- Latest generation ultra efficient monocrystalline solar cell module.
- Charge most of USB-compatible portable gadgets
- Built-in high-flux LED lamp for indoor/outdoor activities and SOS use.
- Built-in rechargeable lithium battery will hold a charge for up to 2 years, making it suitable for emergency use
- Can be charged from sunlight, USB port or a wall plug
Product Features |
Frequently Bought Together
Product Information
Technical Details
| Item Weight | 12.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 7.4 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches |
| Item model number | SD4000LP |
| Number of Items | 1 |
Additional Information
| ASIN | B005ZA2W42 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #29,559 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See top 100) |
| Shipping Weight | 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) |
| Shipping | Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. |
| Date First Available | March 1, 2012 |
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Product Description
Never be caught without power again. The Soladec is a versatile all-in-one hybrid solar powered charger allows to charge most of USB powered portable electronic devices from your smartphone and MP3 player, to tablets, e-reader, GPS and camera, including iPod, iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Blackberry, GalaxyS, Galaxy Tab and more. It has built-in high flux LED lamps with a power level indicator for indoor/outdoor use and can work as a SOS lamp blinker by choosing the SOS function from its power button. Designed to maximize functionality to meet the demands of the most tech-savvy outdoor enthusiast; perfect for camping, fishing, boating, hiking and any emergency. Easy to use and lightweight to carry. Intelligent charging system automatically shuts off when a device is at full charge extending battery life. At full charge the battery will provide most smartphones with at least 2.5 complete charges (actual performance will vary by device). At full charge, it takes about 2 hours 40 minutes to charge a smartphone (actual charging time will vary by device). Charge time to full capacity: approx. 11 hrs via Sun, 7 hrs via USB (actual solar charge time may vary greatly depending on atmospheric conditions, amount of sunlight, etc.). Built-in easel for easy stand and easy lighting. Included are Soladec Hybrid Solar Powered Charger, USB Charging Cable, Carrying Case, Wrist Lanyard and User’s Manual. Technical Spec: Solar Modue-5V, 330mA (1.65W), Shatter Resistant Tempered Low-Iron Glass; LED Module-0.8W (High Flux LED), Life Span of 50,000 hours; Internal Battery-Li-polymer, 3.7V, 4000mA (14.8WH)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
218 of 221 people found the following review helpful
The concept of this Soladec Hybrid All-in-One Portable Solar Power Charger (SD4000LP) is good. Essentially, it is a battery-powered USB charger sized like a typical 7-inch tablet. Its internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery can be recharged either using the solar panel, or through external USB power port. Once charged, you can then use this unit as a portable charger for other USB-powered devices. The unit also features a powerful 6-LED flood light.
Since I'm an engineer, I just HAVE to open the case to see what's inside. I'm quite impressed by the high-quality components found (see the photo I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section):
- The internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery is rated 3.7V 4100mAh (the product description says '4000mAh')
- The LEDs are mounted on an aluminum-backed PCB. This is great for thermal dissipation (but you don't see this very often due to high cost)
- The battery charging/discharging operation is controlled by an 8-bit microprocessor (again, you don't see this often due to high cost). This is very important because, without the correct charging algorithm, a Li-ion battery can be easily damaged by over-charging.
I then tested the unit electrically, and found it to work more or less as expected:
- When you recharge the internal battery through a computer USB port, the charging current is at 500mA. This is limited by the current capacity of a standard USB port. So the charge time is around 8-9 hours.
- When charging through an external 5V 1A USB power adapter, the battery charging current increases to 0.69A. That means the charge time is reduced to around 6-7 hours.
- When charging with the solar panel, the highest charging current I can get is ~350mA. This is under optimal test condition of bright summer sun at noon time, with the panel perpendicular to the sunbeam. In real life, it will take at least two full days of direct sunlight to recharge the internal battery. Also note that if you place the solar panel inside your car, the charging current is cut by half because the car window filters out most of the UV light.
