Hello AT: Home Tech,
My question is do backpacks with solar panels like this one by voltaic systems, (or any portable solar panel device, for that matter) actually work for charging a laptop? I have a four year old iBook G4, and am interested in a product like this, because I will be travelling internationally over the next few years. This type of product would seem to eliminate the hassle of trying to figure out what type of voltage adapters I need, as well as avoid the aggravation which arisess from finding out I packed the the wrong one. Any guidance/advice people could offer here would be great appreciated.
Thanks,
Kathleen
No. I have yet to find a portable solar panel product that produces enough juice to charge a laptop.
http://www.voltaicsystems.com/support.shtml#charging3
view hja's profile
i've got the voltaic backpack, and i'm pretty sure that the instructions specifically state *not* to try charging a laptop with it.
however, it's awesme for charging cell phones, PDAs, ipods, etc. and would still be a great way to avoid carrying various chargers (not to mention adapters to make them work with european outlets) from place to place!
view j a y . t e e . 's profile
I've never gotten the reluctance to carry an adapter. I bought a 'universal' one the size of a deck of cards nearly 10 years ago and it has charged my laptop, camera, phone and ipod (not to mention powering my iron and my wife's hair dryer) in Europe, Asia and South America.
I imagine that the newer adapters are even smaller and cheaper now days, and certainly less than the price and size of the above bag...
view phaedrus's profile
If memory serves me correctly, you need at least 20 watts to charge a laptop.
The backpacks are too small in power to do the job. The'll work fine with your cell phone and mp3 player but that's all they can handle.
But there are some nifty compact solar panels that have enough power to do the job.
view weremonkey's profile