There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I'd like to find (or hack together) a set of lightweight, weather-proof solar panels with good efficiency. Each panel could be connected together (in parallel) to multiply the amperage while maintaining the same nominal voltages. While backpacking, one could strap one or two panels on with, perhaps, a 15W controller module with USB 5V. Then, while car camping, 10 or 20 of these small panels could be chained to supply a 150W controller supplying both USB and 12 to 18V for RV batteries or laptops.
As I understand it, any solar panel could be chained together but different smart controllers would need to be rated for each configuration and amperage. I'm not afraid of a soldering iron (though perhaps I should be). But it seems existing products like the SunJack Solar Chargers could easily be wired and attached together along with different controllers for different situations.
I see lots of possible applications as a backpacker, RVer, nature photographer, and drone enthusiast. I also like the idea that a single damaged panel could be swapped without replacing the entire system. Not sure if this something MassDrop would engage manufacturers around but perhaps if there's enough interest.
Thoughts?
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/sunjack-solar-panel-and-battery
https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Sunpower-Mono-Crystalline-Portable-Cellphone/dp/B07432VBX8
http://www.instructables.com/id/ARDUINO-SOLAR-CHARGE-CONTROLLER-Version-20/