For frequent fliers- charge device in-flight - 8125, K-JAM, P4300, MDA Vario Accessories

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/hughes/16133
Read this^^^article today and thought it was a pretty nifty idea. I am originally from Hawaii and fly home periodically and my device usually dies by the end of the flight (from watching movies, listening to music, playing games, etc). Personally, I plan on getting the standard usb version as I have plenty of adapters, so why spend the extra money.
In the article, there are links provided if you are interested in getting this.

That's cool. I'm a little surprised there is enough power coming through the headphone jack. If it works, then it's a great idea!

Or just plug it into the airline power plug. Depending on airplane they are the same as a cigarette lighter, and if not there are adapters for it. To get a 12V cigarette to USB charger is extremely cheap. Normally I just plug it into my laptop and plug my laptop into the airline power plug.

hayduke said:
That's cool. I'm a little surprised there is enough power coming through the headphone jack. If it works, then it's a great idea!
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Above all, isn't there a risk of blowing a fuse? When I'm flying the crew always tells me not to use my own headphones because it could possibly have a too low impedance. (=drain too much current) Then imagine the current those chargers will use.

Related

Car charger for G-Tablet

Just received "Tomtom Navigator 6 GPS Kit". Didn't test it yet as GPS, still charging.
What I noticed that it comes with the car charger that completely compatible with G-Tab. Connector size and 12V, 2A center positive.
Just to let people know who are looking for the car charger for the Tab.
Have you tried it yet?
I have one that someone gave me, from a broken portable DVD player. It also is rated 12V 2A, but I am afraid to try it.
The weird thing is that they also gave me the wall wart for the same DVD player, and it is rated at 9V 2.2A. That works perfectly for my ZT-180 tablet.
wasserkapf said:
Have you tried it yet?
I have one that someone gave me, from a broken portable DVD player. It also is rated 12V 2A, but I am afraid to try it.
The weird thing is that they also gave me the wall wart for the same DVD player, and it is rated at 9V 2.2A. That works perfectly for my ZT-180 tablet.
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Tested Bluetooth GPS unit with G-tab... Works perfect on GAdam 1.1.1.
As of charger, I'll give it a shot later on. Will post the results.
wasserkapf said:
Have you tried it yet?
I have one that someone gave me, from a broken portable DVD player. It also is rated 12V 2A, but I am afraid to try it.
The weird thing is that they also gave me the wall wart for the same DVD player, and it is rated at 9V 2.2A. That works perfectly for my ZT-180 tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried my DVD car charger either because even though it fits, it has a sticker on it that says "Do not use for battery recharging".
SORRY!!!
Made an a$$ of myself.
Have to read more careful... That was input 12V, 2A... Although the plug is the right size.
Unfortunately output is 5V, 2A that does not charge the Tab....
So.... Went to Walmart and bought an inverter: "Philips" model DVDP32.
It charges Tab using regular A/C plug supplied with G-tab.
Price $20.
Now can use the Tab as GPS without draining the battery.
glad that the tomtom gps works!
may I ask which navigation software you use?
I'm still looking for a good one.
hopefully a nice affordable offline nav app...
This is great to know.
themsn said:
glad that the tomtom gps works!
may I ask which navigation software you use?
I'm still looking for a good one.
hopefully a nice affordable offline nav app...
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Intend to use CoPilot live 8.
Great GPS, have one on my HD2, windows thou.
Nice part is that you're not dependent on any connection, WiFi or 3G.
All maps are pre-loaded and updates coming regularly. It's nice to have it on the phone, but screen is small comparing to G-Tab. Otherwise NA edition costs only $19 right now, discounted from usual $26.
Tester30 said:
Intend to use CoPilot live 8.
Great GPS, have one on my HD2, windows thou.
Nice part is that you're not dependent on any connection, WiFi or 3G.
All maps are pre-loaded and updates coming regularly. It's nice to have it on the phone, but screen is small comparing to G-Tab. Otherwise NA edition costs only $19 right now, discounted from usual $26.
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Click to collapse
thanks for the tip as well as the deal tip.
but I can't find copilot on my market. (read somewhere that certain apps may not show up if hardware specs aren't fulfilled)
so hopefully I'll be able to find it before the sale ends.
I downloaded CoPilot Live 8 from market.android.com . The US version is only $4.95 and it works great for me with BlueGPS on my Gtab. I am running VegaN 5.1
