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I am now taking orders for these.
Send me a pm stating that you would like to order one and what exactly you would like, I have the options posted below. I will order the materials as soon as 10 people have said that they will take one. Being unemployed I can't order the parts before I have confirmed buyers. I won't take any money from you until I have the parts in hand, I just need a pm saying you will buy one.
Options:
Circuit and Battery Holder (No Case) - $25
Circuit, Battery Holder with Case - $27
Circuit, Battery Holder with Case and Installation - $30
Shipping:
USPS Flat Rate - $5
Any other method will have the price calculated at the time of shipping. The weight is less than two ounces if you would like to estimate costs.
USPS first class to Los Angeles is between $0.75 - $1.15
Potential Options:
Solar Powered with Lithium Battery - $85
I have not tested this yet. If someone would like it I can build it but beware that charging with solar could take a long time.
Lithium without solar - $55
Charging would be done with any usb mini charger.
As of right now, Paypal would be the best way to pay. Just send me a PM if your interested and I will give you my Paypal email.
I've attached some pictures of the semi-finished product. I used scotch tape and a folded index card to secure the circuit temporarily while any shipped versions will use double-sided tape and solder.
It will work with rechargeable or alkaline batteries. After testing using two batteries, it just does not have enough capacity to really make carrying this around worthwhile. With two rechargeable batteries it only provided 30-40% of a full charge. So, unless specifically requested, the design will now be done with three batteries.
Hmmm, probably not a device you want to leave in your pocket when boarding a plane!
G35tr said:
Hmmm, probably not a device you want to leave in your pocket when boarding a plane!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you would have a problem as long as you don't try to hide it. Worst case they would want to x-ray it and make you hook it up to verify what it is.
Typos and other gibberish courtesy of Swype
So wait, turn an altoids tin into a USB charger?
2 AA batteries can charge the phone to capacity? Any idea how many times?
gunnyman said:
So wait, turn an altoids tin into a USB charger?
2 AA batteries can charge the phone to capacity? Any idea how many times?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. This is essentially a USB power source for whatever you need it for. It is capable of providing up to 500mA of current. So any device that demands more than that will not work. For our phones, that just means it charges slower than the wall wart but the same speed as a USB port on your computer.
I put some of the math up in the first post. Theoretically it could charge it 1 time but I have a feeling it is about 60-75% of the capacity. I'm testing that theory today.
So far, it has taken the phone from 40% to 63% in 50 minutes. I'll see where it stops and add that to the first post.
gunnyman said:
So wait, turn an altoids tin into a USB charger?
2 AA batteries can charge the phone to capacity? Any idea how many times?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the original developer and kit:
http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/
Basically you are converting 3V to ~5V. If you use 2-2500mAH batteries then you wind up with enough juice to charge the phone about 2/3 of the way (67%).
check out the FAQ on the link above.
Is there room for 4 batteries in the case, rather than 2? I have a good amount of NiMH AAs that I wouldn't mind using, but keeping 4 might let me get more run time between charges.
jdsemler said:
Is there room for 4 batteries in the case, rather than 2? I have a good amount of NiMH AAs that I wouldn't mind using, but keeping 4 might let me get more run time between charges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is definitely possible to fit four batteries. I have changed the default design to use a set of three batteries but I do have a two battery holder left that I can use for those people who want to carry an extra set of batteries.
I can't make one with a four battery holder because if someone put alkalines in it, it could fry the chip.
hockeyrcks9901 said:
It is definitely possible to fit four batteries. I have changed the default design to use a set of three batteries but I do have a two battery holder left that I can use for those people who want to carry an extra set of batteries.
I can't make one with a four battery holder because if someone put alkalines in it, it could fry the chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that? Do you mean if someone tried to charge the alkalinene batteries through the chip?
If you wired series pairs in parallel so you had 3 volts and 5000 mah would that work?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
Does the price include the Altoids mints? j/k Cool idea.
Dani897 said:
Why is that? Do you mean if someone tried to charge the alkalinene batteries through the chip?
