I would like to start a discussion about external power supplies for our FP2 and other tricks to reduce the power consumption of our FP2.
I think there is 2 scenarios :
Few days of autonomy
Long term autonomy
Let start with the few day autonomy
Any big power tank should work. Is there some fair devices ?
[Edit by @Stefan:] For example WakaWaka Base 10 (10,000mAh battery)
Long term autonomy
For the the long term autonomy question, lets say 2 weeks and more, without the possibility to have access to cells or electricity. Use of phone to take pictures, listen to music a while, use GPS sometimes.
Solutions I are :
Solar pannels with/without battery
Hand crank generator
Adaptator for electricity from bicycle
Heat transformator
… others ?
Solar pannels
The important device specifications are (not imporance ordered):
Weight
Dimentions
Ability to install it
Power production in different scenarios
Environemental impact
Environement proof (water, dirt, shocks)
We’ll look at HeLi-on. Is it rainproof ? Is it durable and environementally ok ?
I find this topic very interesting! I like the idea of having my phone offgrid (and coud see myself using an alternative charger even with electricity available nearby…)
Does anybody have experiences with different solar charger? --> waka waka but also poweradd or instapark mercury (or any solar charger in general!)
reviews I have read about handcrank generator were far from enthusiastic… (in terms of durability but also effectiveness…). any durable product?
You could remove the battery from the phone and charge it in a separate charger, but I’m not sure it would really be significant.
There’s an important loss of power in the charge itself, and in the conversion from AC to 5V DC. You can feel this loss of energy as the charger, phone and battery dissipate heat and become hot.
And on a larger scale, around 10% of electricity production is spent on transportation, ie lost in electrical lines.
There’s also Kraftwerk
It’s a project by a German Start-up and was a huge success a while ago on kickstarter.
They’re developing some new kind of a portable fuel cell that runs on lighter gas.
Unfortunately, they fell a bit behind schedule, but I really hope they’re gonna make it
Why not a replacement propane fuel cell battery instead of the current Li-Ion battery?
Over 10 years ago there was a company preparing to offer that - a fuel cell battery for mobile phones. All you would do is remove the battery and refill it with lighter fuel. More or less an instantaneous recharge time and a long standby time.
The fairphone would need a few vent holes in the case for the fuel cell by- product of carbon dioxide and water.
Fuel cell involves a lot of more problem, starting with “I need to convert heat into electricity on a very compact volume” ,very good explanation here https://what-if.xkcd.com/128/
So has anyone heard that a fuel cell battery for mobile (and not a charger fuel cell) is very near to launch, now the specs for aircraft safety has been worked out. So the solar panel could make the hydrogen for the mobile battery fuel cell.