This is a
recommended charging procedure for your iPod and EL8 Headlamp,
for hikers, backpackers, when your are out in the wilderness, the High Sierra,
the forest, or the dessert, walking, hiking/backpacking, or just camping.
You do not have to adhere to it strictly. The main purpose of
your camping/hiking trip is to have fun!!! You don't need to be concerned,
stressed, or constantly thinking on charging your iPod and headlamp.
Just remember to have your EL8 Headlamp charged by the end of the
hiking day!!
I added (GPS)
after iPod in several paragraphs, to help some GPS users, so I can save
some time.
1. Start your hiking/backpacking with your iPod and EL8 Headlamp
fully charged, if possible
2. charge/recharge your EL8 Headlamp daily to ensure full charge or at
least a good charge, by connecting the Solar Panel to it while walking,
hiking/backpacking.
3. Strap Solar Panel to backpack making sure not to cover Solar Panel
with straps, from sun light . Velcro is a great way to do it, because you can easily move
Solar Panel from one side to another side of backpack, or just remove it
from backpack and place it on the floor when stopping for a rest. Remember
that only when Solar Panel is perpendicular to direct sun light, you will
have maximum charging current to EL8 headlamp. However, while walking,
any
sun light that reaches Solar Panel, will charge/recharge your EL8 headlamp;
even on overcast / rainy days (Jane C), early in the
morning, or late in the afternoon. The solar panel can even
output some current and charge the headlamp with the electrical light at
home!
(videos showing these
instructions will follow soon)
4. When iPod
(GPS) battery gauge or indicator, drops to 3/4 or 1/2,
start iPod
(GPS) charging routine or process.
5. Start charging iPod
(GPS) early in the morning when you begin
hiking, by connecting your iPod shuffle, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB
(GPS), with
your iPods' USB cable (same one you connect to
USB computer or USB wall charger to sync and charge/recharge it when at home)
to the EA6
USB adapter, and plug this USB adapter to the EL8 Headlamp. Please, watch
Charging iPod Option 5 or 6 by following this link. Related link:
How to make
EA6 USB adapter work charging iPods
6. Disconnect EL8 Headlamp from USB adapter after about one hour. EL8 battery will
be completely drained. In other words, El8 battery will be completely
"discharged on" iPod (GPS). Do not panic!!! It's only 8 or 9 am!!! You
have the rest of the day to recharge your iPod (GPS, and you won't get
lost!).
7. Plug Solar Panel to EL8 Headlamp for the rest of the day, to
charge/recharge
it. At this point, 6 hours later after headlamp is recharged, you can
charge your iPod again, or other electronics, like a Garmin Forerunner
205/305/405 GPS, or cell phone.
REMEMBER to go back on charging you HEADLAMP. Just two hours of sunlight
will give you enough charge and light for the rest of the night!!!
8. Enjoy your hiking trip!
9. Repeat charging procedure as needed on the following days.
You might need two to three charging cycles to fully charge
your iPod.
We are looking for a way to charge iPod Classic 40GB and 80GB, as
well as iPhones. These iPods and iPhones require much more current
charge, and we think the EL8 Headlamp - EA6 USB adapter are not designed to
handle that power, at the present moment, July 2008.
As you will
read below, we proved ourselves wrong!!! The EL8 Solar Energy Rechargeable Headlamp in combination with the EA6
USB adapter, not only charged iPods Calsic 80GB and 160GB, but also can
charge iPhones, iPod touch (iTouch) and ANY iPod model!!!
On July 24, 2008, we received an e-mail
with the following question:
Hello!
I'm very interested in your product. Can
I buy one solar panel and two headlamps? That is what would be
needed for two people while backpacking if we only need a couple of
hours of light a day...
Thank you,
D P
Quebec Canada
Also we would need a USB adaptor,
can you tell me the difference between your regular USB adaptor and
the one specially for iPods (as well as their weights)? We
probably bring an iPod backpacking but maybe we also bring another
kind of MP3 player....
Thank you!
D,
The USB adapter I sell is exactly the same as the
original, but I changed two components inside that makes it
suitable to charge iPods Shuffle, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB. Same
weight and size. You can charge ANY MP3 player as long
as it has an USB cable to connect it to the USB adapter.
The USB adapter is equivalent to a computer's USB connector
power wise: you can charge electronic devices / hand
held electronics in the same way you do it on a computer's USB port,
or an USB wall adapter/charger.
