I was listening to "The Survival Podcast" with Jack Spirko on "Prepper Broadcasting" this morning, and thought about ways to get started in solar power. I figured the simple way is to go with stuff I already have, like my iPhone 3, so I started looking up solar chargers for it. Then I realized that making them yourself will not only be cheaper, but allows me to be able to fix it in the future as well as sell some as well if need be for extra cash.
Being off-grid means your responsible for your own communications. Cell phones are a great way to contact family and friends, not to mention 911. Being able to recharge them with sunlight is not only a bonus, but also a great way to stay off-grid. I found 10 great ways at DIY solar charger projects for cell phones, if you know of any others that are really great leave a comment. I'm going to try one of these but not sure which one yet.
- How 2.0: Make a Solar Cell Phone Charger by 2pointhome
A little soldering is all it takes to make this cool little emergency cell phone charger. Keep it in the glove box of your car, in case you ever get stranded in the woods and start to hear banjo music! LINK - DIY Solar Phone Charger ($5 Battery Free - UPDATED!) by ASCAS
Solar powered chargers and powerbanks are pretty common these days. These devices usually have battery reservoirs inside them, to cut it short they are not 100% solar powered so as being eco-friendly. These products are gimmicks, they defeat the purpose of being 100% green and eco-friendly. My DIY tutorial will teach you how to make a "100% PURE Solar Phone Charger". Feel free to be independent from the power grid LINK - Build your own DIY solar powered mobile phone by Corrugator Supercilii
The idea dates back to 2002 when I was working on my dissertation on methods of energy scavenging that could be integrated on silicon. On a footnote, I added simple calculations demonstrating that if the surface area of a 'candy bar' mobile phone is covered with solar cell of 5% efficiency (which is pretty rudimentary), including a DC/DC converter, the overall output power is sufficient to augment the battery, providing power for stand-by indefinitely. LINK - $3 Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger - Build a Solar Powered Cell Phone Charger from a few dollar store items and a few parts. By Kevin Wrycraft
Hack two simple pieces of electronics for a new purpose. This is not for those who use their phones a lot, although it could have other purposes, like being an MP3 player charger or anything that charges from a USB connection. LINK - DIY Solar Powered Cellphone Charger By Survival Life
Cell phones are one of the modern conveniences we rely on the most. The average person would be completely lost if forced to live without their phone for a day, much less for a longer span of time. LINK - DIY Solar Kits - BrownDogGadgets
Not really a how to/DIY but these are kits for sale. Reminds me of the old heathkits a bit. LINK - Create Your Own DIY Solar-Powered USB Charger For All Your Portable Gadgets!
With endless summer days still aplenty, there’s no better time to invest in a solar charger for all your gadgets. However, Joshua Zimmerman of the DIY site Instructables doesn’t think you need to spend any money in order to get your hands on one. Instead, Zimmerman has designed a simple do-it-yourself solar USB charger that fits cozily in an Altoid tin! The DIY project will charge most mobile devices via USB using 2 rechargeable AA batteries and flexible thin-film solar panels. Read to learn what you need to build your own! LINK - Build Your Own Solar Mobile Phone Charger in Five Minutes - By Tom Blunt
Paying for electricity to charge your phone is so 2011. In the future, all the cool kids will be hacking their phone charger so they can just leave their phone on the windowsill when the battery’s low. Here’s a video tutorial in five simple(ish) steps. VIDEO LINK - Build a $4 DIY Solar Battery Charger
There's no need to pay the electric company to charge your small electronics when you've got a portable solar charger on hand. Learn how to turn some cheap solar panels and a Tupperware container into a solar charging station LINK - How to build your own solar powered charger
Just before it started snowing this weekend, Saturday was shaping up pretty damn clement. Clement enough for the wife and I have a go at titivating the deck and smartening up the crop in time for spring. LINK