Next, I tried to use this Soladec unit to recharge different types of USB-powered devices. The outcome varies according to the power requirement:
- When charging a low-drain USB device (such as the Philips GoGear Aria MP3 Player), the USB device is powered up correctly, but the Soladec's LED indicator light does not cycle to show 'charging in progress'
- When charging a medium-drain USB device (such as the Nintendo DSi XL), the device is powered up correctly, and the Soladec's LED indicator cycles to show charging in progress.
- When powering a high-drain USB device (such as the VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet VTAB1008), the Soladec's LED indicator still cycles normally, but its output current fluctuates wildly because the maximum current limit is exceeded. This may cause the receiving device to get confused as it constantly enters and then exits charging mode. Actual maximum output current I measured is around 0.81A, even though the product manual says only 0.5A. So at least the product is performing better than specified.
- When ON, the LED light draws 200mA from the battery. This means a runtime of 20 hours. However, I'm skeptical about the advertised light output of '170 lumen', as it requires an amazing efficacy of over 200 lumens per watt.
On the other hand, I have noticed some major design flaws with this Solardec charger:
1. There is no on/off switch. The push button switch beside the LED light does not turn off the whole system, only the light. The system is constantly drawing a 3mA standby current from internal battery. Simple calculation shows that this standby current will drain a 4100mAh battery in less than 2 months. So although the product description says the built-in battery will "hold a charge for up to 2 years", in real life you have to recharge it every single month, if you intend to use it in case of emergency.
2. The case is not weather-sealed in any way. In particular, there are no rubber caps for the two USB ports on top. So if it rains, water can easily get in through those openings. That makes it dangerous to leave this solar charger outdoor exposed to direct sunlight. The only safe way is to place it underneath your car's windshield. But doing so also cuts down the solar power by ~50%. So now it takes 4 days to fully recharge the internal battery by solar panel.
CONCLUSION:
The Soladec SD4000LP is a good attempt with quality components inside. But unfortunately, the two major design flaws mentioned above make it less useful either as an emergency power source or as an outdoor solar charger. It does work well as a LED work light, but that can hardly justify its high price tag. That's why I can only give it a 3-star neutral rating, meaning "It's Okay".
[Side note on capacity]
Is the capacity of internal battery (4100mAh) sufficient for you? That depends on the USB device you intend to recharge. For example, my POLAROID 7" INTERNET TABLET has an internal 3000mAh Li-ion battery. So on first glance, the SD4000LP contains more than enough energy to charge up my tablet from empty to 100%. However, the battery charging process has to go though two conversion steps. First, the 3.7V from internal battery is boosted to 5V at the USB port. Next, the 5V is stepped down to around 4V to recharge the tablet battery. Even if each conversion step is 85% efficient, you still lose 30% of energy in the process. That's why you always need 1/3 higher capacity than the device you want to recharge.
Since I'm an engineer, I just HAVE to open the case to see what's inside. I'm quite impressed by the high-quality components found (see the photo I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section):
- The internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery is rated 3.7V 4100mAh (the product description says '4000mAh')
- The LEDs are mounted on an aluminum-backed PCB. This is great for thermal dissipation (but you don't see this very often due to high cost)
- The battery charging/discharging operation is controlled by an 8-bit microprocessor (again, you don't see this often due to high cost). This is very important because, without the correct charging algorithm, a Li-ion battery can be easily damaged by over-charging.
I then tested the unit electrically, and found it to work more or less as expected:
- When you recharge the internal battery through a computer USB port, the charging current is at 500mA. This is limited by the current capacity of a standard USB port. So the charge time is around 8-9 hours.
- When charging through an external 5V 1A USB power adapter, the battery charging current increases to 0.69A. That means the charge time is reduced to around 6-7 hours.
- When charging with the solar panel, the highest charging current I can get is ~350mA. This is under optimal test condition of bright summer sun at noon time, with the panel perpendicular to the sunbeam. In real life, it will take at least two full days of direct sunlight to recharge the internal battery. Also note that if you place the solar panel inside your car, the charging current is cut by half because the car window filters out most of the UV light.
