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Small Scale Solar Power Backup…Take 2?

Small Scale Solar Power Backup…Take 2?

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Many of you may remember the failed attempt at working with a small scale solar charger.

If not, you can read the full article here.

But just a quick recap,it was the worst product I have ever bought, it caught on fire and nearly burnt my van down.

I finally found something that may work, at least it is showing pretty good promise so far!

Check out the Revive Series, solar backup:

photo(1)

Product Features

  • External 1500mAh battery pack recharges up to 1,000 times from Solar, AC, or USB power *NOTE: Solar power can only charge 50% of the internal battery*
  • Provides a full charge to most phones, MP3 players, GPS, iPod, iPhone, e-Readers, Bluetooth devices and other USB powered devices
  • Includes AC adapter, Micro USB, and Mini USB charging cables
  • Convenient size makes solar charging at home, in the car, or at work a breeze
  • LED Power capacity indicator lets you know how much battery power you have left.

image(1)

The Good:

-small
-portable
-hasn't caught on fire!
-multiple ways of charging

The Bad:

– only charges 50% with solar power
– The led light has a flexible head that pops loose easily
– (just a personal note) it is the exact same size as my iPhone… and made me look extremely silly when I tried to answer it instead of my phone

The bottom line:

Considering the fact that it is only $30.00 as opposed to the other failure of a product, the Revive Series solar back up is a much better bargain. Also the size makes it easily able to be packed into a bug out bag or just to keep in your car.

After I bought this I used it at a full charge to power my Kindle. It got around 53% charge before the battery petered out.

Not bad if I do say so myself.

The fact that you can only charge the battery to 50% via solar power is a little disappointing but that should be more than enough to charge most phones, tablets, and other small electronics.

** I don't know how I missed it before but this unit actually has an add on for around $12.00 that you can buy that allows you to get a full charge out of the solar panels instead of just 50%.

If you're looking for a way to keep your small electronics powered up this is definitely worth a shot.

I am actually taking it on my cruise to give it a real world test ( I have a room with a window and want to see how well it will charge from there)

Hope to give you an update when I get back!

Want to know more? Check out these related articles from our site:

DIY Solar Power – Part 1

Alternative Energy: Get 1500 Watts of AC from Solar

Make Your Own Emergency Lights from Solar Yard Lights

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