He says, “All of these photos are what I call ‘solar end to end’ meaning the camera batteries, laptop & iPad were charged prior to heading into the field for a day of shooting. Mostly because I wanted to prove to myself it could be done as I aim to become a more un-tethered photographer. The downloading, editing and uploading of these photos to my site were also all run on that same power source. No AC power was used at all!

Another key aspect for me in using this pack is it allows me to fire up my laptop and ‘proof’ photos on the spot without the worry of a power source. Having my 17in screen available to me while on location is a huge win. Now I can confirm I got the exact shot I wanted in larger resolution rather than rely on the back of a small LCD screen. This is huge!”

Or read our guides on solar charging your MacBook or camera.

UPDATE: We now sell MagSafe2 Adapters! No need for extra adapters anymore.

They changed the dimensions of their MagSafe plug (now called MagSafe 2) from roughly 12 x 5mm to 16 x 4mm. Engadget has a nice side by side picture here. That means your old charger won’t work with the new MacBooks and neither will our reconfigured MagSafe adapters. While we wait for an Airline Adapter in the new MagSafe 2 configuration or for a supply of used MagSafe 2 adapters to develop, we do have a backup solution. A customer just informed us of a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter. So there are twothree options:

1. Get this MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter plus our reconfigured MagSafe Adapter – we are ordering this part now ourselves to test. Update: It works! We used the Converter with a June 2012 MacBook Air 13″ with the Voltage set to 16V.

2. We will hand-build an adapter for us at no charge if you mail us a new or used charger with MagSafe 2 configuration. Email us at support@voltaicsystems.com if you want to take advantage of this option.
3. Use the Apple Magsafe to MagSafe 2 Converter -> Apple’s Airline Adapter -> to Voltaic’s Car Charger Socket (included with any of our laptop chargers or V88 Battery)

Location:

Charges: The Oxford University Expedition Team used the Generator to power a 13″ MacBook Pro and their iPod Touch.

UPDATE: We now sell MagSafe2’s! Feel free to skip all these hacking steps and purchase one for your laptop today. Be sure to also check out the rest of our MacBook solar charger products here.

If you have an old MagSafe1 / MagSafe2 power cable available, you can build your own adapter to connect with the Voltaic Generator battery. Depending on your MacBook, you will get between 1 to 3.5 hours of runtime from a full Voltaic battery.

Warning: Your Apple is an expensive machine and we would not want to see you damage your power supply. Please be careful with the polarities. Voltaic Systems is not responsible for any damages to your machine.Parts: 1 MagSafe cable – Apple Repair shops sometimes have a few of these in the back they are sometimes willing to part with for free or a small charge. 1 Generator DC Out Cable (4.0mm plug) Soldering tool and solder Electrical tapeStep 1: Prepare the DC Out cable Remove the female end of DC out cable off. Strip about an inch of the black insulating cable from the DC Out and about a half inch from the 2 interior wires.

Step 2: Prepare the MagSafe Cable Cut the cable about 12 inches from the MagSafe connector (you can remove less or more depending on your needs).The MagSafe cable is a Coaxial cable. Strip away about an inch of the outer insulation and coil / braid the outer fibers into a single wire. Strip away about a quarter to a half inch of the inner core. You want to make sure that you leave room between the inner and outer wires so that they do not connect.

Step 3: Solder and join the two cablesThe outer cable, like most charging cables, is negative. The inner cable is positive. Twist the outer MagSafe wire to the white / negative wire from the DC Out. Twist the inner MagSafe wire to the red / positive wire from the DC Out. Solder the connections, then wrap each connection with electrical tape. Wrap the complete connection with tape so that it is secure.

Step 4: Test Turn on the Generator battery and select the 12-20 Voltage range. Plug the cable into the battery and the MacBook. You should see the lighting bolt symbol on you MacBook.