How to make a bag with a stand-alone charger

The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy, and also environmentally friendly. Nowadays it is not a problem to extract this very energy, both for individual use and on an industrial scale. Solar modules come in a wide variety of sizes, compositions and assemblies. There are huge and small, silicon and polymer, solid and flexible, thin and shockproof and frost-resistant. Which one to purchase depends on the needs and capabilities of the user. In this master class, we will focus on a small, portable module with a boost converter and usb output, which is suitable for outdoor use, for recharging a power bank, flashlight, satellite navigator and other things necessary for long fishing or camping electronic equipment. I just bought such a module recently in the online store.
By my own oversight, I managed to order it without a case. The cover photo was only with a top view, and I did not carefully read the description ... But what has been done is done, and I thought, why not fit this solar panel on my bag, which I always take with me to the forest. It gives out, through the built-in boost converter 5.7 V. and a maximum (in direct sunlight) of 950 mA. This is enough to charge a modern smartphone or satellite navigator in 2-3 hours. A simple push-button telephone, in more or less normal weather, charges from this module in about an hour.
Also, if during the day there is no need to charge anything, you can put a power bank on recharge. A good power bank (from 5000 mAh), of course, this module will not charge in one daylight, but what accumulates in a day is enough to charge a phone or other small device a couple of times. Of course, in cloudy weather things will go slower; voltage and current will drop, but there will be some kind of charge.

Will need

• Bag (on which it is planned to install the solar module).
• Solar module with a built-in step-up converter not more than 6 volts, and usb output.
• USB extension cable (mother-to-mother) with a protective cover on the connector (not long, see 30).

Tool and consumables:

• Fine tip wood burner.
• Scissors.
• Glue second.
• Strip of thin leatherette or leather (1 cm wide and 20 cm long).

Installing the solar module on the bag

First you need to determine the most convenient place to use where the usb connector will be located. Better, of course, on the side of the bag. But on the right, or on the left - it depends on the physiological characteristics of the user; people are both right-handed and left-handed. So, after we found the right and most convenient place, we determine the parameters of the future hole, based on the parameters of the usb connector along with a protective casing.
Next, apply a pen, or marker, the boundaries of the hole on the bag, and carefully, with a heated burner, cut this hole.
At first, I wanted to glue the usb protective cover from the inside of the bag, as it should be, but then estimated that the burnt hole would be too indecent to look from the side, and glued the cover from the outside, and thoroughly smeared the edges with glue so that the rain did not get into the water bag.
We wait 7-10 minutes until the glue hardens completely, and insert the connector into the casing from the inside.
Now the turn of the module. First you need to glue all available bare contacts.
I used a leatherette tape for this. It is also necessary to carefully insulate, with glue, the converter itself. Next, we glue the cable closer to the edge of the module so that it does not hang out and break the entire insulation.
We try on the module to the bag, to the desired place and mark with a pen the place where the cable should go.
We make a burner like this, under the usb connector:
If there are several compartments in the bag, as in mine, then inside the bag you also need to burn holes in the separation walls, to the compartment where the extension cable is located.
It is to burn through, and not to cut through, so that the tissue of the partitions does not open and thus does not increase the hole. The fabric should be burned as close as possible to the end wall so that the cable does not interfere in the future. Now we thread the cable with the connector into the holes made, and just like the protective casing at the end, we glue the module to the bag.
We wait until the glue hardens. Thus, it turned out that in one compartment of the bag there were a usb plug from the extension cord, and a usb connector from the charging module.
By connecting these contacts, we get a charging port at the end of the bag.
You can connect a power bank or a solar module to the extension cord, or you can connect a power bank to the solar module inside the power bank bag ...
Generally; There are several combinations, and all of them will benefit. Someone will probably think; But what is the difference between this bag and a simple power bank with an already integrated solar panel? It's simple - SOLAR POWER BANK effectively works only from direct sunlight, thereby not only charging your battery, but also heating it very much. Especially in hot weather. And this is not good for any battery - in the best case, it simply stops working much earlier than the time set for it, and in the worst case, if it turns out to be defective or damaged ... I don’t even want to think about it. I generally do not advocate external chargers with a built-in solar panel, since these panels there are usually small and ineffective, which heat up their battery more than charge it. And in the same bag, the solar module is separate, outside in the sun, and the power bank inside the bag is in the shade, and is no longer subjected to such strong heating as in direct sunlight. Plus, more reliable protection of the battery from rain. Generally; modification of the bag justifies the time and money spent. This charger bag can work independently, regardless of the outlet. Of course, in addition to the power bank, you can put all the junk you need in your bag in your bag.