# Solar chargers for DSLR



## Go Wild (Nov 12, 2016)

Hello, i have a question if someone can help. I´m going to be out in the field for about 20 days, in Africa, in a zone that i don´t have access to electricity. In those 20 days i will be filming and photographing all the time. So....i have a little problem to solve here. Battery charging... 

I have a Canon 1dx mkII and a DJI osmo. I have 2 LP-E19 batteries and 2 Osmo batteries. It´s quite likely that both of the 1dx batteries just last for 1 day. So...I think i need to buy at least one battery more. So, regarding to this, i have 2 questions: 

1 - Solar chargers - I think this is going to be one solution, but never used before, so if anyone have some advices about this, I really thank! However...it´s only a solution if i use the battery charger in it, i have seen some options that said that they charge DSLR batteries, but they don´t say what is the connection, most of thems say they have a USB connection to recharge, and that, of course is a not valid solution for DSLR chargers...

I am watching to a solution, the Sherpa 50, with the adiction of wall plug

http://www.goalzero.com/p/149/sherpa-50-solar-kit

Wall plug: 
http://www.goalzero.com/p/153/sherpa-inverter-110v

However, this is a US inverter, and i need the EURO inverter... 

But....the question is if this works, and if someone have a less expensive possibility...


2 - Despite the necessity of a solar charger, i also going to buy one or 2 more batteries...The question about this is easy: " Does anyone know some third party batteries for 1DX mkII? But good ones..... 


Thank´s a lot!!


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## Don Haines (Nov 13, 2016)

Go Wild said:


> Hello, i have a question if someone can help. I´m going to be out in the field for about 20 days, in Africa, in a zone that i don´t have access to electricity. In those 20 days i will be filming and photographing all the time. So....i have a little problem to solve here. Battery charging...
> 
> I have a Canon 1dx mkII and a DJI osmo. I have 2 LP-E19 batteries and 2 Osmo batteries. It´s quite likely that both of the 1dx batteries just last for 1 day. So...I think i need to buy at least one battery more. So, regarding to this, i have 2 questions:
> 
> ...



Question number one is, do you have access to a vehicle? That gives you a source of 12VDC that can't be beat....

If no vehicle, consider a folding and/or flexible solar panel, a charge controller, and a 12VDC lithium Ion batter (about 1/3 the weight of lead-acid) and use that to run a small 12V inverter to run your battery charger on....


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## Valvebounce (Nov 13, 2016)

Hi Go Wild. 
I take it the intention is to leave the solar battery to charge during the day and use that to charge the cameras by night?
Some thoughts, obviously you will need to leave the solar panel in direct sun all day, bear in mind that although most solar panels will work in diffused light the output will be considerably reduced. 
Also the panels I have dealt with will shut off completely so need to be in clear light all day, how safe /secure will be the location. (my experience has been with roof mounted solar electricity installation and tree shadows). The panels are made up of smaller cells linked in series and any cell not charging will block the panel, a bit like only having 3 AA batteries in your remote that needs 4! 
If you hammer the battery hard one day will 16 hrs of sun be available to you the next day? Is there a bigger panel that you could get to use with this battery to reduce charge time? 
On a lighter note, the easiest way out of the inverter problem will be to buy a cheap figure 8 radio lead complete with American plug such as this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252154519739?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=550988290206&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Or buy a European lead and cut half of it off (or not if you like long leads) and fit an American plug. 
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/12m-figure-of-8-connector-bare-wired-lead-black-rw66w
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/75a-us-mains-plug-hl17t

I have 3 short (6 or 8 inch) lead setups in my bag, 
1off 2 cord on U.K. plug, 
1off 1 cord on U.K. Plug 
1off 1 cord on U.S. plug

Hope this helps you with your decision. 

Cheers, Graham.


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## retroreflection (Nov 13, 2016)

Regarding US vs Euro inverters: you should verify, but I think the Canon charger will work in both systems. Check the information on it, if it says 50/60 Hz 100-240 V, then it is designed to work everywhere. A plug adapter is all you need to go between systems.
Whatever you choose, do a trial run for at least a week before leaving. With plenty of time for plan B if it fails.
Also, many say third party batteries are not worth the risk. I haven't been hurt by them, but the extra cost for good batteries is small compared to this trip.


