Solar Power 9: Some Results

After using the USB for a few weeks, I couldn't be happier. I've gone on several long plane trips, college tours, beach trips, and now a hiking and canoeing trip, and the USB has kept my phone fully charged through all of it. I listen to music, take notes, send emails, check Facebook, and do a host of other things on my phone that all drain the battery quickly, and there's rarely a convenient outlet I can wait at for hours. At less than 200g, I throw it in my backpack and don't notice the weight difference. When my battery gets to 20-30%, the charge pack goes into an outside pocket of my backpack, allowing me to continue to walk around while charging up. 

One of the only disappointments I've had with the charger is the solar charging. The solar panel is so small that it takes hours, or even sometimes a full day in the sun, to charge the battery completely. Because of this, I haven't been able to charge it with the panel and have had to resort to using outlet power connected to the auxiliary mini-USB port. The USB still works great as a portable battery pack, it's just not as environmentally friendly as I hoped it'd be.

All in all, this has been a great first project for me. Here's a picture of the USB all wired up and charging my phone.