How to Make a Solar-Powered DS Lite
Guys at Tom’s hardware have built a solar powered DS Lite!
Here are all the ingredients:
- Nintendo DS Lite: $129.99
- Soldius 1 solar power charger: approximately $99.99
- Mario Kart DS: $34.99
- Metroid Prime: Hunters DS: $34.99
- Metal latch, glue, spray paint and other accessories: $20
- Total: $319.96
How it Works: We concocted the solar DS Lite with the goal of having it run entirely on solar power, and we succeeded. The Soldius 1 solar power charger originally offered an output of 5.6V in direct sunlight; however, after Max made modifications to the panel, he was forced to removed the device’s circuitry so that the DS battery cable could connect directly to the solar panels. That led to the output dropping to approximately 4.0V. But it hardly mattered, since the DS Lite’s battery supplies 3.7V. So we were able to play the Solar DS outside continuous on nothing but solar energy. Unfortunately, the power would cut out when heavy clouds passed overhead and obscured the sun. The sensible thing to do was put the battery back into the DS and use the solar panels to charge the device. This process takes less than two hours to fully charge the Solar DS, which isn’t bad at all. And it doesn’t cost you a cent on your electric bill.
To catch the video, please visit their web site.
