[jcoinster]

Will this charge my mini 10V?:

Amazon.com: Portable Hybrid Solar Charger for Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, etc: Electronics

or

Amazon.com: Silver Solar Charger: Electronics

or anything lower than 40 bucks?

[rrfranczak3]

you really need to check the output/charging rate and be sure that it is equal to your ac adapter..less I guess is ok, but more is a no no

[holmes4]

Actually, less won't work and more is ok. It won't supply more power than the Mini draws for charging, which is 25-30W, but if the solar device can't maintain that much, it won't charge the battery. The voltage needs to be 19-21V.

The first one does not give any specs, but based on the product description, it supplies 5V at a fairly low current (probably less than 500ma, which is 2.5W).

The second one charges its internal battery but as it has a USB jack for output, that tells you again that it's 5V.

Neither one will do anything for a Mini.

[jcoinster]

What about this?:

...Solar Powered Battery Charger, SOLIO Universal Portable Solar Charger

[holmes4]

Same thing. Unless it says it will charge a laptop, pass it by. When it talks about MP3 players, phones and cameras, you know it's low voltage and low current.

[Heraclitus]

I think you need something like these:
Laptops, Gadgets & NoteBooks Reviews Blog Archive Re charge your Netbook with solar power
SolarGorilla & MiniGorilla Combo Kit Netbook Charger
PowerTraveller Minigorilla + Solargorilla Netbook Solar Charger english

but their cost and size would not recommend their use.

[rrfranczak3]

I agree it would be a lot cheaper just to buy a 6 cell or a 2nd 6 cell..more cost effective I think..

[miokey]

Sorry to hijack, but I have a similar question. I'm looking to charge a Mini 10 with a solar panel. Would the 20 watt version of this solar panel, along with this charger do the trick? Thanks for any assistance.

[holmes4]

My guess is that it's unlikely to work. There are probably significant losses in the 12V adapter. Note also that the rated capacity of the panel is in full sun.

[miokey]

So here's the deal. I'm wanting to bicycle tour (with a trailer) and I need to keep a laptop charged. I expect partial to full sun most days, and at least 6 hours on the bicycle (solar panel atop the trailer). What would your ideal setup be? I sucessfully did this once before with a solar panel, an auto adapter, and an old iBook, but it took forever to charge (8 hours was about a half battery's worth). The iBook used about 60watts, though... Any insight would be appreciated.

I was considering charging a 12v battery pack, then using that to later charge my laptop (and phone). Perhaps that's the way to go...

Or maybe directly charge the laptop battery with a standalone charger.

So many options, so little knowledge about this sort of thing! Help me holmes4!!!