May 18, 2009

How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger -aka MightyMintyBoost

I wanted a charger for my iPodTouch and the MintyBoost was definitely my first choice. I wanted to take it a bit further and make it not only rechargeable but also solar powered. The other issue is that the iPhone and iPodTouch have large batteries in them and will deplete the two AA batteries in the MintyBoost rather quickly so I wanted to increase the battery power as well. What I really wanted was a MightyMintyBoost!Apple has sold over 30 million iPodTouch/iPhone units- imagine charging all of them via solar power.... If every iPhone/iPodTouch sold was fully charged every day (averaging the battery capacity) via solar power instead of fossil fuel power we would save approximately 506.62mWh of energy, roughly equivalent to 760,000 lbs. of CO2 in the atmosphere per year. Granted that's a best case scenario (assuming you can get enough sunlight per day and approximately 1.5 lbs. CO2 produced per kWh used.) Of course, that doesn't even figure in all the other iPods, cell phones and other USB powered devices that can be powered by this device. I even use it to power an Arduino microcontroller.There are some really nice features about this charger:It's solar powered!It's small.Large battery capacity- 3.7v @2000mAhOn board charger charges via solar, USB or wall wart. Accepts input power from 3.7v to 7v.Remove the solar cell and you have a nice compact USB power supply.Unplug the solar cell and use the Velcro to secure the MightyMintyBoost inside a backpack or messenger bag- now plug in a larger solar cell attached to your bag for even faster charging. Using a slightly larger solar cell (6v/250mAh) you can generate enough power to fully charge an iPhone in about 5.5 hours and an iPod Touch in 4 hours.Building this is really easy and straightforward- it only took me around an hour so follow along and build one for yourself!Safety note and general disclaimer: Be careful cutting the Altoids tin as it can have some really sharp edges- file them smooth if necessary. Assemble this at your own risk- while it is really easy to build, if you mess something up there is the potential to damage the electronic device you are trying to charge. Be careful in your assembly and soldering work and follow good safety practices. Only use a type of battery charger specifically designed for the type of battery you are using. Please read through the entire Instructable before asking questions- if there are are any questions just ask and I'll help out as best as I can!

1 comment:

Rachat de credit said...

Thanks a lot it was a great guide, now to make a solar ipod is without a doubt very easy with your information. Thank you