Micro Pocket Power 2 Go Its Solar To

by tech savvy in Circuits > Gadgets

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Micro Pocket Power 2 Go Its Solar To

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Hi there ,
I wanted to share a project I made a few months ago ,
I call it power 2 go , yea I'm still working on the name ,
its very small as you can see in the pictures compared to a memory card and the penny ,  
I know there's a lot of people out that have made similar to this and I must they did really well ,
but I made mine a little different a more adaptable version meaning that it can be charged not just by solar alone ,
but by usb as well , that"s not anything new you say , 
ok how about this you can charge your cellphone with it ,
no still not something new ok ok I here you no problem ,
well how about this ,
 something that makes it little a different then others it can be used to power anything that has a usb port or charge port  , 
and it can be charged by a bigger solar cell to speed up the charging process , 
what your still not impressed yet  hmm ,
wait please don't leave yet  were just getting to the good part ,
check out  how to build own power 2 go in these couple of easy steps .

UPDATE ! Thanks to the feedback of a fellow member I updated the last step , IT will have the specs and how it works 

Get Your Tool Box Handy

OK so here's a list of things you need ,
A  mini case to put all the parts in , I used a GameCube memory card case it fits everything just right  ,
A solar cell , almost any  kind will work  like one from a cheap solar light will do , p.s make sure its small enough to fit the case ,
A bridge rectifier diode , got mine from ebay , 100 for a $1.50 mind you only need one ,
A 4.5 volt micro rechargeable battery , you can get this on Ebay if you want or maybe a hobby store , 
A female USB Port also ebay or if your like me you have a few laying around , 

now for the tools ,
glue gun 
soldering gun 
and a hobby knife ,
note be careful when using cheap hobby knifes , 
ok on to the next step

Let the Fun Begin

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ok since I did not take any pictures when I was making it , 
I can't  show step by step with pictures sorry :( , 
but don't worry I have your back , 
I have made a schematic so to speak  by using windows paint to make it ,
ok I now its not how  some of you pro's would do it but I wanted it to be very simple so anyone could this , 
also I though I would post the pinout website just in case you what to use a different type of usb , 
so you can find the pinout here http://www.usbpinout.net/ , 
ok fallow the schematic like it shows you and solder your components ,
then place in your case making sure you have cut two holes one for your usb and one for the top of your solar cell ,
now glue everything in its place ,
once done ,
you  need to use the glue gun and glue around the top edge of your solar cell to seal it up ,
or take some clear plastic a melt it around the edge with your soldering gun , that's what I did
 please be very very careful when  melting the plastic it can burn you very easily , do not let your children do this
ok next and last step
  , 

THE BIG TEST

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ok take out side and put in the sun of course and let it charge up ,
depending on the battery and how sunny it is it could take awhile ,
mine sometimes takes all day when its without a charge ,
so if your like me and can't wait  for a couple of hours because your to exited  then plug it into a bigger solar panel like I did ,
or plug it in to your usb charger or the usb port on your computer ,
yes its ready its ready oh sorry I lost control of my self for a second can't be help :) ,
so there have it your now have power 2 go  , 

have fun and thank you for viewing , 

UPDATE , ok I posted the specs and how it works , 
ok lets start with how does it work , 
well think of it as a regular rechargeable battery ,
when you plug it into any power source like a charger it well charges , 
and when something is connected to it , it  will power what you've connected like say your cellphone , 
there is no chip or component to tell when and when not to charge ,
I know what your thinking if there's nothing stopping it from steal power from what is connected right ,
don't worry I'v though this out ,
when you charge a battery there's a higher voltage and lower voltage ,
what doe's that mean ,
well when you look on the label on your cellphone charger you will see its a volt to two volts higher then your battery ,
for example charger is 5.1 volts and your battery use's 3.7 volts ,
ah you see so what's it taking place here ,
when you connect a higher voltage to a lower voltage the lower voltage will take on the charge ,
of course you say   , hold on were getting to the good part ,
anytime you connected higher to lower the higher wins each time , wait what about the power being drained by the charger ,
ok I see what you mean ,
when the voltage is higher like I said the power will flow into the lower and will not back flow out ,
I'v tested it to be make extra sure ,
so that's why you always need a higher voltage when your using it to charge something , 
thew ok , now to the specs ,

specs for charging time are ,
4 to 8 hours by solar , depending on the amount of sun , so if its cloudy you'll be looking at about 8 hours , 
by DC charger 2 to 5 hours max , 
by it own solar and help from a bigger panel is 1 to 3 hours ,

I hope this helps everyone know how it works and what the specs are ,
some  of you may know most of this but hey we were once newbies to , p.s you may learn something new  ,

as  always Thank you for viewing and say tuned for more  projects from your truly