QuestionQuestion

AnswerAnswer

How do I charge my JOOS Orange?

All you need to do is angle your JOOS Orange towards the sun and it will start charging your devices right away. The sun moves during the day, but our intelligent internal microprocessors will keep the JOOS Orange charging as efficiently as possible. You can also charge your JOOS Orange straight from your computer using the USB connector provided, or from a US wall socket for portable power.

How do I charge my devices?

JOOS Orange comes with a variety of connecting tips and cables to cover the most common cell phones and electronic devices.  All you need to do is plug the black charging cable into your JOOS Orange, connect the appropriate tip into the round barrel connector, plug into your device and it will begin charging.

How do I change the battery?

The JOOS Orange works by using a powerful lithium-ion polymer battery, which stores power.  You use that power for charging. Our battery comes with a 1 year warranty, and if it needs replacing, just order a new battery from us and you can easily connect it yourself. We encourage you to recycle your old battery responsibly. The lithium-ion polymer battery is, with normal handling, perfectly safe. However, it should not be opened, disassembled, crushed, burned or exposed to high temperatures; under these circumstances, if the internal fluid is inhaled, ingested or touched, it may lead to toxic effects requiring medical attention. For more information on lithium-ion polymer batteries, please see this article.

Can I leave it outside?

Of course – outside, inside, on the roof,  tied to your backpack, on your car’s dashboard .  As long as it can see the sun, your JOOS Orange will bring solar energy to you in the easiest, most convenient way! Use the convenient security holes with a strong cable to make sure it does not walk off with anyone!

What if it rains? Is the JOOS Orange waterproof?

The electronics in the JOOS Orange are encapsulated, meaning they are completely waterproof. However, if water gets into the micro USB port and is not dried out, oxidation can form over the connecting pins and the JOOS Orange will not work.  Make sure to keep the port cover closed tightly when used in a wet environment.  If water gets inside the micro USB port, dry it out quickly.  A little dab of rubbing alcohol can help speed up the drying process.

 

Is it possible for the JOOS Orange battery  drain completely or die?

Under normal circumstances this won’t happen. It is possible for a lithium-ion polymer battery to drain completely (less than 2 volts, or less than 1% charge). This can happen to the battery if the JOOS Orange is completely discharged and is then kept in the dark for a very long time (several months at a minimum). Once the battery has gotten into this state, it cannot be charged by a USB power source. It can only be charged again through solar power. Once the battery has been charged by the sun, it can then again be charged by using a USB power source if desired.

How do I know when it is fully charged?

The red LED indicator tells you how much solar power is being produced and stored in the internal battery, and the green LEDs show how full the battery is. When the LED lights no longer flash, the JOOS Orange’s battery is full. You can test this by plugging the black charging cable into the unit. The green LED lights will blink 5 times to show the battery is full.

Can I charge my JOOS Orange when there is no sun?

Yes – you can charge the JOOS Orange from the sun or from a USB power source. To charge with solar energy, of course the JOOS Orange needs light to function, but its intelligent technology will often keep it charging in low or partial light. The white charging cable included in your pack will allow you to charge the JOOS Orange from a USB power source, such as your computer.

How do I tell how much power is left?

You can connect the JOOS Orange to the dashboard GUI (available as a download from our website) which shows how charged the JOOS Orange is.

Can I charge my laptop with it?

No.  That will be our next JOOS product.  But, the JOOS Orange can charge the iPad, smart phones, satellite phones, GPS devices and every other mobile device that uses a 3.7V lithium-ion polymer battery.

How can I improve the effectiveness of my JOOS Orange?

To improve the effectiveness of your JOOS Orange, attach the reflectors from the Power Boost Reflector Kit (available as an accessory) onto the sides with the screws provided. The reflectors direct more light onto the solar cell, increasing the rate of power production significantly. The amount will depend on your latitude; here in Silicon Valley, we can expect about 30-40% more energy. A Reflector Kit is available for purchase from our website at www.solarjoos.com/products/extras.

The LED lights don’t blink.

When the JOOS Orange battery is completely full, the LEDs will not blink in the sun.

 

 

The Solar Power wheel on the dashboard GUI shows nothing when I hook up my JOOS Orange.

The Solar Power wheel shows the watts generating in real time when the JOOS Orange is in the sun.  So, unless the JOOS Orange is generating power in the sun, the wheel won’t show anything.

My iPad won’t charge.

Make sure you use the iPhone/iPad tip we provide. The iPad will not charge if you use the female USB adapter tip and the Apple charging cable for the iPad

 

 

The green battery status LED won’t blink when I plug in the white cable.

If the dashboard GUI shows Firmware Version 1.18 or higher, the green battery status LED will blink when you connect the white cable from the JOOS Orange to a USB power source (it won’t blink unless connected to a USB power source).  If the Firmware is 1.16, the green LED light will NOT blink when charging from a USB power source. Of course, the JOOS Orange battery is being charged.  The status can be checked on the GUI or when you plug in the black cable.

 

 

I charged up my JOOS Orange and the battery drained without charging anything.

Don’t leave the black charging cable connected to the JOOS Orange or it will slowly drain the battery, even if no device is attached.  The JOOS Orange battery can hold its charge for over a year.   The battery status information on the GUI is very sensitive, so it may show slight differences between readings.

 

 

My JOOS Orange doesn’t charge from my computer.

