Soldius 1 Universal Solar Charger With iPod Kit

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

March 21, 2006

There is one power source that is available to everyone, almost regardless to their global location. This power source that doesn't require sending humans into the bowels of the earth, the use of fossil fuels, nuclear reactors or the creation of pollution as a by-product. Of course I am referring to solar energy, and today I am writing about one of the many products Holland-based Soldius has created in order to harness it.

According to their website, Soldius "manufactures and distributes aesthetically-pleasing solar charging products of the highest possible quality." Their vision involves "consumer-use solar chargers [becoming] the dominant interface for mobile devices" and with that goal in mind they have created a line of easily portable universal solar chargers as well as a few specialized chargers built into everyday objects.

I first became a believer when we installed a solar powered water well at one of our more remote ranches last year. This particular place had a previously drilled well that had been powered by a windmill for decades. Unfortunately, the windmill's location in the bottom of a protected valley meant that there were always certain parts of the year when the wind could not be counted upon to blow as strongly as needed for continuous water production. Any problem with the tank, trough, or well itself that caused a sudden drop in water production would guarantee terse monitoring of the livestock's water and costly hauling of water from other locations. I had explored having an electrical pump installed, but the cost of having the co-op run a power line was unreal. My water well repairman suggested a solar well because even if the wind isn't always blowing, the sun is almost always shining. Ever since the solar wells installation I have been extremely pleased with its reliable and near trouble-free operation. So why not use the same type power source for my electronics?

Think about it - no need to worry about what plug will fit in a country's power outlet and no need to worry when the nearest power port is miles away. With a portable solar charger and the sun's bountiful energy, an electronic device can be charged in the middle of nowhere, or in the park while enjoying a picnic lunch. Obviously there are some limitations to solar energy, but for those living in generally sunny climates, this is an idea that should be explored.

Because I have an assortment of devices which need powering, I was most interested in the Soldius 1 Universal Solar Charger With iPod Kit. The Soldius 1 includes the solar charger, a miniUSB cable, seven tips which will fit a variety of Apple iPods, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Siemens, Motorola and Blackberry phones. Not all devices are compatible, but they can be checked against Soldius' online list. Those that have devices charged by a miniUSB cable are in luck - they can use the charger without an adapter tip.

The solar charger is a very slim device that when folded measures 5.4" tall x 3.2" wide x 0.4" thick and weighs just four ounces. This pocketable charger can fit almost anywhere because it is so slim, so finding it a spot in a gearbag should be no trouble at all.

When opened, the charger measures 5.4" tall x 6" wide x 0.2" thick, the thickest points are still 0.4" due to the hinged design. Shown in these pictures is the miniUSB port on the thicker end of the charger.

Here is a closer shot of one of the two rain and splash-resistant panels which are revealed when the charger is opened.

These panels will soak up any available sunlight - whether it be direct or indirect, through a window or on a sunny deck. The chargers will still gather energy on cloudy days, but the best performance is found when they are placed in direct sunlight on a clear day. The Charger will produce 6.58V – 320mA (max) in direct sunlight.

How about some down and dirty testing? Since today was so sunny and in the mid-fifties, I decided to conduct all tests on the backyard deck.

I tried the Soldius on several devices including my iPod, PPC-6700 and my recently purchased JasJar. The 6700 had an 80% charge when first plugged in, and in less than an hour it was at 100%. For much of the time I did the charging with the device turned off. When charging, I did not see the usual orange light blinking in the corner of the 6700, but turning on the PDA and  tapping on the Battery screen revealed that the battery was charging and the charger was indeed working.

My JasJar arrived today with a completely dead battery, and the Soldius was not able to revive it. However, once the JasJar was at 30% I was able to complete its charging with the Soldius; with the device turned off, charging was complete in four and a half hours. The moral of the story is that it is better to not allow power hungry devices to run too far down.

My iPod was only down two bars, and it took a little over an hour for it to reach full capacity using the solar charger.

According to the Soldius site, it can take longer or shorter periods of time to achieve a full charge based on the amount of cloud cover. They give a general rule of three to four hours for a total charge on a mobile phone, which is similar to that of a car charger.

The only downfall I can see to using solar energy is that here in West Texas temperatures can easily reach 100 and up. Depending on whether the wind is blowing or not, the heat index may be even higher. On those type days I would not recommend laying any electronic device on a sunny deck. However...the charger will work just as well from a sunny window ledge in an air conditioned room. In other words, as long as it receives direct sunlight it will produce the juice necessary to charge your electronic device.

Unfortunately the charge produced is not enough to power a laptop, but according to the Soldius site there are plans to produce a strong enough charger. In the meantime, consumers that don't want to unfold a solar charger every time they need to power their devices can explore the Soldius line of solar-enabled backpacks, travel bags and golf club bags.

The Soldius 1 Universal Solar Charger With iPod Kit is available from Think Geek and other retailers.

Read the FAQ on the Soldius site if you have any questions that weren't answered by my review.

Additional tips and replacement cables may be ordered here.