Anker 14 Watt solar charger

[ateallthepies]

I bought this unit last week and I have only just got around(and had some sun)to test it. I have it sat in the only patch of sun in the house at 1pm.

I have plugged in my IPad Air and if the panel is positioned properly it charges normally but if a shadow goes on the panel or the angle is a bit off it says that it's not charging and the device may not be compatible. But...it does still charge and with the weak sun coming in through the patio window with a bit of shadow I'm getting up to 750 mA into the iPad.

I bought the digital readout from eBay for a couple of quid which just plugs in the USB port before the device being used. It gives both the voltage and current going to the device. At the point of the picture being taken you can see what's happening but position the panel better and the voltage jumps back to just over 5 volts and the current goes up too!

This is only the first test but it seems to do the job nicely. I think it was about £40 delivered from Amazon if anyone is interested? I will do more tests as and when I can.

That volt/amp meter is so cool and works with any usb device so you can see exactly what's happening. As they are so cheap I can see me getting a few for general use?

 

[ZEbbEDY]

how do these compare to my 2 1amp cotton pickers panels?

got one of those usb readout things and v handy but impossible to see in the sun (yours looks better actually ive got the blue one)

 

[ateallthepies]

I'm not too sure, I have two Cotton Pickers 700mA /3.5 Watt panels connected together so will try a test with them tomorrow as the sun has gone now.
I sort of gave up charging with solar after my phone and stuff kept saying the device was not compatible and was not reading a charge but now I have the readout device it tells the true story and if a device is drawing power.

 

[petrochemicals]

Is it waterproof? Go and lay it on the lawn if it is, I pad in a drybag. You should get aboul 3 amps at 5v out of that.

Edit;

The problem with modern smartphones is that they need a large current and they have all sortsof cutouts. You really need a battery that's compatible!

 

[ateallthepies]

Not sure if its waterproof, I think the specs say weather resistant?

From other reviews and my first tests it looks like in full sun it will charge two devices like a tablet and phone with ease. It's just when optimum conditions are not met that devices start saying they are not charging even though they are. My iPad went up 8% even though it said it wasn't charging!

I probably will use this to charge my 20,000 mAh power pack and then use that to charge devices and will post results soon. The power pack needs 1 Amp @ 5 volts for optimum charging so this panel should be just the job.

 

[ateallthepies]

Did a test with my DIY cotton pickets panel at about 1pm again in good sun. Ipad was not reading being charged but again was accepting about 600 mA of current and was being I suppose trickle charged?

no load...

with iPad...

 

[petrochemicals]

Not bad considering it's inside, should cover you for clouds bad weather, what do you charge outside in cloudy conditions?

 

[ateallthepies]

I will do another test in a bit more cloudy conditions to find out. I remember in Summer in hazy conditions a year or so ago I was getting an ok current to an AA battery charger I was using but back then I wasn't trying to charge phones or tablets.
One thing I seem to be noticing is that when charging the iPad, I will be getting a good current ~6-800 mA from the panel in good sun but if I then make a shadow on the panel it drops to the tens of miliamps range and stays there, only going back up if the pad is unplugged and reconnected? This may be a problem if the sun dips behind clouds on a broken sunny day?

 

[petrochemicals]

I will do another test in a bit more cloudy conditions to find out. I remember in Summer in hazy conditions a year or so ago I was getting an ok current to an AA battery charger I was using but back then I wasn't trying to charge phones or tablets.
One thing I seem to be noticing is that when charging the iPad, I will be getting a good current ~6-800 mA from the panel in good sun but if I then make a shadow on the panel it drops to the tens of miliamps range and stays there, only going back up if the pad is unplugged and reconnected? This may be a problem if the sun dips behind clouds on a broken sunny day?

Yeah always charge it with a battey pack, as like I say, modern phones are very tempremental(and Ipads etc). Make sure the battery chages your phone by usb too before you leave. Something like the fluctuations in current. And the power out from the battery.