Bob,
I'm looking into running our laptop on solar as well (just purchased a
Dell Inspiron B130). My wife would like to be able to sit out,
utilizing the wireless connection.
If I wanted to put together a system that would use your SolarUPS,
what other parts would I have to get (could you provide a list for
those of us new to the solar world) that would power just one laptop?
Also, what would be a ballpark price?
Much thanks
Glenn
On 29 Sep 2006 08:44:37 -0700, "Bob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Hi DW,
> Running a laptop from solar power can be confusing. What you need
>depends on how much you plan to use the laptop and if you want to be
>portable or use it in a fixed location. First you need to know what the
>laptop requires.
> I have made measurements on a couple of laptop computers (Dell and
>IBM) and found they typically require 50 to 75 Watts of power when
>first plugged into the external power source (whether AC, solar, or
>cigarette lighter adapter). If the laptop battery is fully charged,
>then the power requirement will decrease in a few minutes to about 20
>Watts. If the laptop battery needs charging then the high power will
>continue for longer until the battery is charged. Of course when the
>laptop is turned off, or in standby mode, it uses less power as long as
>the internal battery has finished charging. You need to estimate how
>many hours a day you will use the computer and as a good average
>multiply the number of hours times 20 Watts to get the minimum
>watt-hours per day required. As an example I will assume you want to
>run the computer for 8 hours per day, resulting in 160 Watt-hours of
>power usage. Next consider how solar panels work.
> A solar panel produces power in proportion to the amount of light
>striking the surface. The actual power at any given moment will depend
>on weather conditions, temperature, the time of day, and the angle
>between the solar panel and the sun. Assuming clear weather, the next
>three factors become important, and are related. Unless you have a
>solar tracker (or are willing to move the panel during the day) you
>will probably just mount it facing South and tilt the panel from
>horizontal by an angle equal to the latitude where you live. In this
>case you will achieve the best compromise that is possible without
>adjustments for time of day and season. If you simply mount the panel
>horizontal, then your power will vary from summer to winter, and will
>be considerably less than optimum. With the panel facing South and
>tilted correctly you will achieve an average of 6 to 7 hours of "full
>power" per day. "Full power" is not what the panel is rated for
>unfortunately since all ratings are made at room temperature (20-25
>degrees C), and the panel will become much hotter than this when placed
>in the sun unless it is very cold outside. Typical summer time
>conditons will result in about 80% of the rated power at noon. Early in
>the morning and late in the afternoon the power will be much lower of
>course, which explains why you only get 6-7 hours of "full power" per
>day. All these factors combined means you can get about 4.8 to 5.6
>Watt-hours per day from a 1 Watt solar panel. To achieve the 160
>Watt-hours per day in my example you will need about a 30 Watt solar
>panel which should produce about 144 to 168 Watt-hours per day. For
>successful operation of the laptop you will need an external battery to
>store the solar energy, and to provide the high power required when
>first connected. Without the storage battery you would need a much
>larger solar panel (probably at least 100 Watts even at noon). You
>will also need either a Auto Power adapter (cigarette lighter adapter)
>for your laptop or an inverter to convert the DC of the battery to AC
>power.
> External batteries are available from several companies, but many
>of them will not charge from solar power while running the laptop
>computer. I have developed what I call a "Solar UPS" that is designed
>to use all the solar power available to run the laptop and either store
>any excess in its internal battery or make up the difference if demand
>is more than the solar panel is producing. This unit is small and light
>enough that you can store it in your travel bag, and is capable of
>powering up to two laptops or one laptop and a satellite terminal
>simultaneously when connected to an adequate solar panel. It will
>accomodate any nominal 12 volt solar panel up to 60 Watts. See
>www.locoengineering.com for more details. If you need an inverter and
>size and weight do not matter Xantrex sells lead acid batteries with
>built in inverters that will work. You may need to increase the solar
>panel size a bit ( maybe 15-30% more solar panel) to accomodate the
>inefficiencies of inverters and battery charging. I hope this reduces
>your confusion, and have fun.
>
>
>dw wrote:
>> So I'm confused.
>> The AC adapter for one laptop says it's 90W 20V.
>> The other laptop's adapter says it's 100-240V 1.5A AC, 19.5V 4.62A DC
>>
>> I'd like to set up a shack in the woods as a studio and use them there.
>> What kind of solar setup can I use for 1 or two laptops?
>>
>> Knowing nothing except I don't want to spend a lot of money here, will
>> a 6W solar charger like this
>>
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/Solar-Panel-Powe...QQcmdZViewItem
>>
>>
>> do the trick?
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