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How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger -aka MightyMintyBoost

by Honus on May 2, 2009

Table of Contents

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro: How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger -aka MightyMintyBoost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: Tools and materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 2: Build the Minty Boost kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 3: Add the battery and charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 4: Add the solar cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 5: FAQ and additional info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro: How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger -aka MightyMintyBoost

I wanted a charger for my iPodTouch and the MintyBoost was definitely my first choice. I wanted to take it a bit further and make it not only rechargeable but also solar
powered. The other issue is that the iPhone and iPodTouch have large batteries in them and will deplete the two AA batteries in the MintyBoost rather quickly so I wanted
to increase the battery power as well. What I really wanted was a MightyMintyBoost!

Apple has sold over 30 million iPodTouch/iPhone units- imagine charging all of them via solar power.... If every iPhone/iPodTouch sold was fully charged every day
(averaging the battery capacity) via solar power instead of fossil fuel power we would save approximately 50.644gWh of energy, roughly equivalent to 75,965,625 lbs. of
CO2 in the atmosphere per year. Granted that's a best case scenario (assuming you can get enough sunlight per day and approximately 1.5 lbs. CO2 produced per kWh
used.) Of course, that doesn't even figure in all the other iPods, cell phones, PDAs, microcontrollers (I use it to power my Arduino projects) and other USB devices that
can be powered by this charger- one little solar cell charger may not seem like it can make a difference but add all those millions of devices together and that's a lot of
energy!

There are some really nice features about this charger:

It's solar powered!

It's small.
Large battery capacity- 3.7v @2000mAh
On board charger charges via solar, USB or wall wart. Accepts input power from 3.7v to 7v.
Remove the solar cell after charging and you have a nice compact USB power supply.
Unplug the solar cell and use the Velcro to secure the MightyMintyBoost inside a backpack or messenger bag- now plug in a larger solar cell attached to your bag for
even faster charging. Using a slightly larger solar cell (6v/250mAh) you can generate enough power to fully charge an iPhone in about 5.5 hours and an iPod Touch in 4
hours.

Building this is really easy and straightforward- it only took me around an hour so follow along and build one for yourself!

Safety note and general disclaimer: Be careful cutting the Altoids tin as it can have some really sharp edges- file them smooth if necessary. Assemble this at your own
risk- while it is really easy to build, if you mess something up there is the potential to damage the electronic device you are trying to charge. Be careful in your assembly
and soldering work and follow good safety practices. Only use a type of battery charger specifically designed for the type of battery you are using. Please read through
the entire Instructable before asking questions- if there are are any questions just ask and I'll help out as best as I can!

Image Notes Image Notes

1. iPodTouch- it's charging! 1. Charging on solar power!

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 Image Notes
1. Arduino w/Adafruit Wave shield powered over USB

step 1: Tools and materials

Here's what you'll need to build your own MightyMintyBoost:

Tools:
Soldering iron
Scissors
Wire cutters
Pliers (or muiltitool)
Multimeter
Metal shears
Clear packing tape

Materials:
MintyBoost kit
Lithium Polymer battery charger
3.7v 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery
JST connector/wire
Small solar cell
2" x 3" adhesive backed Velcro
Small double sided adhesive squares
Altoids tin

Some notes:

The single cell Lithium Polymer charger can accept input power that ranges from 3.7 to 7v maximum. When the cell reaches full charge the charger will automatically
switch to trickle charging. When charging using the mini USB port, the charging current is limited to 100mA. When charging using the barrel plug jack, the charging
current is limited to 280mA.

The solar cell maxes out at approximately 5v @ 100mA in bright sunlight. If you need faster charging simply use a larger solar cell- a 6v cell @ 250mA would work very
well and they are easily obtainable and inexpensive. I used the size of solar cell that I did because I wanted it to be super compact.

