Brand NameiceTECH
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Specifications
Technical Details
- 1hr of charging from direct sunlight provides approximately 1hr of mp3 playback
- 60min of sunlight will provide approximately 25 minutes of talk time & ten hours of standby time
- When fully charged, it will completely charge an average cell phone
- High solar-to-electric power transforming rate (15%+)
- Professional overcharge protection circuit
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
The I101 Portable Solar Charger/Battery from iceTECH is capable of charging 99% of all mobile phones or USB interface digital products (MP3/MP4 players, and portable GPS), which have operational voltage of 3.5-5 Volts. It will charge them at the same time frame as your conventional charger. The Solar battery itself can be charged two ways, either by using direct sunlight (8-10hrs) or by plugging it directly into an electrical outlet. High temperature protection Battery charging time 0 to full via solar energy - 10-15hrs Battery charging time 0 to full via USB/DC - 5hrs Peak photocell power - 5.5V/80mA Operating voltage - 5.5V (max) Battery capacity - 1350mAh Output current - 1A (max) Dimensions - 3.54 x 1.57 x 0.39 inch; Weight - 0.22 lbs Material - Metal, Fireproof plastic LED light - ultraviolet Control switch - ON/OFF In the box - I101 Portable Solar Charger/Battery Universal 12-volt wall adapter Cell phone adapter plugs (Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, & mini-USB) Universal cable Female standard USB adapter (powers iPod) Instruction manual
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
I purchased this charger about 6 months ago, primarily for emergency charging of my power hungry cellphone/PDA (Pharos GPS 600). This thing works! It'll charge my cell anywhere from 50-100%, depending on the temperature. The colder the temp, the faster it'll charge, but to a lower total charge. Just like most other batteries, the colder it is, the less efficient it is. But it'll do the job. And it's small. About the size of a pack of cigarettes.
The only drawback is this will not charge your phone directly with sunlight. The solar cells are connected to its internal battery directly, and do not provide enough power to charge your phone at the same time. But that's not really a problem to me as I am only going to use this in emergencies. This probably won't be ideal for long-term daily use, simply because if you can't put this in an area where it'll get light from sunrise to sundown, it'll take a day or two to fully charge. (That being said, mine charged just fine on a bright but cloudy day.) And the internal batteries have a limited number of cycles, just like other rechargeables.
Some tips for using this charger:
1. Do not charge the battery using sunlight initially. Follow the directions and charge it using the AC plug at least 3 times, discharging it between cycles. I plugged mine in, let it charge, and then used it to charge my phone. I made sure to fully discharge the Icetech between each cycle by charging my phone until the Icetech wouldn't charge it anymore. I then plugged the Icetech back in and did it all over again. It only took about 4 days, but doing this conditions the Icetech battery so it can be fully charged by sunlight alone. Also, before plugging it in, turn it off, connect the AC, then turn it back on. You will see a blue light when it's charging.
2. When charging your phone, turn off as many features as possible. Most cellphones are still on, even after holding the power button. After the intitial cycle (tip #1), I turned off the cell antenna, gps, and bluetooth features on my phone and got a full charge quickly. If you try to charge your phone while it's still on, you may only get a maintenance charge from the Icetech.
3. Make sure you turn the Icetech off between uses. There's a switch on the bottom near the connection port. It needs to be on to charge itself or a phone, but off when not being used to preserve the battery. When charging by sunlight, you will see a purple LED light. There is no light when charging a cell phone.
And, as a bonus, the tips included with the Icetech are compatible with the Eton Microlink FR150 emergency radio/flashlight/charger, and the Coleman Stormbeam lantern with FM radio and cell charger. The Coleman also has a storage compartment to store all the tips and cords you might need.
All in all, this is a good thing to have when TSHTF and you are stuck somewhere without electricity. I will be buying several more for friends and family.
The only drawback is this will not charge your phone directly with sunlight. The solar cells are connected to its internal battery directly, and do not provide enough power to charge your phone at the same time. But that's not really a problem to me as I am only going to use this in emergencies. This probably won't be ideal for long-term daily use, simply because if you can't put this in an area where it'll get light from sunrise to sundown, it'll take a day or two to fully charge. (That being said, mine charged just fine on a bright but cloudy day.) And the internal batteries have a limited number of cycles, just like other rechargeables.
