Solar AAA battery chargers

Thanks.
So if I have a solar panel like the ones you linked on eBay, and a battery charger that can charge using USB, I don't need anything else? I always worry that I need something between them to make sure they stop getting power when charged, or the power is at the right level, or something like that!

Thanks for all that detail shineyshooter. I appreciate the time you take explaining when answering my questions re solar power etc. Electricity knowledge is an area I feel completely lacking in so I tend to just try to find something all put together that says it will do what I want - hence my interest in the goal zero products, but it looks like they are much more than I need to spend, and I may already own most of what need!

No prob, happy to help.

The panel size is the way to tell, those 'phone size' packs have tiny solar panels on them [0.5-1w] and big lies about the internal battery that stores power with ratings like 12,000mah and so on, which is utter nonsense in such a tiny package. They should charge a phone from solar, just very slowly in full sun, taking all day to charge a phone, preferably if the phone's not on.

Yup. Spend your money on other preps

You could use cheaper batteries if you charge them every 6 months or so, if they get too flat [12-24months] they'll stop working. The reason I have the eneloop is so I can leave them stored in my kits as I don't see myself opening them up and pulling batteries out to charge them very often. With that cheap charger you'll have to charge 2 at once. I have a headlamp with 3x AAA batteries lol. So just plan ahead accordingly, I'd have to have a group of 6 batteries on rotation to charge my device for instance. I do recommend a large zip lock bag that you can put everything in so you can leave it outside and keep everything dry also. You could add a double cable [2 USB outlets] or a cheap 4 outlet as I had in the pics if you wanted to do multiple devices.

Thank you again for all the advice.

Spend your money as you wish.

I've got many questions on that article.
"Solar panel technology has come a long way in a short amount of time. Not long ago, it was unrealistic to get a rigid monocrystalline panel into a portable, foldable design." - nope, the panels used are the same design, what they're doing is using an epoxy [aka strong] coating on them. There's minor differences in panel efficiencies perhaps but if you use the same kind of panel you will get a similar result. You 'can' get flexible panels, but their efficientcy is far less.

"Most panels in this review are now monocrystalline, which is becoming the industry standard more and more due to its high quality, which is worth the extra cost when it helps you save weight and charge faster at camp." - no it's because they're much more efficient and people want a smaller and lighter package at a cheaper price/Watt. They're the same cells that are on the house for almost all, which is why they're cheaper per Watt.

"In general, if you want a very lightweight and more affordable solar panel, you may consider a thin-film panel. For a more affordable option, polycrystalline is still pretty decent quality, like the panel found in the Brunton Power Essentials Kit." - why they're half the efficency and not half the weight and bulk. Makes no sense to ever chose them.

"As technology improves, companies have been making monocrystalline panels more and more portable, " - hasn't really improved that much, the efficientcy of panels has changed only a few percent 'at best', at least in the price range we're talking. Already mentioned what the difference is.

"Output Power
In our past reviews, there was a high correlation between the watt rating and the highest output power of the panel. A 10-watt panel, for example, was generally about two times more powerful than a 5-watt panel. Some years later, the technology has changed significantly enough that we started to notice some quality discrepancies. The simple watt rating is clearly no longer the best metric from which to judge a panel's charging proficiency."
- there's no real change in technology, at least at the consumer level. Panels hardly ever produce their maximum rating, which is why in winter a 7W panel [on average] makes about 14Wh [more likely 17.5W minus losses of conversion] when pointing north all day and in Victoria. This means it's making about 2W an hour [7hrs]. In summer, it'll make a lot more, about 40Wh of energy, or 4.3W an hour [9hrs]. See the issue there. You'll have peak days [sunny] and trough days [cloudy] in which you'll still make power, just varying amounts.

The best metric for wattage rating or at least those who are telling the truth and those who are not is surface area, because everyone uses similar cells. I question the way these tests are being conducted, are they ran at the same time with the same lighting conditions at the same angle? The previous information leads me to skeptical of the acquisition of information, sure a company can lie about it's ratings [they seem to be fairly accurate about panels actually] but the panels themselves [if same type] are not going to have much difference at all in output for the same area. Testing conditions I would trust would be inside under the same lighting conditions at the same distance from the light source with a reading I can see. Lest I believe a writer who's pretending to understand electronics solar panels and charging of batteries after a small amount of research. Happy to be wrong, I just need 'proof' not hearsay.

"This is a little confusing so here is an example: The Powertraveller SolarMonkey Adventurer is only rated to 3 watts, and yet is able to charge iPads and reliably charge iPhones. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 has a watt rating that is 2+ times higher (7 watts) and yet could not charge an iPad unless an external battery was used, and it ran into issues when charging an iPad mini or iPhones. This is due to amperage (current) being too low. Tablets and newer smartphones often charge best with 2A of current now." - I have no idea on the testing conditions. I'm 'rather' sure that batteries can be charged at whatever rate you like 'if' the voltage is high enough [may not have been as voltage varies for solar] and they certanily weren't tested side by side. I just don't have enough info here to make conclusions one way or another. Might be the output is different to the batteries as it is to USB port. No idea. What I do understand is batteries will charge at a lower rate with a lower current, so this claim is baloney.

Over all, this guy may be a great gear guy, though I'm skeptical about his knowledge of charging, current, voltage and solar panels due to poor conclusions, at least from the available information. They're all much the same [if blue] assuming they're the same surface area, the packaging is trivial to my mind. Angle the panel towards the sun, as best as you can and move it throughout the day or if you like, point it north and about 30degrees if down south and closer to 10 if way up north.

Damn the more I read, the more I find it harder to choose what to get lol

This is what I worry about - either ruining equipment or doing something dangerous.

Eg I have the solar monkey explorer which is a great solar charger for my phone etc. I wonder if I could just connect a USB aaa battery charger directly to that? Or even a power stick (I have quite a few of these) to have a bit of extra stored power if I'm not using it for anything else. I also have a couple of the cheap solar panels from eBay so I'm wondering what I can safely connect directly to them.

Thanks. My CB radios use NiMH AAA batteries so should be ok. These charge via USB to the radio. My phone's a Samsung with standard Li-ion, and my garmin watch is fairly ancient, with some kind of built-in battery so will see how it goes.