Please, do not hesitate to e-mail me any questions you may have.
Carlos
SLF
Sorry Carlos. we are still not clear: which one do we need to charge a
iPod Classic (80G hard-drive)?
Thanks
Last week I received a shipment of the new EL8 Headlamps, which has a
more powerful Li-ion rechargeable battery, a capacity of about 900mA/h,
and a better Solar Panel that outputs about 125mA, as opposed to 95mA of
the former model.
I had to put on my thinking cap, which by the way I like to do that, and
come up with a new charging assembly design to tackle this challenge: How to charge/recharge an iPod 80GB with the EL8 Headlamp.
A day later an idea came to my, and since I don't have an iPod
Classic 80GB video, I decided to go to a store,
and try this new way of charging "big" iPod video, like the iPod 80GB,
iPod 160GB, or iPod 30GB, etc.
I made a "T" adapter to connect two Headlamp together (in parallel)
and then connect the USB adapter to it. This configuration will provide
double power, which means double charging current capacity to feed the
iPod videos.
Last night, last day of July 2008, we went to a store, and my new charging/recharging design
worked just fine!!!Not only charged iPod 80GB/160GB, but
also charged an iTouch, the fancy iPod touch screen model, an iPod 30 GB, and also
charged an iPhone!!!
This are the recommended steps to keep your iPod
20GB/40GB, 30GB, 80GB, 160GB. They are similar as the ones above, but
with the addition of a second EL8 Headlamp, and a "T" connector/adapter
to connect both headlamp together.
1. Start your hiking/backpacking with your iPod and EL8 Headlamp
fully charged, if possible
2. charge/recharge your EL8 Headlamp daily to ensure full charge or at
least a good charge, by connecting the Solar Panel to it while walking,
hiking/backpacking.
3. Strap Solar Panel to backpack making sure not to cover Solar Panel with
straps, from sun light
. Velcro is a great way to do it, because you can easily move
Solar Panel from one side to another side of backpack, or just remove it
from backpack and place it on the floor when stopping for a rest. Remember
that only when Solar Panel is perpendicular to direct sun light, you will
have maximum charging current to EL8 headlamp. However, while walking,
any
sun light that reaches Solar Panel, will charge/recharge your EL8 headlamp. (Pictures and movies showing these instructions will follow soon)
4. When iPod battery gauge or indicator, drops to 3/4 or 1/2,
start iPod
charging routine or process.
5. Start charging iPod early in the morning when you begin
hiking, by connecting your iPod 20GB/40GB, 30GB, 80GB, 160GB,
to
your iPods' USB cable (same one you connect to
USB computer or USB wall charger to sync and charge/recharge it when at home),
and then
to the EA6
USB adapter. Connect two EL8 headlamps together (in parallel) using
a "T" connector/adapter (like the one seen in the picture below), and
plug the USB adapter to that
female end "T" adapter (connected to the two EL8 Headlamps). Please, watch
How to Charge an iPod 80GB by following this link. Related link:
How to make
EA6 USB adapter work charging iPods
6. Disconnect EL8 Headlamp from USB adapter after about one hour. EL8 battery will
be completely drained.
7. Plug Solar Panel to EL8 Headlamp for the rest of the day, to
charge/recharge
it.
8. Enjoy your hiking trip!
9. Repeat charging procedure as needed on the following days.
You might need two to three charging cycles
to fully charge
your iPod.
Charging assembly for iPod 20GB, 30GB, 40GB, 80GB/160GB, iTouch, iPhone
"T" adapter to connect two EL8 Headlamps together
Charging assembly for iPod videos
(shown with iPod 4GB)
If you are planning to go for a long hike and you
would like to take with you some music, audiobooks, podcasts, and
even videos, and not worry about keeping your iPod/mp3
player functioning, you can do it now!!! Not need on carrying disposable
batteries any more! Plug your iPod/mp3 player to the sun!
Please, feel free to send your
comments, ideas, and suggestions about the articles you read in our
site. We really appreciate them, and we answer all your questions
and comments, usually the same day.
If you own an EL8
Headlamp, an AE6 USB adapter, and an iPod Classic 80/160GB, or and
iPhone, or an iTouch, please send us information on charging time you
were able to accomplish with this charging assembly.
