recently the connection has dropped. The cable is not loose. The electricity company suggest I contact BT to find out if a firmware update had been put through on my line, as that may have closed a port.
    I've spoken to three BT people on the phone, none of them knew what i was talking about. Can anyone here assist?
    Thanks

    If you had to manually forward any ports, then you would have to set them up again. This guide may help.
    Port forwarding problems
    If you have a home hub 3 version A, then port forwarding can be very difficult to get working.
    There are some useful help pages here, for BT Broadband customers only, on my personal website.
    BT Broadband customers - help with broadband, WiFi, networking, e-mail and phones.

  • Solar Power charging issues

    Hi
    I have a 52 amp Brunton solar panel and two 14 amp Brunton SolarRolls attached to my MacBook Pro in direct sunlight. The MagSafe power lamp glows bright green but NOT orange which I believe indicates that my battery is charging. In full sunlight I should be getting 80 amps from my solar panels which should be enough to provide a charge and get the orange light glowing, but it does not. In fact I left the computer on in SLEEP mode for one hour while connected to the solar panels and I lost 2% points of power. I am assuming that the panels are functioning properly and have no reason to believe otherwise. When I click on About This Mac and on to More Information the status indicates that I am not charging as does the little battery indicator in the Menu bar. I am puzzled, can anyone shed some light on this?
    Thanks
    John

    +The MagSafe power lamp glows bright green but NOT orange which I believe indicates that my battery is charging.+
    No, green indicates it's NOT charging, it's orange when it is charging.
    Are the panels connected to an Inverter to change the DC current to AC Voltage ?
    The MagSafe required input is 100-240 Volts 15Amp at 50-60 Hz - sounds like your panels aren't delivering that appropriately ...

  • Problem display from solar power charger

    anyone can help me to solve the problem in my snippet? i can't display my voltage etc on my manual control mode, but auto mode can be display. currently using labview interface for measurement, arduino for control servo motor.
    Attachments:
    latest testing.png ‏267 KB
    asdasdasd.png ‏448 KB

    Duplicate - http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/labview-manual-display-problem/m-p/3110137

  • I need to buy an external battery solar charger for my iPad 2. Does anyone have the specifications for it, such as  volts, miliamperes, amperes, etc ??

    I Want to buy an external  solar battery charger for my iPad 2. Does anyone know the right specifications for it.
    Is this one good for me ? 12000mAh Portable Solar Power Battery Pack. You can find it on this link.
    http://dx.com/p/12000mah-portable-solar-power-battery-pack-with-laptop-cellphone -adapters-72218?item=37
    Thanks.

    The iPad charger is rated at 10W - 5V @ 2A  An iPhone/iPod charger is rated at 5W - 5V @ 1A. An iPhone charger will charge the iPad, but much slower than the iPad charger. Based on the specs, I don't think it's adequate for the iPad.
     Cheers, Tom

  • Is there an solar charger for the iphone 5

    Is there a solar charger available for the iphone 5. Our weekend retreat has no electricity so we rely just on fire and solar power!
    Thanks

    I use the Nexcon Solar Charger with my iPhone 6 and iPad Mini. It works great especially on camping trips!

  • Solar chargi

    is it possible to charge the zen:vision M via solar power?
    i am contemplating getting one, but i am going hiking for a few weeks and would have to charge it via solar power

    Get a Zen Nano Plus for hiking. A one gig one is under $70. It uses a AAA battery and has no moving parts. It will most probably survi've being dropped a few times. The Vision m is a good player to use when when you won't be hiking or doing sports.
    It looks like this would do the job though if you want to hike with a hard dri've based player. http://store.sundancesolar.com/sosochforipc.html
    There are solar chargers for rechargeable AAA and AA batteries, however imo they probably aren't worth the hassle(except perhaps for people who plan to be away from electric power outlets for months at a time).
    Message Edited by JK23 on <SPAN class=date_text>07-07-2006 <SPAN class=time_text>0:07 AM
    Message Edited by JK23 on 07-07-2006 0:44 AM

