DIY: Solar USB Charger

As a project for my Art 320 class we are required to take something apart in order to create an infographic for it. And - as per usual - I have decided to take it a bit further. The "thing" I took apart was a solar charger I purchased a few years back at a book store on my college campus. I think I had just gotten out of my Materials and Methods (or it was something Harry Potter sounding) class. This class was all about the life cycle of the products used directly and indirectly when building or remodelling a home.

I was very excited to use this product as my phone usually ran out of juice fairly quickly. I do not know if it was because I tried to use it in the most overcast part of the day or because it really just did not work but I felt like I only purchased an expensive LED flashlight. :(

And so it sat, on my dashboard, baking in the summer and freezing in the winter. I had even forgotten it had a flashlight. 

A while later (years, maybe?) I decided to look for its manual online to see if I could fix it. Even with my genius google-ing skills- I found nothing. And so it continued to sit - warping in the ever changing tempuratures of my automobile with the fear of entering the landfill and poisoning all of the Earth - a fear gained from that Harry Potter-esq (only in name) class. 

Alas! I school project that required to take something apart! As I took it apart I realized that big "power button" was either not a power button at all or was completely missing a piece. I still don't know because I am not a circuitist...

After google-ing away at how I could fix it I decided I will make my own. So, I kept google-ing away. To my dismay I found a zillion-jabillion different ways to create a solar charger. I even found an easier way through Amazon.com that would end up being cheaper and probably quicker with likely a diagram that was easy to understand and put together. BUT being that I am destined to choose the difficult path I kept on google-ing and came across abcofsolar.com.

Thanks to this awesome website I was able to create an icon set from the list of materials in the guide. Of course, I didn't know what anything was- so, with a little more google-ing I found the use of the piece and what it looked like in order to purchase it off Amazon.com as well as create this icon set.

I had originally wanted to create a booklet printed on transparency "paper" using photography. Unfortunately, the pieces would not have arrived in enough time to complete this project.

I had the idea of arranging these icons on a poster. Going even further, I decided that this concept would be best used as a pocket reference and proceded to design the layout in the direction it would be unfolded.

When you open the first part you have a visual shopping list! You're welcome.

And now - here is the full, opened version...

Wait for it...

How about making a laptop/computer solar charger? I think I need to conduct more research on the cord prong thingy's... ;)