I had a short weekend in Madison, Wisconsin and discovered a few inconveniences with the current components, mostly with the solar charger and the NiMH batteries.  My batteries were mostly depleted and I was heading out at night.  Also, it is winter so the amount of daylight hours is reduced.  By the numbers, I needed 10.5 hours of daylight and for January that is all I get.  Throw in some clouds and the diminished light at sunrise and sunset and there is no way to get a full charge of 4 batteries in one day by solar alone.

So here is what I have to start with.  On the left is the iPod emergency charger.  In the center is the USB power pack.  On the right is the 1 Watt solar battery charger.  The charger now comes with a built-in USB connection so I guess I need to buy two more.

The battery cover on the solar charger is completely removable.  This is the first thing that needs to be fixed.

A little strip of Gorilla Tape makes a durable hinge.

 Next: keeping the lid closed and the batteries in.