Next, I tried to use this Soladec unit to recharge different types of USB-powered devices. The outcome varies according to the power requirement:
- When charging a low-drain USB device (such as the Philips GoGear Aria MP3 Player), the USB device is powered up correctly, but the Soladec's LED indicator light does not cycle to show 'charging in progress'
- When charging a medium-drain USB device (such as the Nintendo DSi XL), the device is powered up correctly, and the Soladec's LED indicator cycles to show charging in progress.
- When powering a high-drain USB device (such as the VIZIO 8-Inch Tablet VTAB1008), the Soladec's LED indicator still cycles normally, but its output current fluctuates wildly because the maximum current limit is exceeded. This may cause the receiving device to get confused as it constantly enters and then exits charging mode. Actual maximum output current I measured is around 0.81A, even though the product manual says only 0.5A. So at least the product is performing better than specified.
- When ON, the LED light draws 200mA from the battery. This means a runtime of 20 hours. However, I'm skeptical about the advertised light output of '170 lumen', as it requires an amazing efficacy of over 200 lumens per watt.
On the other hand, I have noticed some major design flaws with this Solardec charger:
1. There is no on/off switch. The push button switch beside the LED light does not turn off the whole system, only the light. The system is constantly drawing a 3mA standby current from internal battery. Simple calculation shows that this standby current will drain a 4100mAh battery in less than 2 months. So although the product description says the built-in battery will "hold a charge for up to 2 years", in real life you have to recharge it every single month, if you intend to use it in case of emergency.
2. The case is not weather-sealed in any way. In particular, there are no rubber caps for the two USB ports on top. So if it rains, water can easily get in through those openings. That makes it dangerous to leave this solar charger outdoor exposed to direct sunlight. The only safe way is to place it underneath your car's windshield. But doing so also cuts down the solar power by ~50%. So now it takes 4 days to fully recharge the internal battery by solar panel.
CONCLUSION:
The Soladec SD4000LP is a good attempt with quality components inside. But unfortunately, the two major design flaws mentioned above make it less useful either as an emergency power source or as an outdoor solar charger. It does work well as a LED work light, but that can hardly justify its high price tag. That's why I can only give it a 3-star neutral rating, meaning "It's Okay".
[Side note on capacity]
Is the capacity of internal battery (4100mAh) sufficient for you? That depends on the USB device you intend to recharge. For example, my POLAROID 7" INTERNET TABLET has an internal 3000mAh Li-ion battery. So on first glance, the SD4000LP contains more than enough energy to charge up my tablet from empty to 100%. However, the battery charging process has to go though two conversion steps. First, the 3.7V from internal battery is boosted to 5V at the USB port. Next, the 5V is stepped down to around 4V to recharge the tablet battery. Even if each conversion step is 85% efficient, you still lose 30% of energy in the process. That's why you always need 1/3 higher capacity than the device you want to recharge.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By Matt
Amazon Verified Purchase
The biggest problem I found with solar chargers is they never get your phone past 50%, this is the only charger I have found that will take it to 100% in the same amount of time as a wall charger. The battery in the solar unit takes 7 hours to charge plugged in and 12 hours to charge using solar, and it never has any problems keeping up with any of my devises.
I'm a hiker and I'll use the GPS on my iPhone 4S to navigate through to wood in the Sierras, and for all of you iPhone 4S users out there you know how short the battery life can be, it actually drops off on average a percent a minute so I needed a heavy duty solar charger. Even with the high power consumption, as long as I stay plugged in my phone never drops below 100%, even at night when I'm using the GPS and the rediculiously bright light all nigh long. The light is also amazing, from a 12 hour charge it will run 18 hours and will stay bright the entire night. So to sum it all up, I actually couldn't pull more power than it could put out, it always felt like there was a wall outlet in my tent becouse no matter what I did I couldn't kill the thing! It was well worth every penny spent
I'm a hiker and I'll use the GPS on my iPhone 4S to navigate through to wood in the Sierras, and for all of you iPhone 4S users out there you know how short the battery life can be, it actually drops off on average a percent a minute so I needed a heavy duty solar charger. Even with the high power consumption, as long as I stay plugged in my phone never drops below 100%, even at night when I'm using the GPS and the rediculiously bright light all nigh long. The light is also amazing, from a 12 hour charge it will run 18 hours and will stay bright the entire night. So to sum it all up, I actually couldn't pull more power than it could put out, it always felt like there was a wall outlet in my tent becouse no matter what I did I couldn't kill the thing! It was well worth every penny spent
60 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By Fishgriller
|
Length:
2:05
Mins
This new Soladec Hybrid solar powered charger, has Outdoor Chef Kurt ,ready to hit the outdoors,with confidence.
