New DIY Solar Bicycle RackBy Jeff Crystal
| Two friends making a cross-country bike trip built out a nice solar bicycle rack. They’re fund raising for cancer research and will be using smart phones to make updates throughout the trip. |
| The kits uses an old backpack shell (free) as the to secure the panels, 3 1.5 Watt 6 Volt solar panels ($25 each), 1 Mini USB Circuit Box ($3) and 1 USB Battery Pack V11 ($40). Here are some pics from the project: |
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Thanks for posting this Jeff! If anyone is interested in following the ride, our website is http://www.biketowardsthecure.org
wow that is exactly what i was thinking of using the panels for except put them on the saddle bags of a motorbike for my south america ride next year
fyi, we’re coming out with a product in August 2010 that is designed to attach to bikes and backpacks. check back or sign up on our email list to be notified.
Hey I’ve been looking for this very application. Cell phone, laptop, and GPS are the items I’d want to have charged. That’s a MacBook with Magsafe. The problem is to get proper voltage for all 3 items.
MacBook: 60 watts
Cell: Not much needed on a daily charge (< 1 hour), but LG connector
GPS: 3 hours at 5.5 volts, full charge runs 15 hours (Garmin Edge 705). This is the big unit I need rolling.
10 to 15 watts, providing proper voltage, would be excellent. Considering a 5 hour bike per day, would it be that much to keep these 3 items up to power? I am assuming I could be camping almost every night, and not using the laptop for much.
Also, maybe to another travel linux laptop for simple email, web, recording of stuff for blog, etc. Maybe picture management from time to time. Or videos on the Mac. When I have wireless available, chances are I can get power to charge the laptop.
This seems to be a popular need. I am assuming a large flexible panel for the top of the trunk bag and/or a larger one for a bike trailer.
Hi Rich,
There are three components to the problem:
1 – a big enough panel (but not too big or heavy)
2 – a battery that stores power and outputs a range of voltages
3 – getting adequate sun during the day
We thought 15 Watts was about the right amount of power when we produced the Generator. That panel is available separately and can include a fabric frame that can be used to attach it to a trailer. You could also drill holes in the corners for attachment. It uses 20% efficiency cells so it is tiny compared to flexible panels. We tend to get about 25-30 minutes of run time on a MacBook (unibody, 15″ or less) per every hour in direct sun.
We’re currently re-designing our battery, but the new one will charge from 16-20Volts and output 5, 12, 16 and 20V. It will have a standard and a high-power USB port. If you need something in a hurry, let me know and I can recommend alternative batteries that will work with the panel.
Solar panels work best when pointed at the sun. They’ll absorb power in other conditions, but you’ll want to make sure when you stop to try and angle the panel. If you can do this while you’re riding, all the better.
Hope that helps.