Hiya, I hope I’m not completely in the wrong place (/c/Technology seems to only be dedicated to tech news but not questions). I have this powerbank with a built-in solar panel. The powerbank itself seems great so far, but it’s a pretty tiny solar panel. I’ve read about the difficulty of just hooking up a regular powerbank to a solar panel (spikes and dips in voltage due to clouds, people, etc.).

But since this powerbank is already designed to be charged with solar energy, can I simply hook a big-ass solar panel onto it and recharge it much faster than the officially displayed “several days, depending on the weather”?

  • Pete Hahnloser@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    It’s definitely a rabbit hole. What I can recommend as first steps if you’re considering a vehicle solar setup is a two-pronged approach: determining what will be electric vs. some other fuel source and getting a usage monitor like a Kill-A-Watt for devices you’d be planning on using during those trips.

    Hard numbers on capacity need are crucial when starting to put together a system. Everything else stems from those figures. Good luck!