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## Go Wild (Nov 13, 2016)

Don Haines said:


> Go Wild said:
> 
> 
> > Hello, i have a question if someone can help. I´m going to be out in the field for about 20 days, in Africa, in a zone that i don´t have access to electricity. In those 20 days i will be filming and photographing all the time. So....i have a little problem to solve here. Battery charging...
> ...




Hello Don, thank you! Yes, i have a jeep with me and i had also think in that possibility, but would like to add another source of power....I´m going to take at least 2 options in case something fails. 




Valvebounce said:


> Hi Go Wild.
> I take it the intention is to leave the solar battery to charge during the day and use that to charge the cameras by night?
> Some thoughts, obviously you will need to leave the solar panel in direct sun all day, bear in mind that although most solar panels will work in diffused light the output will be considerably reduced.
> Also the panels I have dealt with will shut off completely so need to be in clear light all day, how safe /secure will be the location. (my experience has been with roof mounted solar electricity installation and tree shadows). The panels are made up of smaller cells linked in series and any cell not charging will block the panel, a bit like only having 3 AA batteries in your remote that needs 4!
> ...



Hey Graham, thank you for the answer! Well, tha plan was to get the solar panel in the top roof of the jeep. It will take at least most part of the day at the sun and when stopped in shadows, will put it at the sun, but most likely, i will have always an option to put it in direct sun (as long as it´s clear sky...) 
I understand your answer...well IF i can´t charge completely the battery because the solar panel didn´t get enough energy, i consider to take also a solution to use the car battery. Also, i am planning to take 3 or 4 batteries for the camera, to give a window time of 2 days use, in order to be able to compensate some bad charging day. 
The size of the panel is important, i cannot get a big solar panel and it must be easy to transport...So i can´t get one that is faster....Will have to be cautious with this: "Size vs charging capacity"

I will check the lead and see if it fits.

Thankyou very much! 



retroreflection said:


> Regarding US vs Euro inverters: you should verify, but I think the Canon charger will work in both systems. Check the information on it, if it says 50/60 Hz 100-240 V, then it is designed to work everywhere. A plug adapter is all you need to go between systems.
> Whatever you choose, do a trial run for at least a week before leaving. With plenty of time for plan B if it fails.
> Also, many say third party batteries are not worth the risk. I haven't been hurt by them, but the extra cost for good batteries is small compared to this trip.



Hello retroreflection Thanks a lot! 

Yes, i think that will not be a problem. However the less adapters, the better!  

Regarding to the batteries...well, i do prefer the oficial Canon Batteries. I am considering to take at least 3 Canon, and i was thinking in give a try to some third party batteries, because Canon ones are really expensive. If i could get 4 or 5 Batteries would be great, but it´s dificult considering the price. Let´s see... 

If someone knows some good ones please tell!  

Thank you all for contribution!


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## Don Haines (Nov 13, 2016)

Go Wild said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > Go Wild said:
> ...



Since you have a jeep, use an inverter that plugs into the lighter socket of the vehicle. This gives you a large battery and above all else, simplicity.

Your only worry is draining your vehicle battery. If you can do the charging while the vehicle is in use, no problem. If the vehicle will be parked and turned off, you want to make sure that you do not drain it, so go to an automotive store and look for a solar battery charger, something like http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/coleman-40w-folding-solar-panel-0112043p.html#srp , and away you go.....


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## Valvebounce (Nov 13, 2016)

Hi Don, Go Wild. 
Many inverters for use with cars have a cut off to protect the car battery, I have one which has an 11v cutoff point, the problem is my Vito van seems to have an 11.5v cut off, if the battery is pulled down until the inverter shuts itself off the van will just give a click, not the clunk of a starter trying with a flat battery, just a relay click after the ecu checks the volts. 
The battery was by no means flat as it was still able jump start my Triumph which once running was used to re start the van! :
Please don't rely on the cut out protector unless the vehicle is old enough to not rely on an ecu to determine whether it can start! 

Cheers, Graham. 