Got to Radio Shack and get a 12V auto adapter, they sell one that has changeable tips. There is nothing magic about the charger 12V 2A DC that's it.
Rumbleweed said:
Got to Radio Shack and get a 12V auto adapter, they sell one that has changeable tips. There is nothing magic about the charger 12V 2A DC that's it.
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As long as that won't fry the tablet in the long run, sounds like an excellent idea.
Keep in mind that cars run about 13v to 14.6v, so unless the car adapter is already doing some regulation it might be higher than 12v. Personally, to be safe, I would get a cheap auto adapter, crack it open, put a voltage regulator inside to drop it down to something closer to the charger voltage, which IIRC is 7.4v (correct me if I am wrong) The factory charger is 12v 2a, so probably the charger is exactly perfect. But then again, I'm a belt and suspenders kinda guy.
Does anyone know if it is actually fine/good to charge it off 12v? Or is it one of those things that works fine but in a few months will end up frying the internal voltage regulator for the charging circuit because it got too hot or was just at the limit of its capabilities from running at 12v?
Too bad the device wont charge over USB...
LowSky said:
Too bad the device wont charge over USB...
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I know, really wish it did... also wish that it had micro USB, not mini.
Now if only I could open it up and set up the USB power to raise up to the charging voltage and connect that to the charger. I doubt it has the room though. Anyone have pics of the inside?
Cocide said:
Keep in mind that cars run about 13v to 14.6v, so unless the car adapter is already doing some regulation it might be higher than 12v.
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If the auto adapter says that it has an output of 12V 2A, then that is what it will usually output. You can check the voltage fairly easily.
Cocide said:
Personally, to be safe, I would get a cheap auto adapter, crack it open, put a voltage regulator inside to drop it down to something closer to the charger voltage, which IIRC is 7.4v (correct me if I am wrong).
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You're wrong.
It is 12V 2A, I don't know where you got your information from. Why don't you just look at the specs on the power supply?
wasserkapf said:
If the auto adapter says that it has an output of 12V 2A, then that is what it will usually output. You can check the voltage fairly easily.
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Was under the impression he was using one of the adapters that just gave you power from the car but had no form of voltage control and just a fuse. I had a friend fry a Garmin with a cheap '12 v' adapter that was just fused, so just wanted to make sure.
wasserkapf said:
You're wrong.
It is 12V 2A, I don't know where you got your information from. Why don't you just look at the specs on the power supply?
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Thanks for the correction, I just didn't have a charger near me to check when I posted. But now I feel a lot better about car charging.
I've been looking for a car charger for my incoming tab, I'll have to check out the shack.
The cheapo' ones from places like monopice or merit line bleed off extra voltage via heat, so they are easy to fry. A good charger that has the proper regulator circuitry to output at it's given rating should not get warm when used.
Cocide said:
I know, really wish it did... also wish that it had micro USB, not mini.
Now if only I could open it up and set up the USB power to raise up to the charging voltage and connect that to the charger. I doubt it has the room though. Anyone have pics of the inside?
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Click to collapse
I agree I have changed all of my plugs from mini usb to micro now. =/
Found one
Radio Shack has a 12v 2A charger with interchangable tips. The "B" tip is the one that fits, and I confirm it working. I am an idiot and didn't realize that the tip connections are polarized so I thought the charger was broken at first. Make sure to have the word "TIP" on the connector line up with the "INPUT" on the actual charger.
well..you guys are somewhat right and somewhat wrong.
the 12VDC on a car can be anywhere from 11VDC (engine off, battery low) to 14.5VDC.
Careful with some of the plugs. If they are not regulated, it's just a voltage divider resistor in the power stage and may not be current limited.
On the other hand, if it is current limited, and the tablet starts pulling 2A from a 500mA (most cell chargers) plug, you'll let out the magic smoke that makes it work.
I've got it on the docket to do a true regulated 12VDC / 2A charger as well. I'll see if I can get some cheapies and do some testing to show you guys what I'm talking about but I need to get a small controllable load.