Some tips for using this charger:
1. Do not charge the battery using sunlight initially. Follow the directions and charge it using the AC plug at least 3 times, discharging it between cycles. I plugged mine in, let it charge, and then used it to charge my phone. I made sure to fully discharge the Icetech between each cycle by charging my phone until the Icetech wouldn't charge it anymore. I then plugged the Icetech back in and did it all over again. It only took about 4 days, but doing this conditions the Icetech battery so it can be fully charged by sunlight alone. Also, before plugging it in, turn it off, connect the AC, then turn it back on. You will see a blue light when it's charging.
2. When charging your phone, turn off as many features as possible. Most cellphones are still on, even after holding the power button. After the intitial cycle (tip #1), I turned off the cell antenna, gps, and bluetooth features on my phone and got a full charge quickly. If you try to charge your phone while it's still on, you may only get a maintenance charge from the Icetech.
3. Make sure you turn the Icetech off between uses. There's a switch on the bottom near the connection port. It needs to be on to charge itself or a phone, but off when not being used to preserve the battery. When charging by sunlight, you will see a purple LED light. There is no light when charging a cell phone.
And, as a bonus, the tips included with the Icetech are compatible with the Eton Microlink FR150 emergency radio/flashlight/charger, and the Coleman Stormbeam lantern with FM radio and cell charger. The Coleman also has a storage compartment to store all the tips and cords you might need.
All in all, this is a good thing to have when TSHTF and you are stuck somewhere without electricity. I will be buying several more for friends and family.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
I thought I should chime in with my experience, which varies slightly. First of all, this charger works for any device that takes a mini-USB, which includes my RAZR, my GPS, and a small Skype phone. I don't know about the other connections, except that it doesn't work on any Apple device (Ipod, Iphone) unless you buy the extra tip on their site (which I haven't yet bought, but which I'm assuming works). Also, it doesn't seem to work with a Zune.
Essentially, this charger is only for devices between 3.5 and 5 volts. So don't expect it to charge something like a laptop, and check the voltage of the things for which you intend to use it.
There's one strange thing: the two lights, and the on/off function do not work as described, at least on my unit, which I think is genuine (due to the correct packaging) and not a knockoff. When you plug this unit in to an electrical outlet to charge it, a blue light flashes. When the charge is full, the flashing blue light goes off; it does not stay on solidly to indicate a full charge, as the directions stated. The only thing the ON/OFF switch seems to do is turn solar-charging capabilities on or off. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to turn the charging of devices on or off, either. So actually, there doesn't seem to be any reason to ever set it to Off. When you're charging in sunlight, it allows solar charging, as indicated by a violet light. When you're charging from an electric outlet, the results are the same whether the switch is set to On or Off. and the charging blue light will blink anyway. If you connect something to be charged when the switch is on Off, it charges it anyway. If you connect something to charge when the switch is on On, it charges the same. So why ever turn if off? I have experimented with "double" charging. I plug in the device, leave the switch at ON for solar charging, and also leave it in the sunlight. The violet light that indicates sun charging stays on, and the blue light, indicating electrical charging blinks as expected, too, and I think charging time is reduced. So everything works, just differently than described. I hope this will be of benefit to someone, because it took me a week of experiments to figure it out. I emailed the company about the issue, and their answer was, yes, I was right, but that they hadn't had a chance to revise the directions. One more caveat: don't expect to put this in the sun, attach a device, and get it charged. You've got to charge up the battery of the solar charger first, either by means of an electrical outlet, or by leaving it in direct sunlight for 12 full hours. So if you're using it inside and depending only on solar charging, you'll probably need 3 or 4 days to charge the solar battery completely, because what home gets direct sunlight 12 hours a day? I think it's better to charge it from the electri socket, and then never use it so much that you drain it completely. Then you can refresh it in the sun in one day. Basically, I say buy this, because it works and the price is right (though it has gone up $4 since I bought it about a month ago). Not only that, but I accidently dropped it from a 2-story height out my window, it fell into bushes, yet it still works fine.
Essentially, this charger is only for devices between 3.5 and 5 volts. So don't expect it to charge something like a laptop, and check the voltage of the things for which you intend to use it.
