Solar Goodies Arrive

A few days ago, my solar kit arrived. I purchased the Solar Project / Timer Box Combo (#2), made in the UK by an independent person(s), who goes by the moniker of Cottonpicker. This kit comes with the following items:

1. 1500ma Solar panel with USB port
2. Empty Li-ion Holder for 4x18650 rechargeable Li-ion batteries (stores about 40 watt hours)
3. 7 Day timer to switch the Pi on and off at set times (or anything else USB powered)
4. A4 sided box to hold it all in and keep the worst of the weather out.
5. Simple plastic holder for the Pi

I purchased the 4 Li-ion batteries from Orbtronic.com (Panasonic 3400mAh 18650), which arrived a week or so before the package from the UK.

Complete view

Battery pack / charge controller with Li-ion batteries installed.

The charge controller prevents overcharging. The maker's claim, "It will charge the pack (up to 13,000mah) in around 10 hours of good sun and can power the Raspberry Pi B model for around 20 hours or the Raspberry Pi Model A for around 40 hours with fully charged batteries. If you use the timer to switch the Pi off at night or only switch on a few hours a day you could run all year in a remote location."

The kit has met my expectations so far, with no surprises. The quality seems to be quite good, and the little Pi case, which appears to be a basic 3D printed one-piece design was a nice touch. If you're wondering what this set me back, it was $95 US for the solar kit (incl. shipping) plus $43 for the Li-ion cells (shipped). For the money, I don't think you can do any better. Just look at the stuff sold by goalzero, and I think you'll agree. Of course, this is at the expense of going with stuff that won't be serviced & supported in the same way.

I've had the panel charge in the sun for a couple of days and will soon be ready to test with my Pi model A just how long it will run. I am also working on a DIY weatherproof enclosure for my Pi so I can run it without worry of water damage.

Cottonpicker's Place - Solar kit
Orbtronic - Panasonic 3400mAh 18650 product page