If you wired series pairs in parallel so you had 3 volts and 5000 mah would that work?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would fry the chip if four alkaline were put in series. It is possible to do two sets of series in parallel but putting batteries in parallel is very risky. If you replace the batteries with ones that are not perfectly matched, the batteries may be severely damaged and can even "explode". So I'm not going to risk damaging anyone's phone by putting batteries in parallel.
With my tin, I carry an extra set of batteries in the tin and change them when they get low.
back2honda said:
Does the price include the Altoids mints? j/k Cool idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone wants them, I have no issue sticking them in a zip-lock but I can't guarantee the safety if eating them after the seal on the package has been broken.
Added an option for lithium without solar and edited shipping costs.
Typos and other gibberish courtesy of Swype
Saw this article this morning. Thought I'd share it.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-wireless-charging-kit-introduced-by-Zens_id32935
Won't be coming out until September, for about 85 USD, but at least there will be options.
Does anyone know how much the official one will cost?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
anyone know how wireless charging compares to outlet powered charging as far as strength and charge time?
$85 to me just seems ridiculous for a wireless charger when the technology obviously doesn't cost nearly that much. I think even after these official setups come out that I will stick with the palm touchstone conversion if I decide I want to do wireless charging. Even if I mess something up I can buy and screw up 8 of those before I even get close to paying $85.
kmdtcs said:
$85 to me just seems ridiculous for a wireless charger when the technology obviously doesn't cost nearly that much. I think even after these official setups come out that I will stick with the palm touchstone conversion if I decide I want to do wireless charging. Even if I mess something up I can buy and screw up 8 of those before I even get close to paying $85.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, the touchstone cost less, but with the touchstone charging rate is only 500mAh which has slow charging time.
I'll like to see the official one first.
The Qi standard offers a maximum of 1A in low power mode but a lot of the ICs on the market (TI) only support up to 500 mA. 500mA is about half of dedicated wall charging one I believe and the same as when you plug it into your PC to charge.
kms108 said:
I agree, the touchstone cost less, but with the touchstone charging rate is only 500mAh which has slow charging time.
I'll like to see the official one first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 10:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 AM ----------
I plan on modding a case to do this. I am currently looking for some schematics because I have a feeling that this was provisioned in the design of the phone.
giritrobbins said:
The Qi standard offers a maximum of 1A in low power mode but a lot of the ICs on the market (TI) only support up to 500 mA. 500mA is about half of dedicated wall charging one I believe and the same as when you plug it into your PC to charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1A is more like it,the SGS3 has a charging rate of 1A through the mains.
i'm not in a rush for one so i'll see bother before I decide.
1Android said:
anyone know how wireless charging compares to outlet powered charging as far as strength and charge time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not too sure myself, but I've heard some people say it takes longer and others that say it takes just as long. I know when my husband had the palm pre and would use his touchstone it really didn't seem to be a very noticeable difference in time.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
Does seem a little pricey, but would love to pick up one for my desk at work, grab and go when I go out on the floor.
It's new technology(For phones at least) so obviously they gonna rip off the early adopters, I mean I bought one for Nintendo DSI for £3 which has identical technology to what they put in that so I'm gonna take that apart and if it works just buy a cheap battery cover and stick it together.
If it is qi or compatible then the energizer charging pad will work. It is well worth the money imo. I used it with tbolt every night , before my slim, lean, toned s3 arrived. Now I just can't decide whether to ripe one of my spare tbolt qi doors apart or wait for factory s3 qi door.
For what I've seen if the palm is so easy why not use the "proper" dock and hack a tbolt or similar door.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Hopefully this combined with the Verizon version that someone posted some photos of will put some pressure on samsung to hurry up and release the official one...
Sonof the zens unit is $85 then the official Samsung one will be $100or more.
still no word on the wireless kit?
kms108 said:
I agree, the touchstone cost less, but with the touchstone charging rate is only 500mAh which has slow charging time.
I'll like to see the official one first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For overnight charging, this is a good thing - extends the life of your battery. The higher your charge rate, the less your battery will ultimately live. The performance of your battery overall will degrade. Slow charging is a good thing.