There's one strange thing: the two lights, and the on/off function do not work as described, at least on my unit, which I think is genuine (due to the correct packaging) and not a knockoff. When you plug this unit in to an electrical outlet to charge it, a blue light flashes. When the charge is full, the flashing blue light goes off; it does not stay on solidly to indicate a full charge, as the directions stated. The only thing the ON/OFF switch seems to do is turn solar-charging capabilities on or off. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to turn the charging of devices on or off, either. So actually, there doesn't seem to be any reason to ever set it to Off. When you're charging in sunlight, it allows solar charging, as indicated by a violet light. When you're charging from an electric outlet, the results are the same whether the switch is set to On or Off. and the charging blue light will blink anyway. If you connect something to be charged when the switch is on Off, it charges it anyway. If you connect something to charge when the switch is on On, it charges the same. So why ever turn if off? I have experimented with "double" charging. I plug in the device, leave the switch at ON for solar charging, and also leave it in the sunlight. The violet light that indicates sun charging stays on, and the blue light, indicating electrical charging blinks as expected, too, and I think charging time is reduced. So everything works, just differently than described. I hope this will be of benefit to someone, because it took me a week of experiments to figure it out. I emailed the company about the issue, and their answer was, yes, I was right, but that they hadn't had a chance to revise the directions. One more caveat: don't expect to put this in the sun, attach a device, and get it charged. You've got to charge up the battery of the solar charger first, either by means of an electrical outlet, or by leaving it in direct sunlight for 12 full hours. So if you're using it inside and depending only on solar charging, you'll probably need 3 or 4 days to charge the solar battery completely, because what home gets direct sunlight 12 hours a day? I think it's better to charge it from the electri socket, and then never use it so much that you drain it completely. Then you can refresh it in the sun in one day. Basically, I say buy this, because it works and the price is right (though it has gone up $4 since I bought it about a month ago). Not only that, but I accidently dropped it from a 2-story height out my window, it fell into bushes, yet it still works fine.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
So far my experience has not been positive.
Battery level indicator does not seem to work.
On/Off switch does not seem to do anything. Unit always on.
Does not come with iPhone adapter, but does have a female USB adapter.
When connected to iPhone, nothing happens, regardless of iphone state.
It does seem to charge an old Motorola L7 I have, and it is small and light. Otherwise, I am disappointed.
Battery level indicator does not seem to work.
On/Off switch does not seem to do anything. Unit always on.
Does not come with iPhone adapter, but does have a female USB adapter.
When connected to iPhone, nothing happens, regardless of iphone state.
It does seem to charge an old Motorola L7 I have, and it is small and light. Otherwise, I am disappointed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Big Things Sometimes Come in Small Packages
This is a great little device. I thought it would be bigger but it is an excellent device. The included tip that is a female usb end basically gives another charging option for... Read more
Published 7 months ago by ARealBluesBabe
Well made- great deal for the money
I was surprised at the sturdiness of the i101 when I first got it. It seems to be well made and a great little charger for the money. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bman1111
works but could be alot better
What a wonderful idea and inexpensive gadget-a solar powered charger for your cell-however... My husbands cell is very old and one of the adapters fit, however the adapters... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Linda C.
Does not stand up to description
I bought this solar charger to charge my motorolla droid and ipod touch. the description said it would charge these devices but all it charges is my old Lg phone
Published 22 months ago by Steve
iceTechUSA i101 portable solar charger / battery
I purchased 2 i101 portable solar chargers / betteries from Amazon. They are great. Very compact and efficient. When fully charged, they will re-charge my Envy3 and iPod classic. Read more
Published 23 months ago by R. Hart
This thing works!!!!
This is a great product, only missing some newer cellphone charger terminals since the ones with this charger are too old.
Published on November 16, 2009 by Nahum Ferrufino
great product, silly costs for additional tips though.
This is a great device. The solar cells even work in diffuse light from cloudy days or in a window with no direct sunlight. But at reduced power obviously. Read more
Published on November 10, 2009 by Jason_m
it is a very good product
I really like this battery, its so easy to use. It works fine with my cellphone and my Mp4 player. Like it a lot, just bought another one for my brother.
Published on September 10, 2009 by Tatiana V. Romanchuk
Solar charger - yes, Works out of the box with 3G iPhone - no
Summary:
* Supplier was depressingly slow to ship
* Doesn't work with my 3G iPhone (yet)
So I bought this little solar charger gadget thingy hoping to charge... Read more
* Supplier was depressingly slow to ship
* Doesn't work with my 3G iPhone (yet)
So I bought this little solar charger gadget thingy hoping to charge... Read more
Published on July 13, 2009 by J. Tindal
BUYER BEWARE!
July 10, 2010 EDIT- Hm. It's been a year since I've bought this little piece of junk,'ll see to it that I write another review. And I'll "attempt" to be less harsh. Read more
Published on July 9, 2009 by David
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
