australiantourer wrote:
I need a large capacity cache battery if I am going to be able to charge a tablet. I have not found one that uses AA batteries -- there's no problem charging AA batteries, but these devices do not have a usb output to then charge other devices. That's ok -- it's an imperfect world!
Hi australiantourer I have 16000mah Solar Power Universal Charger For Phone Laptop Notebook PDA MP3 etc.
The unit below will charge a phone or GPS 6 times and take less than 2 hours from being flat to fully charged. It has a range of settings for many volts depending on what the device is and will power a laptop double the normal battery life so roughly 16 hours of use. The unit using it's own solar panel will charge from being empty to full in direct sun light in about 6 hours. You can charge your devices or use it to run them and it has a crap load of plugs to charge multiple devices at the same time. Bang for buck and durability it does the trick so for me it's been worth it. Apart from it's own solar cell it can be recharged using 12v, 240v or a separate solar panel and the link below is the guy on evilbay I got it from. Also the device below has all the built in safety features so it's idiot proof you can't hook up things in the wrong manner without harm to you or your devices your charging along with no damage to the unit.
The only thing I did was buy better quality cables and connectors for the devices I was using it for as I felt that the supplied ones were not up to my standard for touring but the unit itself is fine and robust with a outer shock proof rubber coating so no fear of dropping it.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-16000mah-Solar-Panel-Charger-battery-Laptop-Smart-Cell-Phone-USB-/151051577535?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232b6028bfIt's about 6.5 inches long and 4 inches wide and 5/8 of an inch thick.


I just mounted it behind my head so I can reach up and turn it to face the sun through out my tour.




It might be food for thought for you and something else to consider as I have used it extensively and it's been in all conditions without a hitch. Using it you can charge as you go while riding and the solar panels are topping up at the same time. Also you can be using the unit to charge while also using it to power other device while using them so it's a real all rounding.
Ricky