Technaxx TX-207 solar charging case review

By Lucy Hattersley. Posted

We’ve been interested in running Raspberry Pi from a solar panel, like this Technaxx TX-207 (£89/$110), for a while. Many of our projects work outdoors, and it’d be great to power them without the need for running cables. Raspberry Pi devices, especially Raspberry Pi Zero and Pico, are tremendously low-power boards, so theoretically this shouldn’t be a problem. There’s no shortage of solar panels around, but this option from Technaxx caught our eye, thanks to its widespread availability (you can pick it up from B&Q) and reliable branding. The design is foldable with built-in pockets, and the build quality is excellent with fabric made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) rather than plastic. Inside one of the pockets is a block with two USB-A ports, which lends itself perfectly to our single-board computer.

Unfolding the case reveals three solar panels that output 6 V with 3 A (max 21 W) of power. Enough to power a Raspberry Pi Zero or Pico device. We set it up with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in the pocket to test performance. We used a modified version of jbudd’s uptime.sh code to log the uptime (see this Raspberry Pi forum post). Our Zero 2 W was connected to the local Wi-Fi network so we could log in and check the uptime.log file throughout the test. Our first test involved popping a Zero 2 W directly to the USB-A slot in the TX-207 and we hung the charger vertical in a south-facing window. In theory, this sounded good but the TX-207 powered Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for less than a minute in a whole day. After that, we took it outside and laid it out flat in a garden where it would sporadically power, sometimes for up to six minutes, but our Zero 2 W  would frequently drop out along with the sun. Pairing the TX-207 with a USB battery charger was a game-changer. We coupled it up with a Golf GF-017 2600 mAh battery charger, which held the charge provided by the TX-207 and charged up the battery alongside running Zero 2 W. We started with a completely empty battery charger and our Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W ran up the charge and went for a total of 13 hours and 14 minutes with no downtime.

The TX-207 provides a constant drip of power in a well-designed portable case

So, paired with a suitable battery, you can expect a day’s worth of power from this. More than enough to run scripts and handle low-voltage sensor HATs and other hardware.

It’s not listed as waterproof, although it did tip it down one day to no discernible effect. It certainly feels sturdy enough to withstand the elements, as long as you keep an eye on things.

You need to pair it with a USB charger for it to be of any real use

Verdict

8/10

An exciting device to pair with Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. You’ll need a battery pack for it to work reliably.

Specs

Power: Max power 21 W, Max voltage 6 V, Current 3 A Max, Efficiency >19%

Dimensions: Weight: 0.75 kg Dimensions: 20 (81 unfolded) × 29 × 3 cm

Design: Solar panel – monocrystalline solar cell, Operating temperature +10°C~+40°C, Material PET, Plug type 2 × USB-A (3 A max)

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