How long do the panels hold the charge? Meaning if I have a sunny day and leave it out to charge can I use it 3 days later?
1783341
There are no batteries in this. This is designed with just solar panels and a USB cable for "live" energy. I suppose you could engineer something with batteries that would hold a charge for you, but this will not store energy, just absorb and pass along. If you plug in your phone on a sunny day, it will charge your phone as long as it stays sunny.
1783342
The panels do not hold a charge themselves. You can charge directly from the panels or connect an external battery (not included) and charge that as your future power source.
1783343
Solar panels are like generators, not batteries. The panels have dual usb output connectors. You can charge an external battery that has usb or microusb input with the proper cables. Expect to get about 1.2-2.0 amps of charge rate with direct sunlight and a favorable angle (if the sun is low in the sky you will lose charge efficiency) two items will charge at a lesser rate. An Anker® 2nd Gen Astro3 12000mAh (4A Output) Portable Charger will charge at roughly 1.3 amps by itself. That will get 20-25% charge capacity of that external unit every 90-120 minutes of quality sunlight.
1783344
Anker makes some fairly nice USB batteries that you can buy on Amazon for under $50. You could use one of those batteries with the solar array and have power left three days later.
1783345
I used this product while camping to charge two 10,000mah backup batteries and then used the batteries to recharge my devices overnight while camping with no facilities. Worked great.
1175968
They will stay on all night IF they are in a sunny place to charge the batteries. If not they will stay on only 3-5 hours
1229304
Also, make sure you remove the plastic over the solar panels, otherwise it wont charge as well. I leave mine inside my truck on the dash and it charges in 6 hours.
2111935
I haven't had any problems with it holding a charge. I have noticed if I don't use it for a few days it doesn't work. So I would suggest charging it every other day or so. If mine is charged it usually lasts a couple hours.
541423
This specific panel is a piece of crap. Don't buy it. Their bigger panels, though, put out 12 volts. If hooked up straight to your device, it will charge as long as there is sun. If the sun weakens, it will stop charging. If the sun returns, it will start charging. If it is hooked up into a battery that can both receive a charge and send a charge simultaneously, then the behaviour if the same as above. If not, it will act erratically and you'll only be able to charge the battery or the phone, but not both.
1106287
The light will turn on as soon as has some charge and disconnect from solar panel. Not sure if this is what you wanted but it is possible to use during day as long as solar is covered or disconnected from light.
2262377
So far I have only charged off a USB port, works fine, in 8-12 hours. The claim is that the solar cells will charge in about 4 hours, but have not yet had occasion to try it out, the savings of electricity in the city probably not worth the wear and tear, e.g. peeling off the plastic!
370852
IDK! I know that you have to check it to NOT charge (keep pressed the buttom to disable) to maintain the charge. But how many days... I really can't say. it suposed to hold it like 30 days or so. but never tried.
191990
I am not sure, but every day I would place it it the window and let it charge all day, then I was using it for a few hours a night, and it never lost its charge. I dont think it plugs in to the usb ports, just solar. I love mine, its well worth it. I have 3 different solar lights, and this one is my favorite. I just make sure they are in a window everyday, so it is always ready. Yes, it will charge on a cloudy day, maybe not as much. I think I am done with battery operated lights.
1674541
You'll need to leave this in the sun for most of that time. You can charge it prior using a usb and an outlet or computer. If you have a smart phone it will take longer to charge. 3 weeks is a long time, I've only used it for 5 days at the most. But it needs to be in decent sunlight for several hours. You can charge this in the sun then plug it into your phone at night to charge your phone
352792
Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't gotten one of those yet. Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't... » Read More Throwing in my two cents. Get two for this. It'll work fine for awhile for you the way you want to do it, but ultimately, your battery is going to lose charge 'cause you will be running close to max on the panel all things considered unless you are in bright sunlight all the time. Plus, over time, your battery is not going to charge as efficiently. My 100W Grape tests at 5 amps in good sunlight. But then there's nighttime....:-) I run an off grid system, and am going to get a second panel just because of those cloudy days. An MPPT controller will help maximize your charging too. I haven't gotten one of those yet. « Show Less
2240070
You should be fine after 3 hours. It comes with battery life. Or if you are worried charge it overnight.
541426
You'll be charging from the battery pack not the panel it self. It goes sun panel battery then device. So it will be a continuous charge until those barriers are depleted. And they just recharge from the panels
1275536
Remember that you are pushing amps back into the battery, and with normal losses this 5.3A panel and charger will likely give you 4.5 amps per hour at the battery in good to excellent lighting conditions (that's what I'm getting here in central Indiana). In a day, consider that you'll have 6 hours of bright sunlight, and another 4-6 of indirect sunlight. Conservatively that's about 8 hours of (8 hours x 5 amps) or 36 to 40 Amp-hours restored. That's enough to restore your 85 Ah battery each day if you take it down to 60%. This system should be fine for your battery--and others might point out I'm being very conservative. Even in late afternoon in indirect light I'm getting 4+ amps. You may find a fully-recharged battery each day by mid-afternoon.
367879
The LuminAID Solar Light uses a lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery, similar to the battery in most cell phones. Before storing for an extended period of time, we recommend charging the product in direct sun for 6-7 hours. Once fully charged, the battery will hold a majority of its charge and light up after over a year of being in storage. Like all rechargeable batteries, it does lose a small percentage of charge over time when it is in storage and not being used. In order to ensure the product is fully charged when you need it, we do recommend taking it out of storage and recharging the product in direct sun every few months. If there are any other questions/concerns, please reach us at orders@luminaid.com and we would be happy to help!
70075
I know mine stays on from a little after sun up to almost sun down. Running on a three bank battery system which is almost always using some 12 volt power in our RV somewhere, not to mention how much is drained off in after dark hours. What I really see though is soon as the sun hits the panel till the sun is off of it in the evening this basically shows that the panel is in enough sun light but never dropped a voltage meter accross to find where the charge was at on the batteries.
1558903
I have found it best to run a 10 watt solar panel and double the battery size. If all goes ok I can get about 2 years out of the battery. As others have answered, if the sun is not shinning the solar panel is not charging. When we get an extended period without sun I will pull the battery and charge it with a battery charger