Power Accessories (Wall & Car) Voltage

Hi Folks
After digging through mounds of tech docs, I was able to verify that the G-Tab uses the TI TPS658621A power management processor for charging.
Good news - you can plug just about anything into it from 9V up to 18V and it should charge it. Theoretically, it should also support step up charging from USB (trickle charge) but I've yet to prove that. (The power management processor supports it, but it might not be in the hardware.)
Bad news - it's just out of reach for a standard laptop charger (19V) so we still need a converter.
So, if you find a connector that fits it, plug it in. Don't worry about the current draw - as long as it's 1A or GREATER it should work fine (the device won't pull more than an 1A, even though our chargers are spec'd for 2)
Technical specs are available here - http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/tps658621d.html
This is awesome info! That means for the car all we need is a fused line to the right plug (center positive of course.)
This is great news, this means that the iGO tip that sends out 19v is safe to be used on the GTab.
Thanks for sharing.
sunglint said:
This is awesome info! That means for the car all we need is a fused line to the right plug (center positive of course.)
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While you might be able to do that, I don't recommend it. If you do it anyway, do yourself a favor and NEVER EVER EVER leave it plugged in while you are starting the car.
From Wikipedia:
A second problem is that nominally "Twelve-Volt" power in cars fluctuates widely. The actual voltage will be approximately 12.5 volts when dormant, (less when cold) approximately 14.5 volts when the engine and the alternator/generator are operating, (more when cold) and may briefly drop as low as 5-6 volts during engine start.[7] DC/DC converters will usually compensate for these small fluctuations.[citation needed]
Rarely, more extreme cases of voltage fluctuation can occur when the car battery is disconnected while the engine is running, or when the car receives a jump start. When the battery is disconnected, a load dump transient can produce very high voltages. A car receiving a jump start from a truck will be subject to its 24 V electrical system.[8] A "double battery jump-start" is performed by some tow truck drivers in cold climates.[9]
Design wise one has to take into account intermittent contact, and voltages outside the nominal 12 V DC like top voltage 9-16 V continuously, top voltage at 20 V during 1 hour, 24 V during 1 minute, 40 V during 400 ms.[10] Protection component tolerance example ratings are +50 to -60 V DC[11] Besides this there's also varying temperatures between -40 till +85 °C to contend with that can affect humidity and condensation.[10] Equipment connected this way must tolerate large variations in electrical- and climate environment.
For more, look at table 20-1 in http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download/EMC_CS_2009rev1.pdf which is reference [10] in the Wikipedia article. Granted, that's very conservative, but a 1A 12V low drop out regulator is cheap insurance for a piece of kit like our tablets.
Interesting. If you plug in tablet and that part number into Google you get lots of familiar looking pictures:
http://www.kitarm.com/news/205-cortex-a9-nvidia-tegra2-tablet-pc-with-10.html (and the photos are marked with this site: http://www.okpbw.com/).
bnovak said:
Hi Folks
After digging through mounds of tech docs, I was able to verify that the G-Tab uses the TI TPS658621A power management processor for charging.
Bad news - it's just out of reach for a standard laptop charger (19V) so we still need a converter.
Technical specs are available here - http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/tps658621d.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aasoror said:
This is great news, this means that the iGO tip that sends out 19v is safe to be used on the GTab.
Thanks for sharing.
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Click to collapse
Did you read the same post I did? His suggestion is that 19V is too high and still needs to be converted.
wd5gnr said:
While you might be able to do that, I don't recommend it. If you do it anyway, do yourself a favor and NEVER EVER EVER leave it plugged in while you are starting the car.
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I agree, and thanks for the info. I do ham radio and already know to not plug things in until the car is running, actually learned that from xda years back from cell phone charging. I also use Anderson Powerpoles for the connections, very highly recommend these. This does mean that given the same precautions I already follow I can make up a nice charging cable pretty easily. And I'll certainly look in to the low voltage protection, just in case.
edit:just saw the call sign, 73s!