If you want a fast charge, just plug into a USB cable if you are in a pinch.
Also, I read in the Galaxy Nexus threads (where the Palm Touchstone mod originated) that there's a software mod they are applying to increase that rate up to be nearly as quick as the 1A charger. The same type of mod may be applicable here.
I just got my ZENS+Shield kit for the S3 that has the protective shield instead of the OEM-style backing. I'm loving it!
Previously I had been using an OEM back with a Touchstone wireless charger installed in it, but I really wanted to have my elago slim hard case that makes the buttons recessed. I made an ugly hack that made it work most of the time but I hated having to fiddle with those Palm Touchstone chargers and making it align to the magnet.
Sometimes my cat could get annoying and just nudge it or maybe the phone would vibrate enough from alerts, it would get into this "charge-discharge" loop state that can't be good for the phone, sometimes even fully lose contact. It was just not very reliable -- I found myself sometimes just plugging it into USB to get a better charge.
The ZENS wireless back fits really well and provides the backing I wanted. I wish the texture was a bit more grippy but it's not exactly slippery. It's on-par with the stock grip. It's a bit heavier and slightly more bulky than the elago case but that's because it provides a bit more protection and has a rubbery pad for some sort of shock protection.
The charger is great too. I can put the phone in just about any position and it'll charge. They even brag it'll charge if you put it on a high volume speaker in the instructions (but it may take up to 2 mins for it to "negotiate" in that case.) It seems to charge faster than my Touchstone.
It's Qi standard so I should be able to use it with any charging pad. I was shopping for a second charger but the 3-position Energizer looks much too big as does the Duracell and the single position Energizer is slanted and I've read some people have issues with it sliding off. I like that the ZENS charger is flat and the size is nice, so I ordered another.
There's one downside to the ZENS charger but I think other chargers (except the Palm Touchstone) suffer the same problem: they do not use USB as a power source. My ZENS charger uses some ugly wall-wart. Also it's a bit more expensive.
Hi All! So this is my first time starting a new thread so I hope I'm doing this right. I couldn't really find a thread specifically for battery banks or battery backups so I thought I'd start one.
I was wondering what is everyone's method of backing up/recharging your battery for your cellphones? For me, the battery that comes with my phone is enough to get me through the day usually and I just charge it every night while I sleep. If I go on trips, I use the Rav Power 10000 mah battery bank. I find this a bit bulky but it works great and lasts many charges before I have to recharge again.
Everyone's taste and preferences are different so I'm seeing what other options are out there that may be lighter in weight. I'm thinking of getting their smaller one, the 5200 mah, and have this in my backpack or car for just in case.
Any mini reviews of what you have would be great :good:
Wow, cool gadgets, I need to get a bank for just-in-case emergencies. Thanks Currently i use a solar powered charger, which is really slow and somethings doesn't work as desired. Looks similar to this http://www.amazon.com/External-Univ...=8-4&keywords=solar+powered+cellphone+charger
Ive bought one at sunsky from china battery about 4000mah, but it was year before, now there is a better.
I used to have a bank that looked like a GBA SP, with foldable screens. In the screens were two solar panels, which charged the battery of, I think, about 2000mAh or something like that. The thing is now broken though. Still looking for a nice (affordable) replacement
Mine is Anker 5600
I use the Belkin 4000, size similar to a ext HDD and look nice, pocketable too
http://www.techhypermart.com/belkin-f8m160ak-portable-battery-pack-4000.html
Charger considerations
Hi,
I need advise for the following:
Charger A (Li-polymer battery) output : 5V, 1A
Charger B (Li-polymer battery) output : 5V, 500mA
Device input: 5V, 750mAH (Li-ion / Li-polymer)
When using Charger A, some people comment that it will limit the current of 750mAH for the device and the device's battery should be fine since both the charger and device are at 5V. However, some people comment that this will shorten the battery life of the device since it will perform a 'quick charge' using 1A.
When using Charger B, some people comment that the device will draw more current than it can deliver and causes it to heat up and reduces the charger's life. However, some people comment that Charger B will extend the battery life of the device since it performs a 'slow charge'.
