SolarPod Portable Solar Generator Briefcase

The solarpod from Thousand Suns is marketed as a self sufficient portable energy source; ideal for boaters, festival goers and campers! The solarpod is cleverly packaged in a robust looking flight case and our test model was supplied with the optional integrated 15 watt solar panel built into its lid.

The Briefcase

The Top of the Solar Pod

On the top of the unit there is an indicator for both the battery and the charging input. The battery level side lights up with up to 5 blue LED’s to indicate it’s current charge start whilst on the other end of the scale there are up to 5 amber coloured LED’s to show how much power is incoming from the solar panel or mains charger. There is also an On/Off switch for the device as well as a separate On/Off switch for the inverter that powers the 230 volt mains socket.

SolarPod Front

At the front of the unit there are the various output sockets on the unit. These include a 400 watt 13 amp 230v UK plug socket, 2 x 5 volt USB sockets and a 12 volt standard car cigarette lighter socket.

SolarPod Back

The rear of the unit houses the 2 types of input sockets. This is either the 5 amp mains power adapter or connections for a solar panel.

For our review we were supplied with the optional 60 watt foldable solar panel and for anyone wanting to make the most of the solarpod we would certainly recommend that people get this as part of their package.

The Solar Panels

The solar panel simply unclips, folds out and then there are fold down legs to allow you to best angle the solar panel for maximum solar exposure. You simply connect the two panels together and then connect the supplied leads to the solarpod, it really is that simple! In our tests with the optional 60 watt foldable solar panel even with a reasonably cloudy sky we were impressively seeing 2 amber LED’s and with full sun this was hitting 5 LED’s.

To complete a full charge via the solar panel will take approximately 6 hours whilst the 5 amp mains charger can do it in approximately 4 hours. For the environmentally conscious person it’s far more rewarding to use the solar panel to provide you with free and clean electricity! The unit isn’t silent when it’s operating so bear this in mind if you plan to use it somewhere where you will be sleeping. It’s obviously not as loud as a petrol generator but there is an audible sound from the onboard fan, similar to that which you can hear at the back of any standard PC.

This self contained portable energy system is able to run:

A 32inch LCD Television for up to 5 hours
Smartphone / iPad for 40 charges
Under counter Fridge for 18 hours

These are impressive numbers and show how versatile this product can be. If you have access to more sunlight then you can easily keep the charge topped up to deliver power for a prolonged period. The battery life on the unit is quoted at around 10 years as after 1500 charge and discharge cycles the batteries performance will have dropped to something like 85%.

Technical Details of the Solarpod

Height (Including Handle): 200mm
Length: 250mm
Width: 110mm
Weight: 4.1 kg
Battery: LiFePO4, 12V 20Ah, 95% recyclable

I grow my own vegetables. I live 5 minutes away from the nearest supermarket.

I grow my own vegetables. I live 5 minutes away from the nearest supermarket..

Speeding is believing: The bike with gears you can change by using your mind

The world’s first bicycle with gears you can change simply by using your mind has been unveiled by scientists

The Toyota Prius Project Parlee PXP bike has a thought-controlled gearbox that works by responding to cues from the brain – and experts believe anyone will be able to master the technique.

Human/digital interface specialist Deeplocal built the one-of-a-kind helmet, which transfers brainwaves using wireless technology to a micro-control.

All in the mind: The Toyota Prius Project Parlee PXP bike has a thought-controlled gearbox that works by responding to cues from the brain

The ‘neuron helmet’ uses electrodes to pick up neuro-electrical activity to send signals to an electronic gear shifter mounted under the bike’s seat.

Patrick Miller, creative engineer at Deeplocal said: ‘The system has been built using a simple off-the-shelf brainwave reader and software to read the signals.

‘It takes the rider a little bit of training but we’re at the stage where people are successfully changing gears with their mind while riding.

‘There is some special software to train people – while in a neutral state if you think “shift up” the helmet reads those patterns.

‘So over time signals sent to the micro control when a user thinks “shift up” or “shift down”
become recognisable.

‘It’s an experiment at the moment, but once you have control you can do a lot of things like change gear during a journey based on things like speed and distance.’

Smartphone speedometer: The device measures the cyclist’s heart rate and displays the mind-controlled manual gear-shifting

A ‘neuron helmet’ worn by the cyclist uses electrodes to pick up neuro-electrical activity to send signals to an electronic gear shifter mounted under the bike’s seat

Most of the bike – created alongside Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi and Parlee Cycles – is made from carbon fibre shaped to be aerodynamic and integrates almost all components.

The cables on the Prius bike are routed internally and brakes are built into the forks, while the rider wears a small netbook on their back handling the brainwave reader.

Mr Miller said: ‘It could be mass produced but at the moment it’s just a prototype. As a cyclist myself I’m still used to using my hands and it’s a very different thing.

‘I had no long-term plan with the bike – just to play around and make something cool.

‘We wanted to answer the question “what if?” – how would we do this. It’s just seeing what we can do with science and technology.

‘We took some things off the shelf and made something from it. It was trial and error and we managed to make something from it.’