Just curious - Ive seen the larger 3000+ mah batteries that stick out and thought to myself that it wouldnt be that hard to integrate a bluetooth gps transponder into a similar form factor with a slightly smaller battery.
(Most of the girth for bluetooth gps devices is from the internal battery so if it could share the phone battery, there should be plenty of room for 2000 or so mah, right?)
So does one exist?
halfhp said:
Just curious - Ive seen the larger 3000+ mah batteries that stick out and thought to myself that it wouldnt be that hard to integrate a bluetooth gps transponder into a similar form factor with a slightly smaller battery.
(Most of the girth for bluetooth gps devices is from the internal battery so if it could share the phone battery, there should be plenty of room for 2000 or so mah, right?)
So does one exist?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not that i have seen... have only seen the massive addon batteries...
Haven't seen that either but I do recall seeing a holder for the car where the BT receiver was integrated in the holder. Don't know if it was available for Hermes, but it sure was a nifty solution.
Related
This is one for the electronics boffins around here.
I used to have a wizard, for which i bought an extended battery. I would now like to know if there is any way of using that battery with the polaris.
The voltage rating is the same, but there's more connector pins on the wizard ... go figure.
Alternatively, could i use this battery to make an external battery for the polaris?
- will it charge from 3.7V
- is there a way to get 5V @ 100mA from the 3.7V battery?
Thanks in advance
oh, some background why i want to do this. I will take my polaris snowboarding. This means it needs to survive a full day of streaming music through BT and keep track of my location (GPS logging).
Since i always take my camelback when boarding, the extra bulk doesn't bother me, but i need the battery life.
I know that there are battery packs you could connect via USB port.
So, if you find out which battery pins are the outputs + and - than you could google for the mini-USB pin layout and just make your own.
Cheers
With my TYTN, I carried an extra battery with me so it's not a big deal to me to have to carry it. But HD's battery cover is different and I think to remove it a couple times a day bugs me a bit.
Should I just get an extra battery and stand alone battery charger or one of these that uses AA (rechargable, too) batteries?
It's not as portable as a HD battery but I don't have to touch the cover...
the cover has been very durable for me... i have an extra battery that i swap out from time to time and i have yet to have a problem. also invested in this portable charging device that's been working as advertised.
cortez.i said:
the cover has been very durable for me... i have an extra battery that i swap out from time to time and i have yet to have a problem. also invested in this portable charging device that's been working as advertised.
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Click to collapse
I just bought a 1500 mAh spare battery. Seems to me to be more convenient for carrying and I don't mind the swapping. I got the desktop cradle from before, so now I can just slip the spare battery into it and have it charge without being in the phone.
cortez.i said:
the cover has been very durable for me... i have an extra battery that i swap out from time to time and i have yet to have a problem. also invested in this portable charging device that's been working as advertised.
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Click to collapse
Rozenthal said:
I just bought a 1500 mAh spare battery. Seems to me to be more convenient for carrying and I don't mind the swapping. I got the desktop cradle from before, so now I can just slip the spare battery into it and have it charge without being in the phone.
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Click to collapse
Yeah I guess an extra battery is the way to go. Besides I don't want to totally wear out my main battery. But portable charger does look interesting though and its sexier than the AA charger.
Where did everyone get their extra batt? Ebay?
don't go for a portable AA charger unless it says it's definitely TOuch HD compatible. I picked up a Energizer MiniUSB AA charger and it doesn't work with the HD... Worked fine with the X1 (switched off) though.
i got one from thinkgeek.com for like 20 bucks or so. i just throw a duracell rechargable 2400mAh battery in it and it works great whenever i need extra power. it also comes with tons of different adapters to fit most phones.
I bought my spare 1500 battery from Mugen power and it cost me 30$. You can find much cheaper batteries online, but Mugen seems to be a very reliable company with good customer reviews, so I didn't hesitate to pay extra for the safety.
I can also say the same for some of the gadgets people have mentioned here. While they're temptingly cheap and good looking, I would always do my homework and check online for reviews before plugging any electrical device into my Touch HD. One bad circuit in those portable chargers and it might as well end up being "bye-bye" to your phone.
This is especially important when buying stuff from China.
Yeah, I was thinking about either getting a legit battery or ebay batteries. I've read on an NYTimes article recently that a battery costs like $2 max to make. So if I pay $10 for a battery, they are still making a large profit.
