I thought I would provide some of my experience with using solar power. My experience involves using a 12v panel. You can get 12v panels from all kinds of places. In order to step down 12v to the required 5v you will need an efficient dc converter: http://us.100y.com.tw/PNoInfo/21207.htm
Do NOT use a 5v regulator as you will dump half the power directly into the regulator as heat. That is not only a waste of power but potentially a fire risk. From there you can get a connector to the NEO USB and simply wire in the power. I actually had a PhidgetServo board and wired the power directly into it. To get my NEO to charge I had to turn on the external charging and set to 500ma. The point here is that you will need 5v x 500ma = 2.5W in order to supply that kind of juice. This power is only available in full exposure. It also does not account for any conversion loss. I recommend using a 5W panel. Obviously if you can get a 6v or 5v panel you could use a basic regulator without much trouble. This is not a kind of panel you can carry around easily. Some 'chargers' on the market have such low surface area they have no realistic chance of supplying the kind of juice required for charging in a realistic time frame. Here is panel I'm using: http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4a21d7f801e681262741c0a87f3b06ee/Product/View/O3345 _______________________________________________ Openmoko community mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
