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It’s far out there but I’ve always wondered why cell phones do not have a solar panel or other form of charging from a light source.
I’ve heard of displays being able to act as a solar panel at the same time. Complicated yes but the concept and idea is there. Calculators use light, yea a cell phone uses more power but with the size of screens now. Why not incorporate solar charging in the phone. Even if it only helps sustain a charge over time it’s a major benefit.Good idea! …but aren’t cell ‘phones mostly in our pockets & purses, away from the light?
How about a system like certain Swiss watches that power themselves by the movement of your arm…?
Just a thought on your charger idea.
Check out some videos on YouTube where people are using solar garden/pathway lights to make phone chargers. The build isn’t hard and you only need a few of the lights. Old ones that have quit working are usually fine as it is most often the small rechargeable battery inside that goes bad and not the solar cell itself.
Yeah, most of the videos show an ugly result cosmetically, but that isn’t hard to fix with a small wooden box from the second hand store or build your own if you are handy with wood.
Basically, these people remove the battery and the small circuit board leaving just the solar cell in its little housing. Then they wire them in series to get the right voltage and mount them on a small piece of wood. Last is to solder the connector (such as a USB port) onto the output side and you have a simple phone charger.
I can’t tell you all the specific electrical specs, so if you decide to play with this, check out your numbers carefully. You don’t want to “blow up” your phone or its battery. Most solar pathway lights (that I’ve seen) have cells that produce about 2 volts and ?? maybe a quarter of an Amp in full direct sunlight. Be sure to test it out before you risk your phone. They can be expensive to replace-lol.
My preferred way though is using an emergency phone power cell that uses a pair of AA batteries and has a USB connector. They fit easily in a pocket or purse. You can find them at dollar stores. If you use rechargeable AA batteries, you’ll easily have a renewable source of phone power available, but of course you’ll have to charge the batteries from somewhere. If your phone battery is completely dead, You may have to plug the power cell in and wait a couple of minutes before you can boot up your phone.
I kind of thought though that your intent was to be able to use the screen of your phone as a “solar cell” to charge the battery. In that case, it is probably possible but would probably also require adding some additional circuitry to the phone’s hardware thereby making it impractical except for the original manufacturer. BTW, manufacturers are unlikely to embrace this idea because they want to sell you another battery or a new phone instead of making one that lasts longer and functions better in the long term. They make more money that way. Just my humble opinion.
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