i know. i'm supposed to be working.

but this needs to get figured out...

the math with one of these charging ports just doesn't work, so i cancelled the order. the panels are just too small. if you're pulling in a watt, max, and you're pulling out 2-3, it's just not enough.

https://www.solarpanel.wiki/solar-power-bank/

so, what do i need? i should have done this from the start, i wasn't thinking clearly...

if i'm pulling 3 W constant all of the time, i need 24X3 = 72 W. i don't know how much wattage i can get from the leds, but i know it won't be much.

let's assume the worst case - that i can't get anything from the lights at all. then, i'll need the battery to run 20 hours a day in the worst days, and get all the sun from those 4 hours. 72/4 = 18. i need a 20 W panel...and a 20,000 mAh battery minimum.

on the other hand, if i can get the fan to run solely on the lights, then a 5 W charger should do it - and i won't need a battery at all. the signal from the leds should be constant, and it should just spin the thing.

i want to keep the cost down. and, i suspect i could turn a 5W charger into a component in a battery charger if it doesn't work. that will be one of the next things off the grid, and i can take my time with it.

so, i'm going to order a 5W solar cell that works in low light, without a battery. it should be a few dollars. it might not actually work, but if it doesn't i can use it for something else.

so, i was up around 22:00, got something to eat, did a star log entry, and am ready to get on to these notes - finally.

i wanted to understand how i would install a small solar circuit down here last night. it's the battery that seems to continue to be the problem, in terms of building anything. the diodes seem to be getting better, but small scale consumer batteries of the size and type i'd need are largely not a real thing, right now.

i realized at the last minute that my $10 charger was actually a charging kit. oops. so, i had to cancel that order. i was in fact online this morning, trying to find a replacement, and tentatively purchased a similar 20,000 mah charger for a few extra dollars, but i'm waiting on a confirmation that there's a battery in there.

the usb fan shipped this afternoon.

this is doable. i'll figure it out.

i need to get back to work this morning, and i need to make some calls at 8:30. this will be the last day - we'll be shutting down at 7:00 am sharp on wednesday morning.