Don Haines said:


> Since you have a jeep, use an inverter that plugs into the lighter socket of the vehicle. This gives you a large battery and above all else, simplicity.
> 
> Your only worry is draining your vehicle battery. If you can do the charging while the vehicle is in use, no problem. If the vehicle will be parked and turned off, you want to make sure that you do not drain it, so go to an automotive store and look for a solar battery charger, something like http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/coleman-40w-folding-solar-panel-0112043p.html#srp , and away you go.....


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## Don Haines (Nov 13, 2016)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Don, Go Wild.
> Many inverters for use with cars have a cut off to protect the car battery, I have one which has an 11v cutoff point, the problem is my Vito van seems to have an 11.5v cut off, if the battery is pulled down until the inverter shuts itself off the van will just give a click, not the clunk of a starter trying with a flat battery, just a relay click after the ecu checks the volts.
> The battery was by no means flat as it was still able jump start my Triumph which once running was used to re start the van! :
> Please don't rely on the cut out protector unless the vehicle is old enough to not rely on an ecu to determine whether it can start!
> ...


Good point!

I do this a fair bit at work for field tests..... We throw a 500watt panel on the roof of the truck and run off of a sine wave inverter. We also have a programmable DC cutoff on the radios that shuts down at 12.2 volts.....

My setup for canoe trips is a 30 watt flexible panel, a 9ah lithium ion battery, and a battery charger that runs off of 12VDC. I also bring an AA cell charger that runs of 12VDC for headlamp batteries and such......


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## Ozarker (Nov 13, 2016)

Honda EU1000i generator. $949 or less. No wasting precious vehicle fuel to save your battery while running an inverter. 1 gallon of gasoline will last about 16 hrs. charging batteries. No need for sunlight. Will last for many many years. Super quiet (64db). Very compact. Weighs 29 lbs. Don't have to worry about a solar panel getting crunched. You can also run other things as needed. For a tiny bit more you can get an EU2000i.

As a former truck driver I can tell you the inverters work well. I had a 15000 watt inverter, but the truck had 12 batteries. I still had to simultaneously run the truck while using the microwave.

Just giving you a more versatile option in the case you want to make coffee, run a light at night, power your laptop, etc. A small inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter is not going to run your laptop. You'll blow fuse after fuse. You'd be shocked at how much power it takes to run a laptop. Plugging in batteries to be charged, plugging in the laptop to be charged, etc... unless you'll be driving all day forget it.

20 days in the field with no access to electricity? Honda generator for sure.

Nothing would worry me more than getting stuck in the bush with a dead battery. You could even charge the jeep battery with the generator if needed should your alternator fail.


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## Deleted member 91053 (Nov 14, 2016)

I would go with a cheap power inverter such as this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Power-Inverter-DC-12V-to-AC-220V-Adapter-USB-Laptop-Charger-Mobile-Converter-/222310532549?hash=item33c2bd85c5:g:grsAAOSwHMJYIuzV

I have one and it works just fine. Assuming that your Jeep has a battery as small as my little 1200cc Skoda then you can get 15 + charges of one of each of you batteries (that is charge 30 batteries) without even moving the Jeep to re-charge it's own battery. This should cover you for the bulk/all of your trip assuming that you only use the jeep as a charging station without ever driving it! Naturally if you drive the Jeep once a week then charging is forever - well until your fuel runs out!

This assumes that you vehicle has a piddling little battery like my little car - though I expect it's battery will be of somewhat higher capacity than mine!

If you are worried about buying such a cheap solution then buy 2! Always handy to have backup!


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## Ozarker (Nov 15, 2016)

johnf3f said:


> I would go with a cheap power inverter such as this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Power-Inverter-DC-12V-to-AC-220V-Adapter-USB-Laptop-Charger-Mobile-Converter-/222310532549?hash=item33c2bd85c5:g:grsAAOSwHMJYIuzV
> 
> I have one and it works just fine. Assuming that your Jeep has a battery as small as my little 1200cc Skoda then you can get 15 + charges of one of each of you batteries (that is charge 30 batteries) without even moving the Jeep to re-charge it's own battery. This should cover you for the bulk/all of your trip assuming that you only use the jeep as a charging station without ever driving it! Naturally if you drive the Jeep once a week then charging is forever - well until your fuel runs out!
> 
> ...



