solar panel back cover .

[roney711]

hi guys i was thinking abut battery problem that we are having with N900 the other problem buying Mugen Power Batteries will make yor N900 super FAT.. so why don't some one can make solar panel (back cover for N900 which will charge battery continues and i dont think that will add too much thickness to N900.
** if u guys have any suggestions or ideas pleas let me know .
2morrow i m going to Fry's and buy solar panel and make some thing that we can stick on back cover OR modifies back cover with solar panel .

[mackan1]

so u would like to leave your N900 in the open. for peeps to spy it and nick it. just a thot

[Fargus]

The other likely issue is that of leaving your N900 in the sun means it is ikely to cook too. Also the area presented by the N900 for a solar cell is tiny and unlikely to produce much usable energy.

[roney711]

u don't have to leave yor phone out for other ppl.. its would be easy access to charging anywhere u go .. that way u don't have to worry abut battery.. look at Samsung earth phone .

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.likecool.com/Gear/Cellphone/Samsung%2520Blue%2520Earth%2520Phone/Samsung-Blue-Earth-Phone.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.likecool.com/Samsung_Blue_Earth_Phone--Cellphone--Gear.html&usg=__nklDchz79BxfnEA6sLf0Nl6BH84=&h=506&w=580&sz=120&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=4Qjt2xLlWGxHWM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsamsung%2Bearth%2Bphone%26um%3D1%26hl %3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

[6sicSIX]

I've been thinking about this too, but i've decided to stick the panel into a casette tape case and add a usb socket..
I didn't want it on the back because it will be hard to use while trying to point at the sun.

[roney711]

@6sicSIX
yea u can do that then u hv to carry that casette tape with u .. but with solar panel back cover . its always there.. u dont hv to carry anything extra .

[6sicSIX]

Personal opinion, i think the extra weight of a casette tape case and usb lead for portable charging is better than cooking and leaving my n900 on show..

[roney711]

then u should just buy one of those solar charger ..

[6sicSIX]

then u should just buy one of those solar charger ..

Nah, why buy when you have the parts (and prob better quality panels) to make it.. plus most portable chargers limit current to 500mA while n900 can handle up to 1200mA

Right anyway, I'll get out of this thread cuz i'm not really helping

[Farooq]

Y u all think that u need to have ur N900 under direct sunlight for the solar charging panel to charge. It will charge where there is light no need to put it under direct light.

[Robb]

Nah, why buy when you have the parts (and prob better quality panels) to make it.. plus most portable chargers limit current to 500mA while n900 can handle up to 1200mA

Right anyway, I'll get out of this thread cuz i'm not really helping

How do you know that "n900 can handle up to 1200mA"?

[di1in]

How do you know that "n900 can handle up to 1200mA"?

havent you checked the output rating on your charger?

[aironeous]

I've been thinking about this too, but i've decided to stick the panel into a casette tape case and add a usb socket..
I didn't want it on the back because it will be hard to use while trying to point at the sun.

kinetic charger
http://www.gizmag.com/npower-peg-uses-motion-to-charge-mobile-devices/10716/

[late666]

kinetic charger
http://www.gizmag.com/npower-peg-uses-motion-to-charge-mobile-devices/10716/

Oh my god, this is a backpacker's dream!

[Fargus]

u don't have to leave yor phone out for other ppl.. its would be easy access to charging anywhere u go .. that way u don't have to worry abut battery.. look at Samsung earth phone .

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.likecool.com/Gear/Cellphone/Samsung%2520Blue%2520Earth%2520Phone/Samsung-Blue-Earth-Phone.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.likecool.com/Samsung_Blue_Earth_Phone--Cellphone--Gear.html&usg=__nklDchz79BxfnEA6sLf0Nl6BH84=&h=506&w=580&sz=120&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=4Qjt2xLlWGxHWM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsamsung%2Bearth%2Bphone%26um%3D1%26hl %3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

Total marketing gimmick, the panel is way too small to provide any significant power.

[jabawok]

This really is a great idea, but unfortunately wont work.

You'd need roughly a 1 foot by 1 foot panel to generate enough mA at 5V to actually power and maybe charge the N900 (in full direct sunlight).

You'd also need a power regulator to keep the voltage at 5V no matter where you point the panel... a 6V panel will go to almost 12V in the sun (unloaded), and barely 0.5V indoors.

Which brings me to my next point. If you want to be able to charge the N900 and *not* have to leave it in the sun, you're going to need at least a 1m x 1m 24V panel... In the shade, it will maybe *just* be able to produce 5V (loaded) and a few milliamps. Maybe just enough to power the N900, but doubtful enough to charge it.

[felbutss]

kinetic charger
http://www.gizmag.com/npower-peg-uses-motion-to-charge-mobile-devices/10716/




sold sold sold

[myk]

I actually had this on my first mobile phone.
It was a Nokia 1610 and took credit-card sized SIM cards, so this was a long time ago, in the early years of GSM. It had more surface area than modern phones, even than the N900.
Nokia sold a battery with solar panel on the back. The idea was to just leave the battery lying in the sun - not the whole phone.

[splandorf]

Here's what you want:

http://www.amazon.com/USB-AA-Solar-Panel-Charger/dp/B001RMBHMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1267655274&sr=8-1


Solar panel trickle-charges AA rechargeable batteries, which themselves output stable 5V over USB.

I have one... works great for charging anything over USB!

5 ounces w/o batteries, 6.8 ounces with (comes with pair of Sanyo Eneloops... bets NiMH you can get.)


;>

[maxximuscool]

great idea also great risk.
One most importantly is that customising the charge pattern of the N900 may causing a problem to the battery's life via back cover. It may be too slow to charge the battery to the speed of the battery being consume by the device. The only way to get it working is to get light but would you risk your expensive device to be sitting in a hot sunny day?

[ozen78]

A couple weeks back I read on http://www.instructables.com/ how to do this, and I was planning on popping down to the local DIY store tomorrow to buy one of those solar garden lamps and wire it up to a power connector. think the guide on the website was for mounting the panel on a laptop bag. the lamp has all the circuits and diodes already. should be possible to come up with a popup wallet storable design.

[Texrat]

The other likely issue is that of leaving your N900 in the sun means it is ikely to cook too.

Can't speak for the N900, but when I was a Nokia engineer I was asked to bake 10 N800s for a few hours at much hotter temperature than even Texas gets in the Summer. Half of them wound up with some LCD reflector warpage; no damage at all to other plastic parts. Doubling LCD reflector foil thickness solved the warpage. ;)

[HumanPenguin]

Can't speak for the N900, but when I was a Nokia engineer I was asked to bake 10 N800s for a few hours at much hotter temperature than even Texas gets in the Summer. Half of them wound up with some LCD reflector warpage; no damage at all to other plastic parts. Doubling LCD reflector foil thickness solved the warpage. ;)

This is why I like Nokia.

I left a HTC/Tmobile Dash in my car in GA. Did not survive