The new Micro-B USB type port allows the unit a wider variety of charging options. The distress signal from the LED light,could save your life, in all sorts of instances, if needed.
The new charge indicator, lets you know when to charge up, the unit . The electronics inside the charger ,that makes it work , have been super charged, for better efficiency overall.
Pros/// Dependable power when you need it most ,quality construction for durability.
Cons// price is a little higher ,but it is well worth it ,with quality and dependability ,and maybe your life at stake. When outdoors, in remote places.
it is important to have a dependable product , that will harness the suns power,that is why I give this new Soladec Solar Charger my highest reccomendation. 5 ***** {FISHGRILLER APPROVED}
The new Micro-B USB type port allows the unit a wider variety of charging options. The distress signal from the LED light,could save your life, in all sorts of instances, if needed.
The new charge indicator, lets you know when to charge up, the unit . The electronics inside the charger ,that makes it work , have been super charged, for better efficiency overall.
Pros/// Dependable power when you need it most ,quality construction for durability.
Cons// price is a little higher ,but it is well worth it ,with quality and dependability ,and maybe your life at stake. When outdoors, in remote places.
it is important to have a dependable product , that will harness the suns power,that is why I give this new Soladec Solar Charger my highest reccomendation. 5 ***** {FISHGRILLER APPROVED}
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not sturdy - Poorly made - HDMI port breaks
Bought this item on May 2012, and after one year of VERY LIGHT use (probably used it 5 times) the micro HDMI port breaks.
Very dissapointed. I would not buy it again.
Very dissapointed. I would not buy it again.
Published 8 days ago by R. A. Hendi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
This thing is really cool,especially living in Arizona ,since the sun here is so bright ,so very hot ,and so dry! Read more
Published 11 days ago by Dale Cook
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does not charge anything!
I left it out for 24 hours in direct sun, the lights on the side showing the progress of charging blindly blinked, but the charge gave my iPod only 1/10 of full battery. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Christina
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works great so far. (Great for emergencies)
I fully charged it and put it away for about 10 months or so and when i took it out to use it it still had a decent amount of battery life left to charge my device adequately... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Erica Fleisher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works as advertised
The product delivers exactly what it says it will. The light is bright and doesn't draw to much power, Used it on a camping trip and it keep my cell phone charged and ready.
Published 1 month ago by Dennis M Shepard
1.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn't work
I ordered this charger to take on safari to South Africa. It is suppose to charge an iPhone and Kindles. It doesn't work with either of mine. It was a waste of money for me. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rae J. Helms
5.0 out of 5 stars
nice and portable
I survival camp with limited electricity to charge cell phones and my Kindle. This worked great charging both; needs 8 hr on the beach to charge it.
Published 2 months ago by Susan A. Arthur
4.0 out of 5 stars
Did a good job on the AT
I bought this to test it out for charging my phone on AT section hikes. For the added weight, it was a nice-to-have item. Read more
Published 3 months ago by daveNYC
4.0 out of 5 stars
Charged my iPhone
I just wanted something to charge my iPhone. It did, slowly, but it did. The charge from the sun is weak and then you use that to charge the phone, you cant just plug the phone... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Hatchling001
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Bug Out Bag Essential
This solar charger works perfectly. It can be charged with electricity or solar power making it a great backup for charging devices. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Monopoly J
