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How would you like to put solar panels on your Kobo?

There’s a new how-to over on the Instructables website you might want to see. One ambitious Kobo owner shows you how he voided his warranty (and possibly wrecked his device).

He mounted a pair of solar panels on the back of his Kobo. I’m all for solar power, but I really think they should have been mounted elsewhere – built into a case, perhaps?

I’d prefer a case because there are a couple problems with the design. the first is that you can’t use the ebook reader while charging (unless you’re lying on your back). The panels are mounted on the underside of the Kobo, which means they’ll also see a greater amount of wear and tear.

Still, in a crazy sort of way it is interesting.

via Instructables

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Comments


Chris June 16, 2011 um 3:13 pm

PV cells in prolonged direct sunlight, good. Ereaders and other digital gizmos in prolonged sunlight, not so good.

There’s always things like this:


Alexander Inglis June 16, 2011 um 4:31 pm

The problem with the Suntactics charger is that it’s $10 more than the Kobo itself. *snort*

Chris June 16, 2011 um 4:36 pm

Tish-tosh. It’s not the money, it’s the amount. With all the money you’ll save in electricity you’ll have that sucker paid off in a a decade or so.

Alexander Inglis June 16, 2011 um 7:01 pm

LOL! I don’t think so. The tiny amount of power my ereader charger uses … every two weeks … is a heck of a lot less than the solar charger in this example … amortised over 10 years.

My Kobo, on the other hand, is "free" within a year from the savings of ebooks vs pbooks.

Chris June 16, 2011 um 8:54 pm

The person who comes up with a sarcasm font will win the Nobel Prize.


A Solar-Powered Mobile Device is Now a Practical Possibility ⋆ The Digital Reader January 8, 2015 um 10:26 am

[…] long been possible to add solar panels to your smartphone, ereader, or tablet, but it was only in the past few years that the tech has gotten good enough that a solar panel was […]


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