I also read that USB pins on the charger denotes if the charger is a PC or a dedicated charger. If it is a PC, the device will limit the drawing current. If it is a dedicated charger, the device will draw more current to charge itself.
I am confused as to who is right and which charger should i be using.
Can someone enlighten me ?
Thank you very much.
bought this one from Ebay, has not yet arrived, therefore I cannot tell if its good or not.
but for its price its quite a good bet, 12000mAh for 33 bucks (on sale until tomorrow)
not able to post links, just type w ww. before the following
ebay.com/itm/12000mAh-External-Power-Bank-Battery-Charger-iPhone-3-4S-iPad-3-2-Blackberry-/280947027345
Zagg sparq 2.0 highly recommended
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
I recommend Anker 5600 is very good for that stuff.
Hi, I use choiix power fort 10Wh http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=3001 it have 2700mAh and it's small and looks very nice. It can give one full charge for my SGSIII
I went on a trip this year and searched for a good bank, and this showed up.
http://www.sayes.co/20-powerbank.html
I tried it and it was really good, it has lots of adapters and it's cheap =P
I was able to order a RavPower 5600mAh on sale a while back ago, that was posted on slickdeals. here. I am pretty happy with the performance of the little backup, it defiantly gets the job done. My only complaint is that the body gets scratched up easily.
I was comparing the Ravpower and the Anker 5600 and they both look exactly the same except that both are branded with their logos. So I'm wondering if they're from the same manufacturer. Going to have to do some more research. However my current Ravpower power bank I do have is working great and I love this thing for trips.
I'm also thinking of getting a solar one for my 3day emergency/bug out bag. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Green Ranger said:
I was comparing the Ravpower and the Anker 5600 and they both look exactly the same except that both are branded with their logos. So I'm wondering if they're from the same manufacturer. Going to have to do some more research. However my current Ravpower power bank I do have is working great and I love this thing for trips.
I'm also thinking of getting a solar one for my 3day emergency/bug out bag. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, can someone please let me know if they are the exact same manufactuers, except for the company logos on them? I am deciding between the two. Also, what do you guys think of their 2600maH stick version? Which manufactuer would you go for over the other and why? I am very interested.
I'm using a "Scosche SolBAT II Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger" which I bought off Amazon for something ridiculous like $15 last year.
I bought it for hiking mostly as an emergency charger. I use a Huawei phone as a GPS out in the wilderness, and the GPS app (Androzic) is quite power intensive. I have also used the same device on an iPhone and an iPod touch. The Huawei phone will receive a full charge from this battery, but the iDevices will only go to around 75%.
The solar cell on the back of the battery isn't all that efficient and will take about two days to charge the internal battery, but having it there gives you more options should an emergency occur while in the wilderness. A half hour charging in full sunlight would provide enough power for a short call or a couple of texts to family or emergency services.
The device comes with suction cups and a small carabiner, so it can be stuck to the inside of your car window or clipped to the back of your rucksack. The device is lighter and smaller than the average smartphone and can be fully charged by USB in about three hours. Interestingly, the device has a LOT of bad reviews on Amazon, so maybe they simply sent me a good one.
I also have a very cheap and nasty handcrank USB charger from dealextreme which can be used to add a bit of juice to the solar battery pack at night or in cloudy weather or can directly charge the phone in an emergency. It's a little flimsy and takes a fair bit of cranking to get enough juice for even one call, but it weighs nothing, cost about $2 and is cheap insurance out in the boonies.
My list of power equipment for the phone/GPS and the iPod Touch for a multi-day walk are as follows:
Short Micro USB cable x 1
iPod USB cable x 1
Scosche SolBAT II battery/charger with alloy carabiner
DX hand crank battery charger
Total weight is less than 200 grams
nottellingeither said:
I'm using a "Scosche SolBAT II Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger" which I bought off Amazon for something ridiculous like $15 last year.
I bought it for hiking mostly as an emergency charger. I use a Huawei phone as a GPS out in the wilderness, and the GPS app (Androzic) is quite power intensive. I have also used the same device on an iPhone and an iPod touch. The Huawei phone will receive a full charge from this battery, but the iDevices will only go to around 75%.