well unfortunately I can say that this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MYLLCC
doesnt work
actually it might
it just doenst fit......
sigh
My husband just remembered that we bought a power converter years ago to charge a laptop while traveling in Europe.
Would this work without any problems with the Gtab?
Found the model here: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-jg9JaV...er-Pocket-Inverter-175.html?tab=detailed_info
You mean by plugging in the AC charger to it? Should work fine. The output of the stock charger is about 24W so even if it is grossly inefficient, a 140W power inverter should be fine.
Naturally, I assume no risk, yada yada yada, your mileage may vary, void where prohibited by law.
Hey, if it helps anyone at all, I bought this car adapter from the radio shack and it works well. None of the included tips worked with my Gtab, so I cut the tip off my included wall charger and using two of the adapt-a-plug connectors also available at the shack, I made it so I can use the tip on either my wall charger or my car charger. Just gotta remember to take it with me, and of course get the polarity right. Its a regulated 12 volt charger, so it reduces some of the spikes and drops from the car battery, the amperage is correct, and the on/off switch means you can wait to turn it on until after the car is started. Reduces the amount of plugging and unplugging nicely.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3889594
I have a power inverter that also has a USB outlet on it for the car. I have also seen an auto adapter that had just 2 USB outlets on it at dollar store. Are these tpes safe to charge the gTab?
LoganFive said:
I have a power inverter that also has a USB outlet on it for the car. I have also seen an auto adapter that had just 2 USB outlets on it at dollar store. Are these tpes safe to charge the gTab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GTab can't be charged via USB
Power Brick
So I apologize for what I'm sure is a dumb question but I don't know squat about electricity.
Will this or will this NOT work with a Igo charger. Deals.woot (today only) has a 90W slimline charger that apparently outputs about 19V. The first post would lead me to believe this will not work while a subsequent one indicates it would.
I'm inclined to believe this WILL NOT work but wanted to check.
greymane98 said:
So I apologize for what I'm sure is a dumb question but I don't know squat about electricity.
Will this or will this NOT work with a Igo charger. Deals.woot (today only) has a 90W slimline charger that apparently outputs about 19V. The first post would lead me to believe this will not work while a subsequent one indicates it would.
I'm inclined to believe this WILL NOT work but wanted to check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another member reported earlier that he has researched the power management chip on the GTab and it will apparently run up 18v, this justify why many has been using the iGO Asus netbook tip successfully for so long.
Now for the woot deal, I wouldn't bother with a "refurbished" item when you can get the tried and working travel adapter for $18 (shipped) and $20 (for the version with the auto and airplane adapter) there is a confirmed tip that fits the gtab included.
http://www.buy.com/listing/sellerlistings.asp?sku=211343528&buy=0
http://www.buy.com/prod/-igo-40w-un...usb-4-power-tips-for/q/loc/101/219613586.html
Best of luck,
The first post says the top end is 18V by the data sheet. Where have you seen someone quote 20V?
I've been using an iGo netbook charger for 3 weeks without any problem. I found it on sale at Office Depot for $8 the week before they dropped the GTab price to $300. Three weeks is probably only 7 or 8 charge cycles, but I've paid attention looking for hot spots, etc. and haven't noticed anything. I don't love the stiffness of the cable, but it was $8. I'm not complaining.
My only charging "problem" is that the silly thing wakes up when it hits 100% (VEGAn-TAB Ginger). Having the screen come on at full brightness just when I'm falling asleep was funny the first time, but it's getting annoying that I keep forgetting to power it off.
Dan
wd5gnr said:
The first post says the top end is 18V by the data sheet. Where have you seen someone quote 20V?
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Click to collapse
My mistake, I stand corrected, its 18v.
my power adapter plug receiver (male end) on gtablet is bent/broke. is there another option to power?
hopbros said:
my power adapter plug receiver (male end) on gtablet is bent/broke. is there another option to power?
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Click to collapse
the end in the tablet itself, or the end with the wire that goes to the wall?
if it's the wire end, you can get new plugs at radioshack. But requires some soldering skill to get them on there.
or you can get a universal 12-18V / 1amp charger with multiple tips.