Anyways, I'll probably end up getting the $30 batt.
Rozenthal said:
I bought my spare 1500 battery from Mugen power and it cost me 30$. You can find much cheaper batteries online, but Mugen seems to be a very reliable company with good customer reviews, so I didn't hesitate to pay extra for the safety.
I can also say the same for some of the gadgets people have mentioned here. While they're temptingly cheap and good looking, I would always do my homework and check online for reviews before plugging any electrical device into my Touch HD. One bad circuit in those portable chargers and it might as well end up being "bye-bye" to your phone.
This is especially important when buying stuff from China.
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Click to collapse
I bought this one recently for £6.06p. It works well and hasn't exploded or anything yet Good delivery service to from Hong Kong to UK.
supadupa111 said:
Yeah, I was thinking about either getting a legit battery or ebay batteries. I've read on an NYTimes article recently that a battery costs like $2 max to make. So if I pay $10 for a battery, they are still making a large profit.
Anyways, I'll probably end up getting the $30 batt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, well... You know that all parts needed to make iPhone cost like 50-60$, yet the final product will usually cost you 15 times more. That's just the way it is with everything, especially when it comes to gadgets.
God save the market shares of western-world companies once Chinese figure out how to make good high-tech devices. It's already happening on smaller scale.
Hi everybody,
Since the TP2 is using a whole lot more power than my old HTC Universal, I am looking for a decent Solar charging solution for on my bike.
TomTomnavigator + GPS use more than 500mA (I mean when I put in a car charger of this type hte phone says "insufficient current to blablabl")
I surfed the net, but decent info is hard to find about this specific problem. I mean I want to plug my phone in the solar charger and KNOW that it will give sufficient powersupply to charge the battery (or at least keep it at the same level)
Anybody an idea or maybe a link to a DECENT site (with CORRECT technical info)? Commercial sites with the best product ever, i have seen enough until you test it!
thanx to all!
Kjoere
I have one of these that I got on Amazon for 80 bucks and I love this thing! It also acts as a spare battery, and you can adjust the voltage. I brought it with me when I went camping. It's definitely worth it.
http://www.icetechusa.com/catalogue-solar-167464-spec.html
I've tried several of the cheap Chinese solar chargers and also a Solio, and they are all crap
Solar charger need direct sunlight. If cloudy, they can take a few days (daylight days not 24hr days!) to charge. So unless you live on the African Savanah where it will charge in 7 hours, then you will have a long wait.
I put my Solio on my window cill in January this year, and by the midle of February it got a full charge. I kid you not
You are probably much better off with a external power pack that uses 1 or 2 standard AA batteries or a minimum 2000mAh lithium battery
This solar 'card' from Swiss batteries looks interesting.
A 1mm thick bendable, weather-proof card of more efficient modern solar cell technology, with a claimed [up to] 40% greater efficiency than other cells. A portable battery option (as with the power monkey ) is also available.
And check out the solar bags on their site too!
PaulusUK said:
You are probably much better off with a external power pack that uses 1 or 2 standard AA batteries or a minimum 2000mAh lithium battery
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Click to collapse
Where might I get an external power pack with more than one AA battery? I can only find 1xAA packs, and I can't imagine a little old alkaline AA could produce NEARLY enough current at 5v to charge our beefy phones. Not for any amount of time, anyway, and not without heating up to what I would consider dangerous levels...
godefroi said:
Where might I get an external power pack with more than one AA battery? I can only find 1xAA packs, and I can't imagine a little old alkaline AA could produce NEARLY enough current at 5v to charge our beefy phones. Not for any amount of time, anyway, and not without heating up to what I would consider dangerous levels...
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Click to collapse
I'm afraid too that alcaline AA's won't do the job pretty well, although rechargeable NiMh could be worth a try
For outdoor-recharge, I'm using this general USB-charger featuring a rechargeable 2200 mAh 18650 LiOn battery:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18883
It has the advantage that you can change the 18650 easily, thus enabling you to take several ones with you for long voyages
MeCry
godefroi said:
Where might I get an external power pack with more than one AA battery? I can only find 1xAA packs, and I can't imagine a little old alkaline AA could produce NEARLY enough current at 5v to charge our beefy phones. Not for any amount of time, anyway, and not without heating up to what I would consider dangerous levels...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the best on I have found
Its a massive 3400mAh with a 5v 700ma output so will charge most phones and other gadgets no problem. It is just a bit smaller than the TP2 so is easy to carry around in a pocket
I got mine off ebay for less money - same unit but a different manufacturer. AFAIK, these are commonly rebranded, but look for the shape and the 3400 mah spec.
Most of the other Chinese ones from places like Dealextreme are lower capacity
I was really hoping for something using standard AA (maybe NiMH, 4 of those would be 4.8V).
In fact, 2xAA NiMH should be able to deliver the sort of current we're talking about here, right?
And, sure enough, Here is someone that's built exactly what I want. Who wants to assemble me one?
One product springs to mind: The powermonkey-eXplorer
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/powermonkey-explorer/
thanx roger
I got an Energizer 2xAA charger, and it works on my TP2 absolutely fine. You need to use good quality batteries in it, but it's fairly compact and keeps the battery topped up while I'm out using the GPS with no car nearby!!!
http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl...a=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4
gringolian said:
I got an Energizer 2xAA charger, and it works on my TP2 absolutely fine. You need to use good quality batteries in it, but it's fairly compact and keeps the battery topped up while I'm out using the GPS with no car nearby!!!
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Click to collapse
Energizer says it needs Lithium batteries (which I think are 1.7v), have you tried with NiMH perhaps (which are 1.2v)? I'd think it'd figure the batteries were empty even when they were newly charged.
godefroi said:
Energizer says it needs Lithium batteries (which I think are 1.7v), have you tried with NiMH perhaps (which are 1.2v)? I'd think it'd figure the batteries were empty even when they were newly charged.
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Click to collapse
I've got standard Duracell 1.5V alkaline batteries in it right now, and it charges it just fine! I think energizer say that to make you buy their ridiculously expensive lithium batteries!!
I bought a desk dock from SmartphonePedia.com
http://smartphonepedia.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-desktop-docking-station-with-battery-charging-slot.html
It's OK but not impressive. It does appear to charge the phone and spare battery together (whether simultaneously I do not know -- I do not have a spare battery yet). Documentation is amusing but not helpful. The fit is snug but pretty easy NOT to get the phone in a charging position (there's a bit of a wiggle/push you need to do).
Samsung has a powered dock here:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/ECR-D1D3BEGSTA
which serves a different need -- speakers, etc. No comment.
But they also have this:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/ET-CGPK005GSTA
The nice thing is that for the $50 price you ALSO get a spare battery, which makes it somewhat attractive. What is not so clear is whether it actually charges the phone. The description says:
The SAMSUNG Galaxy SII i777 battery charging station is the perfect way to charge your battery and explore the capabilities of your phone. While your spare battery charges (standard 1650 mA battery included) your phone can sit snugly in the stand at an optimal viewing angle for watching a movie or reading the news. (SAMSUNG wall charger also included).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not found any pictures that show whether there is a USB plug in the channel that holds the phone, all the images are from the back. Local stores have nothing.
Does anyone have this latter, and know if it does indeed charge the phone and spare battery at the same time? I need another dock for my office, and this would be a good way to get a spare battery at the same time -- but I do not want to pay $50 for a setup where I can ONLY charge the battery if I remove it.
It only charges the spare battery. It's a "stand" not a mount or a dock. I had the equivalent product for the Captivate.
Have to say that it's great to never ever have to have your phone plugged in, can just do a quick swap of the batteries. But the battery is improved enough on the SGSII that I don't feel I need a spare.
pdubcramp said:
It only charges the spare battery. It's a "stand" not a mount or a dock. I had the equivalent product for the Captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Need to keep looking then.
By the way, the unit at the top (the no-name dock from Smartphonepedia) works very nicely except it doesn't show up as a dock, i.e. it doesn't have the resistor to make it know it is docked. I found a clock I like that senses power connected and that's really good enough for me. Also, if you want to use it by a bedside, you will need black electrical tape to cover over the blue LED that is VERY bright and always on. But it is sturdy, the phone fits snugly, after about 2 times it is easy to insert with one motion. Not a bad arrangement. A 10 cent resistor would have made it much better!
