Rules:
1.. Please mark original photos with [OC] in the title if you're the photographer
2..Pictures containing a politician from any country or planet are prohibited, this is a community voted on rule.
3.. Image must be a photograph, no AI or digital art.
4.. No NSFW/Cosplay/Spam/Trolling images.
5.. Be civil. No racism or bigotry.
Photo of the Week Rule(s):
1.. On Fridays, the most upvoted original, marked [OC], photo posted between Friday and Thursday will be the next week's banner and featured photo.
2.. The weekly photos will be saved for an end of the year run off.
Instance-wide rules always apply. https://mastodon.world/about
I'm only half kidding. I'm a bit of a prepper and I have lots of powerbanks and devices that charge from USB but besides idling my truck I really had no other way to charge any of them in case of a long-term power outage which seemed a bit of an oversight on my part.
Not like this solves the issue. 30 watts (under ideal conditions) isn't much but it's a start.
If the “apocalypse” happens it would be more appropriate to be concerned with food growing and preservation and not USB devices (other than maybe flashlights or shortwave/Ham radio) or other electronics that have no real purpose.
As far as longer-term power outages go these power banks aren’t too bad, but you gotta consider the food situation again and keeping it safe to eat. A rotating set of banks and a good peltier cooler will help keeping some food cool, but not cold enough for long term. I’m sure you have water filters, chlorine tabs, etc. to keep drinking water safe.
In the event of an apocalypse basically nothing that you can charge is going to be of any use other than flashlights.
Hmm. So let's talk resilience; lighting, battery power tools, refrigeration, Mobility (mountain eBikes, with solar recharging would make for great post apocalyptic transportation), and many more things.
Look: I plan solar panels, batteries, and a small TV set, so during the apocalypse, I will have my Netflix shows! And with the right EV, I will be one of the few who can still go to Costco!
You see: I'm ready!!
Electric fire starter. Mesh nodes. Walkie talkies. Small computer with offline Wikipedia and Google maps. GPS may still be working for a while, so that would be useful to charge and use. Portable fans. MP3 player or other entertainment device. Camera. Small power tool batteries....
Yeah, in an apocalypse, a small about of electricity would be a luxury.
This seems quite big for a 30W 😅.
If that's really an usb A port on the side, my own 25W is basically the size of one of your panels. But mine is 5V only. In theory, it is 2 15W ports (5V3A), but in reality it is more 10W (5V2A) each, when both are used, in ideal conditions.
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B0DMNY4HWV
Got another one which delivers 60W (45W using the PD USBC port), with integrated stand.
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B0DQ8PY91X
(Links are not sponsored)
I also tested for Amazon Vime multiple solar pannel, but my biggest grief with all of them is that they lies about their IP rating. They simply gives the pannel own rating, wich doesn't applies to the connection box. That's not respecting the specs, which requires the whole item to be rated, not only part of it. If one follow that logic, my e-bike is IP68 too (if you take the chassis only and not the electronic bits).
That's a massive panel for so little wattage.
Look up 25% next time, they maximize the area! N-type's are also great for enduring high temps and weathering high uv.
You can buy a 100ah battery and 200w solar blanket for fairly cheap. its not a terrible idea to be a little bit prepped. Saw a car on youtube the other day that was 8k, had 10kwh battery, range of 150k and had a retractable roof solar panel that gives the car 55km a day of solar generation. perfect for the apocalype. cruise around the wastelands in style.
How much did you pay for that? I might be interested in something similar.
30W is plenty for a smartphone or powerbank. I usually charge mine at sub-20W as not to stress the batteries too much. The phone still charges to full (or 95% to be precise) in an hour. I'm in no rush.
Now if it could do 60W - perfect for all mobile devices. Everything from a smartphone to a laptop or a big handheld console.
Yay! I hope it comes in handy.
I don't have solar yet, but I have a small portable power station that lets us avoid the manually started gas generator 90% of the time we have an outage. It's important people prepare for smaller, more common events too.
im always wanted to setup solar panel in mountain to reduce hiker gone missing type stuff
You thinking about setting up a public charging spot in the wilderness? I like that.