Unless he wants to power a laptop  And keep it charged  For 20 days


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## Deleted member 91053 (Nov 15, 2016)

CanonFanBoy said:


> johnf3f said:
> 
> 
> > I would go with a cheap power inverter such as this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Power-Inverter-DC-12V-to-AC-220V-Adapter-USB-Laptop-Charger-Mobile-Converter-/222310532549?hash=item33c2bd85c5:g:grsAAOSwHMJYIuzV
> ...



??????!

They could always run the engine occasionally? I assume they are taking the Jeep for more than just decoration of the campsite? I don't think charging a (roughly) 4AH Laptop is going worry a 60AH+ car battery, do you?


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## Go Wild (Nov 16, 2016)

Hello Everybody! 

First of all, thank you sooo much for your contributions!! I am starting to have better ideas now of possible options and some things to consider. 

First of all, Canonfanboy, yes that honda generator would solve the problems, butt......(there´s always a "but")  It is too expensive and it´s quite big to take in the bags...With all the clothes and photo and video equipment...Everything i add it´s a real problem!  But i guess the price it´s the biggest issue...

REgarding to the problems i will face....well....about Laptops and energy, and jeeps...For the hole days, the use of the laptot is only to put data into the external drives. That is about 10/15mts a day maximum. I don´t need to use the laptot for anything else than that. I will not edit, and will not see the photos and footage, unless i can!

Regarding to travelling, I will not be stopped in the same place, we will be always chasing spots and animals. This is a Wildlife assignment so the goal is landscaping and a vast numbers of animals. So yes, the jeep will be on use, and we will move until finding a good spot. It´s probable that we stay in the same area for 2 or 3 days, but for sure (unless i have a huge luck that animal come to me...)we will have to search. So the battery power of the jeep is not an issue, and i can recharge during travel time. The main goal of recharging is Camera batteries, we will have 2 laptops so i think we will have enough power for 2 or 3 days in a row without any source of power. 

During the time in the field, i will have some moments in civilization! To get fuel and other needs we will be in some citys, the scheduled is we will be in a city from 3 to 3 days.... The only thing it can delay this is if i found some place that is giving great oportunitys and we can delay for one day. In those moments my plan is to charge laptops in a coffe, restaurant or something that can allow us to charge. So, maybe i don´t need something so powerfull like the Honda....Instead, maybe a power inverter could make the job....My real afraid is if i spend the hole 4 batteries in one day and then have a real problem the next day because i could only charge one battery....

Well, but that´s it, i will not need power for anything else than charging the batteries, and i also have that possibility, that after 3 days i will always go in a city to refuel. 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts!! And please if you could get me more opinions would be great!!


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## Valvebounce (Nov 16, 2016)

Hi John. 
These cigarette lighter powered inverters seem to have terrible power consumption characteristics, I have had charging two 1.3ah DeWalt NiCd with my van drop the voltage below what the ECU considered the start threshold, not down to 11v where the inverter would cut off. I don't know what they do with the power except run a fan to cool the unit and warm up the whole body which is a finned heat sink! ;D

Cheers, Graham. 



johnf3f said:


> ??????!
> 
> They could always run the engine occasionally? I assume they are taking the Jeep for more than just decoration of the campsite? I don't think charging a (roughly) 4AH Laptop is going worry a 60AH+ car battery, do you?


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## Don Haines (Nov 16, 2016)

For data backup in the field, look up the Hyperdrive Colorspace and the Western Digital "passport wireless"


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## Go Wild (Nov 16, 2016)

Don Haines said:


> For data backup in the field, look up the Hyperdrive Colorspace and the Western Digital "passport wireless"



Hello Don! Yes, i know there are better options with direct data backup...However i do have a significant investment in Lacie external drives...so, and because the budget is very limited, i have to stick with it...and carrying the laptop brings some advantages. You always get to see some photos or video footage just to be sure that everything is ok. Without getting too long views because of battery. And laptop is a great thing to have in long airport waits and long airplane travel...So if i´ll take it no matter what, the external drives would be great. Pointing that the external drives i use (Lacie) are mado for this, they are shock resistant, dust resistant and a few water drop resistant (altough not advisable!  ) 



Valvebounce said:


> Hi John.
> These cigarette lighter powered inverters seem to have terrible power consumption characteristics, I have had charging two 1.3ah DeWalt NiCd with my van drop the voltage below what the ECU considered the start threshold, not down to 11v where the inverter would cut off. I don't know what they do with the power except run a fan to cool the unit and warm up the whole body which is a finned heat sink! ;D
> 
> Cheers, Graham.
> ...



