Solar Powered Mac/PC Laptop?

[Elfen]

Doing some work, I got a Raspberry Pi to run on solar batteries and partially charge up an external battery for night time use; adding a few more solar cells would fully charge the battery and run the Raspberry Pi 24/7. Currently the solar panel is foldable into a neat package the size of a small paperback novel.

But this got me thinking. A few years ago at a Google/Linux conference which I spoke for the Brooklyn Linux User's Group, there was talk and demonstration of the "1 child/1 laptop" machine (aka the $100 laptop) for third world countries. It ran off a tiny battery, cranked generator and solar batteries in something the size of a netbook. It used a CF as a hard drive and ran a branched off version of Red Hat Linux. As far as a program went, it was semi successful as third world schools and their students got the laptops but in some cases the local war lords stole them. Man, I f-ing swear.... Grrrr....

What would it take to solar power a laptop like a Powerbook or a PC Laptop? I would like it that at least the solar panel is either as big as the LCD Display or folds up to that size for easy storage. The laptop itself would be as small a possible, like a iBook, PowerBook Duo or ThinkPad 560; of course the laptop needs to be modified with an SSD because the hard drive alone takes up a lot of power. Would a Netbook be worth solarizing?

What other options would you think needs to be done to solarize a laptop? Solar panels are cheap on Ebay if you know what to look for. The rest is on you constructing it.

 

[techknight]

I goofed around with this idea back in the day.

what I ended up doing was taking a solar panel to power the laptop and at the same time I removed the backlight from the LCD display.

The sunlight reflected off of the solar panel would bounce into the LCD to create my light as well as power the machine.

This was in the p2 days.

 

[TheWhiteFalcon]

You'd need something with very low power consumption. A Haswell-powered MBA wouldn't be a bad candidate apart from the expense.

If you used something older, make sure you replace the spinning hard disk with low-power flash, and don't use the optical drive lol.

 

[butterburger]

CCFL consumes more energy than HDD. (forget 7200 r.p.m.)

IEEE 1394 is a "Hot Interconnect", power guzzler. You should physically remove its PHY and power supply circuitry, if intending to use solar.

OLPC XO uses LED backlight. Modular, so that smashed panel can be replaced, without wasting lamp. OLPC XO target power consumption was less than five watt.

The simple fact is, most laptops are not low-power. They are mobile, yes, but low-power-consumption was not the goal to engineer. All but early iBooks are not low power. All PowerPC G4 PowerBooks are not low power. Nineteen-nineties PowerBooks are good candidates: they are fanless, not power monsters, and battery technology has advanced a lot since then.

 

[Mk.558]

But this got me thinking. A few years ago at a Google/Linux conference which I spoke for the Brooklyn Linux User's Group, there was talk and demonstration of the "1 child/1 laptop" machine (aka the $100 laptop) for third world countries.

...

What would it take to solar power a laptop like a Powerbook or a PC Laptop?

You mean a eMate?

On topic, you'll want a solar panel that can provide twice the total wattage that the computer will ever need. This ensures ample power to charge the battery and run the computer at the same time, whilst still having enough for non-ideal circumstances, such as:

- Winter time

- Low sun angle

- Cloudy days

- Non-optimal angle relative to sun or strong light source

- Dirt on the panel

- The fact that you'll have to have a plastic cover over the panel because glass won't work very well, despite its much better light transmission capabilities

- The panel's decay over time (solar panels are typically rated to supply a certain power wattage, but after a certain time, they drop to about 80% of their original output, and that's about the time the warranty runs out)

- Stickers that uninformed users will put on the panel

... and so on. Ideally you'd use 3rd (4th in design phase yet?) generation panels but those are costly. Most solar panels of the monocrystaline form have an efficiency range of about 12-15% at best. Polycrystaline panels are cheaper but are not as efficient and take up more space.

It's certainly doable. We've been making ultra-low power gadgets and other stuff like that for 30 years now. (Not I, just the industry at large.)

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Solar? Laptop? Meh, we carry around all the energy we need . . .

Go LunchBox!

http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/handbook-japanese-military/pics/348-japanese-transceiver.jpg

Hand pump flashlight = hand pump rPi.

