Goal Zero Nomad 28 Plus - Solar Panel Manual

GET TO KNOW YOUR GEAR

Solar Charge Cable
(8mm charging cable for Sherpa Power Pack or Goal Zero Yeti Portable Power Station)

HOW IT WORKS

Charging phones, batteries and other USB-powered devices from the Nomad 28 Plus is as easy as plugging in.

1. Make sure the Junction Box is plugged into the Charge Cable. You can plug the Charge Cable directly into a Sherpa Power Pack's blue-ringed Input Port.
2. Open your Nomad 28 Plus and face the panels toward the sun and check the Solar Intensity Indicator for current solar conditions. 2 or more lights, you're good to go.
3. Plug in your phone or recharger into the junction box and charge up.
   
   COLLECT
   Gather the sun's energy with the solar panel
   STORE
   Plug a Goal Zero Power Pack or tablet into the panel
   POWER
   Charge gear anyway

WHAT IT POWERS

Phone
2 Hrs Full Sun

Tablet
2 Hrs Full Sun

Venture 70
6 Hrs Full Sun

Sherpa 100
7 Hrs Full Sun

Yeti 150
12 Hrs Full Sun

All the cables you need to recharge Sherpa Power Packs and Goal Zero Yeti Portable Power Stations are included in the back of the Nomad 28 Plus. The same cable can be used to chain the Nomad 28 Plus with other chainable Nomad Plus and Nomad Solar Panels.

1. Open your Nomad 28 Plus and face the panels toward the sun and check the Solar Intensity Indicator for current solar conditions to estimate your recharge times.
2. Remove the junction box from the 8mm cable.
3. Plug the 8mm blue tipped cable into the INPUT on the Sherpa or Goal Zero Yeti.

JUNCTION BOX + SOLAR INTENSITY INDICATOR

This is where the brains of the Nomad 28 Plus live. Several key components work together to ensure you have the best solar charging experience, including the Solar Intensity Indicator. These 4 LED lights are indicative of current solar conditions and give you an idea of how well your gear will charge.

Once you plug into the Nomad 28 Plus, the lights will blink in accordance with how fast your gear is charging. Think you should be seeing more lights? Try repositioning the Nomad 28 Plus toward the sun and watch how the lights and speed of charge indicator change.

The best charging scenario for phones and other USB powered devices is 2 or more lights.

AUTO RESTART

The Nomad 28 Plus features an auto restart that's smarter than anything else on the market. With the ability to track power flow history, the Nomad 28 Plus knows the difference between a device that has reached a fully charged state and one that disconnects due to environmental causes, i.e. lack of sunlight, shadow, solar eclipse, etc. When the latter is detected, the Nomad 28 Plus will automatically reconnect the charging device, no extra work on your part is needed.

KICKSTAND

The Nomad 28 Plus's detachable kickstand allows you to be as lightweight as you need to be. Leave it attached with the magnets and it pops out to an optimal angle for positioning toward the sun. It also provides natural shade and a vented pocket for devices you have plugged in.

CHAINING

Chaining panels is a great way to collect more power from the sun and recharge devices quicker. You can chain up to 150W of solar panels together, five Nomad 28 Plus Solar Panels would be 140W; however, we don't recommend more than four in a chain (see the NOTE below).

1. Unplug the Junction Box – stash it in a safe place, like the zippered pouch so you don't misplace it.
2. Plug the 8mm Charge Cable into another Nomad Solar Panel's blue-ringed 8mm input cable.
3. Using the 8mm Charge Cable of the final panel, plug into a Sherpa Power Pack or Goal Zero Yeti Portable Power Station. You could also reattach the Junction Box to the last solar panel in the chain to recharge USB powered devices.

NOTE: After four solar panels are chained together, you might notice something called line loss, which has to do with the loss of voltages over a long distances. The farther the power has to travel through cables, from panel to panel, the more power you will lose.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Is the Nomad 28 Plus waterproof?
A: Yes. We've gone to great lengths to ruggedize the Nomad 28 Plus; including beefing up the manufacturing process with advanced lamination techniques so it'll slough off rain and snow. However, if the junction box gets soaking wet, we recommend letting it dry out before plugging in.

Q: Does the Nomad 28 Plus have a built-in battery?
A: Nope. We made the Nomad 28 to be as modular and lightweight as possible that meant selling batteries as an optional accessory. You can either plug your phone or device directly into the Nomad 28 Plus, or pair it with one of our rechargers to store power for later (like at night or when you go inside). May we recommend a Sherpa Power Pack or Goal Zero Yeti Portable Power Station?

Q: Is this chainable with other Nomad panels?
A: Yes, but only on some Goal Zero Nomad Solar Panels. You can plug the Charge Cable into the chaining ports on Nomad and Nomad Plus Solar Panels. The Nomad 28 Plus cannot be chained with the Nomad 7 Plus or the Nomad 7 Solar Panels.

Q: How does the Solar Intensity Indicator work?
A: Science. We can't give away all our secrets. For real though, our engineers developed patent-pending electronic brains for the Nomad 28 Plus that ensures you have the best solar charging experience possible. Part of the electronics include an advanced current sensor (way better than a voltmeter) and unique maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller to optimize the USB output. What you need to know is when conditions are right, you can plug a phone into the Nomad 28 Plus and charge it directly from the sun. You'll know the conditions are right by checking out the Solar Intensity Indicator.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

NOMAD 28 PLUS SOLAR PANEL
Solar Panel:
Charges the following:	Approx. Charge time:
GOAL ZERO Flip 30	5-8 hrs
GOAL ZERO Venture 30	5-8 hrs
GOAL ZERO Sherpa 50	4-8 hrs
GOAL ZERO Sherpa 100	7-14 hrs
GOAL ZERO Yeti 400	29-57 hrs
Rated Power:	28W
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc)	18-22V
Cell Type	Monocrystalline
Ports:
Solar Port (blue, 8.0mm)	14-22V, up to 2A (28W max)
USB port	5V, up to 2.4 A (12W max)
General:
Weight (with leg)	3.0 lbs (1360 g)
Weight (without leg)	2.5 lbs (1134g)
Dimensions (unfolded)	12.1 x 31.6 x 0.1 in (31 x 80 x 0.2 cm)
Dimensions (folded)	12.1 x 7.9 x 1 in (31 x 20 x 2.5 cm)
Warranty	12 months
Certs