Hello Valvebounce, yes that thing worries me! Because i just cannot take the risk of getting out of battery in the midle of the jungle!!  And other thing that worries me is the voltage of that. Is there a risk of getting the batteries damaged using those inverters? Are some inverters safer than others? I am just blind in this....this electrical things are out of my knowledge....Apreciated some help in this. Thanks!!


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## Valvebounce (Nov 16, 2016)

Hi Go Wild. 
Yes there are high and low quality inverters, just like everything else! The output voltage is fairly well regulated to replicate the voltage of the sales locale, be that 240v (not so much as the uk is supposedly heading to 220v), 220v or 110v. The big difference is in the quality of the AC output, high quality have a very smooth sine wave in comparison to the lower quality having a more square wave output. 
The charger has to reduce the artificially created mains power back to low voltage DC to charge the batteries, I have no idea whether the square wave will hurt the charger. 
The charger must have AC input as only AC can be used through a transformer to reduce voltage, the reduced AC voltage will then be rectified to turn it in to DC then the internal wizardry of the charger that looks after the battery comes in to play, this part I do not understand. I would imagine, though I don't know for certain, that the charger would protect the battery. 

Cheers, Graham. 



Go Wild said:


> And other thing that worries me is the voltage of that. Is there a risk of getting the batteries damaged using those inverters? Are some inverters safer than others? I am just blind in this....this electrical things are out of my knowledge....Apreciated some help in this. Thanks!!


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## Ozarker (Nov 16, 2016)

johnf3f said:


> CanonFanBoy said:
> 
> 
> > johnf3f said:
> ...



Well, when they are talking about plugging an inverter into a cig. lighter to do so... that's just dreaming for that size of a load.

I'm looking at the bottom of a laptop right now. It takes +19v DC 6.3A, 120W. That is after being stepped up from 12vdc (car battery) to 120v in the inverter and then rectified to the required voltage in the brick on the laptop cord? One loses efficiency at each step in the form of heat. The amp draw increases. 

Now you tell me how a cig socket putting 12vdc across the load is going to provide the required 19vdc after passing through the inverter and then the brick on the laptop cord without blowing the snot out of fuses and destroying a tiny inverter hooked to the cig socket? A cig lighter socket isn't going to do the job. PERIOD.

But hey, a guy can get out 20 days in the bush all he wants and give it a go. That's his choice. He doesn't mention a laptop anyway.

As far as your AH ratings go: A battery with a capacity of 1 amp-hour should be able to continuously supply a current of 1 amp to a load for exactly 1 hour, or 2 amps for 1/2 hour, or 1/3 amp for 3 hours, etc., before becoming completely discharged. So yes, a 6AH battery will be very bothered charging a 4AH laptop battery: Just try it at home.


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## Don Haines (Nov 16, 2016)

Go Wild said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > For data backup in the field, look up the Hyperdrive Colorspace and the Western Digital "passport wireless"
> ...



The inverters come in 3 grades....

The lowest grade (and I recommend to steer well clear of them) are the plain inverter which produces a square wave output. They are VERY inefficient and can damage sensitive electronics. They are the cheapest.

The middle grade are the "sine wave" inverters. They produce a stepped square wave (usually 7 or 9 levels) and are an approximation of a sine wave. The efficiency is better, they are less likely to damage electronics, and cost a bit more. We use them at work in cars and mini-vans to power laptops and the only time we have had a problem with them is once when I left the inverter in the car overnight at -25C and it would not turn on in the morning until it had warmed up.... but somehow I suspect that your trip will be warmer 

The best grade are the "pure sine wave" inverters, which produce a true analog sine wave. The good ones will give you cleaner power than your electrical utility, up to 98% efficient, and cost lots of money. These beast are large, heavy, and way too expensive for your needs.... I use them at work, but that is for a permanent installation with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of sensitive equipment....

