Freeloader

[1gear]

Im in need of a solar charger for phones. The main thing i need it to do is attach to straps on a backpack. The Freeloader Pico would have been good at this, but it wont charge up my Blackberry.
Is there a way to get the Freeloader attached to a strap on a back pack or some other way to get it seeing the light when walking? Me and the GF are off to the Lakes and we are staying in a cottage for a few days then camping for the rest of the days we are there(she hasnt done any camping before so didnt want to do the whole time in a tent) and we need a way to charge phones.
It is car camping, but im hoping when we get the tent set up the car wont move much, and i dont fancy leaving phones plugged into car charging.

Any ideas? I know that freeloader do a big solar panel that straps onto the bag, but you then need a freeloader hub ontop, making things expensive.

(Sorry if this is in the wrong section, wasnt sure where to put it)

[andygates]

Most of these gadgets will charge up before you go out, so you can go out with a one to start with.  The freeloader has competition from powermonkey, the solio h1000, and own-brand Maplin stuff at least.  I'm dithering over the same choice!

[Kim]

I don't think I'd be able to resist the simplicity of a stonking great car battery like that.  I fitted a _SEEKRIT lighter socket on the inside of the glove compartment on our last car for the purpose of charging phones without them getting nicked.  And I put a voltmeter on the dash.  And a spare battery in the boot.  Because I'm unable to resist the simplicity of a stonking great car battery like that...

[Deano]

I've got a Freeloader, which is pretty crap at charging via solar wizardry, but that's solely based upon my experience at using it within the UK (not known for oodles of sunshine).  It's also not expecially waterproof, and the solar panels can fall off given sufficient jiggling - if you had it on your backpack, you'd never know if it had parted company with itself.

I've heard it works better with the larger solar panel accessory (which I don't have, but I'm considering getting).

Currently (sorry!) I'm experimenting with using it in conjunction with a dynohub, as it comes with such a useful array of accessories.  No use to you, mind.

As Andy says, charge it via USB before you leave, to give yourself some back-up.  A full charge on the Freeloader works out at a little more than half a full charge on an iphone, by my reckoning.

[interzen]

I've got the Freeloader Globetrotter:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FreeLoader-Freeloader-Globetrotter-Solar-Charger/dp/B00175EAQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1297113280&sr=8-2

initial impressions are pretty good - the larger panels can be used to either feed the batteries in the Freeloader hub (itself containing two smaller panels) or fed directly to something else via a bog-standard USB->mini USB cable. I'll be field-testing it properly at Easter, so knowing my luck it'll piss down for two solid weeks.

The PowerMonkey range is a bit expensive for me (at the moment), and I've read mixed reviews of the Solio charger. Haven't looked at Maplins stuff yet, but will take a look and see if there's anything amenable to a bit of technical vivisection

[1gear]

The bit thats worrying me at the moment is do they put out enough power to charge my Blackberry? The Freeloader Pico puts out between 3-5V and after it having what should have been a full charge in its batteries yesterday it couldnt put enough power into the Blackberry to start off the charge. It could, however, charge up an iPhone.
We should be up and off walking early-ish, so having something on the backpack thats charging as we walk, then can be left on the table when we get back to keep charging seems good. The Globetrotter pack is tempting me at the moment.

My Blackberry charger says it outputs 5V, so the Pico must only output 5V on a good day for it to not be able to charge it.

[interzen]

If it helps any, I've just put the multimeter across my fully charged Freeloader hub and it's giving me a steady 5V with a current of >250mA (multimeter will only go up to 250mA).

The Pico is putting out slightly *less* than 5V, but again with a current of >250mA - having said that, the Pico is partially discharged. Some devices are extremely fussy with regard to the amount of current they need - maybe your Blackberry is one of them.

[1gear]

5V 700mA is what the battery puts out.
My manager has a Freeloader, so i might see if he can charge it and bring it in and see if it has enough to get my phone some life.

[Cunobelin]

The problem with all of these is simply the British Weather!

The Power Monkey, some Freeloader and similar have the advantage of being able to charge from USB, or mains.

Without the facility to charge from an alternative source you will have problems

[Regulator]

I too have the Freeloader Globetrotter.  To me, it is more practical than the Powermonkey Solargorilla, as it can hang off the rear rack or a pannier/backpack.