I wish that samsung dock with extra battery was half the price. 50 is too much.
i just got the Samsung one from Newegg... the fit and look is great, but the footprint is a triangle, which can get a little unstable when trying to do things with the phone while docked.
How was the deck?
Which is better Samsung deck or one you bought?
Wanting one for the office, I also bought the EVO desk dock.
It does not appear to trigger docking behavior either, though I have started using the Kaloer clock, and this substitutes nicely, maybe even better.
The EVO dock "feels" better - a little heavier, more solid, prettier. It came labeled for the international version, but it works fine for charging. It has a separate power connection for the spare batter (and two cables supplied), but this is something of a pain -- two cables running across your desk. The dock on my first post at the top does both battery and phone with one cable. Since I don't have a spare battery yet, not a big deal, but it is disappointing of the EVO.
The EVO also has a MUCH more muted LED status light, this one I think would be fine by the bed at night.
I was looking for a portable power source for my tablet. Most of the reviews for these devices are not too good and I believe the batteries used are mostly the reason they are not reliable.
I bought two Chinese units called Power Bank with a capacity of 13800mah. I charged them to capacity and after charging the tab from 30% back to 100% they were nearly empty. Since the Tab has a battery rated at 4000mah this does not seem correct.
One unit had five 18650 cells in parallel (blue cells pictured below) and the other unit had two square cells (pictured below) tied together. I tested both battery packs and they were not near the rated value of 13800mah.
When I bought these two units my plan was to replace the Chinese cells with Panasonic NCR18650A cells (green cells pictured below). They now charge the tab twice and my phone 1 1/2 times too. I would rate the unit at about 10,000mah and not 15,500mah. Since the modified unit uses a 1A 5V USB type charger it takes a long time to get these two guys completely charged. But so far they are working great and the modification was pretty easy.
I bought my cells from a distributer here in the US that includes the cells with tabs (in picture below covered by black shrink tubing) at a small additional charge. Soldering on cells will destroy a battery very quickly. The tabs are welded with a machine specifically made for attaching tabs to the cells.
I paid $34.00 for the Chinese unit and $75.75 for the five cells. I hope the internal Chinese logic cards hold up for at least a few years. I know the batteries are good for about 1000 full discharges/recharges.
I use one and my gal uses the other one, they have 120 days use now.
:good:
bark777 said:
I was looking for a portable power source for my tablet. Most of the reviews for these devices are not too good and I believe the batteries used are mostly the reason they are not reliable.
I bought two Chinese units called Power Bank with a capacity of 13800mah. I charged them to capacity and after charging the tab from 30% back to 100% they were nearly empty. Since the Tab has a battery rated at 4000mah this does not seem correct.
One unit had five 18650 cells in parallel (blue cells pictured below) and the other unit had two square cells (pictured below) tied together. I tested both battery packs and they were not near the rated value of 13800mah.
When I bought these two units my plan was to replace the Chinese cells with Panasonic NCR18650A cells (green cells pictured below). They now charge the tab twice and my phone 1 1/2 times too. I would rate the unit at about 10,000mah and not 15,500mah. Since the modified unit uses a 1A 5V USB type charger it takes a long time to get these two guys completely charged. But so far they are working great and the modification was pretty easy.
I bought my cells from a distributer here in the US that includes the cells with tabs (in picture below covered by black shrink tubing) at a small additional charge. Soldering on cells will destroy a battery very quickly. The tabs are welded with a machine specifically made for attaching tabs to the cells.
I paid $34.00 for the Chinese unit and $75.75 for the five cells. I hope the internal Chinese logic cards hold up for at least a few years. I know the batteries are good for about 1000 full discharges/recharges.
I use one and my gal uses the other one, they have 120 days use now.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could buy one of these for about $60 and charge / operate your tablet for over 50 hours.
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550G-Ba...ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1350776129&sr=1-1
Too funny...13 pounds or 11 ounces, I guess you missed the portable part or maybe you are a world class weight lifter...Thanks for the giggle.
:highfive:
This one worked for me
http://www.jr.com/scosche/pe/SCE_IPDBAT2/
I got this battery. It comes with a voltage adapter for the GTab2. I found that I actually didn't need it with this battery. However, another 2.1A battery that I have did not work with my GTab2, and this adapter makes it work. I'm hoping it will also make a 2.1A car USB charger work with my tablet as well. I'm waiting for its arrival and will test when I get it.