I would recommend one of the sine wave inverters, use it to charge your laptop when the vehicle is moving, or batteries when it is parked. A decent unit will tell you how much current you are drawing and what the battery voltage is...... and try to get one that meets about twice your power requirements.... a really heavy duty one will not have enough of a load to work well.

BTW, As someone who spend a decent amount of the time at work in the field doing tests, and having used dozens of different laptops, I have yet to "blow a fuse" with the inverter for charging the laptop from the lighter socket.... and that includes the lighter sockets in Dodge, Ford, GM, Mazda, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Honda, Lexus, and even a snowmobile! If you have a power hungry gaming laptop, it might be a different story, but with a combination of dozens of different laptops in 30-40 different vehicles I have yet to run into a problem.....


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## Deleted member 91053 (Nov 16, 2016)

CanonFanBoy said:


> johnf3f said:
> 
> 
> > CanonFanBoy said:
> ...



Err it's 60AH NOT 6! A 6AH battery is what you use in an RC model car not one that you sit in and drive.

"Now you tell me how a cig socket putting 12vdc across the load is going to provide the required 19vdc after passing through the inverter and then the brick on the laptop cord without blowing the snot out of fuses and destroying a tiny inverter hooked to the cig socket? A cig lighter socket isn't going to do the job. PERIOD."

Well yes I am! My inverter actuually supplies 220V AC and mine happily supplies power to my charger when filling a 22.2 V (6S) LiPo charging at 1C (5 amps) and 29.6v (8s) at 4 amps.That should be enough to knacker the cells in your laptop (as they must be charged at less than 1C if you want them to last)! Note this is a fair bit less than the inverter is capable of - but I like to run electronics at less than their ratings. It's been working just fine for 3+ years. This current consumption is within the normal specs for even the cheapest car's in car power supplies (cigar lighters).

"A cig lighter socket isn't going to do the job. PERIOD." Well it does, it has for quite a while and it is serving heavier loads than you specify/need - so yes it does (to quote) "PERIOD". Note this is for European/Korean/Japanese etc cars from VW, Audi, Skoda, GM, Ford - well just all of them, it is just a standard minimum spec.

Naturally you are free to have your own ideas/beliefs, I am just relating what I am actually doing and have been doing for some time. Looking at the OP's needs i suggested a solution that is somewhat more than what they need but costs next to nothing - and I know it works! Try it for yourself, but not at home, as cars muck up the carpet.


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## Stu_bert (Nov 17, 2016)

Don Haines said:


> For data backup in the field, look up the Hyperdrive Colorspace and the Western Digital "passport wireless"



+1 for the hyperdrive

Also take a look at this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suaoki-Mono-crystalline-Notebooks-Cellphone-Electronic/dp/B017TNZWSU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_107_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CJ1EGRC4AZ785AZEX7QX

Havent used it but it claims to be able to charge laptops, and your car battery. Presume it could also do dslr with the inverters mentioned?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A6X4OGG/ref=twister_B01A7XOPVO?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

is a similar device.

Whatever you chose, please share your findings after your trip!


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## Ozarker (Nov 18, 2016)

johnf3f said:


> CanonFanBoy said:
> 
> 
> > johnf3f said:
> ...



Sorry John, but I thought your original post said 6ah battery. I was wrong.

Naturally a purely resistive load for an AC circuit at 220v will draw less current than at 110v. Not sure what that does for the DC end of the equation.

Even with all that in mind. Even if the laptop and all additional loads don't draw as much current as I would expect while in use (not just charging), my recommendation to use a pure sine wave generator/inverter (to protect the electronics) like the Honda for 20 days out in the bush with no access to electricity still stands.

That is my recommendation and it is my opinion that doing so will prevent many possible problems. The OP can do what he likes.


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## Ozarker (Nov 18, 2016)

Go Wild said:


> Hello Everybody!
> 
> First of all, thank you sooo much for your contributions!! I am starting to have better ideas now of possible options and some things to consider.
> 
> ...



 And here I thought you'd be in the bush for 20 days and away from civilization with no access to a power grid. That is what you said.  Have a safe trip!



Go Wild said:


> Hello, i have a question if someone can help. I´m going to be out in the field for about 20 days, in Africa, in a zone that i don´t have access to electricity.



