Here are two pictures of the system in action. More information on the program is here

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In the past couple years we’ve seen a lot of people using our solar products on GoPro cameras in virtually unattended and/or extreme weather situations. We figured a New York winter would be be a great time to experiment with this.  We set three goals:

• Explore how our our products could be used for stuff like solar powered trail cams, semi-unattended time lapse applications, and situations where it’s impractical or impossible to access the battery or camera for a month at a time or more.
• Get a better idea of how this type of setup behaves in cold and freezing conditions.
• Not have the enclosure fall seven stories on someone or something below (granted, this probably should’ve been goal number one).

It was a clear Fall day in Brooklyn when we made our way up to the roof to install the system. The setup consisted of a Voltaic 3.4 watt center hole solar panel, pole mount clamp, a V15 battery, GoPro Hero2 camera (32gb SD card) with a Cam-Do intervalometer and a Cam-Do outdoor enclosure… and a piece of wood we got from the weird hardware store down the block.

If our job was to create the ugliest installation, yet keep the panel locked toward the sun while keeping the enclosure from falling from a seven story building… then we succeeded.

We ran the system for 68 days, interacting with it only four times to check the charge level of the camera, battery, and to download the time-lapse videos to get a feel of the progress. We set the intervelometer to take a photo every 20 (1/20/14 – corrected) 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. We agree that this is a little bit excessive but figured we should try to tax the system.

The weather was generally cloudy or hazy with only 14 clear days out of 68. The average high was around 45°F / 7.5°C with an average low of about 33°F / 0°C. The temperature bottomed out at 4°F / -15.6°C on the night of 1/7/14 and about 46 days had freezing temperatures at some point during the day. If you want further details you can grab our weather log in .pdf format here.

After we took the setup down we analyzed the photo times and dates which showed all were accounted for, meaning that between the camera and battery there was always enough reserve power for our intended operation. NOTE: We did not top up the battery with an external source at any point during those 68 days. However, the camera was plugged into a USB port on our computer just long enough to extract the data each time, probably 30 minutes total over 68 days.

The only downside of our experiment was the wholly unexciting final video. We likened it to watching paint dry or grass grow because the contractor didn’t make much visible progress–probably because of the crummy weather. We plan on setting up the same solar GoPro system once the project starts ramping up so we can follow it through completion.

Until then we hope that our data can help you if you’re designing a similar project, in similar conditions. It should give you a pretty good idea of how our equipment functions and what you can expect out of it. As always, if you have any questions feel free to drop us a line.

Here’s what’s in the Kit and its purpose:
– Waterproof Enclosure (made by Cam-Do) keeps the GoPro and Voltaic battery Dry
– Scheduler (made by Cam-Do) turns the GoPro on and off based on a programmable schedule
– 3.4 Watt Solar Panel (made by Voltaic) charges the Voltaic battery
– V15 USB Battery (made by Voltaic) stores power from the panel and charges the GoPro

We’re pretty pleased with how it turns out, but give yourself a week or two to setup and test the system so that you’re happy with the way everything fits together. Three important tips to making sure it works well.

1. Match your GoPro Model with what you’re trying to do
– Hero 2 and Hero 3 White work with the USB charger and solar.
– Hero 3 Silver and Black work with solar if you’re using WiFi for control and downloading.
– Hero 3 Black needs a battery eliminator for the Cam-Do Scheduler – if you don’t know what this is, go with Hero 2 or Hero 3 White

This is no longer necessary. GoPro revised the firmware on July 29th, 2013 so that all versions can be powered by the USB Connector.

2. Be sure to put the Voltaic V15 Battery into “Always On” mode

3. Print out and read Cam-Do’s manual about how to program the scheduler

Here’s some photos showing the proper setup.

Solar Panel Mounted to Case

Battery Connected to GoPro (2 Options, the Cam-Do photo on right is more elegant)

Overhead view of the Case with Camera

Panel input into Case

Get your GoPro Timelapse & Solar Setup here. Read more on our guide to solar chargers for GoPro cameras.

Look for the panel on the top of the bag on the picture on the left. He also took along a few extra V15 USB battery packs.

For the 4 Watt chargers: Fuse 4W, Amp, Switch, OffGrid
Connect a 3.4 Watt or 2 Watt Solar Panel directly into the panel output. Make sure that the panel Voltage switch is set to 6V. The other output from the panels should be connected to the battery. Point both sets of panels at the sun. The total Wattage will now be 6 (if you use 2.0 Watt panel) or 7.4 Watts (if you use a 3.4 Watt panel).

