Auto power on T114 from solar

#1

I have a T114 with a LiPo battery connected to the Vbat port.
The unit is in a remote location so I want to be sure it will turn on at least when the sun comes up and that will be enough to power/charge the battery/whatever so it will finally turn on for a while.
Of course it will turn off at night but I want to know what is the best and proper way to power the T114 from a solar panel so it will most likely turn on the next morning.

If I connect 5V from a regular USB adapter, the device turns on and starts working
but if I connect solar panel via USB port - device doesnt turn on even during very sunny day - and I dont understand why?
my solar panel is simple - according to specs - 3W 5V and Ive read here that it should be a bit more - 5.5v or even 6v
So do I need to use another panel?
And do I need to connect solar panel directly to solar panel connector?

I thought that it I source 5V to USB port - it will power on device and charge the battery as well.
at least it works that way when I use USB charger.

UPD: so - is it possible to power T114 via USB port from solar panel so it will turn on when Sun raise?

#2

Perhaps read up on what a solar panel is, does and its ability to provide power given that sunlight is not a uniform constant light source.

Plug the solar panel in to the connector marked “Solar Panel Connector”. And if you don’t have a battery plugged in (!!!) because that’s what irons out the variability of the solar power, plug one in, sized appropriately to accommodate days of low sun output.

Unlikely, the electronics & physics are very much against you. Whereas using the features designed in to the board to do this are very likely to work. There is a minor possibility it will work without a battery whilst the sun is bright enough, but it’s designed to work in conjunction with the battery.

Nothing in the documentation suggests you can power the device from a solar panel via the USB port, with or without a LiPo. But it does say you can power via a solar panel with a LiPo, both plugged in to the appropriate connectors provided.Maybe you could draw a conclusion from that.

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#3

There is not a significant difference whether the 5V source comes from a plug in power supply or a solar panel. I can run my T114 without a battery successfully with a small 2W Sunstream solar panel through the USB port. This panel was designed to power USB 5V devices. It has nine polycrystalline cells in series that match the needs of 5V devices quite well. For kicks I measured the voltage under hazy sun and it was constantly between 4.95 and 5.05 Vdc while powering the T114. I also cycled the panel between light and dark to see if the T114 would restart and it did, with one caveat. If the dark was only semi-dark the T114 would not reliably restart until it was really dark again. This problem may well be another manifestation of the known issue with low battery voltage but should not be an issue for your intended use. That all said and done, I suggest you check the cabling between your solar panel and the T114. USB cables are notoriously responsible for many such problems.