I could not find out from the manufacturer if the solar cell I used has a blocking diode. A blocking diode is used in many solar charging systems to prevent the solar cell
from draining the battery during low light conditions. Instructables member RBecho pointed out that the charging circuit used negates the need for a blocking diode in this
application. You can tell when the solar cell is producing enough power because the little red LED on the charger will come on during charging.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. 3.7v 2000mAh LiPoly battery 1. My trusty soldering iron
2. double sided adhesive squares
3. Velcro
4. trusty multitool
5. JST connector
6. Sparkfun single cell LiPoly charger
7. Adafruit MintyBoost kit
8. Sparkfun small solar cell
9. multimeter

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
step 2: Build the Minty Boost kit
First build the MIntyBoost kit according to its instructions. It's really easy to assemble- even a complete novice can do it.

Instead of connecting the battery holder in the kit, we're going to solder a JST connector to the MintyBoost PCB. This tiny connector will then allow the MintyBoost circuit
to connect to the Lithium Polymer battery charger circuit. Make sure you get the polarity correct!

Test the MintyBoost by connecting the battery pack (make sure the battery pack has a charge) and charger circuit. The MintyBoost connects to the connector marked
SYS on the charger board and the lithium polymer battery connects to the connector marked GND.

Now cut a notch in the Altoids tin for the USB port and use some double sided adhesive to mount the PCB to the Altoids tin.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. JST connector 1. 3.7v 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery
2. MintyBoost PCB 2. Sparkfun single cell Lithium Polymer battery charger

Image Notes Image Notes

1. battery goes here 1. cut notch for USB socket
2. MintyBoost goes here
3. USB power in
4. 3.7 to 7v power in

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 Image Notes
1. Adhere MIntyBoost PCB with double sided tape

step 3: Add the battery and charger

Now cut a notch out of the other side of the Altoids tin to fit the charger and secure the charging circuit to the bottom of the Altoids tin with double sided adhesive.
Reconnect the battery and the MintyBoost PCB to the charging circuit. Make sure nothing on the bottom of either one of the circuit boards is touching the bottom of the
Altoids tin.

step 4: Add the solar cell

There are a couple of different ways to connect the solar cell. The first is by simply shortening the connector leads and plugging the barrel plug into the barrel jack on the
charging circuit. The second method is to replace the connector with another JST connector and plug it into the third connector marked 5v on the charging circuit. I didn't
have another JST connector handy so I just soldered a salvaged two pronged connector to the charging circuit where there are two open pins on the 5v line. Using the
second method certainly is a bit cleaner since you don't have the big barrel plug sticking out of the side of the tin. Now attach the solar cell to the top of the Altoids tin
using some 2" wide Velcro. I wrapped the battery pack with a layer of clear packing tape to help protect it. Then the battery pack is simple set down on top of the two
circuit boards- it's a near perfect fit. Now set your MightyMintyBoost out in the bright sun and charge it up! You should see a little red LED on the charger board light up.
Once it's fully charged connect your iPod/iPhone/USB powered device and enjoy!

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
step 5: FAQ and additional info
Here's a list of frequently asked questions:

Q: Is it possible to overcharge the Lithium Polymer battery?

A: No- the charger will automatically switch to trickle charging and then shut off.

Q: Is it possible to drain the Lithium Polymer battery completely and damage it?
A: No- the battery has its own low voltage cut off circuitry that will prevent it from completely discharging- the low voltage cut off is around 2.8v

Q: Does the solar cell have a blocking diode to prevent it from draining the Lithium Polymer battery?
A: No blocking diode is necessary- the Lithium Polymer charger prevents the battery from leaking current.

Q: How long will it take to fully charge the Lithium Polymer battery and how long will it take to charge my iPod/iPhone?
A: How long it will take to fully charge depends on the amount of sunlight available but as a rough guesstimate it would take around 20hrs using the small solar cell in
direct sunlight. Using a larger solar cell could easily take half if not one third the amount of time. Those same figures would apply if you were charging it over USB or
using a wall wart power supply.

Charging your iPod is much faster. How fast it does it depends on your device's battery capacity. An iPod Touch has a 1000mAh battery so it should fully charge it in
around 2hrs. A 3G iPhone has a 1150mAh battery so it will take slightly longer and a 2G iPhone has a 1400mAh battery, so it will take around 3 hrs.