The solar cell on the back of the battery isn't all that efficient and will take about two days to charge the internal battery, but having it there gives you more options should an emergency occur while in the wilderness. A half hour charging in full sunlight would provide enough power for a short call or a couple of texts to family or emergency services.
The device comes with suction cups and a small carabiner, so it can be stuck to the inside of your car window or clipped to the back of your rucksack. The device is lighter and smaller than the average smartphone and can be fully charged by USB in about three hours. Interestingly, the device has a LOT of bad reviews on Amazon, so maybe they simply sent me a good one.
I also have a very cheap and nasty handcrank USB charger from dealextreme which can be used to add a bit of juice to the solar battery pack at night or in cloudy weather or can directly charge the phone in an emergency. It's a little flimsy and takes a fair bit of cranking to get enough juice for even one call, but it weighs nothing, cost about $2 and is cheap insurance out in the boonies.
My list of power equipment for the phone/GPS and the iPod Touch for a multi-day walk are as follows:
Short Micro USB cable x 1
iPod USB cable x 1
Scosche SolBAT II battery/charger with alloy carabiner
DX hand crank battery charger
Total weight is less than 200 grams
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a nice list of equipment. How is the solar powered charger coming along?
tgmeyer said:
Yeah, can someone please let me know if they are the exact same manufactuers, except for the company logos on them? I am deciding between the two. Also, what do you guys think of their 2600maH stick version? Which manufactuer would you go for over the other and why? I am very interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly i went with pricing. I assume if they look the same they are from the same vendors/manufactures but different brand/company. Reviews for both sound very good too. Ravpower had a promo going on a while back and i tend to see them pop up from time to time on slick deals. The stick might give you one charge but since it looks smaller than the rest, it may be the easiest and lightest to carry around. I say get a decent sized one. Anywhere between 5600mah to 10000mah so you can go through a few charges without needing to charge again.
I have a 6600 mAh(well, in my experience it's not true, more like 4-4.5k), but I rarely use it after I bought a tablet with a fullsized usb port in it.
solar charger
I was looking for a solar charger. I bougth one but it crashed in two days. Therefore I returned it and now I am waiting for another one. In the place I live there are few options
This is a review of Anker Astro Slim2 4500 mAh dual output External battery (5V 1A Input, 5V 1A dual output with built in hideaway cable for one of the output ports): http://www.ianker.com/product/79ANS4552-BA
Every time I start to think about extended battery, I run into a big question of what am I going to do with all my cases that no longer going to fit the phone. That is why I decided to explore external battery solution. I don't trust no-name ebay brands because those have overly exaggerated capacity rating. So I turned to a trusted brand, Anker, since so many people in this forum had a lot of positive things to say about their products. In comparison to our stock 3100 mAh battery, this Slim2 external battery is not over the top with its 4500 mAh labeled capacity. If you take into consideration all the conversion factors between external lithium battery, USB port transport, and back to phone's battery, we are talking about final capacity which could realistically be closer to 3100 mAh (and actually stated in the manual as 30% internal power consumption due to losses). What makes the battery stand out is it's unbelievable slim form factor and all the design details that go with it.
When you first take it in your hand you can't believe how light and slim it is. We are talking about 10mm slim! I actually took exact measurement with my digital caliper and found it to be 4.97" x 2.52" x 0.41" (126.34mm x 64.08mm x 10.64mm) and weight to be 4.1 oz (116g) which also includes built-in micro-usb cable. I can see that a lot of thought went into it's design. The case of this external battery is made out of tough plastic with a matte finish and sides have a rubbery finish for a nice grip. The form factor is very slick, something that can go easily into your pocket or purse or even carried in one hand attached externally to your phone. The unit has one micro-usb input port which is cleverly covered by hideaway micro-usb output cable/connector, and another regular usb output port. Pretty much it eliminates a need to carry any external cables since the one you need for your Android device is already built-in. The cable for that external micro-usb connector is flat, flexible, and just long enough to wrap around the end of the battery pack, and it should be sufficient to connect to any phone or tablet. As part of the accessories that come with Slim2, you also get usb-to-micro-usb extension cable with additional mini-usb adapter and Apple 30pin adapter. This second regular usb Output port also comes very handy for another important reason. If you look at the pictures I took, you can see that hideaway micro-usb connector has trapezoid shape. It should work fine with most of the slim or rugged cases that have silicone or tpu inner shell/bumper surrounding micro-usb port opening. With my UAG case is was a very close call where I had to push it in with some force. This hideaway port will not work with Defender case due to its inner plastic shell suited and standard rectangular port opening. That's where 2nd usb output port comes in handy to use external usb cable with a regular micro-usb connector.
There is no power button, instead you have auto on/off capability and display of battery capacity using 4 led lights partitioned in 25% increments. Every time you plug/unplug power cable those lights lit up to show you capacity level or charging level. Also, auto shut off reassures that you will not overcharge the battery once it reaches 100%. I charged this battery to 100% (indicated by 4 solid lights), and used with my Note 2 which was down to 55%. To my surprise charging time was very fast considering it has 1A output, and I was able to get my phone back to 100% within 1.5 hour with 2 led lights remaining thus indicating that battery still had 50% of charge left. That is consistent with my assumption of battery capacity to be around 3100 mAh.
Overall, I'm very pleased with Slim2 as an emergency battery pack. It's slim, easy to grip, light weight, small footprint, NO need for external cables (unless if you have a case like Defender), and ability to charge 2 devices simultaneously. Furthermore, if you remember my mod with clip stand from a car mount, I actually found it to fit together really well which is great, for example, while watching a movie and charging your phone up at the same. Everything is captured in pictures below!
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With a clip-stand:
awesome, gonna get one
initial_k said:
awesome, gonna get one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).
vectron said:
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.
drnihili said:
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No astro 4 is better 13000mAh
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He'd like both.
We live (or soon will) in 70 acres of forest and he likes to go off wandering most of the day. Between camera, gps tracking and the like that can be a challenge for the DNA, especially if he's forgotten to top it off first. I'm really looking for something he can just toss in his pocket/daypack to be sure he has enough juice to get through the day. Looking at the 5600mah also. It may be more pocektable. He's never gone over multiple days unless I'm' with him, and I've got the ZL9300, so no worries there. I'll have a look at the 3E and the 4 to see how much bigger they are. Certainly they'r a better value per mah, but the key is finding something that's very easy for him to take. As with cameras, the best external battery is the one you have with you when you need it.
EDIT: I like the form factor of the 5600 and 8400 better, but I like the included cable of this model. An external battery is of no use if you don't have a cable, and you know how 14 year olds can be ...
5600 and 8400 from Anker are the old models.
Btw, I just received and charging Astro Pro 14400 mAh - that one is a monster with two usb ports and a separate 9V/12V DC outputs. Will have review in a day or two
Will the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
vr_nguyen said:
Well the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
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It should. With both UAG and CaseMate Tough cases the opening around micro-usb port is tpu material to that connector can wedge right in there. Tough port opening is wider than UAG, and I remember I had no issues wedging that micro usb connector right into UAG, so it should work with Tough as well.
I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
vr_nguyen said:
I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
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When you're at home that's pretty much primarily use now the reason why the slim is more portable hence you can bring out on the road
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
The reason to use this ultra-slim battery is very simple, you can hold it connected to the phone while actually using the phone.
This is a picture from Anker webpage. So for example you are facing a scenario where your phone went dead or you are on call or browsing and down to 2% - but you have to continue using your phone and don't have time to wait for charging. This is the only battery that will allow you to do that because you can actually hold it physically together with your phone (and use built-in cable) and it will be charging your phone while you are using it.
I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha
kuikkaj said:
I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha
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This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.
vectron said:
This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.
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I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha
kuikkaj said:
I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha
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I have reviewed so many Anker external batteries, already lost a count of everything lol!!! I think they had one that was charging both phone and charger, but they wouldn't recommend it. Or maybe that was one of the NewTrent batteries (NT70) I have reviewed in the past.
