Help me justify getting a solar charger

I'd like to get a solar charger because I like the idea of being able to get electricity to charge batteries and devices if there was an outage, or a grid collapse, or an EMP or whatever might come. I was looking at getting something portable like this one: Amazon.com: Solar Panel Charger, BigBlue 21W Solar Phone Charger with 2 USB, Foldable & Waterproof, Portable Camping Solar Charger Compatible with iPhone Xs XS Max X 8 7 Plus, iPad, Samsung Galaxy S9, LG etc. : Cell Phones & Accessories

The problem is that there are so many restrictions in how it can be used that the only thing I have that appears to be compatible with it is my smartphone. I know I could also buy a USB connected battery charger to charge up 4AA NiMH batteries. That would be nice to have. Also, I've seen handwarmers that are USB connectable and would be great if an outage happened in the Winter.
Can anyone think of other devices I could use this solar charger with? I'd like to charge my electric shaver, but that's AC powered. So is my laptop.

 

Comms devices like handy talkies or shortwave radios would be at the top of list along with flashlights. Some flashlights use batteries that have built in charging ports like this Fenix model.

 

Actually, if they are rechargeable, they are DC powered. My electric shaver is 6 volt, laptop is 19 volts. The charger for each has a transformer and a diode bridge to reduce the AC line voltage to an appropriate level and the diodes rectify the AC to DC. (yes, some other components are typically involved, but this is a general simplification.)

 

Newer laptop power supplies are made with a triac, they are chopper circuits.
It's 2 silicon controlled rectifiers that work in tandem to chop the tail end of the AC power wave, switching on as the AC voltage falls below the appropriate level.

 

How would you connect something like the solar panel to the shaver?

 

Rig up a voltage regulator, set it to your desired voltage. You'd still want the panel connected to a storage battery so as to have a stable supply (passing clouds and such) but a small 5-10 ah agm battery would suffice for that purpose.
Momentarily jumping back to my 6v shaver...it charges on 7.5 volts...keep that in mind

 

You can get voltage regulators for any voltage less than 12 volts.
But you need a battery to act as a buffer like tech said. Not very many things work well powered straight off a solar panel because of power level variations with different levels of sun and the voltage drops under load. You need to watch that max open volt and peak power voltage voltage ratings.

 

I use a UPS that sources from a bunch of sealed gel 12VDC batteries. A 30 W. keeper panel keep the batteries at full all day long. I can run 120VAC devices as well as numerous USP items.

 

Before I had solar I built a battery bank and inverter and used that primarily for running my new computer 30 years ago. Later I bought all the used solar panels I could find because I could not afford a new one. But even the old ones still make a contribution 20 years later. The old ones were already 20 years old when I got them.
I started with od deep cycle lead acid boat batteries and later graduated to 6 volt golf cart batteries. These serve me very well and give me the option of a 6-volt line for those things that run on 6 volts. Certain AA lights are 6 volt even motion sensor lights I have been using for years. Long dark winters put the sun at a very low angle to this part of the world and panels struggle to perform so having an alternative like a windmill works out for me. granted it's only 600 watts but it is better than nothing. Another option is a small generator for charging the battery bank I used a 5 hp Briggs engine driving an automotive alternator.( roughly 20 amps)
With a large enough battery bank and inverter on can run quite a few things efficiently if things get tight.
At the time I built this we were living on the desert and I had a very little income, being between jobs at the time.
Dependency on a big generator alone means it must run 24/7 if you can afford the fuel.
I realize that this is probably a lot more than you were asking but it is how I graduated in this field.
Also I built my solar system on my shop trailer so that It moved with me where ever I went.

 

Don't take this the wrong way. I understand wading through all the tech involved with going solar. But, IMHO you probably need to drop the idea of shaving with an elec. shaver. That energy can be of much better use. Changing habits can save beacoup energy. Or I might not understand your end game.

 

Do you have a fridge or freezer? How much $ do you have tied up in the food stored in there?

Done.

 

Yeah, mine shows 8 volts at 100ma on the transformer end.
But as far as connections....the solar charger has a USB port on it, and my shaver's outlet is probably just like yours; 2 prongs designed to take the plug that was included with the shaver. How would that connect to a USB cable that has to be plugged into the solar charger?

 

Is that true even when just charging up batteries? I'm thinking of things like a 4AA battery charger, or a cordless shaver, or a smartphone. Is the kind of solar unit I'm talking about (link in post #1) not good for doing that?

 

Well, it's solar energy that would be charging it, and if I'm not charging anything else, then the sun would be shining anyway. And I'm already having trouble coming up with items that I could charge with a solar charger which caused me to start this thread to even justify making the purchase of the solar charger. I only have a few things that I could see being worthwhile to charge up, and so far only 1 (smartphone) seems to be readily compatible with the charger without some kind of modification. I can't see paying about $40 for a solar charger just to charge up my phone during an outage, but if I could also charge up my laptop, some batteries for flashlights, my cordless shaver, etc., then it would help to justify the purchase.
Also, I'm 50 years old and have used an electric shaver all my adult life. I get about 40 shaves per charge, so it's quite possible I charge it just once during an outage and be fine. But that's assuming I found a way to connect my AC plugged shaver to a USB ported solar charger.

 

I'd say about $50. I've thought about a generator for things like that, but a generator that costs probably $600 and requires stored fuel is probably overkill (and a noisy option).

 

Hopefully you have a bit more food set aside to justify your screen name.

 

Oh, of course! The question I was answering was about how much food I have in my fridge/freezer. The food I stockpile for an emergency is mostly canned stuff and other things that don't need refrigeration or being frozen.

 

Juat remember, by 2028 there is about a 20 to 25% chance power grids will be fried by a solar storm.
It almost happened in 2012 and 2017.

 

Not to mention that China is now well equipped to EMP us at will. China Has ‘First-Strike’ Capability To Melt U.S. Power Grid With Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon