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Charging batteries in the African bush


Csacwp

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The one rule to live by on a job like this with a finite time limit on client budget is don't rely on anyone to make anything happen for you.

 

If something is important you need to take it with you.

 

Don't expect your driver in a remote location like sub africa to have a working cigarette lighter plug. Even if they tell you it is. Things go wrong, things stop working, situations change, language barriers don't help.

Yes - but you can always use the car battery by crocodile clips.

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Yes - but you can always use the car battery by crocodile clips.

 

 

Absolutely, and an inverter straight off the battery works but I guess my point is though not to rely on someone else to make that happen for you. You might be sorely disappointed!

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I was thinking about aid work, not safaris, so there would be no tour operator. I’ve never had an issue on Safari, but some remote villages have no electricity and access to a vehicle isn’t guaranteed.

Considering all that has been written and your comments, we seem to have drifted away from your original question. You’ll be giving aid in remote areas. You may not have a vehicle.

In those circumstances, are you serious about shooting very expensive Leica systems. In addition to requiring power for Cameras, you’ll need power for at least one portable computer, an external hard drive, and one phone . I think you’ll be spending a lot of valuable aid time in finding power for chargers. An exercise such as that is normally supported by a technical team.

Be pragmatic. There will be problems with dust and rough terrain. Batteries and chargers aren’t generally acceptable as hold luggage on aircraft. You will have hand luggage weight limits. Take a camera that is truly lightweight. Take an easily chargeable smartphone as backup. Don’t complicate your trip. Focus on your mission.

Unless - of course - your hidden agenda is to shoot high quality images for publication.

Edited by lucerne
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Still, aid work cannot function without communications - which means power to charge phones or CB band radios. It cannot function without transport - which means at least a motor cycle, more likely a vehicle.

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Something like this. ;)

 

 

 

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I use a Solargorilla to charge a Powergorilla. The Powergorilla came with all sorts of connectors, one of which fits the 12v socket of the charger. The Powergorilla can output at various voltages one of which is 12v. Worked well for a month in Nepal away from any power source.

The Powertraveller system is cheaper and more compact than Goal Zero's systems. The Powergorilla battery fits easily into a backpack with the solargorilla mounted outside the pack should you wish to charge on the go. I tended to charge the Powergorilla at the end of the day and during stops through the day then charge the camera battery through the night

Pete

Edited by Stealth3kpl
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I use a Solargorilla to charge a Powergorilla. The Powergorilla came with all sorts of connectors, one of which fits the 12v socket of the charger. The Powergorilla can output at various voltages one of which is 12v. Worked well for a month in Nepal away from any power source.

The Powertraveller system is cheaper and more compact than Goal Zero's systems. The Powergorilla battery fits easily into a backpack with the solargorilla mounted outside the pack should you wish to charge on the go. I tended to charge the Powergorilla at the end of the day and during stops through the day then charge the camera battery through the night

Pete

Thanks for this info - this is good to know.

Sam

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Just to give a sense of scale

In the wilds of Nepal

Pete

 

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Too late to edit my last post, but I see in the OP's profile  that he is in the U.S., and I could not find any dealers listed in the US for the Gorilla products.    Hope he can find a source if this is the way he decides to go!

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Too late to edit my last post, but I see in the OP's profile  that he is in the U.S., and I could not find any dealers listed in the US for the Gorilla products.    Hope he can find a source if this is the way he decides to go!

 

They're available at Amazon, Walmart and other places, no problem finding them here.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just to give a sense of scale

In the wilds of Nepal

Pete

 

L1002973.jpg

Can I ask how long it takes to charge one battery with this setup?

 

At least five years ago I could not find a reasonably sized solar panel (means portable enough in backpack) to charge camera battery in five six hours at full optimal conditions of sunshine. All solutions required charging for almost the entire day. That is why I think better solution is to carry extra batttery (or battery pack) when away from car and use car battery to charge when you are near a car.

 

Have solar products become more efficient by now? Please share your practical experience.

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The solar panel charges a storage battery. I would charge the storage in the late afternoon/ eve then charge the cam battery in the evening. The storage outputs at 12v, so time is about the same as charging from a car battery, I guess. I don't recall charging overnight now I think about it, as I would've had the storage bat and cam bat in my sleeping bag.

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The solar panel charges a storage battery. I would charge the storage in the late afternoon/ eve then charge the cam battery in the evening. The storage outputs at 12v, so time is about the same as charging from a car battery, I guess. I don't recall charging overnight now I think about it, as I would've had the storage bat and cam bat in my sleeping bag.

Sorry, I should have been more clear in my question. Even if you charge the storage battery first, how long does it take to charge enough (to subsequently charge cam battery).

 

My concern (from experience of many years ago) is that unless you have really really large solar panel (many times bigger than in your picture) and perfect optimal condition (sunshine without clouds falling perpendicular to the panels), the solar panels don't produce enough to charge equivalent of cam battery even after full day.

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Edit to above:

Looks like technology has progressed quite a bit. The following claims 1hr solar time to charge a DSLR battery. Although I should add that I am highly skeptical of this claim. Would love to hear someone's practical experience of solar chargers for cam battery charging.

 

https://www.voltaicsystems.com/arc20w-kit

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