Btw, Anker is releasing AstroSlim3 in a week or so with 6000 mAh capacity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZJT2E) and new Astro 3 with 12000 mAh (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZBKTO) with led indicator for capacity and no power button, activated by shaking it. Don't know the pricing yet, and hopefully will get both of these units for review as well.
Hey guys any thoughts on any 10000mah qi pad ?
I'm looking for some that does not need any special positioning to charge, (if possible) with magnets to hold my n5 while i'm driving .. Do you guys know any ??
Thank you !!!
Just got one of these:
ht tp://dx.com /p/ mocreo-qi-enabled-wireless-charger-charging-pad-w-10000mah-power-bank-battery-packs-for-qi-devices-250618
(Can't post links yet. Remove spaces above.)
It works for both my Nexus 5 and 7. Charges rather slowly in my opinion, but then this is my first experience with Qi charging, so I can't really make a useful comparison with other Qi chargers.
It's big (around 153mm x 73mm x 14mm) and does not have magnets to hold the phone. So I doubt you'll be able to use it as a car dock or something...
Cubic,
Any thoughts on whether the claimed capacity is legitimate? Or an exaggerated 6000 mAh?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
benjdm said:
Cubic,
Any thoughts on whether the claimed capacity is legitimate? Or an exaggerated 6000 mAh?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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No idea. I wouldn't trust the specs too much though.
Probably would not do a detailed test. Even if it does have that 10000mAh capacity stated, there are still many aspects (charging efficiency, quality of the battery, etc) apart from the capacity that I think would affect how many charges you'll get from it anyway.
I didn't buy this expecting a top quality product (it is a Chinese OEM product after all), and so as long as it does Qi charging as stated and can give me two to three full charges on my Nexus 5, I'll be happy.
That said, the build quality on this is pretty decent. Apart from a flimsy power button, the materials and build quality actually reminds me of a Samsung Galaxy S3.
CubicU07 said:
No idea. I wouldn't trust the specs too much though.
Probably would not do a detailed test. Even if it does have that 10000mAh capacity stated, there are still many aspects (charging efficiency, quality of the battery, etc) apart from the capacity that I think would affect how many charges you'll get from it anyway.
I didn't buy this expecting a top quality product (it is a Chinese OEM product after all), and so as long as it does Qi charging as stated and can give me two to three full charges on my Nexus 5, I'll be happy.
That said, the build quality on this is pretty decent. Apart from a flimsy power button, the materials and build quality actually reminds me of a Samsung Galaxy S3.
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Charging efficiency on all these wireless chargers is 70% to 80% efficiency. The Morceo is actually made by another company, who also supplies it to Choe. They are IDENTICAL. I also wouldn't say the power button is flimsy. It rattles a little bit because of the method of construction, but the button itself is pretty solid. They device has a piano key finish & the black is a huge fingerprint magnet. The black also has, what I would call tacky, a polished gold bezel, it is not flat like many pictures make it appear.
I have had this & the Lugu Lake 6,000mah device. They are likely made by the same company from what I can tell by looking at them. The 10,000mah definitely lasts longer for me & the multi-amperage USB outs are a nice addition. It will essentially charge you N5 twice, or an N7 once & 30% to 60% of the N5 once. It will give you close to 10,000mah via usb, but again, the efficiency loss via any wireless will knock you down to between 6,000mah & 8,000mah. The Lugu Lake 6,000mah will essentially charge my N5 ONCE before it is at the lowest charge level, so this appears consistent with all wireless chargers.
For curiosity sakes, when would something like this be used? You can use it in your pocket and if I am stationary at someones place or car I can just plug my phone in. I can't really think of any situation where this would come in handy.
I use a battery pack on long trips when I don't know for sure I will have an outlet available. Traveling to NYC, for example. The qi feature would just be gravy.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRDNLD8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I wanted to get something like this, and place it in my pocket for charging, you think that would be a bad idea? overheating? and these batteries from China?
Has anyone bought this yet? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRDNLD8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If so how does it work? How long does it take it to charge the phone wirelessly vs usb cable?