This last year global warming has been validated and I am slowly working towards being more energy conscious. The gadgets we all love run on electricity and must be plugged in to use or charge them. I have been working on eliminating as many power adapters/chargers as I can and when possible I place them on a switch able
INTRODUCTION
The theory of operation behind the Sunny Universal Charger is the use of power stored in an internal battery to charge mobile devices. The internal battery is charged with the solar panel or the included AC charger. The Sunny Universal Solar Charger provides selectable output DC voltages of 4.5, 5.0, 6.3, and 9.0 via a USB connector with a maximum current of 1 amp. The charger also has a high power LED which can act as a flashlight. The internal battery capacity is 2800mAh at 3.8V. It weighs 240 grams (8.5 oz) and measures 137 mm x 79 mm x 24mm (5.4" x 3.11" x 1").
SPECIFICATIONS
AT A GLANCE
(all images link to higher resolution)
The Sunny Universal Solar Charger retail box.
The Sunny Universal Solar Charger box includes the Solar charger, a 100-240V AC charger, a USB power cable with 7 device heads, and a manual.
The unit I received came with a European style round prong 100-240V AC charger. I had to use a round to flat prong adapter to charge the unit. Hopefully, US bound units will be shipped with a flat prong charger. The battery in the Universal Solar Charger must be charged 3 times for 12 hours using the AC charger before it is ready for Solar charging.
The Universal Solar Charger is shipped with a USB cable and 7 device connection adapters. The device connection adapters are not marked and there is no information regarding which device each adapter supports. This is quite unfortunate, since it becomes a guessing game to determine which adapter works with your device.
The Universal Solar Charger must also be set to one of the 4 output voltages (4.5, 5.0, 6.3, and 9.0). A sticker on the front unit warns the user in English and Chinese to "Please choose the right voltage". Their should be a cross reference for the proper adapter and voltage to use with a device.
The saving grace of the Universal Solar Charger is that it uses a USB connector. If your device came with a USB cable, I would recommend using it. The standard USB voltage output is 5.0 volts.
The charger that came with your device will have a label which states the output voltage, this voltage should be used to set the output voltage on the Universal Solar Charger. The charger for my T-Mobile Wing states an output of 5 volt at 1 amp.
The Universal Solar Charger comes with large bright LED which can be used as a flashlight.
The Universal Solar Charger must be placed in full sunlight for about 12 hours to fully charge. The red LED will turn to orange then green when the internal battery is fully charged. I was able to fully charge the unit across 2 days in direct sunlight. This will work fine in emergencies, however it is not practical for my T-Mobile Wing’s daily charging. The Wall Street Journal reports that DARPA (the people who invented the Internet) is working on a solar panel which will convert 50 percent of the Sun’s energy compared with current solar panel efficiency of only 5 percent. Let’s hope the technology becomes commercially available soon.
The T-Mobile Wing being charged with the Wing’s USB data cable.
The Apple iPod charging using it’s USB cable.
The Sunny Universal Solar charger provides alternative power to charge our mobile devices. It works well, unfortunately the clever use of the USB technology does not totally compensate for the lack of documentation on the included device connection adapters and appropriate device voltages.
type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
The Sunny Universal Solar Charger can be purchased from Brando here for $69.00. type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
The Sunny Universal Solar Charger is a good source of emergency backup charging power. The clever use of USB charging technology makes it perfect for mobile devices which can charge with a USB cable. However for those devices without USB charging cables, the lack of documentation makes the use of the Sunny Universal Solar Charge a guessing game (Ease of Use = 1). Unfortunately my hopes of using a compact Solar charging solution to perform the daily charge of my T-Mobile Wing is not yet a reality because of the time it take to charge the internal battery with the sun. The technology is still in its infancy and should be used when AC or DC power is not readily available; think camping, power outage or lack of an AC outlet. Still the Sunny Universal Solar Charger is an excellent attempt towards reducing our carbon footprint.
THE DRAWING BOARD
The Sunny Universal Solar Charger works as advertised however it could be improved by providing adequate documentation on supported devices, the inclusion of a car charger for those times the sun is not out or you an AC outlet is not available, and a more efficient set of solar panels that could charge the internal battery in half the time.
PURCHASING
PROS
USB charging compatibility
Compact size
Emergency backup charger
CONS
No car charger
Lack of documentation on supported devices
Manually setting output voltage
Value
Ease
of Use 
Features
Overall
OVERALL IMPRESSION
No related post found.
