 Solar Powered Charger |
Solar powered battery charger for your EOS-1D!
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Backpacking poses a unique set of challenges for today's digital photographer. How much photo gear can you carry before you begin compromising on the essentials like your tent, sleeping bag, food, clothing? Also, how many batteries do you have to carry to ensure continuous power for your digital camera, flashlights, flashes, and other electrical equipment? For the former, I simply grin and bear the extra 15-20 pounds. The latter problem forces a limit of about six days out in the wilderness before running out of energy.
The solution to the energy problem comes from our celestial neighbor, the Sun. Before we go into the details of our solar solution, let's take a look at what we'll need to power.
The main power drain among my equipment is the camera itself. My flashlight and camera flashes use AA batteries, which are small and economical, meaning I'm able to carry enough to last for days or weeks. The Canon EOS-1D, on the other hand, uses the NP-E3, a large, expensive, and proprietary battery based on Nickel Metal-Hydride (NiMH) technology.
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The NP-E3 battery is charged using the NC-E2 NiMH Charger from Canon. The NC-E2 is a huge brick, its largesse directly attributable to the fact that the case contains a transformer. A transformer converts wall AC into DC power. In other consumer electronic devices, the transformer is the big brick that plugs into the wall outlet. Unfortunately, Canon does not make a charger that accepts DC power (i.e. a car adapter charger). The common battery, which includes the NP-E3 and the AA batteries, is a source of DC power. What we need is the charging circuitry of the NC-E2 minus the transformer, since the solar panel will be our power source (i.e. the wall outlet supplying DC power).
In doing some research (see here and here) on the web, I found a group of photographers who had been using the MAHA MH-C777 Universal Desktop NiMH/NiCAD Rapid Battery Charger to safely charge the NP-E2 NiMH battery used in Canon's EOS-1v and EOS-3 film cameras. Both the NP-E2 and the NP-E3 are charged by the NC-E2, so I made the assumption that the MH-C777 should work just as well with the NP-E3 as it does with the NP-E2.
If all I wanted was an inexpensive replacement for the NC-E3 charger, I would stop there. However, in the backcountry, I would need a very long extension cord to connect my battery charger to the nearest electrical outlet or cigarette car adapter port! I discovered a company called Uni-Solar which produces portable and flexible solar panels for marine and outdoor use.
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I ordered the Uni-Solar Uni-Pac® 10 (~$399) and a Uni-Solar USF-11 (~$179) solar panels. Over the course of testing, I discovered the Uni-Pac 10 is an ideal yet more expensive solution for my needs. As you can see in the pictures above, it folds up to the size of a videocassette box. The USF-11 is flexible, but it can only be rolled into a tube with a diameter of 8-10 inches, which is still too large for expedition purposes. Both units weigh about 2 pounds each. The solar panels are rated at 10W and 10.5W respectively and can generate up to 12-24 volts of power (12-24V only on the Uni-Pac 10, 12V only on the USF-11). The Uni-Solar solar panels are great because they continue to work in the shade or indirect sunlight. The Uni-Pac 10 can also be used when riddled with bulletholes! How about that for ruggedness!
With the help of Bryan Palmintier, a Stanford Ph.D. student, we took the MAHA MH-C777 charger, connected it to the solar panels, and charged an NP-E3 battery. The NC-E2 charges a single NP-E3 battery in about two hours. We estimate that it would take several hours to fully charge an NP-E3 battery using our solar charger. We also successfully combined the two chargers to provide more current for charging the NP-E3 battery.
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I would still bring three batteries with me on any outdoor expedition. One of them would be charged by the charger, one would be in use, and the other would be a backup battery. With a small charger, I could easily charge a battery while hiking to my next destination. At basecamp, I can set up the charger to charge my batteries while I'm out dayhiking.
Our next step is to create a custom charger. The MH-C777 works well as a functional prototype, but it too bulky and flimsy for outdoor use. Our goal is to create a small and rugged enough solution for our types of expeditions. More information on this project will be made available in the future.
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congrats, adam. looks like fun experimentation. :)
-- posted by echeng @ Wednesday, November 13 2002, 3:10 am EST
man, i could have used that a few months ago, when we spent 5 weeks out in remote places in Tanzania and Kenya. damn.
-- posted by Andy @ Thursday, November 14 2002, 15:57 pm EST
Adam, if you could get something like this (small rugged all-in-one solar charger) off the ground I'm sure there would be a lot of interest by third world documentary photographers. The times I've sat in "hotels" with no electricity (or water for that matter) is anyone's guess.