For the 10 Watt chargers: Fuse 10W, Array Solar Laptop Charger
Connect a 16.8 Watt Solar Panel -> V60 Barrel Adapter -> 5.5×2.5mm Wire -> Solar Panel Output. Make sure the panel Voltage switch is set to 18V on the Fuse 10W or Array. The other output from the panels should be connected to the battery. Point both sets of panels at the sun. The total Wattage will now be 26.8 Watts at 18V.

The goal is to provide a clean, safe and inexpensive source of power for lighting and cell phone charging. The solar lights will replace and greatly minimize the use of kerosene and batteries for these applications. Here, Dan Vasques from Q’ellqa talks to the villagers inside one of their homes.

From our partners, “The Community of Q’eros is located on the Eastern side of the snowcapped Vilcanota range of the Peruvian Andes. Inhabiting a diverse territory that stretches from heights or “punas” located more than 5000 meters above sea level down to 1400 meters in the Amazonian jungle…The Q’eros, more than most indigenous communities in Peru, have maintained cultural traditions surviving from the pre-Hispanic era. Ranging from agricultural to medical to spiritual, these customs reflect the community’s Andean belief system and its close connection to the Earth and surrounding mountains. The community’s practice of these traditions has earned it the distinction of being the last existing Incan Ayllu.”

Here is the team from Q’ellqa in front of a typical home as well as another house.

Thanks in advance for working with us to make this program successful. We’ll keep you up to date on our progress as we go.

We’ve found that our 3.4 Watt, 6 Volt solar panel seems to put out an appropriate amount of power for modern smartphones. Depending on which device you have, all that’s needed beyond the panel is either a F3.5×1.1 to MiniUSB adapter or a F3.5×1.1 to MicroUSB adapter (now the de facto standard in the Android lineup). We’ve recently paired the 3.4 Watt panel with an HTC Sensation and a Samsung Galaxy Nexus to see what charge times would be like in real-world conditions here in Brooklyn. The Sensation charged from 69% to 89% in about 45 minutes on a sunny day. The Nexus charged from 75% to 82% in about 36 minutes in slightly cloudier conditions. Even more recently, we were able to get our hands on a Samsung Galaxy S III, and while we weren’t able to test its charging rate, it was happy with the output of a 3.4 W panel according to its charge indicator.

While it may not be an option for all phones, a single 3.4 Watt panel could be an inexpensive and ultraportable way to ensure you always have juice left in your smartphone, no matter where you are!

See more kits using our portable solar panels.

We delivered the bulk of the chargers to Betsy and her team at Veggie Island. They had a program in place to provide elderly and sick with pre-programmed phones so that they can get help in an emergency. Our chargers would keep these donated phones or their own phones powered up.

Training the great organizers at Veggie Island

Solar charging an iPhone at Veggie Island

View from outside of panel at Veggie Island

Explaining system to volunteer at Veggie Island

Tools ready to clean some houses at Veggie Island

Occupy Sandy’s HQ at Yana on 113th Street also received more. I knew they were needed when I heard “I love you” when I walked in with more boxes containing kits. An organizer told me that several residents were moved to tears when they learned that they could keep their phone charged and stay in communication with their family.

Walking over to Yana

Training organizer at Yana

Finally, we installed a charger with a family that had reached out to us directly.

Installing panel on outside of window

Explaining how to use light and charger

Panel outside window facing roughly South

Here are some other pictures from the day.

Surfers are back (not sure if this is good or bad)

Absurdity - this phone in the middle of the beach still worked.

To make it, you just need:
– 1 x 3.5 Watt Panel
– F3511-MicroUSB Adapter
– V11 Battery (Now Available as the V15)
– Battery Clip (optional)

The back of each panel has four screws you can use to attach the panel to the bag. Mark off on the pocket where you want to make 4 small holes.

Then carefully, make an incision at each point. Make one more hole for the cable from the solar panel. I oriented the cable on the right side of the pocket as the input to the battery is on the right side. Push the screws threw the holes and screw the nuts on. I put a thin piece of rubber between the nut and the fabric to spread the force out a bit.

Attach the battery clip and the F3511-MiniUSB adapter to the battery.

Clip the battery into the pocket and attach the solar panel to the battery.

You’re done! Go charge.

“…I wanted to have a possibility to charge my GPS and GSM phone system without the availability of AC power… Then I realized that the constant availability of  full sunlight in Kenya is a nice and environmentally friendly alternative. After some research on this topic I ordered one of your 3 Watt, 6 Volt solar panels and V11 battery systems to be used on my Ortlieb Cor13 waterproof backpack.”

The final product is a great solution to Bart’s needs, offering a compact, waterproof power source for the entire ride. In order to help support the cause, we’ve selected Bart as August’s Free Gear for Adventure winner. He will be bringing three additional sets of 3 Watt solar panels and V11 USB Battery Packs to be used during the bike trip and then left with a local school to promote solar education once the trip is over.