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Powerful solar chargers for your outdoor adventures One downside of our increasingly connected world is that we constantly need power outlets to charge our smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. Solar chargers can keep these devices running wherever we are by soaking up the sun’s rays. The charger has three independent USB ports, each with a maximum output of 2.4A. RAVPower claims that its iSmart technology can automatically detect the optimal current to ensure the fastest possible charging of different devices. The maximum total output is 4.8A, so the RAVPower solar charger can potentially charge a tablet and two smartphones at the same time. www.ravpower.com
SOLAR CHARGERS PROMISE FREEDOM from electricity bills and wall outlets. Today there are several styles and types of solar panels and power banks on the market, to suit different needs from a day out hiking to a week-long camping trip. Let’s take a look at some of the products that can charge a device in the great outdoors.
RAVPower 24W Solar Panel
This RAVPower solar panel has five folding sections. Four of them are solar panels, while the fifth is a carry pouch that also contains the USB charging ports. At 300x170x20mm, the folded package is about the size of a magazine. It unfolds to 300x860mm, which provides plenty of surface area for the solar panels. As the RAVPower solar panel has no internal battery, it only weighs around 2 pounds. This makes it light enough to attach it to your backpack on a hiking trip. To do this, the waterproof canvas material has four riveted eyelets for carabiners.
The BioLite folds to about the same size as the BigBlue and the RAVPower, but it has only two, rather than four panels. Consequently, it has about half the power output, producing up to 10W of electricity. The two solar cells are coated with a plastic protective layer that keeps off dust, and the USB ports are protected by a silicone cap to keep dirt out. The advantage of the BioLite is, that it comes with a built-in 3000mAh battery, so it can soak up the sun during the day and save
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The design of the BigBlue 28 is similar to the RAVPower. It’s a folding four-panel charger with two USB ports, which can deliver up to 2.4A each, up to a total of 4A. It comes with a built-in digital ammeter to provide information about amperage for charging speed. An integrated voltage regulator offers stable power output for safe charging. One cool feature of the BigBlue is the charge interruption recovery. Many solar panels have the problem that charging does not restart after an interruption. This can happen on a partly cloudy day or when a shadow is cast over the panel. In these situations the BigBlue auto-restart function makes reconnecting to your device a smooth affair. www.ibigblue.com
some of that power for charging at night. A LED battery indicator with four lights shows how much charge the integrated battery has. The BioLite has a pair of anchor points, so it can be attached to a backpack with carabiners
in d u s t r ial et h er ne t b o o k
PHOTO: BIOLITE
PHOTO: RAVPOWER
PHOTO: IBIGBLUE
BigBlue 28
BioLite SolarPanel 10+
7.2020
29.07.2031 10:51
