Introduction: Solar USB Wallet Charger

About: I am an electrical repair tech by day and an engineer by night, after work or free time.

In this steb by step I will show you how to make a wallet USB solar charger. who knew you had the option of saving money by opening your wallet?

Step 1: Tools and Parts Needed:

wallet
5 volt regulator
two or one small solar panel
soldering iron
solder
hot glue+gun
wire
wire strippers
exacto or utility knife
female usb port
electrical tape

Step 2: Prep the Usb Port

make sure your usb port has two inches of wire to work with. you can cut of the white and green wires, they are not needed for this project. 

Step 3: Soldering the USB to the 5 Volt Regulator

the side of the regulator with the writing on it should be facing up!, be sure to have the writng facing up when doing this step. 
solder the red wire from the USB port to the 3rd leg of the regulator (3rd leg is output) then solder the black wire to the middle leg (middle is ground)

in the picture you cant see the writing on the regualtor but it is there. be sure to have the writing side facing up! 


Step 4: Prep the Wallet

put the regulator and usb to the side for now and prep the wallet.
first off, remove all the wallets contents then cut two small holes on each side of the wallet (as seen in picture) 
These two holes allow the solar panel wires two run through the wallet while out of sight.

Step 5: How to Connect Two or More Solar Panels.

when connecting two or more solar panels it is important to think of them as batteries. negative to positive. doing this will double the output. 

Step 6: Connecting the Two Solar Panels

Solder a long wire ( a little bit longer than your wallet) to the negative solder joint of one of your solar panels. then run that wire through the holes (holes you cut)

Step 7: Connecting the Two Solar Panels

now take that wire and solder it to the positive side of your other solar panel. after doing that you are left with a positive and negative solder joint that hasnt been touched. a positive joint will be on one panel and a negative will be on the other panel.

Step 8: Connecting the Panels to the Regualtor.

after doing the last step you are left with two solder joints, a positive and negative. the positive joint will be on one panel and the negavtive on the other panel. solder a black wire to the negative joint and a red (i used white) to the positive joint. now solder the red wire to the first leg of the regulator (leg one, input) and solder the black wire to the middle leg (same leg you soldered the black wire from the usb to)

Step 9: Insulate the Legs So They Dont Touch

wrap electrical tape around the legs to prevent the legs from touching.

Step 10: The Solar Panels Are Now Ready to Mount to Your Wallet.

check all your solder joints, ensure they are strong and ready to go. then simply hot gule them down.

Step 11: Almost Finished

then push the regulator into a bottom corner of your wallet and hot glue it down. next hot glue the usb port in place. 
push the wires to the bottom of the wallet and secure them using hot glue. and done! now you have a pocket full of sunshine! test the output using a mulitmeter before use! all the componets take up very little space, and the space it takes up is worth charging your device where ever you. open your wallet, save money. please vote if you liked this tutorial :) 

Pocket Sized Contest

Participated in the
Pocket Sized Contest

UP! Contest

Participated in the
UP! Contest