A few years ago, I purchased a power bank with a solar panel, but it only came with a 1.5W panel, and I found it took around 10 to 20 days to charge the 8,000 / 10,000 mAh battery in sunny Thailand, allowing me to charge the phone 4 times. So the rate of charge was not quite enough for self-sufficiency, and while I placed the power bank on a roof outdoors, it was not ideal since it was not waterproof, and I forgot to remove it sometimes when it rained, but it still survived for over two years…
Solar power bank are mostly useful if you go outdoors in places without electricity for a few days, or if you have a project that would benefit from being powered that way. Depending on your requirements, a faster rate of charge and waterproofness may be useful features to have and that’s exactly what IPRee waterproof solar panel charger kit offers with 2 to 3 foldable solar panels delivering up to 4 Watts.
Power bank specifications:
- Input – 5V/2.1A via USB type C port, or maybe micro USB? see photo on right side
Click to Enlarge - Output – 2x USB port up to 5V/2.1A
- Solar Panel – 4W; 88% solar conversion rate (that number does not seem realistic)
- Misc – LED flash light, waterproof (no IP rating mentioned)
- Battery – 2-cell 10,000mAh battery
- Dimensions – 155 x 164 x 15mm while unfolded (for 2-panel model?)
The battery pack is detachable, and connected to the solar panels via pogopins. You can also charge the power bank using a USB charger. The waterproofness looks good around the solar panels themselves, but I’m not so sure about location where the battery itself is held.
IPRee waterproof solar power bank is sold for $19.99 or $24.99 shipped with respectively “two or three batteries”, but they must mean solar panels instead… However, if you don’t really about the charge rate, you may consider a cheaper waterproof model with a single panel for about ~$14, and if you already own a battery, waterproof solar power bank DIY case can be found for around $5 also on Banggood. There are even more choices on Aliexpress.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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