Solar Power for Samsung Galaxy S9

[jane]

Can anyone recommend a reasonable priced solar charger to suit a Samsung galaxy S9 mobile and a galaxy tablet .
A Google search turned up so many options but I don't understand the techo stuff like amps , output etc so not sure what to buy
Any advice please, thanks

[ribuck]

I have used this one successfully for 48 days in Central Australia, and 17 days in NSW:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FMVKHLY/

In Central Australia, it produced plenty of power each day to recharge a Samsung Phone (sometimes an A7-2017, sometimes a S10e), a Garmin InReach Mini and a Petzl Bindi headtorch. In NSW there was usually enough power, but when I had three overcast days on the Great North Walking Track followed by a day in shady forest, it didn't produce quite enough power. I had to reduce my power usage by not recording my GPS track.

This panel would work fine with an S9, but it's usually better to charge a small power bank during the day, then use the power bank to charge your devices in the tent at night. A small "lipstick" style power bank will do fine, about 3300 mA-h, because that can replenish all the power you've used up during the day, assuming that you don't run all your devices to zero every day. Most power banks charge well from a variable input, whereas some phones will revert to low-speed charging if the solar panel enters the shade briefly. Mount the panel on the very top of your backpack, not on the back of it. Put the power bank in the lid pocket of the pack, or velcro it to the underside of the solar panel.

I'm on my second one of these, because I caught the cable (which connects the solar panel to the power bank) on some scrub, and the USB socket on the solar panel cracked. For my second panel, I got a very short lead (12cm) so that there was no loop to catch on the scrub.

You need a "Plan B" in case you break your charging system on an extended walk. For me, my "Plan B" is that there will still be SOME charge remaining in my power bank and devices, and I will ration that power for the rest of the trip (e.g. no photos).

If you were a serious photographer, you might need a bigger solar panel and power bank to recharge the camera, but the bigger solar panels unroll into multiple separate sections and bring a whole bunch of additional problems (positioning, robustness, weight and cost).

[jane]

Thanks for that useful info and also the mindful tips about reducing the risk of damaging the unit .

[Mark F]

I agree with ribuck about charging a power bank if deploying the solar panel while walking. The charging circuit in many phones will react badly to power fluctuations due to passing through forest/shaded areas. When I tried with my phone I ended up with a small net loss over the day.

The panel he linked to are available from many vendors and work well. See http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=24317 for more info about solar. Personally I don't deploy the panel while walking due to the potential for damage/loss but I do deploy it whenever I stop which seems sufficient for phone, inReach, small power bank and headlight. The single cell power bank gets me through a few of cloudy days assuming I keep everything topped up when conditions are good.

[jane]

Thanks Mark

[ChrisJHC]

I’m like MarkF and carry my solar panel in my pack then deploy when I stop for lunch or at the end of the day.
I carry mine in my pack’s “brain” as that way it is stored flat, is protected and I can access it easily when I take my pack off.

Pointing the panel towards the sun definitely helps. Also keep an eye on it to make sure shadows don’t come over it.

Definitely use a small power pack and charge your devices from that.

And, make sure you adopt the usual power-saving measures such as flight-mode, turning the brightness down, only tracking GPS when you really want to, etc.

[ribuck]

And, make sure you adopt the usual power-saving measures such as flight-mode, turning the brightness down, only tracking GPS when you really want to, etc.

Of those, flight mode is the critical one. The automatic brightness setting works well on modern phones, and a modern GPS (when set to record a trackpoint every 30 seconds) just sips the power briefly when it wakes up for each new trackpoint.

Photos also use less power than they used to, although burst shots and videos are still power hungry.

[Baka Dasai]

I have used this one successfully for 48 days in Central Australia, and 17 days in NSW:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FMVKHLY/

That one won't ship to Australia, but this one does, and looks to be the same:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Lixada-Effien ... ref=sr_1_8