I added the Gerber zip archive into the Files area. Check and download if you want to reproduce this project more easily. 

   As I said on the project's page in a previous log, I wanted to use a part of the winnings to invest in manufacturing a small volume of Brian Box modules. My plan was to distribute these modules to some local families here in PNG and to help them in this way. The Brian Box module won the Power Harvesting Round @ the 2018 Hackaday Prize https://hackaday.com/2018/07/24/twenty-power-harvesting-projects-headed-to-the-hackaday-prize-finals/ 

   This means that I had to keep my promise and invest 40% of the winnings in creating 60 lucky prototypes that would find their owners in some of the remote villages of the PNG rain forest. 

   Some of these prototypes already left for the following villages (tribes): Kuni, Arop, Patep, Kamano and Nomane. I hope I will be able to show you some pictures soon.

I managed to make some reliability tests and to make a test report for this device. So far, so good. I trust it to charge my phone in every situation with any kind of solar panel so far. Check the Files area for more details. 

Since I plan to create this for the masses, I had to put together an intuitive and simple to digest user manual. Check the Files area for the document

Product specifications

The Files area contains now the label design files. Just in case you are interested. 

Stay tuned for more.

Watch the gallery for a slideshow with all the images. 

Check the case files here:

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/lm2596-usb-module-case-aka-brian-box

Stay tuned for more info

I added the schematic in the Files area. I also made two quick renders of the layout files. One of the layout files is including the connector and the other one is without. 

As you noticed, it is not so much of an electronic design, excepting the fact that I redrew the diagram with my own connectors, reverse polarity protection diode and the LED light. In fact, I believe there are similar products on the market at this time. After all, this simple schematic is like connecting an LM317 to a couple of capacitors. It's only requiring basic skills. This simple diagram is proposed several times in different configurations in the datasheet of the component. It is a simple circuit but it will work perfectly with my design. 

  Why Brian?

   Many people told me that I should have called this the Marius Box. The truth is that for years many people of these places dreamed of having something like this. An old coworker and friend of mine, named Brian Chapaitis used to say that we would need something like a box connected between a cheapish  solar panel and the mobile phone, and a device like that would be life saving in so many cases. The original early proof-of-concept prototype for this project was created by Brian Chapaitis. Since I'm not in for the "fame and glory" and I just wanted to help, I saw as a good opportunity to give credit to this man and to name the device after him. After all, I am only trying to help these people by providing small and affordable open source solutions for them. Being with them here in Papua New Guinea, offers me the possibility to see what they are really struggling with and to come up with real solutions according to their needs.  

   What If I win something?

   Posting an open source project like this on the hackadays page is already a wining ticket. By publishing a project like this, i open the way for others to improve and manufacture an idea like this for the masses in the future. Good ideas should not be kept secret. My dream is that in a few months we will be able to buy this device from ebay at less than 5$. The people of these places could therefore buy something like this from a random chinese store in town with less than 15 kina. And this represents a small bit of comfort, light, education and communication bought with a price equal to the average daily income. I don't really know how this design will evolve... If there'll be a good bet that this project wins something I plan now to use 40% of any winnings to manufacture some of these things for some of the people i know in the surrounding villages. God bless!