A small cigarette lighter inverter will charge your batteries just fine. Since you'll be stopping in cities with access to an electrical power grid, I guess the laptop can be charged there if needed. I wouldn't worry about solar at all. 

All my hand wringing was unnecessary. 

You could also bring extra laptop batteries.


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## Go Wild (Nov 19, 2016)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Go Wild said:
> 
> 
> > Hello Everybody!
> ...



Hello CanonFanBoy, 

I am so sorry that i didn´t explain good at first time! It will not be the entire 20 days in the bush, as I need do travel and to search animals and spots by jeep, so gas will be consumed. I have 2 recipient for filling but after 3 days we need to refuel, because the second one will always be for emergency. So as we need to refuel we will go each 3 or 4 days to civilization to refuel. In those days i am counting to recharge laptop at least, because the stops will not be for many hours, just the enough to refuel, recharge laptop and some food. 

So in this situation, i don´t need a generator like honda, because my main problem is the batteries of the cameras. My only question at this time is to choose between the solar charger or the inverter. But i do think i will choose the inverter, for primary choice, now i just have to think about a plan B, in case of the inverter fails...
However and despite this, your words are not lost at all! I do learn a lot more about this subject a i really thank you for that!! I was in the dark, now i get something!!  

Hello Don and Valebounce, about your posts, thank you i do need to research about the inverters to get the best one at a good price!  And i am thinking also about the hyperdrive and the Western Digital "passport wireless"....but i already have the external drives....so i do need to consider the buget and the relation price/benefict....


Thank you very much about you help!! It´s been priceless! Thank you all!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Nov 19, 2016)

You are using a laptop for 10-15 minutes a day? Mine would run for a long time at that rate, it runs about 9 or more hours on a charge, so charging it during the 3 days you are out in the field seems totally unnecessary. I also think that you could just purchase enough memory cards and spare batteries to last for several days for far less money, and have much less hassle and equipment to carry.


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## Deleted member 91053 (Nov 19, 2016)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Sorry John, but I thought your original post said 6ah battery. I was wrong.



No worries, I often misread thing too


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## Go Wild (Nov 20, 2016)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> You are using a laptop for 10-15 minutes a day? Mine would run for a long time at that rate, it runs about 9 or more hours on a charge, so charging it during the 3 days you are out in the field seems totally unnecessary. I also think that you could just purchase enough memory cards and spare batteries to last for several days for far less money, and have much less hassle and equipment to carry.



Hello Mt Spokane! 

Yes, the use of laptop is primarily to transfer the data to the external drives. It will also be used if battery permits, to shortly visualize if everything is going ok with pictures and footage. I don´t know how much time my laptop can last (macbook air) but if it lasts 9 hours the better....as i mentioned before, the charging issues and concerns are mostly pointed to cameras battery charge. So I don´t think I will have problems with laptop! Better in that way!  

About storage cards, yes i am going to take with me a good number of cards, but you must understand that in this kind of works ( filming in 4k 60FPS / 1080p 120fps and photographing), the cards just "burn out" in a glimpse and the most important thing, you do need to backup! I always, always no matter how many cards I have, take with me 2 external drives, to storage and duplicate. In this 20 days, it´s really easy to end up with 2TB of footage (film and photography), so if you make your maths you will see that if i only take cards to storage, that could represent around 20 CFAST cards of 128GB each, just for film! For photos would be more easy, as regular CF cards can make the job. But do you realize how much money would it be??  
Regarding to batteries, yes, I will take 4 batteries with me, I could take more, but they are just too expensive...It´s about 340 euros the 3 batteries...But I just don´t see how I could save money, taking extra cards and batteries, because the average price of a cigarette light inverter is around 30 euros, and the kit of the solar panels is about 200 euros...Well...i spoke with a friend of mine that uses the inverters and he said that never had problem, so i guess my decision will be to take the inverter and the 4 batteries and just pray that nothing goes wrong.... 

Thank you


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## Deleted member 91053 (Nov 22, 2016)

If you are worried about cheap inverters, and I can understand why, then just buy a few of them! At least one will work!

When I bought mine it cost £7.50 (about 9 Euro) and has been working fine. Mine is rated at 150 watts output but a charger for a Canon 1DX/1DX2 needs about 20 watts so it is hardly straining anything! My Laptop charger needs 65 watts - again not a biggie.

