+yellow-bird Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. Um... Power consumption of a typical GPS vs. size of any photovoltaic device capable of dealing with it. For any reasonable recharge time, the device would be far bigger than the GPS. If you're interested in the options, you can find AA solar chargers available. http://www.amazon.com/AA-Battery-Solar-Pan...f=pd_sbs_auto_2 Unfolded size: 5.5 x 31.5 inches. 3-1/2 hours for 2 AA cells in full sun. There seem to be some unrealistic expectations about solar power. Quote Link to comment
+Timpat Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) I've looked into solar options in the past and asked around on the forums, and the best solution I've found would be to have a AA Foldable Solar Charger to be charging your spare batteries as you hike, bike, drive along under the sun. I see this type of solar charger can be found from various vendors for under $100. [ed] I see ecanderson beat me to the punch! I had looked at the same site. Great minds ... and all that....eh? Edited September 17, 2010 by Timpat Quote Link to comment
+DonB Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. I don't think it's exactly a huge problem, my 76CXs will run 18 hours or more on two AA batteries. I don't think a solar panel that would fit in a gps would be big enough to keep it charged anyway. Quote Link to comment
NordicMan Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. Most of the battery problem complaints I see here revolve around cell/smart phones, not dedicated GPSr's... Most dedicated GPSr's use easily & quickly replaceable AA batteries so even if your device runs out of juice you can quickly revive it with extra batteries you're carrying. Smartphones on the other hand almost always use non-replaceable (easily) internal batteries that need hours to recharge once drained.. I doubt you'd want to hold a huge solar charger "sail" over your head for 3-4 hours for that to happen Quote Link to comment
+simplyred Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 used a solar panel in the canoe, not for charging, but it powered the GPS while canoeing, leaving the batteries to take care of just the hiking/portaging aspect. Great for canoe trips. Quote Link to comment
+yellow-bird Posted September 18, 2010 Author Share Posted September 18, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. Quote Link to comment
+user13371 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 (edited) Most of the battery problem complaints I see here revolve around cell/smart phones. Smartphones on the other hand almost always use non-replaceable (easily) internal batteries that need hours to recharge once drained.Not a real problem. There are many AA-powered chargers available for cell phones and other devices. Pocket Solutions and several other vendors offer compact and reasonably priced models. And keeping with the original topic here, they carry solar chargers too. Edited September 18, 2010 by lee_rimar Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 It seems to me,with all the gismos added to gps's that you don't need,that some company hasn't thought of solar power rechargeable gps's. I constantly read about battery drainage as an huge problem. Per the other thread where you brought up the same uTube video ... 2X 2500mAh cells = 5Ah capacity. You'd need something on the order of 750mW of power to charge them in 10 hours of direct sun. What's the capacity of that unit you mentioned? No spec on their web site, and their much larger fold-out unit is only 1200mW. Quote Link to comment
+make-it-so Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 I think if it was a reasonable option there would be one already. As soon as it becomes a reasonable option there will be one. Quote Link to comment
+movemaine Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 http://www.solio.com/charger/ I use this - which is fantasti, but it does take a while to charge. The problem is that for a gps to have solar power, the size of the panels would have to be much larger than the actual gps unit. Quote Link to comment
Motorcycle_Mama Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Here's a review of the Solio charger on CrackBerry.com. http://crackberry.com/review-solio-classic...rger-blackberry The person doing the review, JeffH, has recently become a geocacher. Quote Link to comment
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