To protect it from wind/rain/branches you could try and place a transparent film/sheet of plastic on each side , seal the edges with tape and at the wire exit hole add some epoxy.
First post btw :P.

Posted at 4:50 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by Jake

Hey, you should look into a maxim dc-dc converter
(MAXIM-IC IS awesome)

Use the sample circuit, it will take in anything from 1.8V (low sun) and dc-dc automatically to 5v (you have to set this part)

Heres a list of their stuff
http://para.maxim-ic.com/cache/en/results/4635.html

Heres what i reccomend:
http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/1742

Ahem… Free Samples Ahem…

Emperor Dane

Posted at 4:57 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by Dane Kouttron

I did something like this, although it was a bit simpler.

I was doing a week long backpack to Mt. Wittney, and wanted to bring a th55 and gps so that I could have tunes/games/gps location and all that.

So I made a panel that gave out .2a/4v (8×0.5v cells) and just plugged it into a 1a/hr lithium battery I had laying arround. It hung it off my pack and charged the battery the battery during the day, then at night I used them to charge my th55 and little gps that i had been using.

I figured that at 200ma I couldn’t kill the battery, and to this day that battery still works great ;)

Posted at 5:07 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by ...

@3 While it is an easy and safe method of charging something up it is also rather inefficient as you loose some energy during the electric>chemic>electric conversion due to a part of the energy getting converted into heat and the general efficiency of the intermidiary battery.

Posted at 5:13 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by Jake

Does anyone know here I can buy a similar solar panel in th UK?

Posted at 6:13 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by Mikael

I bought my solar panel off eBay it has yet to turn up… :( but it will be used in a Ipod/ipod speaker project…

Posted at 6:30 pm on Oct 28th, 2006 by Tom Parker

really neat, this thing! i guess you’d be able to use it on other portable devices too, couldn’t you?

Posted at 8:13 am on Oct 29th, 2006 by Kevinin

I love duct tape and safety pins!

_very_ resourceful!

Posted at 10:10 am on Oct 29th, 2006 by strider_mt2k

i took a look at the solar panel listed on the materials list but it doesnt seem like the same solar panel that he is using, whats the deal?

Posted at 11:28 am on Oct 29th, 2006 by Dash

Err, Not the best circuit, the 78M05 is not the best for this circuit – it requires about 2V more to regulate – e.g. at least 7V to give 5V out….

What is required is a LDO (Low Drop Out) regulator also a few caps on the circuit would make it more stable e.g. 10uf 16V, and 10nf on the input, and the same on the output (Yes, 2 Caps for each, 10uf smooths the supply, and the 10nf remove the High frequency instability)

Nice idea…

Posted at 11:52 am on Oct 29th, 2006 by Wonko The Sane

funny how he says he cant find a solar ipod charger, yet if you search “Solar ipod charger” in google the first link leads to this:

http://www.solio.com/v2/index.htm

its even compatible with the nano.

Posted at 12:33 pm on Oct 29th, 2006 by asdf

I am quite afraid by what I’m reading here.

1) NEVER EVER charge a Lithium battery without the proper charging circuitry. Li-ion and Li-po batteries are extremely susceptible and they _WILL_ protest if you charge them incorrectly, sometimes by catching fire at an unexpected moment.

2) Using a 7805 off a 6V panel is stupid as common 7805 have a drouput voltage larger than 1.5V, which means that you’d need a stable 6.5V (min) at the 7805 for it to deliver a proper, regulated, 5V output. To do things professionnally you’d need a flyback/SEPIC switching power supply that generates a 5V only when the light is sufficient.

3) Feeding your iPod or [insert your favorite MP3 player model here] by some unregulated voltage may harm it, especially if the voltage gets higher than the rated power supply nominal voltage.

Posted at 4:09 pm on Oct 29th, 2006 by uski

so ironically the company he bought the solar panel from sells the same thing. http://store.sundancesolarcorp.com/sosochforipc.html

not that it’s not inherently more fun/cheap/lighter to build it oneself, but clearly there’s some research skills lacking.

Posted at 11:30 am on Oct 30th, 2006 by unjust

or he could’ve just bought a solar powered backpack

http://www.voltaicsystems.com/

or do what I did and win it from treehugger.com for a DIY contest

Posted at 5:30 pm on Nov 8th, 2006 by MrGoodBytes

Why not use the firewire power instead of USB? All you have to do is switch two wires to the dock connector. USB is fine I guess but it can be flakey (especily with RockBox)

Posted at 2:52 pm on Nov 30th, 2006 by devoinregress

C’mon guys! Ok… So I am a total newbie, but I thought this project was great! I actually was able to understand something out of it – and is giving me interest into all of this!

I think the article is good and that more of these “SIMPLE” projects are welcomed! Then, we can share ideas and improvements!

And please! keep it always very cheap, very understandable (as this article is!), and positive!!

Thanks!

Posted at 8:25 pm on Nov 30th, 2006 by Richard

I like this concept. The thought of being able to listen to my motorola V360 iTunes (1000 song hacked version) or play a game or video if I want while in the bush makes me want to make one.
If the voltage is stable who cares usb is usb. The right voltage regulator would make all the difference for me. Mybe he could use laminating film to seal it instead of packing tape.Good hack

Posted at 8:45 pm on Dec 12th, 2006 by Tom

This is my first visit to this site. Pretty cool. anyone know of a version of this that uses a hand crank like those wind up flashlights to charge a usb device. The solar panels are great but I need an option for use at night.

thanks,

Posted at 8:17 am on Jan 7th, 2007 by Jody

Hey guys!

I can find only the solar panel in the 400ma versions, what can I do to use this one instead of the 100ma one?

Posted at 1:53 am on Mar 9th, 2007 by bidomo

I bought the solar panel, the usb female adapter and the voltage regulator, precise as he listed… I built the device. It doesn’t work. I’m a new, for sure, in soldering and building this stuff, but this is a pretty simple project and based on a friend’s recommendation, I tried it. It just doesn’t work.
Worst, I can’t figure out how to email the author for advice as to why it might not. I’m sure I must have done something wrong.

Posted at 6:23 pm on Aug 4th, 2007 by Chris

Welllll…. I figured out the problem. The picture he uses is ambiguous as to where the leads to the regulator go (or the panel is backwards from his and the manufacturer’s instructions). I ended up just having to switch the input and output wires and it all worked out, after I bought it outside for a full sunlight. It works. Sorry for the panic.

Posted at 9:49 am on Aug 5th, 2007 by Chris

This circuit will not charge an Ipod. Perhaps a nano or shuffle, but not a bigger ipod.

As was stated by comment 9, you need to get a lvdo regulator and probably 1uF caps between Vin and ground and Vout and ground.

Now you have a steady 5V supply for your USB, but your ipod will still not charge from this circuit, you need a voltage divider. I don’t know how to post it here, but if you take apart any USB ipod charger, the voltage divider is there.

This being said, it’s probably much easier to buy a higher voltage panel, regulate down to 9V (anything from 9V-12V is fine) and charge directly through USB or firewire, as the ipod’s charging circuitry will automatically begin charging from this voltage without any handshake/voltage divider. However, you won’t be able to charge any other USB devices from this charger.

Posted at 5:18 pm on Oct 31st, 2007 by pyrex

Thanks for all the input. As I tried to make clear, i am no electronics guy, I just want an ultralight iPod charger to go with me backpacking and I really appreciate the feedback. Now, how do I do that voltage divider business?

Posted at 1:31 am on Apr 2nd, 2008 by Jason