Solar cells in the hat charge an internal LiFePO4 battery, which can then charge any mobile device via USB
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Goals:
I feel the basic design is working well enough, I think it's ready to see if there is any interest out there for something like this. So I launched a Kickstarter campaign. Let me know what you think, and back it if you think something like this could be useful: http://kck.st/2gTxfpw
I was actually surprised how well this test went. Turns out the heat protection worked quite well, and the pouch correctly vented the battery away from the wearer.
I finally received the custom printed PCB for the hats, to replace my old charge controller I hacked together from spare parts. You can see it here:
Other than being smaller than the old electronics module, its also more efficient, can charge (slowly) in low light conditions, and allows the battery to be charged from external USB power. Going to do more testing with this soon, stay tuned.
I took a hat with the solar cell trays installed and left it in the rain for a few hours, letting it get nice and soaked. I then tested to ensure it still worked, which it did. You can see the video below:
I'm still waiting on the new battery charging system and enclosure, once that is done I can test that as well. But at least the solar cells work in the rain.
Great concept! A wearable device that is actually practical (no sarcasm).
msummers123
Thijs Koppen
Drew Pilcher
Moragor
Jack
Thanks!