Q: The Lithium Polymer charger has an input voltage range of 3.7v minimum to 7v maximum- what if I want to use a higher output solar cell for faster
charging?
A: To use a solar cell with a voltage output greater than 7v, you need a voltage regulator to drop the voltage to a level that the charger can handle. You could use a 7805
voltage regulator to limit the output to +5v -they only cost about $1.50 and are very simple to wire up. The 7805 will give you as fixed +5v and is usually good up to 1A
current. You could also use a LM317T which is an adjustable regulator, but it would involve a bit more circuitry to use. Some people also use diodes to drop voltage,
since many diodes have a voltage drop of .7v

There's a lot more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_regulator

The other option would be to use a 6v/250mA solar panel. This will stay within the current input range and voltage input range of the Lithium Polymer charger. Remember
that you can also connect smaller solar cells in parallel to increase the available current- two 5v/100mA solar cells connected together in parallel will give an output of 5v
@200mA

Q: What if I want to use a charger with a higher input current limit?

A: Sparkfun does have a Lithium Polymer charger that maxes out at 1A:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8293

Q: How would I connect the more powerful charger- there doesn't appear to be a clear way to do this?
A: To use the more powerful 1A charger you would need to wire a two way switch to the battery so that in one position the battery would be connected to the charger and
in the other position the battery would be connected to the MintyBoost circuit.

Q: Will this work with USB devices other than iPods and iPhones?
A: You bet! There's a list here: http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/

Q: Won't the inside of the Altoids tin short out the circuit?
A: No- using double sided foam tape to mount the circuit boards keeps the bottom of the board from coming into contact with the inside bottom of the tin. If you're really
worried you can cover the inside bottom of the tin with clear packing tape.

Q: How much does this cost? Can I build it for less? Is it cost effective?
A: If you buy everything as listed it would cost $70.75 (not including the Altoids tin or shipping.) If you wanted to scratchbuild it using the MintyBoost PCB from Adafruit,
building your own charging circuit and supplying your own parts from various sources you can save quite a bit. Both the charging circuit and the MintyBoost circuit are
available online- just go to the web pages listed in the tools and materials section- they're also listed at the bottom of this page.

Both Maxim and Linear Technology supply free samples (according to their websites) of their ICs so you just need to provide all the other bits (available from places like
Mouser and Digikey.) Using a slightly smaller solar cell and a 2200mAh battery it is possible to build it for a lot less:

2200mAh battery
solar cell
MintyBoost PCB

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
After adding up the small parts for the MintyBoost circuit, a small blank PCB for the charging circuit (you would have to etch the board yourself) and a mini USB
connector, you could conceivably build this for around $21.00 (not including shipping or an Altoids tin.) It wouldn't be exactly the same of course, but it would be
functionally the same. I don't know if the 2200mAh battery would fit into an Altoids tin either. It would be a LOT more work of course, and there could be a fair bit of
troubleshooting if you're not experienced in building these types of circuits or soldering surface mount components.

So is it cost effective? Absolutely- it just depends on the amount of work you want to do. Either way, you get a very useful and versatile solar powered charger.

Q: How did you calculate the power usage and equivalent CO2 values?
A: Here's the math-
3.7v (LiPo rated voltage) x .1A (solar charge current)= .37W
.37W x 12.5hrs (charge time based on average battery capacity) = 4.625Wh
4.625Wh x 365 days = 1688.125Wh per year
1688.125Wh per year x 30,000,000 units sold = 50,643,750,000Wh total used per year (50.644gWh)
50.644gWh per year x 1.5 lbs CO2 produced per kWh used = 75,965,625 lbs. CO2 produced per year

Granted these are more or less maximum values but they clearly show some potential for some serious energy savings. A 12.5hr solar charge time per day isn't realistic
for the majority of the planet but if you shorten the solar charge time to approximately 4.5hrs at a 280mA current the results still remain the same.

General information about the Lithium Polymer charging circuit as well as a circuit diagram and data sheet can be found here:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=726

A complete description and documentation of the MintyBoost circuit can be found here:
http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/

Related Instructables

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Extra by AleGuy Large solar
battery charger Any USB Device charger to Panel by kinz1jg Small battery-
panel for the by Riding Your Build your own powered USB
by pcmofo MightyMintyBoost charge a 3rd
Bike by JeffB gen iPod Nano DIY solar charger by
by hmbscott powered mobile
by davis65536 ladyada
phone by The
Corrugator

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 451 comments

wingrider78 says: Oct 10, 2009. 4:59 PM REPLY

Honus, I just want to say that this is an awesome idea...this will be my first attempt at a project like this and I have a couple of questions...