My inverter is a cheap piece of rubbish so I would not charge more than one 1DX battery and one laptop simultaneously or 4 1DX batteries (if you have that many chargers!).


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## Luds34 (Nov 23, 2016)

Keep in mind a laptop power supply is rated for the absolute max power it needs to deliver and that typical use will draw far less. So most laptops might come with say a 70 or 90 watt power supply, the load will never come close to that under normal use. One would need to run stress tests that push the CPU/GPU to max. And if you bought some workstation/desktop replacement laptop, like the behemoth Dell Precisions, then it might come with a giant brick of a PS, rated around 150 watts or so. Either way, a cigarette lighter draws a pretty good current as it is a heating element. I'm pretty sure they are usually on a dedicated 20 amp circuit. In short a cigarette lighter in a car usually has no problem delivering 200 watts of power. Long before the days of tablets we use'd inverters to power laptops to entertain my son when he was little on long road trips and we never had an issue. Never had an issue powering any device we hooked up to it (random phone chargers, etc). However, agreeing with Don Haines here, do not by the cheap $10 ebay/Chinese inverter. You want something that does a simulated sine wave, even if it is relatively crude sine signal it should get the job done and can be had for 50 to 100 bucks depending on the size of the inverter. Most small electronics AC to DC converters (think your phone charger) are pretty forgiving. Historically they used diodes and rectifying circuits. Now they use switching ICs. In either case I think they have a pretty high tolerance for dealing with less then anything near a perfect sine wave. I believe an AC motor is far more picky and I run an AC pump off of 1000 watt inverter in my "home made" backup sump pump system with no issue. Again, just another inverter I got (off Amazon I believe) for probably under 100 bucks.

In short, I think a good quality inverter is by far your best bet. Pick one up well in advance of your trip and test it out with all the devices you want to charge with it ahead of time and that should give you some confidence.

Have a great trip!


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## tpatana (Nov 23, 2016)

Fyi, at least my Mk1 charger has 12-24DC input too, so I can charge directly from car without inverter. Inverter wastes lot of energy, so feeding DC directly is much better option. If the solar panels are powerful enough, you could run directly from those without needing to store on another battery, then use that battery to run inverter to charge battery.

The less conversions, the less losses.


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## Don Haines (Nov 23, 2016)

tpatana said:


> Fyi, at least my Mk1 charger has 12-24DC input too, so I can charge directly from car without inverter. Inverter wastes lot of energy, so feeding DC directly is much better option. If the solar panels are powerful enough, you could run directly from those without needing to store on another battery, then use that battery to run inverter to charge battery.
> 
> The less conversions, the less losses.


Agreed!
Small inverters are inefficient. Inverters running a light load are inefficient. Combine the two and you get very inefficient. That's why I use an LPE-6 charger and a AA/AAA charger that run straight from 12V and charge the P/S from A 12V USB adaptor. Now if only my laptop charged from 12V.......


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## LDS (Nov 23, 2016)

Don Haines said:


> Now if only my laptop charged from 12V.......



AFAIK, you can find DC-DC converters that allows for charging laptops from 12/24V DC. I.e.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=330-8105
https://www.amazon.com/Dv7-1245dx-Dv7-6c95dx-Dv6-7210us-Dv6-7246us-Dv7-7227cl/dp/B004ARP28O


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## Don Haines (Nov 23, 2016)

LDS said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > Now if only my laptop charged from 12V.......
> ...



Yes you can.... got them in the lab


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## Valvebounce (Nov 24, 2016)

Hi Folks. 
I wish more things that charge batteries would run directly from a DC source, as you say it would save so much in losses. 
Be careful of the solar panel outputs, I have one of those dash top battery maintenance solar panels and the output is pulsed, it seems to store the meagre panel output and deliver a pulse of sufficient power to top up a lead acid battery, the brighter the sun, the more frequent are the pulses, this method would obviously require a battery to smooth the output, conversely it would not keep up with more than the lightest current usage! 

Cheers, Graham. 



tpatana said:


> If the solar panels are powerful enough, you could run directly from those without needing to store on another battery, then use that battery to run inverter to charge battery.
> 
> The less conversions, the less losses.


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