--posted by Marcus Perkins @ Friday, December 20 2002, 20:37 pm EST
Tell me when it's ready?? I'll probably buy one. This sounds like the best invention yet. If the whole thing can be under 5 pounds you've got a winner. Would this also work with my EOS 1v??
--posted by Chad Hoelzel @ Sunday, December 22 2002, 17:51 pm EST
Great idea. How do you connect the NP-E3 to the Maha C-777?
--posted by Jim Chagares @ Friday, January 3 2003, 15:36 pm EST
Cool experimentation! Actually, I've seen this type of solar charger mated to an external battery pack. The battery pack powers the camera and a standard flash (or powerbook, etc...)
Their website is http://www.digitalcamerabattery.com
The solar charger is in their online store.--posted by George Komoto @ Wednesday, January 8 2003, 0:55 am EST
I am waiting...
--posted by Johannes @ Monday, January 13 2003, 18:43 pm EST
I am waiting...
--posted by Johannes @ Monday, January 13 2003, 18:48 pm EST
HATS OFF to gadget guys like you!
I'm a "pratical" gadget guy myself.
I am doing a project on intergrating solar panel
onto the top of my backpack to recharge the battery
for my NorthFace Met5 jacket (Battery power heat)
which only last about 3~4 hours with one charge.
Next project is to put lightweight speakers onto
my tent- must be no more then half a pound combine.
Please hold the laughter to a minimum. It could be done, pratically.
MANY thanks for the insight on my first project.--posted by Eric Mark @ Monday, February 10 2003, 5:17 am EST
Wow-- I tried to get a techie friend to help me with something similar and he felt the complications were too many. This is great! The comment posted by George Komoto makes sense-- the ideal arrangement is to have a battery pack that can recharge everything (even overnight!) and then charge the battery pack with your efficient solar cell arrangement. This way, we could charge everything: digital cam, mini DV video cam, PDA, GPS, powered lightweight tent speakers...
Kudos!!--posted by Jeff Moorehead @ Monday, June 2 2003, 20:58 pm EDT
Dear Sales Team,
I ve seen ur solar charger and want it to be shipped to Dubai UAE. Can u tell me that will it be possible for you to ship it to Dubai. We are planning to run our handheld computer with it.
Please visit ourwebsite for more details.
We would like to check a few of them and then they will be ordered in quantity as we are the distributors of this handheld computer in the entire Middle Ease and Africa.
Waiting for ur response.
Thanks.--posted by Karan Grover @ Monday, June 16 2003, 1:41 am EDT
We need advice about powering video and communication systems for an ocean going vessel 3ft 11inches in length,being hand sailed from Gran Canaria this autumn.see ngpproductions.co.uk (under Atlantic Challenge)for further information.
David Clapham NGP Productions--posted by David Clapham @ Wednesday, July 30 2003, 10:10 am EDT
Well, have been half a year since I posted my last message.
So far, still no luck on the solar charger, as I am having a hard time trying to find out the spec and such of the "black box" batteries that came with my Met5 jacket. But~ never the least, I found my speakers!
Si5 NxT speakers, weight in at less then 5 oz without batteries, 8 oz with batteries (which I think of as spares in case my head lamp runs out) lightweight, very clear and high volume sound, and with 4 700amp AAA, lasts 40 hours.
My charger project will however commence very soon as the weather will very soon turn cold again. More to come in the future!--posted by Eric Mark @ Friday, September 5 2003, 2:21 am EDT
I am new at this remote Camera taking but must perform. We plan on going to places no man would dare to go to show the signs and wonders on digital, Then transfer it to web sites www.templo-de-alabanza.com and www.christimage.com If you can hepl save me time in research as to what Equipment is best i would appreciate it.
--posted by Louis D Inabnitt jr @ Friday, October 24 2003, 2:28 am EDT
I found another photographer that also has done expeditions with the Canon EOD 1D Mark II, he has an excellent site on what he did to charge it via solar panels while climbing Mount Everest http://www.yaktrek.com He discovered that Canon does not make a DC charger for the EOS 1D Mark II or EOS 1DS Mark II NP-E3 battery. He uses a MAHA MH-C777 PlusII Smart Battery Charger with a Brunton Solar role. It is the best conglomeration of details on how to charge laptops, cameras for photo expeditions. His photo site is http://www.garnerphoto.com and has some fantastic photos on it.
--posted by David Jackson @ Wednesday, April 26 2006, 17:50 pm PDT
Can you put some bigger photo's up so we can see the details.
Thanks,
YourGreenDream
http://www.yourgreendream.com/--posted by John @ Monday, May 1 2006, 3:39 am PDT
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