1. When hooking the solar cell up to the charger board, there are 3 JST plugs, one is for the mintyboost, one is for the battery, is the other one for the solar
cell??? You mentioned that you used a spare two pin cable that you had and soldered it on the 5v line...I purchased a spare JST and thought it would go to
the third connector...am I correct?

2. using the 2200ma battery, when charging my blackberry extended battery, 1500ma, in theory I should be able to get 1.5 charges out of the 2200ma
battery right? Will the MMB battery continue to push out charging power until it has nothing to give, or will they reach an equilibrium somewhere in the
middle???

Honus says: Oct 10, 2009. 7:24 PM REPLY

1. You are correct. The third JST connector is so you can plug in a power source to the 5v input for the charger.

2. You should be able to get approximately 1.5 charges out of the 2200mA battery but it may be slightly less as the MintyBoost circuit isn't 100% efficient.
Once your device is charged you should unplug it as many devices will think they are connected to a wall outlet and will continue to draw power if they
are in use.

wingrider78 says: Oct 11, 2009. 9:19 AM REPLY

1. I thought so, thanks for the clarification

2. Thanks, sounds good to me.

wingrider78 says: Oct 10, 2009. 5:03 PM REPLY

One other question...is there a possibility that the battery holder from the minty boost could also be soldered on along with the JST cable, so the power
could come from either side???

That way if there wasn't enough charge from the LiPo battery, I could just pop two AAs in and put some emergency charge on my device. Maybe just
have to unplug the JST from the charge board or something.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 Honus says: Oct 10, 2009. 7:29 PM REPLY
Well yes and no- depending on how you do it. If you try to plug the two AA batteries into the 5v input on the charger it won't work because the
charger has a minimum required input voltage that the two AA batteries can't meet.

You would essentially have to disconnect the charger and LiPo battery from the MIntyBoost circuit and connect the two AA batteries directly to the
MIntyBoost. You could probably just rig up a little slide switch to tell the MIntyBoost where to get the power from.

Make sense?

wingrider78 says: Oct 11, 2009. 9:17 AM REPLY

That makes sense. I wasn't sure if just soldering both the battery holder and the JST that connects to the charger board would cause any
problems. My process would have been to pull the minty boost JST from the plug if I were going to use the AA batts and to leave the batt holder
empty if I was going to use the LiPo battery. Would that cause any problems with them both connected without a switch?? So when looking into
a selector switch I just need to find one that can handle mintyboost output power of 5v and 400ma???

Honus says: Oct 11, 2009. 12:31 PM REPLY

The biggest issue is that you can't have the batteries connected to the charger while the charger is outputting current- other than that you're
OK.

I would imagine almost any little selector switch could handle that much current.

ripstikfan says: Sep 25, 2009. 5:57 PM REPLY

how much would all of the parts be combined?

Honus says: Sep 25, 2009. 8:12 PM REPLY

Please read the FAQ section.

ripstikfan says: Sep 26, 2009. 6:25 AM REPLY

oops didnt see that

John H Doe says: Sep 24, 2009. 6:08 PM REPLY

Would someone list the parts of the MightyMintyBoost? I have the some parts already figured out but Im not sure about the rest. I would buy it made but
were's the fun in that?

Honus says: Sep 24, 2009. 7:04 PM REPLY

There is a complete listing on the MintyBoost web page.
http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/parts.html

John H Doe says: Sep 24, 2009. 8:05 PM REPLY

Thanks so much! I was looking http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/process.html here for the parts, no wonder I couldnt find them all...

clzfishing says: Sep 20, 2009. 4:36 AM REPLY

can u cut a solar panal cuz I might just mount the solar panal to my phone or my ipod.

Honus says: Sep 20, 2009. 7:08 PM REPLY

I've never tried to cut one so I don't have any idea. I would imagine they would be pretty difficult to cut and easily damaged so I'd try to find a solar cell
that works within your necessary dimensions.

martzsam says: Sep 15, 2009. 6:31 PM REPLY

I want to use this project as a power source for my lego nxt using richiehops's Instructable to power the nxt via usb on a computer. Does the charger put out
power constantly? Would I be able to step up the voltage using the 5v to 9v voltage converter? Does it give the same amperage as a normal usb port?