< . . . looks around . . . computer geeks are too sedentary as is, a little exerc . . . NAH! >

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Rainproof-Emergency-Digital-Flashlight/dp/B00M0258SU

 

[Cory5412]

Two things that might be of interest!

1. The Norhtec Gecko Edubook, which is essentially a really fast 586 or 686 which will run Linux, and can do so using AA batteries. It will also run Windows XP, but as you may know, I do not recommend Windows XP for networked computers. (I also have an IBM Z50 with an AA battery pack, but that's a lot less modern, and is basically a Windows CE version of the eMate, sort of.)

2. There's also the Sol laptop, which is more modern, using anything from an Intel Atom to one of the new Core M chips. It's also more expensive, but you basically buy it, take it out of the box, put it in a window and then start running linux or windows 7/8, so it's up to you to decide if you like that sort of plug-and-play-ness. Engadget did a hands-on a few months ago, too.

For me, the question is, are you just living off the grid and want "a computer" or are you looking to have all the hardware contained within a reasonably portable "laptop"? The newest small $200 Windows computers all use Micro USB charging and most of them get over eight hours of battery on their own, so you could just get a solar charger that uses Micro USB.

If you're willing to make an installation with batteries and all that, it's more about how much space you're wiling to take up and how low-power a regular computer you can find. Even then, using some car batteries to charge one of the modern tiny Bay Trail laptops (or even, say, a bigger laptop from System76 or a desktop) would be a really neat project, especially if you're in a sunny place.

 

[Elfen]

This is not to live of the grid, but when there is no access to the grid and away from the vehicle like camping, at the beach or the park. At best with a fully set of charged batteries, an iBook can go an hour or two, four if one is using an CF or SSD. Advertised battery life was never what I met them to be. The MacBook Air has an advertised battery life of 6 hours, I never met one that did that. At most I have ever seen was 2.5 hours. But an iBook I fixed up and put a CF/SSD into does run for up to 3+ hours on a good battery. But after that, either I have to carry more batteries, use a "Battery extender" which is a flat battery pack that fits on the bottom of the laptop and connects to the power port, find a nearby outlet, carry a generator or a solar panel. The Solar Panel seems like the best option (besides freaking NYC/NYS is passing laws that limits the use of portable gas powered generators... Grrrr...).

This is just an idea I want to test, and have all winter to build.

 

[TheWhiteFalcon]

I get about six out of my MBA, AirPort off since I don't browse with it. Brightness on automatic, same as the keyboard. That's the original model with a new OWC battery.

The new ones are advertised at 9 hours for the 11" and 12 hours for the 13", and from what I've heard those estimates are conservative...I know a friend got 14+ hours from his new 13". With the i7...

 

[rsolberg]

I run my Performa 6360 and 15" LCD on solar. Alas, the kit involved isn't exactly portable! It's attached to my cabin/workshop out on the back of the property. It involves a 65w polycrystalline panel I was gifted, a charge controller, a 20+ year old deep cycle flooded cell D8 battery that weighs about 150lbs, and a small inverter. I run some CFL and LED lighting from the inverter in addition to the computer on my workbench. I have a couple cigarette lighter style plugs and USB charging ports running off the 12v side of things too. As I don't use energy every day, the charge controller is able to maintain the battery even in the winter months.

 

[MacJunky]

The MacBook Air has an advertised battery life of 6 hours, I never met one that did that. At most I have ever seen was 2.5 hours. But an iBook I fixed up and put a CF/SSD into does run for up to 3+ hours on a good battery.

That is really sad. I used to push four hours with my (very cheap low end model from 2009 keep in mind) HP DV4-1225DX while internetting on a new high capacity battery, and that had a terribly wasteful AMD CPU. IDK what my Thinkpad T510(from 2010 or something mind you) would do with a new battery and I never actually got around to timing the life of it's worn one but I am pretty sure I am still getting around four hours with the same sort of use as DV4. (both using the same Intel 330 240GB SSD and Intel 7260 AC wifi card)Of course DV4's batt started taking a turn for the worse when I replaced it as primary portable so that only lasted a bit over four years.

There are new computers that can legitimately run for more than a few hours on a new battery, so please do not judge modern computers based on an old MBA.

 

[Elfen]

I run my Performa 6360 and 15" LCD on solar...

Where's the "LIKE" Button to press for this?!!

