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Summary
ANKER offers a product well designed for mobile use. The charger is solid and sturdy. He would like like good its promises and surely supported portable devices provided that you set out its panels to the sun. In good conditions you can load an iPhone in only 3 hours the sun. I keep my reservations about the use of this device in terms dune trekking in complete autonomy. At the same time, the panel may well find its place in a car or camping. I especially recommend its use in combination with an external battery for more flexibility.
Recommendations to manufacturer
- Improve the closure of the pocket.
- Integrate a battery in the construction or propose a pack + battery charger.
Reception
The package arrived with Amazon logistics well known for its speed. Packaging is very simple, but functional. A small flat, we may well see that the product moves into his little box. Well, the product is solid, so do not worry that it will break during transport.
In the box we find the solar panel and two brief notices. The product is solidly manufactured, it is comfortable to hold in hand. Its fabric is robust and easy to clean. The four solar panels are solid plastic. In the pocket there is a housing with two USB ports. The pocket is handy for keeping the cables. The pouch has a small velcro closure, however during my tests, the cable fell regularly when I dépliais charger. Be aware that loading USBs cables are not included with the panels. As regards dimensions, the product weighs 703g and measuring a little less than an A4 sheet.
Test 1: Charging iPhone 4s by cloudy weather
Wait to start, I have made my first test in the office. The conditions were not particularly good: cloudy weather, difficult to find a sunny place on my office and fix the panels in order to have proper lighting by direct rays. Jai had to move the panels several times to capture more sunlight. So i left the iPhone 3g connection with my usual applications of email and Skype on. However, I was pleasantly surprised that despite these very difficult conditions I managed to load the iPhone to 25% in about 3 hours.
Start of test 9:59
Weather: Widely sunny 6 ° C
Battery: 27%
End of test at 12:40
Weather: Clouds predominant, 10 ° C
Battery: 51%
Test 2: Charging the Anker External Battery (6000mAh) in a car
This time i elongated panels under my car windshield to charge a Anker External Battery 6000 mAh (about 4 Diphone loads). This use seems to me ideal for long car trips, because I Nimagine not leave my laptop under the windshield in direct sunlight. In addition, it replaces the sun visor to protect the dashboard;) It will only provide a long enough cable to hide the battery in the glove box, because you should not weary of electronics in direct sunlight. So i parked my car facing the sun and let the folded panels under the direct rays. The battery was discharged at substantially the beginning of the test. In three hours i charge the battery at more than 25% this is is equivalent dune full day to feed an iPhone.
Loading Reliability
As stated in the manual, it must place the signs in the sun. The electrical efficiency is very conditioned by the weather and the position of the feeder relative to the sun. The load remains reliable even with light clouds. Nevertheless in autumn or winter, the load will be less secure.
Security
We are told never to leave apparent gadgets in the car or unattended. So let an iPhone or GPS load in the car or camping is a risk because the panels are still very visible in the sun.
Complete autonomy hiking
For a hike in complete autonomy must be selected that put in his backpack for a few days of long walk. Pea, reliability and dimensions are the first criteria to make a choice. Between a solar panel and an external battery 700g 160g, for a hike of 3-4 days I preferred a battery, because it is more compact and reliable. The panels remain interesting for hikes of 7-10 days with long bivouacs when an autonomous source of energy will be greatly appreciated.
When camping or car
The solution is probably still the most suitable for camping trips or for car trips. One can easily find a place to leave the device in the sun and is less constrained by its weight and the weather.
Battery + Charger
I think quon gains much flexibility when using the panels in combination with an external battery. Na more we need to let smart phone attached to the long panels.
Conclusions
ANKER has released a great product - robust, powerful and compact enough. I was pleasantly surprised that it actually works as advertised cétait. The product is designed for mobile use with a solid fabric, pockets and closures. Nevertheless I keep doubts quon can choose this charger for trekking in complete autonomy. I would rather take an external battery because it is lighter, compact and very reliable, which seems to me more convenient. For me, the use of the ideal solar panel is in camp, camping or long trips by car and always in combination with an external battery (why not Danker;)