[amin]

hello everyone,
I got a solar panel and battery charge controller as a gift. I appreciate it if anyone could suggest any applications of them while tent camping.

Options that I am thinking of them is:
1) buying a used car battery plus an inverter
2) using the output that goes to the battery as a source of power to turn the light on/charging cellphones (Not sure the second idea works!)
3) Purchasing another cheap controller that outputs to 5 volt USBs for charging cellphone and iPad (Not sure what controller matches this solar panel)

Here are pictures of the solar panel (1 m * 0.4 m) and the controller:
load charge: 7 max, output 14.2 V and input 13 volt
MotoMaster brand
More info here!

Thanks

 

[amin]

Thank you for your useful points. While I am trying to remember all I learned about this stuff in high school, this could be a great experience for me as a beginner in the area of solar panels. In general, my plan is to use it while camping just to charge cellphones and maybe a laptop. So, the only concern that remained is the mobile network coverage! 😃

I love the idea of small batteries plus the 12V socket with a few USB ports. I saw some like this that are around 150 W. Would that be too much for a small battery?

Also, is there any way to use a power bank instead of a car battery that going to be charged by the panel? Something like this: Solar panel>> controller>> 12 volt socket >> ... >> power bank >> cellphone. Although I know it is designed to be used with a car battery.

Thanks