We have handcrafted a reliable outdoor case for the S2 (may be I should post the construction in the next future) using cheap components. Altogether much cheaper than the new outdoor version of S2 (but requiring a few hours of hand crafting). So far, it was powered with 230V cable and usb power supply (in an outdoor cable connection case). However, delivery of power by a solar panel would make it even more independent. I have a few questions to use of the recommended solar power supply (SUNBA-MBB12V-6038):
How are the experiences with dim daylight, e.g. in winter?
How sensitive is the lithium battery to temperatures below zero?
Are there any caveats regarding use of a car USB adapter (mounted in the case) for transforming panel output (12V) to USB port (5V) of the S2 device?
Alf
This sounds great - we look forward to seeing what you have built and how you get on.
In brief, we don’t yet have the answers to the questions as the outdoor version is new and is only being tested now to answer some of these questions based on data. That is why we are not selling it generally yet but working with partners that are helping us to gather this information.
As always, we are interested to see how these DIY experiments go, but they are the user’s responsibility as they are not what the current version of the S2 is built and tested for, and also why the official outdoor version may indeed be a bit more expensive than a DIY approach, but also one we trust will be more reliable.
Is the SUNBA-MBB12V-6038 being tested for an outdoor version of Telraam?
(the reason I’m asking is it’s a very cool product, but also very expensive and very bulky, and I’d be interested to know if any calculations have been done to identify this as a suitable solar panel)
We did try a smaller panel but also found that it was less reliable in variable conditions, so we’re working with something we believe will provide the reliability we need
