Alternative Energy

DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger

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Know how to make a DIY solar charger for your cell phones here. Communication is vital in emergency situations that’s why knowing this skill can be your saving grace!

RELATED: Off-Grid Solar Survival: Top 5 Things To Consider Before Diving In

DIY Solar Charger for Your Cell Phones | A Step-by-Step Guide

The Importance of Cell Phones

man uses mobile phone snowy forest | solar charger battery

Cell phones are one of the modern conveniences we rely on the most. The average person will be completely lost if forced to live without their phone for a day, much less for a longer span of time.

You can be left without electricity for an extended amount of time for multiple reasons. Blackouts, fallen power lines, being in a survival situation, or just going on a camping trip can leave you an outlet short to juice up your technology.

Quickly, your phone battery is drained, and your device becomes useless. We have a solution to this problem, and it comes in the form of a portable, rechargeable, DIY solar-powered cell phone charger.

Step 1: Gather the Materials

black power bank gray mobile usb | best solar charger

You’ll need the following materials to make this DIY solar-powered phone charger:

  • Superglue
  • A short length of stranded wire
  • Multitool
  • Micro USB cable with a stripped end
  • 7805 regulator chip
  • 4-port USB hub
  • USB power bank
  • Solar panel

RELATED: DIY Portable Solar Generator

Step 2: Solder & Mount the Regulator

soldering courses microelectronics-engineering technology concept | solar charger power bank

The regulator plays an important role in this solar phone charger as it charges the power bank. It also prevents damage to the power bank’s internal due to overvoltage.

Using solder, join the USB plug with the regulator and then join two stranded wires on the regulator for your solar panel (+ and -). Apply a small amount of super glue to set up the regulator in the terminal block of the solar panel.

If necessary, trim the regulator’s heat-sink mount. Join the other end of the two stranded wires to the solar panel using solder again.

Step 3: Mount the Remaining Devices

charging smartphone solar energy green concept | solar charger for phone

In this step, you’ll need to mount the remaining devices to complete the DIY solar power system. You can use a strong double-sided adhesive to fix the USB hub and power bank behind the solar panel.

In case you want to mount the devices permanently, it’s best to use epoxy or hot glue to let them stay still. Set up the power bank and attach the solar panel’s charging cable to the power bank’s charge input.

Plug the USB hub into the power bank’s output. You can then start charging by plugging your phone into the USB hub.

Watch this video by POWER GEN on how to make a solar-powered mobile phone charger using the 6w, 6v solar panel:

Through this DIY solar charger, your communication to everyone won’t be interrupted. This can save your life if you’re in a survival situation and you want to ask for help using your phone.

It’s great to include this in your DIY solar projects. Build your own solar power system now and get ready for the big outdoor fun!

Have you tried creating your own solar charger? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 8, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Placard | solar battery charger

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31 Comments

31 Comments

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  3. David LeVine

    May 16, 2014 at 8:21 PM

    You left out three very important parts: Two small ceramic capacitors and a diode.

    The 78xx family can self destruct if the output exceeds the input for a few microseconds and any of the devices can oscillate without bypass capacitors.

    A 1N400x diode with the cathode to the input and the anode to the output means that the worst case is one diode drop from output to input, protecting the device.

    Two 0.33 uF ceramic capacitors, one from the input to ground and one from the output to ground, with VERY SHORT LEADS will prevent the potential oscillation, which may make your cell ‘phone useless while it is charging.

    References to these changes come from TI’s datasheet, page 14, figure 21 and page 11, figure 21. This datasheet can be found on Digikey’s site.

    • David LeVine

      May 16, 2014 at 8:24 PM

      Oops, that is figure 28 on page 14, not figure 21.

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  14. Creek Tilghman

    July 3, 2017 at 8:23 PM

    Make it yourself thanks to inplix page. I think it’s the best way to learn how to build it in the cheapest way.

    • Gingras Lacy

      July 3, 2017 at 8:23 PM

      yeah

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  23. documentarios bbc

    November 18, 2018 at 3:09 PM

    Um interessante discussão é definitivamente vale a pena comentário.
    Não há dúvida que que devia publicar mais sobre isto questão ,
    pode não ser um tabu importa mas geralmente pessoal não discutir tais questões.

    Para a próxima! Tudo de melhor !

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  25. G

    July 13, 2019 at 10:54 PM

    I didn’t understand a thing!

    • Ivy

      September 24, 2019 at 5:24 PM

      Why didn’t you use Google translator? You wouldn’t sound so silly!

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  28. Dave Opyrchal

    March 18, 2021 at 1:06 PM

    why would you need a solar powered cell phone charger. if all the power is out everywhere then cell towers will be down too so i guess,at least you will have a fully charged doorstop

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