Honus says: Sep 15, 2009. 6:59 PM REPLY

The MintyBoost circuit can put out around 400mA. USB 2.0 spec is 500mA max current. There's no reason why you couldn't step up the voltage to 9v
with the proper converter. I don't know about it putting out constant power.....

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 martzsam says: Sep 15, 2009. 7:20 PM REPLY
I need it to put out constant power otherwise I run the risk of damaging my nxt unit, how long is the solar unit able to supply power for?

Honus says: Sep 15, 2009. 7:27 PM REPLY

It all depends on the current draw of your NXT system. At 500mA draw a 2000mA LiPo will last four hours- that's before you boost the voltage as
the boost converter has some energy loss.

martzsam says: Sep 15, 2009. 7:22 PM REPLY

Also, I would have to run several in series get at least 8 total amps out of the solar cells, is there a cheaper way to do this?

Honus says: Sep 15, 2009. 9:20 PM REPLY

8A current draw? Or do you mean you need 8Ah capacity?

martzsam says: Sep 16, 2009. 8:26 AM REPLY

I mean the nxt needs at least 8 amps to fully power itself.

Honus says: Sep 16, 2009. 4:13 PM REPLY

That's some juice- you're definitely going to need something a lot more substantial than a single LiPo cell and a MintyBoost.

martzsam says: Sep 18, 2009. 1:23 PM REPLY

My original plan was to Make a solar charger for the lithium ion battery pack for the nxt but hit a road block when I found out it
charges on ac power instead of dc. So I tried solar powering a dc-ac inverter but the solar rig would cost around 300 dollars and
take up about 20 square feet. Do you have any suggestions?

Honus says: Sep 19, 2009. 7:39 AM REPLY

What are the specs (voltage and capacity) for the lithium ion battery pack?

martzsam says: Sep 20, 2009. 8:19 AM REPLY

8 volts but I can't find the capacity anywhere.

Honus says: Sep 20, 2009. 7:06 PM REPLY

So basically what you need is a charger that accepts a DC input and can charge an 8 volt lithium ion battery. Then you
just need to match your solar cell to the charger. There are a lot of chargers that run off 12v that are designed to
charge lithium batteries for radio control cars and airplanes- I'd say that would be a god place to start.

martzsam says: Sep 21, 2009. 1:45 PM REPLY

ok. Thanks for the help.

Dantex says: Sep 9, 2009. 1:29 PM REPLY

i saw 6 mah battery at sparkfun
do you know would it fit inside altoids?

sreeci says: Sep 14, 2009. 10:50 PM REPLY

Thank you very much.
Kumar

Honus says: Sep 9, 2009. 3:44 PM REPLY

Unfortunately it won't fit- it's too thick to fit inside the tin along with the other electronics.

sreeci says: Sep 14, 2009. 6:54 PM REPLY

For heaven's sake.. will any one please tell me the value of R4 & R5? thank you

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 Honus says: Sep 14, 2009. 7:53 PM REPLY
R4 and R5 are 100K 1/4W 5% -the kit also comes with 15K 1/4W 5% resistors if you are using an older iPod. So if you have an iPod Touch, iPhone, or
newer iPod such as a Classic or Nano video you should use the 100K resistors.

bozo blob says: Sep 8, 2009. 7:00 PM REPLY

its very neat but will it work with other mp3 players?

Honus says: Sep 8, 2009. 7:12 PM REPLY

If you look in the FAQ section there is a link to a long list of devices that it will work with.

csmo says: Sep 3, 2009. 6:22 AM REPLY

Hi

After simply building a new one it all now works. Rather than adding to my thread below I thought I'd post a new one with a couple of pics--and say thanks
again! Awesome project.

I made my enclosure with the plastic case the IPod touch came in. I used clear mounting tape to (sort of) have the parts appear as if they were simply
floating. I mounted the USB inside the case rather than sticking out b/c I worried, as did Crunch777, that constant plugging and unplugging would ultimately
be bad. The solar cell is still separate; I will, I think, mount it to the charger with a JST connector. (Noobie question: do I simply cut the wires on the solar cell
and then attach them to the JST connector? Solder or twist and tape? Thanks!). I might shorten the IPod cable too.

