LIFESTYLE
SOLAR MONKEY
pmcimagazine.com
SOLAR
MONKEY
Late last year during a gear testing trip in the Pyrenees
I had the opportunity to test the Solarmonkey
Adventurer from Powertraveller. Let’s face it,
we carry more and more communications
and navigation devices with us when
we travel these days, and having
something that’s light and
portable to recharge them is a
godsend.
With power a scarce commodity in some
parts of the World, Powertraveller realised that a
balance between solar charging and reserve battery capacity
at an optimum, efficient level was a necessity and after several
years of development they made use of their award winning
experience to develop a powerful solar charger with an internal
battery which, in optimum light conditions, can be charged by
the solar panels in just 8 to 12 hours!
The Solarmonkey Adventurer is a slimline, compact 2-panel solar
charger with a 2500mAh internal lithium polymer battery. The
clamshell design offers optimum weight-to-efficiency at just
265g and the 2 solar panels output a 3 watt maximum. The
Adventurer features auto-load, self sensing switching technology,
meaning when a device is connected, the adventurer will
automatically start to charge your device and will optimise the
charging parameters required.
The polysilicon solar panel offers photovoltaic efficiency up to
17% and features a USB 700mA @ 5V output, fully supporting
Apple iPhones, iPads, iPods, mobile phones and other 5V gadgets
such as portable games consoles, handheld GPS systems, and
e-readers. The Adventurer can carry on charging itself and other
devices efficiently in low light conditions thanks to the maximum
power point tracker (MPPT) technology within it and, when the
sun finally sets, the internal battery can also keep your devices
powered through the night.
Even the bespoke travel case has been developed using
toughened materials and includes integral fixings, straps and
a karabiner so that the Adventurer is well protected and can
be firmly secured to a backpack to make the most of the day’s
sunlight to recharge
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the internal battery unit while you’re on the go. There are also
pockets within the case to hold your cables and tips.
Another neat feature of the Adventurer is that it can
simultaneously charge the unit and recharge a device via the
USB port. The travel case allows easy access to the USB port which
is perfect for saving time when you need to check if you have
missed that important telephone call or check your coordinates
on the GPS. The internal battery can also be pre-charged using
the International Mains Charger which is available as an add
on accessory.
Packed full with protection features including short-circuit
protection, overload protection and low voltage protection
and importantly, thermal insulation battery protection giving
an operating temperature range of -10 to 90 degrees C, at
£85.00 the Solarmonkey Adventurer is a superb addition to the