Fully charged it gives my Xperia X10 about ½ a charge, which is more than enough for emergency phonecalls etc.

[clarion]

I've been carrying a standard Freeloader in my mapcase while we were touring.  It charged in even a grim day.  We didn't get it to speak to all TGL's electronics, but it seemed to get a trickle into my HTC phone.

[tiermat]

I have a Powerbee something or other, 3500mAh battery and solar panel.

Good for two charges of a X10 Mini or Samsung Galaxy SII.

Charges to 3 (out of 4) bars in 3 days, apparently due to the fact that the battery is overspecced for the panel it will never get to 4 that way, only when charged via USB.

Does fine for me, and I will be carrying it on the WotR.

Oh and they are only £28

[Chris S]

I recently bought a Teck Net 5000mAh cache battery pack for use with a e-werk dynohub charger. Seems to work OK, and will also accept charge from a Freeloader Supergreen panel. However - solar is 99/100 times, a disappointing charging medium in this country.

FWIW, fboab of this parish copied my idea, but bought the Veho Pebble 5000mAh pack - which seems to be somewhat superior to the Teck Net.

Whichever cache battery you use, 5000mAh is quite a lot of charge. The fastest I can charge the Teck Net (from flat) off a mains USB charger, or the USB port of my laptop - is 10 hours. The e-Werk delivers similar performance, but only whilst riding at over 15kph - which I wouldn't be for more than 8 hours on a 10 hour 200k audax, so it takes a LOT of cycling to charge the cache.
There is no way I could get enough charge off the Teck Net/Solar combo that would keep up with the power use of my HTC Desire.

The general principle I've found is this. Portable power is great to a point - but if you find yourself anywhere where you can charge stuff off the mains - go for it!

[L CC]

I copy everyone's ideas...
Thanks to Dr Mekon's suggestion I went round PBP with 5 spare batteries for my phone. At £2.99 each (inc p&p) it was money well spent. I never went flat and was contactable by recruitment agencies all week. (In case the job centre read this )
Thanks to Chris S I run Tasker which means that while I'm riding it's in flight mode fpr 55 minutes an hour, picking up texts/tweets/emails for the other 5. When you're riding for 24 hours at a time that must save a lot of battery power.
Thanks to Kim I have my dyno powered ree-charge (although I didn't take that to France) which because it has integral cache battery you can also top up (from the mains) before you set out.
The pebble is great. Takes about 6 hours to fill and charges the mp3 player (all I used it for) at least 6 times. Will do the phone I think 3 times.
I have a freeloader, took it to the Semaine Federale last year, where it sat in my map bag in the sun. It was shite, although to be fair I don't have the big panel version.
Dyno + cache is the way to go, I reckon. Mains, whenever you see it, too.

[clarion]

...Thanks to Chris S I run Tasker which means that while I'm riding it's in flight mode fpr 55 minutes an hour, picking up texts/tweets/emails for the other 5. When you're riding for 24 hours at a time that must save a lot of battery power.

That's very clever.  Think I want that.

Dyno + cache is the way to go, I reckon. Mains, whenever you see it, too.

+1

[Chris S]

...Thanks to Chris S I run Tasker which means that while I'm riding it's in flight mode fpr 55 minutes an hour, picking up texts/tweets/emails for the other 5. When you're riding for 24 hours at a time that must save a lot of battery power.

That's very clever.  Think I want that.

Uh oh... OT alert...

Tasker is excellent. My personal favourite script of mine currently is, if I have a headset in listening to music when I'm cycling, the phone will soften the music to background level and read any inbound SMS messages to me as they arrive  . I could also extend this to having it automatically send a reply saying "I'm riding my bike at the moment - I'll get back to you at the next CAIK stop."

[Kim]

Oooh, shiny.

[Malandro]

I've never managed to charge my Freeloader fully in the UK by sun alone although it was easy in Provence this year tied onto the rear rack! 

However, later on, the damn thing fried the innards of my HTC Desire so that it no longer worked!  Fortunately they replaced my phone but I am now too scared to charge it with the Freeloader....

[plum]

I found my freeloader to be very robust when touring last year. Tied the three pieces lengthwise with a piece of string then rubber banded it to my handlebars, didn't fall apart once during 1100 miles.

If road vibration, steering, braking, etc didn't dislodge it then I would imagine it would be fairly safe similarly secured to a rucksack.