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.
Advertisement
Get started with Raspberry Pi – everything you need to know to start your journey!
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.
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.
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)
Lucy is Editor of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
Subscribe to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine
Save up to 37% off the cover price and get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with a subscription to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
More articles
Get started with Raspberry Pi in Raspberry Pi Official Magazine 161
There’s loads going on in this issue: first of all, how about using a capacitive touch board and Raspberry Pi 5 to turn a quilt into an input device? Nicola King shows you how. If you’re more into sawing and drilling than needlework, Jo Hinchliffe has built an underwater rover out of plastic piping and […]
Read more →
Win one of three DreamHAT+ radars!
That’s right, an actual working radar for your Raspberry Pi. We reviewed it a few months ago and have since been amazed at some of the projects that have used it, like last month’s motion sensor from the movie Aliens. Sound good? Well we have a few to give away, and you can enter below. […]
Read more →
RP2350 Pico W5 review
It’s Raspberry Pi Pico 2, but with a lot more memory
Read more →