DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger

cellphone and speaker charging on solar panel | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar panel | Featured

Learn how to make a DIY solar-powered cell phone charger here, so you'll still have communication in emergency situations.

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

Steps to Create a DIY Solar-Powered Phone Charger

The Importance of Cell Phones

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 period.

You can be left without electricity for an extended period for multiple reasons. Blackouts, fallen power lines, being in a survival situation, or just going on a camping trip can leave you an outlet 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.

Check out the following steps for the homemade solar power system.

Step 1: Gather the Materials

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

  • superglue
  • a short length of stranded wire
  • multitool
gathering materials | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar panel
  • micro USB cable with a stripped end
  • 7805 regulator chip
  • 4-port USB hub
  • USB power bank
  • solar panel

Step 2: Solder and Mount the Regulator

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 internals 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.

Solder and Mount the Regulator | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar panel
Solder and Mount the Regulator | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar power system
Solder and Mount the Regulator | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar power system
Solder and Mount the Regulator | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | diy solar projects
Solder and Mount the Regulator | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | diy solar projects

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.

RELATED: DIY Portable Solar Generator

Step 3: Mount the Remaining Devices

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.

Mount the Remaining Devices | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | diy solar projects Mount the Remaining Devices | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar power system

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 in your phone to the USB hub. You can check here for the full DIY steps.

Mount the Remaining Devices | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar panel Mount the Remaining Devices | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar power system Mount the Remaining Devices | DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger | diy solar-powered | solar power system

Through this DIY solar-powered phone charger, your communication with 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-powered phone charger? What other tips or ways can you share with us to make this creation more fun and useful? Drop your tips in the comments section below!

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DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger https://survivallife.com/diy-solar-powered-cellphone-charger/

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 9, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

20 Responses to :
DIY Solar-Powered Cellphone Charger

  1. David LeVine says:

    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.

    1. David LeVine says:

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

  2. Creek Tilghman says:

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

    1. Gingras Lacy says:

      yeah

  3. 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 !

  4. G says:

    I didn’t understand a thing!

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