Specifications of the planned solar-powered Ubuntu laptop | Hacker News Reader

Specifications of the planned solar-powered Ubuntu laptop

solaptop.com

54 pointsfdm36 comments

I'm a bit surprised by the HD spec:

HDD: Seagate 2.5” SATA HDD 320GB

So, not an SSD? Don't SSDs use less power than spinners?

Optimizing price on this one choice is strange, to me, considering they are running an Atom CPU. I'd rather pay $x00 for a model with an SSD and a more power-hungry, non-Atom CPU.

Seconded. Of all the features this one caught me off-guard a bit. I was expecting a small-ish SSD akin to what a Chromebook sports.

A 120GB SSD would be really nice in this machine.

GMA 3600 sounds like a weird choice for a laptop running GNU/Linux, the drivers for it are abysmal. The CPU is a weird choice altogether, considering it has a 10W TDP. I think a Celeron 807UE would be a better choice, the TDP is the same and the performance should be close to double, with a significantly better GPU that also has a much better GNU/Linux drivers. The built-in 4G LTE and GPS are nice features though.

Exactly what I was thinking. Just bought a barebones desktop unit with the GMA3600 and it can only run Ubuntu 12.04! Sounds unlikely it'll run 13.04 with graphics support: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cedarview-drm-driv...

I'm surprised the screenshots show Ubuntu 13.04 though. Anyone know more about which version of Ubuntu is running?

I do understand they're trying to cut costs to meet the $300 price - I do hope Intel puts out some drivers for this chipset.

Does anyone have any direct insight into how "real" this is?

I ask because I hate playing the role of dismissive guy on HN but this seems waaaaay too good to be true at anywhere near the estimated price. Even ignoring the solar power challenges a fully rugged design at $350 seems like a huge reach as does submersible at $400.

The website would also suggest the laptop comes with a sunlight readable screen which presumably doesn't rely on brightness.

Sounds great. What's the realistic performance?

I've dabbled with solar powered portable electronics. Harsh reality is getting direct sunlight for prolonged periods is problematic.

How visible is the screen in full sun? Are the panels' output sufficient for direct powering, or is power buffering required? How long, really, to a full charge (without having to constantly shift it to track the sun)? What percentage of "full sun" is required for direct powering? Are you really willing to leave it lying out in the open for prolonged periods (rain, theft, etc.)? Not trying to bash it, just looking at the gap between "gee, never have to plug it in, that's cool" and real-world concerns.

From prices I've seen, the solar panels + power electronics alone would run $350.

Having a look at the photo where 4 solar panels are folded out, it looks like you have to "deploy" your laptop whenever you use it.

I also want to know how long it'll last with indirect light. In some parts of the world, we get more days of overcast & rain than sun.

The PV panels are detachable and an extension cord can be used to position the panels in an appropriate location, plus most newer PV panels will produce power in cloudy or indirect sunlight, but I too wonder about whether the laptop will operate if the battery is dead and the unit is barely beginning to take a charge.

Is the solar panel footprint even enough to power the whole laptop? I haven't done the calculations for it, and I was hoping someone more qualified would join.

In particular, I don't know what the efficiencies are. Also, I was hoping to find an ARM chip on that thing. Intel ATOM was not that power efficient, last I looked.

You should look again the Atom is even being used in phones now.

http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_k900-5241.php

Thanks for the link.

While you are correct that there are now some types of Atom which are used in phones, the part used in that laptop has a TDP of 10W. I can't find much information on the Atom which is being used on that phone, certainly not to compare them.

That Lenovo phone uses an Atom Z2580 SoC. Anandtech benchmarked a similar Atom SoC, which used around 4 watts in a 3D game [0]. The Atom D2500, in contrast, has a TDP of 10 watts [1].

[0] http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/SoC/Intel/CTvKrait/3dgam...

[1] http://ark.intel.com/products/59682

According to the faq:

>How many hours does it need to charge?

>A little over 2 hours and you should be at 100%

http://solaptop.com/en/faq/#toggle3664

I bet that's with the AC charger though.

Solar energy hobbyist here: Figure: 1000 Watts of pure solar energy per square meter. [1] 20% efficiency from a typical panel [2] Panel area appears to be roughly 4 x (24cm*36cm) = .35 m^2 so energy received is about 69 Watts.

Conversion loss is hard to say, but it's DC to DC so, I would expect efficiencies of at least 90%, so derate the 69 Watts to 62 Watts.

There aren't any specs on this computer's power consumption, but for what it's worth, typical Apple power supplies come in 60, 85 and 100 Watts, IIRC. So this would be roughly like charging with a small mac power supply... depending on battery size, count on about 1-2 hours of charge.

Caveats: this may be kind of thick, heavy and fragile. Also, during the time interval of 1-2 hours, the sun's position will change quite a bit. Panels work best when they're aimed directly at the sun, so if they can be tilted somehow that would be best. It will also need a way to protect the panels from scratches when folded. Demo picture is fake picture.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell_efficiency

I am about to embark on a construction project in a relatively remote location without utilities. The peace of mind built-in solar and known Linux-driver-present hardware will give will probably mean acquiring one of these... if distribution exists in my part of the world.

I'm intrigued. What's it weigh though? I'd want to use it for backpacking / disaster-style work rather than sitting at some table or desk.

HN should club together and buy this for Joey Hess! :-)

He's already solar powered.

http://joey.hess.usesthis.com/

What I would vastly prefer over this is if laptop manufacturers would just make it so the power input could be switched into max-power-point-tracker mode. Almost all the electronics necessary to plug a solar panel into a laptop are already there; they probably just require some firmware changes.

For the clueless like me- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_power_point_tracking

I will buy this. It has a great price and even if it isn't the greatest computer in the world, the fact that you can just put it out in the sun to power it up makes it convenient. Can't wait!

I'd love one of these with something like a Pixel Qi screen: http://pixelqi.com/our_screens / http://www.cloversystems.com/SunBook.htm

With just an LCD screen? bleh. anywhere that would charge it well would be nearly unusable. Not a problem if you just want to recharge it while doing something else (and for that it's still a good idea), but still.

Pixel Qi's products page links to some SOL products, including a ruggedized netbook:

http://pixelqi.com/devices

http://www.solcomputer.com/pixel-qi-display-2/rugged-netbook...

But for now, the max size for Pixel Qi is 10.1 inches, and the price is kinda high.

Does anyone have any ideas how much this thing weighs? I couldn't seem to find it anywhere...

Why does the site not show images until you almost scroll past them? What an awful UX.

I'd be willing to buy this only for being an inexpensive laptop built to run Ubuntu. The solar panels are just an extremely nice bonus, IMO.

(I'd like to know how replacable the components are, though. An SSD in there would be great.)

Well considering how bad many LCD screens look in the sun I wonder if this is such a great idea. I would expect a matte screen, but it looks like typical glossy yet that may be simply the photoshop job

I've got $300 for this if the solar panel is detachable with a few feet of cord, and the keys aren't flat. I don't want to type on flat keys or in the sun.

This should be running LuaOS http://luaos.net/

Did they look up SOL as an acronym? not entirely good.

I thought I landed on a 404.

For those who aren't native English speakers, SOL = shit out of luck (completely out of luck)

"Darn, the concert is sold out, I guess we're SOL."

Having the Sun shine on your plastic gadget for an extended period of time? Sounds like a wonderful idea! Why not simply have a lightweight detachable solar panel instead?

The first item in the FAQ answers that, yes the panels are removable & an extension cord can be used...

http://solaptop.com/en/faq/#toggle3664

Does this mean I have to go outside?

Enjoy your skin cancer.

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