Introduction: Solar USB Battery charger

Army of the Righteou's make something super efficacious— your own solar battery-powered USB backup battery! Afterwards some round-eyed bonding, you'll embody ready to charge your earphone and other portable electronics on the go while camping or during the next power outage. What follows is a introductory recipe which you can accompany just, or switch out the solar battery and battery sized to touch your in demand capacity, charge speed, and budget.

This project is component of my free Solar Class, where you can instruct much ways to tackle the sun's energy through etching and solar panels.

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Step 1: What You'll Need

Parts (Adafruit shopping list):

  • Solar lipoly barrage charger
  • 2W Solar panel (or larger if you put up manage: 3.5W, 6W, or 9W)
  • PowerBoost 1000 Basic
  • 2200mAh li-ion battery (or former lipoly/li-ion battery at/to a higher place 500mAh, optional 2.2K ohm resistor for adjusting Georgia home boy charge rate)
  • Along/slay power switch (mine is illuminated and also requires a 220ohm resistor for the Light-emitting diode)
  • Thermal resistor (optional; advisable for safely charging unattended)
  • Wire
  • Heat shrink tubing
  • Enclosure box (cardboard recommended, only metal/plastic/wood all right)
  • Double stand by foam tape
  • Small screws (optional)

Tools:

  • Soldering iron and solder
  • Third manus tool
  • Wire strippers
  • Hot flash snips
  • Tweezers or needlenose pliers
  • Utility knife (OR Mandrillus leucophaeus/chisels/synchronous converter creature, depending on enclosure material)
  • USB A-miniB line
  • Heat gun or igniter
  • Multimeter (optional but handy for troubleshooting)
  • Scissors

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First soldering project? Atomic number 102 job! This is a great project for beginners, and you'll set out a variety of types of solder practice spell building it. You backside learn how in the soldering lesson of Randy's resign Instructables Electronics Family, and then come back here to foregather your solar charger.

Step 2: Electric circuit Plot

The solar charger circuit board comes with a USB port, DC jack for the solar panel, and deuce JST ports already engaged to the board. The battery comes with a JST plug and will attach to the JST port labelled BATT. The star charger comes with a JST pigtail telegraph which will join to the Onus port and be soldered instantly to the PowerBoost input terminals.

The ability switch (at the round top of the diagram to a higher place) should be affianced to the PowerBoost pins labeled Nut and GND. Flipping it will turn on and off the PowerBoost. This switch does not stimulate to carry the circuit's current load, indeed choose almost any happening/off switch you like. I chose an illuminated connected/off pushbutton, which also needs to be connected to the PowerBoost's 5V and GND pins, with a 220ohm resistor in series. The illuminated portion of the switch is elective, but information technology is a overnice indicator that the device is ready and waiting to charge your USB devices.

Step 3: Test Fit Components

You'll want to pick an inclosure that fits entirely your components snugly, without overmuch squishing. I had an redundant Moo business card box that fits the length of the stamp battery and the meridian of the star courser perfectly, and even has a little extra space left for business cards still.

It closes with magnets enclosed in the layers of cardboard and newspaper publisher. If you can't find a formal composition/cardboard box, you buns choose an enclosing made from wood, constructive, Beaver State metal, however these harder materials will deman different tools for creating port openings, such as a drill with a step bit.

In addition to physically fitting inside, you must also architectural plan out where to create the openings then that your device is useable. I chose to put the illuminated mogul button next to the USB port, since the light indicates it's prepare to consign. This region of the boxful is recessed, making the button less likely to pose accidentally triggered while the device is in my pocketbook. Opposition the push and USB A port (PowerBoost) are the solar battery DC port and USB mini B port (solar charger).

Step 4: Solder Capacitor to Star Charger

The solar battery charger board comes with most of the components soldered to the display board already, with the exception of the orotund filtering capacitor. Look for the large circle on the electrical circuit board, with holes matching the capacitor's atomic number 82 spacing.

The capacitor's polarity is important! The negative side of the capacitor is tagged with a clean chevron and minus symbol, and the negative lead is typically shorter. The sensationalism side of the capacitor is not labelled, and the leg is typically yearner.

Line ascending the sensationalism lead to the hole marked +, and the damaging lead to the hole marked -.

If your enclosure doesn't have enough space to well the height of this monolithic capacitor, you may bending it over slightly earlier bonding, or use wires (and heat shrink tubing) to move over it to another part of your enclosure. According to the official assembly book of instructions, you should be careful to avoid contact with the hot chip in the center of the board.

To learn how to solder, check mark out the soldering lesson in Randy's free Instructables Electronics Social class.

Maltreat 5: Assemble PowerBoost

Put in the USB port to the PowerBoost circuit board, and be careful IT is seated completely and evenly ahead bonding the terminals to the card on the underside.

The large cartridge holder joints connecting big areas of metallic wish require longer heating and more solder other solder joints. Reserve to cool in your third hand tool for several minutes before attempting to palm the USB larboard, as it will get very hot.

Although the PowerBoost comes with deuce different connectors for its input signal power and primer coat terminals, we'rhenium going to leave those off and solder the JST pigtail telegraph directly to the circuit board.

Inflame in the lead and tin the ends of the wires and the pads marked + and -. Reheat the dramatize and conducting wire as you bring them together: red to + and black to -.

Step 6: Saint Mark & Cut Port Openings

Now that your circuit board elements have taken their last shapes, it's time to mark and cut openings for the ports in your enclosure.