There are new computers that can legitimately run for more than a few hours on a new battery, so please do not judge modern computers based on an old MBA.

I try not too.

 

[Cory5412]

To add to what TheWhiteFalcon says: The current 13-inch MacBook Air with the i5 CPU gets above what Apple states it should (12 hours) in most formal testing. In light-usage informal testing, it's good to go for about 17 hours of continuous, screen-on usage if you're just using Safari and, say, Pages (or another light Apple app.)

If your goal is just to stay away from outlets for a day, there are already dozens of good solutions.

If you're just looking for something with which to write, the Microsoft Surface 2 is probably your best bet in the PC world, at least for double-digit battery life. Though, the HP Stream 11 and Asus X205 are each $200 and claim 8 and 12 hours of life, respectively. There's a car charger for the SUrface 2 and the Stream 11 and Asus X205 each use USB chargers, so there should be a variety of options for recharging those devices based on collected solar energy.

 

[techknight]

I got an old omnibook 425 non backlit 486 that is probably low power. It runs on AA batteries.

 

[Elfen]

To add to what TheWhiteFalcon says: The current 13-inch MacBook Air with the i5 CPU gets above what Apple states it should (12 hours) in most formal testing. In light-usage informal testing, it's good to go for about 17 hours of continuous, screen-on usage if you're just using Safari and, say, Pages (or another light Apple app.)

I am not disputing what is advertised and what others experienced with their battery powered systems, but personally I never met a machine that lived up to those claims. The key word you hit upon, Cory5412 - "Light-Usage."

Before I retired from the school system, schools bought laptops thinking that students can use them non-stop 9AM - 3PM, 6 straight hours without charging, as advertised. But the truth is, they only lasted 3 hours or less. OK, they were doing a lot more than just writing assignments. They had to accessed the school wireless network, the internet, up/download data/assignments and do multimedia presentations. The Computer, Science and other after school clubs also did things with the laptops from the hours of 3PM to 5PM - adding 2 more hours. Many schools had to double their orders so that students can have a morning laptop and an afternoon laptop, which defeated the purpose of the 1 laptop per child mantra schools had.

Plus improper charging of the laptop's batteries killed the battery's life in many laptops so that they could only function for a single 45 minute period.

Personally, I'm not one of those light laptop users. I run several apps at the same time and constantly access the hard drive or network. For me, battery life is in the best of conditions is a couple of hours. I'm pretty sure that if I get several nuclear pacemaker batteries to make a battery pac for a laptop, though such batteries are rated for 10+ years, I'd probably run it down in less than a month.

 

[TheWhiteFalcon]

Well, most people, even with heavy usage, get the modern MBA's battery life claims. Remember, the newer models have very power efficient Haswell chips, Mavericks and Yosemite are designed to be very power efficient, they use low-power DDR3 memory and fast, power efficient flash storage. They also have efficient LED displays.

Apple had some estimation issues in the past (when they used the 'industry standard' tests, their new tests tend to be conservative as to what you can expect. The iPad Air is rated for 10 hours, but even in demanding tests most people pulled about 12:30 or so from the battery.

 

[beachycove]

I have a rare Newton solar power supply, capable of running an eMate, and charging its battery at the same time. Sitting in the garden, writing in the shade, cool drink in hand, but with the solar panel sitting out in the full sun, the time passes more pleasantly than when chained to the office desk. Even the battery charges quickly, and no mains electricity is used in the chanrging cycle. Pretty nifty for mid-90s technology.

I have on occasion written academic essays on that eMate. It has the keyboard, crucially, and it's possible to add auto-text functionality and a few other "extras" to NewtonWorks, making this setup surprisingly pleasant to use in a self-denyingly acetic sort of way. Someone with the will could even filter text produced through tools like pandoc markdown at a later stage to make the little machine more "current," as 'twere, but don't think I'll go there myself. Tools from the past, i.e., NewtonWorks and NCU, do the business nicely when called upon from the future....

 

[CC_333]

Yes, the English language is essentially the same as it was when these Macs (and the eMate) were current, and will probably remain quite so, as long as we continue to communicate (yes, it will evolve, but the basic structural elements of the language will probably not change much for the foreseeable future, as it really hasn't changed much over the last 200 years or so (or so it seems from some VERY informal research in Wikipedia).

c