Make sure your computer is turned on and remains on while you charge the JOOS Orange. If the green LED doesn’t blink while connected to a computer that’s turned on, the white cable could be faulty.

 

 

My JOOS Orange doesn’t charge my device

Make sure the battery in your JOOS Orange isn’t empty (check on the downloadable dashboard GUI or by inserting the black cable to make the green LED blink).  For an iPad, make sure you’re using the enclosed iPhone/iPad tip, rather than the 30pin cable that came with the iPad and our female USB tip. It’s also possible, if the battery is not empty, the black charging cable may be faulty.

 

 

How do I take care of my JOOS Orange?

The JOOS Orange needs no special care. It is designed to be a rugged, durable product. If the solar cell gets dirty, clean it with a sponge and light detergent. If water gets inside the micro USB port, dry it out quickly.  A little dab of rubbing alcohol can help speed up the drying process.

 

 

How long will the power remain in my JOOS Orange?

We have designed the JOOS Orange to be the most efficient power-storage unit available.  As such, it can work as a useful power source even in long term storage conditions. The lithium-ion polymer battery inside the JOOS Orange discharges energy at a rate of 3% per month, so the JOOS Orange will still retain some 70% of its power after 12 months and over a quarter of its power after 2 years – assuming it is not put out in the sun to recharge of course!

My device isn’t charging properly, what should I do?

Check to ensure that your JOOS Orange is powered up (no green light is no power at all may indicate 100% charge in the battery- you can use the GUI to see what is going on inside your JOOS Orange). Check that you have the correct cables and adapter tips inserted into the JOOS Orange and your device. If the device is not charging, contact their manufacturer.

How do I make sure I get the most sun during the day?

Your JOOS Orange has multi-positional legs that pull out from the back of the unit. Adjust the legs into a position that angles the solar cell to best face the sun. If you plan to leave the JOOS Orange in a stationary position all day, face the solar cell to the south and adjust the legs to point the front of the Orange to the noon sun.

What do I do if the adapters don’t fit my devices?

We supply a variety of different adapters and tips on our website at www.solarjoos.com/products/extras.

How quickly will the sun charge the JOOS Orange battery?

It depends on your location, time of year, time of day, temperature, sunshine/cloud level, the angle of the sun in relation to the solar cell and whether you move the JOOS Orange to follow the sun or just let it sit still. The quickest would be about 10% filled per hour (2Wh/hour) if you rotate the JOOS Orange to track the full sun on a very cold day. On a sunny day, if you just leave it in one place facing where the noon sun will be, you’ll likely average somewhere between 5% and 7.5% filled per hour.

If the JOOS Orange battery and my cell phone battery are both empty, how quickly can I talk on my phone while hooked up to the JOOS Orange?

Within minutes. In full sun, the JOOS Orange makes more than enough energy to operate a cell phone. It will take about 5 to 10 minutes for both devices to engage when starting from dead batteries.

What should the Solar Power wheel read when I have my JOOS Orange pointed at the sun?

It depends on many factors including sun location (see above answers). After sitting in the sun, the solar cell heats up and solar power decreases (heat decreases the efficiency -that’s why the JOOS Orange has a metal heat sink to reduce the heat build-up). In Campbell, CA, early in the afternoon on a clear spring day when the ambient temperature is about 70 degrees F, a cold JOOS Orange will make about 1.7 to 1.8 watts when pointed directly at the sun. After exposure to the sun for half an hour, we typically see a continuous power production of 1.4 to 1.5 watts. If it’s hot outside, the numbers drop. Likewise, if it’s cold, they go up. If there is high humidity the numbers go down.

Battery health says ‘Unknown’ on the myJOOS Energy Dashboard GUI

Nothing is wrong with your JOOS Orange. The Dashboard GUI is in a Beta release and being enhanced, but this information is not yet available.

Battery only reaches 85% on the myJOOS Dashboard after charging from a USB source

We understand that only reaching an 85% full reading for the battery charge makes it appear that something is wrong. Nothing is wrong – we just made the battery charge indicator very sensitive. The Dashboard was created as a diagnostic tool and we thought it would be cool to provide to customers. Charging lithium batteries is complex, at the upper levels of voltage the battery wants a ‘more gentle’ input of energy than a typical USB charging module produces. Consequently the charging rate slows down dramatically at about 85% full when using a USB power source. Interestingly, charging from the sun better matches what the battery wants, so more energy goes in faster at the upper voltage levels. Thus, the effective energy storage is increased with solar and expanded the charge level indicator to show this.

How much of an iPad battery will a JOOS Orange fill?

The JOOS Orange battery is roughly 80% the size of the iPad 1 and iPad 2 battery, and about half the size of the “new iPad” battery. Because of limitations with the charging circuitry on Apple’s iPad, some power is lost during the charging process. This results in the JOOS Orange providing a 60-70% charge on an iPad or iPad 2, and a 35-40% charge on a “new iPad.”

How many iPhones will a JOOS Orange charge when not in the sun?

A fully charged JOOS Orange will provide approximately 2.5 charges on an iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S, and approximately 2 charges on an iPhone 5. Although the size of the JOOS Orange’s battery could, in theory, provide additional charges, limitations with the charging circuitry on Apple’s iPhone cause some power to be lost during the charging process.
For further support and information, please contact us at:
support@solarcomponentsllc.com