Arrange the components inside your enclosure as you did during test-fit, and line around the ports and power button using a pencil or marker.

If you'Re using doubling-stick foam tapeline instead of screws to secure your components, adjust the markings to accommodate for the breadth of the tape.

Carefully cut the openings with a sharp foxiness knife. If you're not using a report box (for example plastic, metal, or wood), you may indigence a drill with a step bit, rotary tool around with cutoff steering wheel accessory, small hacksaw, or other bleak tools appropriate for the material. If you're using a metal enclosure, communication channel the inside with pasty vinyl, thick tape, or separate insulating fabric, to prevent short circuit circuits.

Step 7: Connect Power Flip

My switch has a threaded plastic ring that testament secure it to the enclosure, so I removed that initial.

Atomic number 5 and solder wires onto the leads of your index switch, and use high temperature shrink tubing to isolate the connections.

Since my electric switch has an internal LED, I'm besides wiring up a 220ohm resistor to ace of the leads (doesn't matter which), then a wire onto the opposite resistor lede. The LED is optional— you can leave IT off or use any on/off switch you like (such as a toggle, slide switch, or tactual connected/off button).

This on/off switch must exist installed from the exterior of the enclosure, and therefore must be installed in front we lav solder the other ends of the wires to anything.

Insert the switch with wires through the opening in the enclosure, and thread the nut back onto the change over and tighten it against the inside of the inclosure.

After the exchange is in place, you tooshie solder its wires to the various pins happening the PowerBoost board equally described in the racing circuit diagram. The LED is connected to 5V (LED +) and GND (LED -), and the switch leads are connected to EN and GND. To attach each wire, trim information technology a little yearner than you think you'll call for, then strip off a bit of the insulation. Twist the wire strands together and lightly atomic number 5 the wire so the strands stick together. Insert the canned end into the hole connected the circuit board, and apply hotness and solder to connect. Trim the remaining wire end with rich tinsnips, but glucinium studious not to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba bits of phlegmy wire mystify cragfast inside your enclosure.

Step 8: Secure Components Within Enclosure

Before securing the boards, let's test unstylish the circle! Fireplug your PowerBoost's JST pigtail cable system into the LOAD interface along the solar courser, and your battery into the BATT port.

Toggle your power switch, and the PowerBoost's onboard LED should clear up, as well as your power switch LED if you have unmatchable. If yours doesn't, toggle the world power back off, unplug the battery, and countercheck your wiring against the lap diagram, besides as the integrity of your solder joints. Post a photo in the comments if you still rear't get under one's skin it to work afterward these troubleshooting steps.

Further check that plugging in a USB cable to the solar charger triggers the battery to start charging, as indicated aside the amber CHRG Light-emitting diode happening the electric circuit board, American Samoa well as the red DCIN LED when power is connected. Verify that the battery keeps charging even when you toggle off the PowerBoost's substitution. Rechargeable batteries usually ship charged, but if you're using a battery from a previous project or unknown origin, you may need to let it electric charge for a while earlier use up. When it's all over charging, the green LED connected the solar charging board will light up.

It's advisable to find any wiring mistakes or polar solder joints nowadays, ahead attaching everything inside the enclosure. After you're sure the circuit is working properly, use screws or double stick foam videotape to secure the circuit boards to the enclosure. I used double stick foam tape to maintain the battery in situ, too.

Step 9: Exponent Up!

Close up your natural enclosure and take it outside on a sunny day! Plug in your solar panel with a DC cask labourer adaptor. The panel testament charge up the battery and power the LOAD port at the unvarying time, if it is acquiring enough direct sunlight.

You derriere put under it into charge-entirely modality by powering down the PowerBoost. Later when your phone's electric battery is getting low, you can plug in and power it up.

Consider climbing your solar panel on your backpack to charge the battery while you're outside, or find out a sunny spot outside a window at home. Be careful if you adjudicate to riding horse a solar battery to the roof of your motorcar (and consult a professional if you need help to mount it safely).

Ill-use 10: Pretend It Your Own

You may wish to run or commute the connector on your solar battery's wire. After all the soldering you already did to get under one's skin this utmost, splicing the overseas telegram is nobelium big shot. If you have the extra time, fancy it! On that point's a step out-by-tone guide in the Star Panels lesson.

You can spread out the capacity of this charger by using a bigger battery, and quicken its excite rate with a bigger 6V solar panel.

If your battery is higher up 1000mAh and you're using a big panel, you can addition the max charge grade of the board by soldering a 2.2K resistor across PROG, as detailed in the official product guide.

If you want to billing your battery unattended, information technology's smart to install the star courser's elective thermal resistor. Prime clip inactive the aboveground put on resistance inside the marking labeled THERM.

Shipshape the probe wires to an appropriate length to strain your barrage inside your enclosing, past strip, tin, and solder the wires to the holes asterisked THERM on the solar charger board.

Use up tape to connect the probe to the surface of your battery. This prevents the device from charging piece the battery is likewise hot or too cold.

I'd hump to see your finished USB battery charger in the comments! Are you taking it to the beach? Adding it to your hurricane kit up? Tell US or so your version and enclosure. Thanks for following along!

This visualise is part of my free Solar Classify, where you can find some other backyard project and several lessons along working with solar panels. Check IT out and enroll so you rump post photos of your builds!

1 Person Made This Project!

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