does anyone know a good solution for usb-c pd solar panels. i am looking for something to charge my existing power banks.
I found good panels on eBay, the ones where one side arrived smashed so they sell the other half cheap. Then an asian knockoff regulator, all up about $80 for about the same setup that would cost $400+ at a camping or 4WD store. Those regs have USB out.
Only downside is you do have to connect to a 12V battery for it to be charging something so just USB to powerbank may not work...?
do you know if the regulator does usb-c power delivery? that's what i need for the power banks.
i found a 60w on amazon by megasolar but it doesn't get good user feedback and i think the solar cells are not very efficient.
usb-c pd can handle max 20v @ 5a from what i understand. when you plug it in it chooses the correct power for whatever is plugged in.
most portable solar setups have barrel or proprietary connectors with their solar cells.
smaller portable powerbanks for laptops use usb-c pd and use a wall wart that is rated at 60w so 27ah will charge at home in about 4-5 hours.
i'm trying to find a solar panel that can run a laptop or usb-c pd powerbank for my lighting setup. gives me a really small setup. the power bank is about twice the size of a large mobile phone.
hours of googling think i've found 2 solutions.
1. togopower 120w solar panel with usb-c pd output on ebay
2. anderson plug to usb-c pd adaptor cable. can only find max 18w but need min 30w
Select to expand quoteolskool said..
Usb-C is only good for 2-3amps.
Yep 5amp max 1.32am typo. 
Ahh boatlife...
Been trying to find similar for camera charging offgrid. Need 8amp. Dc-Dc charger is my option.
Thats what Canon camera needs for fast charge. Normally a 240vac charge.
Dc-Dc charger less than $30.
keen to know your solution because i have camera gear too. i just bought an extra battery and find a gpo after a few days. for more remote stuff that not working though.
i bought a nitecore usb charger for next time.
^ Onboard my boat i run 300w solar panel (non usb output regulator)which charges 2x 140ah agm batteries. Dont want to include an inverter. (Looking closely at Lifepo batteries for longer cycle life.) Camera only comes with 240v charger. So I asked an Offgrid camera guru mate how he does it. He is often many months in the Australian outback snapping spectacular photos. He checked out the specs of the camera n quickly came up with this.
Cigarette style 12v plug will charge from vehicle while you drive if you only run a standard car battery. About an hour would see it charged.
on a boat i reckon i'd have to get an inverter so laptops are a little easier to handle and then just wire in a bunch of panel mount usb sockets from thr 12v feeds
Not sure i you are aware. if you have 12v aux points you can run usb chargers for your camera from that. costs little more because not only do you buy the usb charger $35 you also need a 12v aux to usb adaptor $25 like what gets used in a car.
good usb adaptors for cars can output 4.8 amps with 2 usb ports which is pretty good. i use them in addition to power banks.
have been testing the revised lighting today. have had the usb light strips on high for 5.5 hours and only used 15% of the power bank. if i can find a solar panel that suits i should be able to run almost everything from this one power bank.
This is pretty much the same problem with running solar and battery bank in RVs. I use a 200 watt panel on the roof with 220 Ah battery bank in my Sprinter RV. It does include a 2000 watt inverter/converter/charger for any 120 VAC I may need onboard (such as a microwave or power tools). I can run a 12VDC fridge and LED lights for several days without any sunlight.
With sunlight I can boondock at such as place as 3-Mile Canyon in the eastern gorge with no hookups, basically forever, until I run out of food. Or get tired of foiling on the sweetest and friendliest swell in the gorge.
@Gestalt, yep i have those. My tablet n phone charge from them. But not enough voltage can be supplied thru usb to charge camera. Usb is only 5volt. Camera requires 8.4volt. That's why cigarette lighter plug is used. 12volt @ 10amp. Which it converts to 8.4volt. Too many losses using an inverter. Plus I'm very limited for space n waterproof ability.
Not a cheap option but the Rolls Royce set up is a gruntey solar cell (120W or so) of your choice, an AMG or LiIon 129 amp hour deep cycle 12v battery of your choice and a Ctek 250Ds duel 12v-12V power management system. Systems like this are often used on offshore yachts, safe simple and reliable.
www.ctek.com/au/all-products/leisure-sport/d250se
Select to expand quoteolskool said..
@Gestalt, yep i have those. My tablet n phone charge from them. But not enough voltage can be supplied thru usb to charge camera. Usb is only 5volt. Camera requires 8.4volt. That's why cigarette lighter plug is used. 12volt @ 10amp. Which it converts to 8.4volt. Too many losses using an inverter. Plus I'm very limited for space n waterproof ability.
