IXYS Introduces a Portable High-Efficiency Solar Charger and LED Light Bar

IXYS Corporation today announced the release of The Solar Pad – a high-efficiency Li-Polymer solar charger ideal for charging smart phones, tablets, and multi-media players via standard USB connection. Measuring 120mm in length, 76mm in width, and 18mm in height and weighing 300g, the IXYS solar charger is highly portable – it is about the size of a smart phone. Equipped with 2 USB ports, one micro-USB port, and 4 white LED lights, it produces 5.2V of power at 1.5A, which is about 8 watts of solar power.

The Solar Pad is constructed with a 1W solar cell and is the most efficient portable in its class; it achieves an efficiency of 22 percent. Its high capacity Li-Polymer battery, however, can also be quickly charged through a USB input at the rate of 1.2A at 5V. It is able to deliver power to other devices while it itself is being charged. Moreover a smart charging feature implemented with an MCU protects the device from being over-charged or discharged.

Additionally it is more than a mobile battery charger; its LEDs function as a highly bright flashlight (1W), which can be configured as either “blinking” or “continuous.” The flashlight is usable during both charging and discharging modes. Due to its compact size, high capacity Li-Polymer battery, and highly portable nature, it can come in handy during camping trips, emergency situations, or power outages. The solar charger provides extra power to such portable electronic devices as all phones, smart phones, tablets, E-Books, PDAs, GPS devices, portable media players and other portable tools and gadgets.

“We at IXYS took this initiative, initially as reference designs, to demonstrate the capabilities of our proprietary Solar Bits™ that enable our customers to add solar power charging to their products. Our reference designs were converted by our team to real products, for consumers worldwide who lack easy access to electricity, to be able to have chargeable flashlight and chargers for their mobile phones,” commented Dr. Nathan Zommer, founder and CEO of IXYS.

“These products demonstrate the contribution of the semiconductor products, from MCUs, analog ICs, power discretes and LED drivers, much like the World of IXYS products, to provide renewable energy and improve the quality of life of people worldwide,” commented Steve Darrough, VP of Marketing.