  • Solar Powering a 17" MacBook Pro

    Hello,
    I'm attempting to solar power my 17" MacBook Pro while away tent camping.   I have a Brunton 52 Watt folding solar array, Brunton 12V DC-to-AC inverter, Solar controller, cigar plug cable for output from solar array.  The output from the solar aray in full sun is 24V DC.   I can lower the voltage to 14V if I cover up 2/3rds of the cells.
    I've connected the DC side of the 12V inverter to the solar array and the AC side to the MacBook Pro power brick.  The inverter is between the solar array and the MBP.  With solar array in full sun and  connecting the three pieces, there is no AC power output from the inverter going to the MacBook Pro brick.  Can anyone answer why I have no 120V output from the AC side of the inverter to the MBP?
    Thanks,
    Peter

    If you are going to use your MBP power adapter you are forced to do the DC to AC conversion and deal with the inherent power loss (10%-15%).
    You need to calculate the real world output of the solar panels (not the advertised figures) and take into account that the amperage will fluctuate with weather conditions and panel orientation.
    My guess is that you will need a minimum of 5 amp output (using 24 v output panels)  plus a fudge factor to take into account less than optimum conditions.  The good news is that more panels can be added if the need so requires.
    Good luck.
    Ciao.

  • Solar Charger for my Z10

    I am considering buying a rollable, portable solar charger for my Z10. Would such a product with these specs,Max Power: 4.8 Watts, 300 mA (model f15-300) produce enough power to safely charge my device?
    Canuck by birth 'berry by choice
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    hello!
    may i add some thoughts to this topic...i am working since a couple of years on solar chargers for mobile phones.
    we do have a solution for this...our solar panel is foldable, keeps constant in performance under "hot" conditions (which most of the products in the market don´t do...your 300 mA are probably only available at 25 degree celcius...in the sun you get easily surface temp of over 60 degree celcius and your current will drop to 150 mA or even less)...I use Q10...it can be charged with 500 mA  (standard USB power) but not below 450 mA...for Z10 i cannot tell, because we did not test so far...best way is to use a solar panel and a seperate powerbank (no integrated designs!) which is dedicated to be charged by solar power...then you can charge your phone from this powerbank...it works very stable and you avoid keeping your phone in the sun...temp is too high!  Smartphones will interrupt charging function at temp above 40 to 45 degree celcius...which means Smartphone must be in the shadow!  We offer direct charging function as well, but recommend this only when sun is stable and temperature is low (or cold wind) I do not want to make advertising for my product here...but it really works...:-) but the solar cells we use and the powerbank technology has its price...solar power is great but so far expansive if done in a good way and not as a product which just just wants to catch the "green marketing trend"... since 3 weeks i have charged my phone ONLY by solar power...we have a south sided window at our office and i charge every day my powerbank and at evening i charge my Q10 from there. So finally...it may work!  ;-) Outdoor i do have my solar bag...and collect the energy to safe inside the powerbank. But the solar panel can also be mounted on backpacks...and has better usability...and is cheaper!  ;-)
    maybe i could keep your interest for solar power solutions...create energy...it makes fun...and probably provides a bit more liberty when using our daily electronic gadgets...and it is renewable energy!
    best wishes from Vienna, Rafael

  • Security camera for area with no power

    Thats going to be a tough one (really).
    You can use solar power and a wireless bridge in the camera to connect back to your storage device or use a SD card in the camera to store the video, but then you will need to swap the SD card to retrieve the video. So you can get solar powered cameras. The issue is lighting the area after dark. If you want overt security you will have to put up lighting in the area. If you want covert security you will need to get a camera that is sensitive to IR light then flood the area with IR light, which also takes power. It would be easier to pull off if you could get AC mains in that area first then work on the right camera and lighting for the area.

    We have a lot that we store cars on sometimes that has no lights and no power. Recently we've had some vandalism and we'd like to get some security cameras on that area. Any suggestions?
    Thanks!
    This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

  • What portable power options available

    What portable power options are available?

    Define what you think "portable power options" mean to you. Backpacking power, power while driving, power while flying, power when the power grid goes down, solar power...? Where will you be using your computer that requires "portable power"?

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