Usb canon camera battery chargers must have step up transformers of some description built in because they output 8.4v or whatever the camera battery needs.
At some point i will get a bigger setup. Prob when a fridge/freezer becomes a part of things. For now im trying to keep everything compact so it can be thrown in a back pack.
Goal zero is hard to beat but expensive. The bottleneck is my latest powerbank needs min 30w usb-c to charge in 4 hours and that type of connection is not common with solar cells.
canon charger - probably china's uber cheap inverter modules and switch mode P/S's
Disappearing slowly are the days of ultra cheap electronic goodies off ebay etc. as we slowly burn bridges with china. Might be good in the long run. I can't buy half the stuff I used to 3 years ago (or earlier) at the old prices, if they can be found at all.
Select to expand quoteHaircut said..
canon charger - probably china's uber cheap inverter modules and switch mode P/S's
Disappearing slowly are the days of ultra cheap electronic goodies off ebay etc. as we slowly burn bridges with china. Might be good in the long run. I can't buy half the stuff I used to 3 years ago (or earlier) at the old prices, if they can be found at all.
yep that is not a bad solution because it gives ac for other devices too. but bulky.....
something like this should do. it's a 12v aux plug that will output nearly 30w usb-c PD and will work with most cheap generic solar panels which have 12v aux plugs. plus i can use my car if needed. I also found a brand called ravpower that does a slightly higher wattage one.
Select to expand quoteGestalt said..
something like this should do. it's a 12v aux plug that will output nearly 30w usb-c PD and will work with most cheap generic solar panels which have 12v aux plugs. plus i can use my car if needed. I also found a brand called ravpower that does a slightly higher wattage one.
check the fine print. I wouldn't be surprised if it only puts out 5v at a non-standard current rating. Weren't you after 100W or something?
I think what you are trying to solve is difficult and it would be easier to go to a 12v lipo 'sla' and then hook things to that.
Solar cells usually need a battery and controller for their peak efficiency don't they?
i have an ALOGIC USB-C Power Bank Ultimate 27000mAh - 60W PD and Wireless Charging unit. that's the battery. it's a bit bigger than a mobile phone and is typically charged via a 60w wall plug using usb-c PD. takes about 4 hours.
i use the alogic powerbank to run usb-A led lights and can get 3-4 days on high. i could also use it to charge phones, cameras and run a small laptop etc.
the alogic power bank requires min 30w to charge it. i can do that at the camp facilities but want to remove the need for AC.
so the solution is solar.
portable solar panels come with built in controller units and typically output usb-A and 12v from the controller unit. none of these outputs can be plugged into the powerbank without an adaptor that converts the 12v out to usb-c PD.
i agree that the figures are usually dodgey but the aukey says it will do 12v 2.25A which is 27w. the ravpower will do 30w so it's the one i'll get.
then i can plug the 12v aux from the solar panel controller directly into the powerbank and have enough power for almost everything i run and the weight and size is suitable for hiking
that's the plan. haven't tried it yet. what it means is i can use usb-C and usb-A power to my campsite which is native for all of the electrical equipment.
for anyone that's chasing a similar setup i found a shop in victoria that specializes in portable solar and battery gear. they have a 12v aux car charger with following spec
83W Car Charger
Dual usb quick charge
Input - DC12-24V
Output USB 1 - 5V/4.5A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A
Output USB 2 - 5V/3A 9V/3A 12V/3A 15V/3A 20V/3A
i contacted them and confirmed the spec
^most of the quick charge usb can only deliver the high current if the device which is being charged is a 'smart'device n can communicate with the charger to allow higher amperage. Otherwise its slow n steady.
yep. that's the benefit with power over usb. the devices all talk with each other.
I hadn't realized the 12v aux adaptors were available. that was the missing piece.
For , off the grid , types that you guys are ,...... nerd alert !
After the second post , all I heard was , lips moving and no sound 
If there was a zombie apocalypse , I'd be stuffed !
Im counting of dying of old age before that happens . That's my tactic 
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
For , off the grid , types that you guys are ,...... nerd alert !
After the second post , all I heard was , lips moving and no sound
If there was a zombie apocalypse , I'd be stuffed !
Im counting of dying of old age before that happens . That's my tactic
Zombie apocalypse!..... our family plan is to steal boat and become pirates.
my plan was to steal the trimaran moored down the road, fill it with windsurfing gear and go live on the islands....
Select to expand quoteGestalt said..
my plan was to steal the trimaran moored down the road, fill it with windsurfing gear and go live on the islands....
Both of Bribie islands ?
can't wait for the 2 bribie islands. i reckon it's sooner than later.
but no...
straddie.