Anyway, thanks very much.

crunch777 says: Sep 4, 2009. 9:26 AM REPLY

Gratz csmo!

Honus says: Sep 3, 2009. 7:57 PM REPLY

Awesome- glad everything worked out. You can just cut the solar cell wires and then solder them to the JST connector - make sure to watch the polarity.

arvindhimalayan says: Aug 29, 2009. 6:21 AM REPLY

wher is a circuit diagram?

Honus says: Aug 29, 2009. 9:14 AM REPLY

Have a look at the FAQ section- at the bottom of the page there is a link to the LiPo charger and MIntyBoost web pages that have all the data sheets and
circuit diagrams.

bri1232001 says: Aug 24, 2009. 5:25 PM REPLY

I built my kit with an extra JST connector so the solar panel plugs nicely into the board rather than the barrel plug. The rest of my set up is by your
instructions.

My problem is that my device does not seem to hold a charge. It works very nicely as a direct solar charger (when in direct sunlight) but even when left under
light for extended periods of time does not seem to be charging the battery. The battery is a 3.7v 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery from sparkfun.com.

Any suggestions on what might be going on?

Honus says: Aug 24, 2009. 6:51 PM REPLY

Does the charge indicator light on the LiPo charger come on when the solar cell is in direct sunlight? Have you checked to see what the voltage is at the
LiPo cell?

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/
 bri1232001 says: Aug 25, 2009. 8:09 AM REPLY
After reading though more comments I think I just underestimated how long it takes to charge. I have I plugged into USB to see if it will hold a charge
from there. But the light does go on when charging. Perhaps since I don't unplugthe solar cell current is leaking back out the cell when it is not in
bright light?

Honus says: Aug 25, 2009. 6:47 PM REPLY

The charging circuit won't allow the LiPo battery to leak. The light on the charger should be on when it's charging and then it will blink when it
changes to a trickle charge and then it will turn off when the battery is fully charged.

bri1232001 says: Aug 28, 2009. 8:18 AM REPLY

I left it plugged in for linger than 20 hours. It did eventually go to blinking though.

chuckvideo says: Aug 22, 2009. 11:56 PM REPLY

Just built my solar charger and it's working perfectly, thank you for providing such clear instructions. Quick question though, I see an LED socket on the
Sparkfun Li-Ion charger, could I add an external LED to be able to see charge status somewhere I would mount an LED on my Altoids case? The Sparkfun
website doesn't have any specs on what values an LED would have to have, and it would be nice to be able to see the charger's status somewhere on the
case.

Honus says: Aug 23, 2009. 6:40 PM REPLY

You can add an LED to the charger- that's exactly what that it for. You might send sparkfun tech support an email as to what LED they recommend. I
would think most any LED would work.

chuckvideo says: Aug 23, 2009. 10:27 PM REPLY

I tried a few from my workbench and they didn't seem to work. But I'll contact Sparkfun tomorrow and see if they have any specs on what they
recommend.

crunch777 says: Aug 27, 2009. 12:08 PM REPLY

Any response from them on this? They sent me this reply.
Any of our 5mm LEDs should do the job:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=529
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8285
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=528
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=531
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=530

csmo says: Aug 24, 2009. 5:49 PM REPLY

Hi

I have put mine together and am having some trouble. Initially all seemed to be working fine. Two things have begun to happen.

1) When I connect the Minty Boost PCB to the charger and the charger is either charging via a wallwart or the sun the red indicator light goes off. That is,
when the solar cell is plugged into the charger and the charger to the battery the red light comes on, but when I plug the MintyBoost into it the light goes out
instantly. Actually, that's not entirely accurate: when the PC is plugged into the charger the faintest red light is detectable and then when it's unplugged it
instantly goes bright red.

2) If I leave the PCB disconnected and charge either via the sun or the wallwart for just a little bit I can then plug in the PCB, plug in my Ipod Touch and get
the whole thing to work--briefly. Then it stops.

Bad battery? Thoughts?

Many, many thanks

Christian

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/