powertraveller solargorilla

MARCHANDS	€
Marks and spencer	139.00





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Florent Alzieu
Test date: July 6, 2010

The powergorilla battery

As with the powermonkey-eXplorer, powertraveller recommends using the solargorilla with an intermediary battery. Obviously, it recommends the manufacturer's own battery (called the 'powergorilla'), but this time, it's not included. You can, however, hook the solar panel up to the battery of your choice (namely the one in the device you want to charge) so long as it can be connected to the solar panel and is compatible with the output.

A battery is all the more important since the solar panel's output peaks at 7 Watts in the best conditions. So if your computer consumes 25 watts, you will definitely need to run it off the battery, using the solar panel to recharge it as you go. Another important thing to check is whether or not your device can actually be hooked up to the panels directly. We tried connecting a selection of devices and not all of them would recognise and accept charge from the solar panel directly. Certain devices even refused to recognise the manufacturer's powergorilla battery.

The solargorilla is a larger version of the powermonkey-eXplorer. Unlike the monkey though, the gorilla isn't supplied with a battery (see insert). The solar panels have a much larger surface area, and have the same clamshell design as the smaller model. The solargorilla has a 5V USB output port and a second power socket that can reach up to 20V, and which can be used with the connectors supplied.

The total surface area of the solar panels is 231 cm² (2x 115 cm²) for a total weight (including casing) of 848 g. We carried out our output tests in optimal conditions (i.e. bright sunlight). Here are the results obtained from the two different ports:

USB port

20V (max.) power port

From the USB connection, the best performance peaked at 5 V, when the panel's output was just over 600 mA and 3 Watts. From the other port, the device's best results were between 11 and 19 Volts with a slight peak at 17 V for 420 mA and just over 7 Watts. The solargorilla's output at 5 Volts is much more effective than that of the powermonkey-eXplorer. So with a surface area almost three times larger, the solargorilla provides 3.7 times more power at this same voltage.

Running a device directly from the solar panel

Powering a product with no intermediary battery depends whether or not the given device will accept power from the solar panel directly. Ideally, the device you want to run shouldn't require more than 5 Volts and 600 mAh if you're using the USB port, or 11 to 19 Volts and 450 mA for the other power connection. As with the powermonkey, you'll also need very bright sunlight, otherwise power could cut out any time a cloud comes along. In other words, you'll need to keep a battery close at hand to keep the device powered up until bright sunlight returns.

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Pluses

Up to 3 W at 5 V via USB output

Up to 7 W at 17 V via other output

3.7 times more powerful than the powermonkey at 5 V

Supplied with case

Minuses

Three times heavier than the powermonkey-eXplorer

No battery supplied

The solargorilla charges a 5 V battery three times faster than the smaller model, the powermonkey-eXplorer. It is, however, also three times heavier. Is it worth investing in a heavier and more expensive charger to ensure better performances? Yes if your luggage is in the car, but think twice if you're on foot.