iPad solar charger?

Goal Zero has some excellent products but for the iPad I would check out the Voltaic Spark. It's a solar charger and case with 8 watts of solar panels and a rechargeable battery pack with a dedicated high power output for tablets as well as a regular power for smaller devices like phones and ipods.

I got mine here:

http://www.alternativeenergyoutlet.com/p11-Voltaic-Spark-1017-8-Watt-Solar-Table t-Case.html

Nothing against the Joos, but please explain to me how can the Joos' 2.6W panel gives better results than the Spark's 8W panel? And how is the Joos' 5,400 mAh/20 watt hour battery better than the Spark's 11,600 mAh/39 watt hour battery? Doesn't make sense.

Try this:

http://www.solariphone.co.uk/

I can't comment on it's effectiveness though, but it looks pretty portable.

You can also get gadgets that will charge stuff whilst you walk and move around. I Have one for my PDA (USB charged) whilst on foot patrol.

Hope this Helps.

The one huge negative with solar chargers with attached batteries, at least when used in direct sunlight, is heat. They get extremely hot while sitting out in the sun charging, and that means their batteries tend to conk out after only a few uses. They may do fine if charged indoors under room lights though.

A solar charger that simple generates current and connects to the device to be charged via a cable is much better as you can set the device in shade while the solar panels charge it. Voltaic makes some simple panels with cables and adapters, but they can be expensive. Other names I recall are Powerfilm and Sunlinq both of which make foldable/rollable type panes you lay out in the sun and plug your device into via a cable - they have no batteries in the solar charger, just photovltaic cells and a voltage&current regulator circuit.

It's free energy, and doesn't create any pollution whatsoever.

Well, it's not really 'free energy' and it does create pollution. You're ignoring the energy used and pollution created during the design, manufacture and transport of said device, and that's not insignificant.

Considering the relatively low efficiency of solar panels, you'll probalby have to use it a few years just to break even from an energy/pollution standpoint, assuming it even lasts that long.

There exist some solar charger for iPad on the market. One of them is an iPad solar charger from Greenbaba.com. It have 5.5W solar panel and 1.56Ah built-in battery, but some expensive, cost $319.

I have found a solar charger for the iPad made by Quickertek. It is in about the same price range as the one from Greenbaba but is a 10W solar panel and comes with a device that shows you how much charge is going into your iPad. http://www.quickertek.com/products/10Wsolar.php

I just bought the JOOS Orange http://www.solarjoos.com . Charges the iPad just fine (as well as my iPhone). It's all self-contained with a big on-board battery. It's got a heatsink to wick away the heat. It's a little smaller than the iPad. I like it a lot. Costs $140.

The JOOS Orange by solarjoos (www.solarjoos.com) is hands down the best solar charger for ipads, iphones, etc. Ive done my research, even purchased a couple to see how they compare to each other, and the JOOS Orange blew the competition away and exceeded my expectations for portable solar chargers on the market. It is extremely durable yet light weight, water proof, its sleek and elegant design meshes perfectly with my ipad/iphone, and has a 20wh lithium ion battery so you can charge your electronics even when there is no sun! Check it out, i got mine here www.solarjoos.com

You are correct it doesnt make any sense because you are comparing apples with oranges. The voltaic spark is twice as bulky, almost twice as heavy, and twice as expensive as the joos orange. I dont really feel like lugging around this huge thing in a addition to a backpack when i can just hook my joos to my backpack. The voltaic fuse solar charger is a better comparison of products because of similar size, weight, and solar efficiency but has half the battery capacity as the joos. Thank you for the input tho.

A solar power bank from greenbaba.com should meet your need.

The quickest and most powerful solar charger that I am aware of is the SunLeaf Pro, by thesunleaf.com. It's only $159 when you use coupon code "promoaa" It's built on an 18 Watt solar panel and I have been really impressed with mine so far

If you havent already seen it, you should check out the solar joos at www.solarjoos.com. Doesnt need to be folded, its about the same size as a kindle or nook so its very portable, and its only $149. Its internal 20Wh battery can be charged by the sun or by usb from a computer or outlet making it possible to take virtually anywhere. A plus is that it also has a very clean sleek look that meshes well with apple products.

There's one made by Instapark on amazon.com, have not tried it myself though. But it seems to have very good reviews from people who have bought it.

http://www.amazon.com/Instapark%C2%AE-Portable-Charger-Compatible-Devices/dp/B00 6ZRYU9O/ref=pd_sim_sbs_lg_1

Actually you can directrly charge any Ipad with solar cells without batteries. There simple some circuity issues.

The Correct Apple USB programing resistors and the USB voltage requiements have to meet.

Usually this requires a Voltage to current convertor and a Solar pannel the outputs 10w =5.25vdc at 2.1a