[q] Car power adapter (voltage conversion)

Hey all, I was looking into getting a car power adapter for hte G-Tab. I looked on Electroniccrap.com, but everything is usually "out of stock." He sells the iGo systems, which Radio Shack also sells. So, I went to my local RS to see what I could find. They didn't have the iGo stuff, but did have enercell converters/adapters, etc.
As I was browsing, I found 2 12VDC car chargers (if you were curious, the "B" plug fits in the G-Tab). But then I noticed a "150W power inverter." It's a car plug that has 3 AC outlets and 1 USB outlet on it. This is ideal for me becuase I usually charge more than one thing when on long trips, GPS, Zune, NDSi, DVD player, and now the G-Tablet. The issue I'm having is that the back of the package said that it's output was 5VDC, typical of most car adapters. I asked the girl that was working if my AC adapter for hte G-Tablet would do it's own conversion, making it's output 12VDC. She said that it would, and said that each device's AC adapter will convert as needed.
Now, my question, is this true? The charger device does have a fuse on it, and some reviews I read (after purchasing, I know) said that it's worked fine for laptops, DVD players, etc. The main complaint is the hum of the cooling fan that's built in.
I briefly tested it today, with my G-Tablet. The battery indicator said it was 100% charged (but we all know that isn't reliable) I didn't take it out of it's case ot see what color the charge light was, but the charge indicator idn't have the lightning bolt in it, indicating a charge.
Does anyone know if she was telling the truth, perhaps? It's a pretty sweet setup, being able ot use AC adapters for all of my devices in the car, if it works as advertised, anyway. I just couldn't imagine why they would create a charger that has 3 5VDC AC outlets on it...
TJEvans said:
I asked the girl that was working if my AC adapter for hte G-Tablet would do it's own conversion, making it's output 12VDC. She said that it would, and said that each device's AC adapter will convert as needed.
Now, my question, is this true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course not, how can someone who works in an electronics shop says so ?!
The 5VDC on the package is most probably the output of the USB port on the inverter.
The inverter should output 110 (or 220v) AC @ 50/60 hz, else you wont be able to use your wall plug adapters.
True the GTab adapter will output the proper voltage (12v DC 2A), but its input must be 110v (220v) AC.
My advice is not to use inverters for small hand helds : GTab, GPS, MP3 players .. etc.
Instead, use compatible car adapters, if you need more than one, get a splitter for your socket.
By the way, here is a compatible (and cheap) car adapter for the GTab: http://cgi.ebay.ca/Car-Charger-Koda...ccessories&hash=item51998a1f04#ht_1399wt_1341
Things may be different in Canada, but here in Pittsburgh, PA, just because somebody works at a certain store, doesn't necessarily mean that they know anything about the items they carry.
we actually have a car power splitter, it worked fine in our Honda Element (that the wife hit a deer with) but the Scion XB we have doesn't have much room between the outlet and the shifter lever, so the splitter doesn't quite fit that well. It is adjustable, but we haven't been able to find a position that works.
In fact, we have a car to double USB port adapter right now, that we are powering the GPS and Zune with, even with just the 2 USB cables plugged into it, it's tight.
aasoror said:
of course not, how can someone who works in an electronics shop says so ?!
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip - bought one!
FWIW, I'm pretty sure the 'girl in the shop' was simply saying that if you plug your 115/220VAC adapter into the inverter, the adapter will produce whatever it produces when plugged into a wall receptacle, which indeed it should so long as the inverter can produce 24W - and she was just following standard retail practice: 'sell what ya got', and the store *had* an inverter.
Seems like an overly complex way to get 12VDC out of a (nominally) 12VDC system when all you probably need is a regulator.
Another option:
http://www.amazon.com/charger-adapt...OQLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307712365&sr=8-1
Only one review, but it's a positive one.
TJEvans said:
Things may be different in Canada, but here in Pittsburgh, PA, just because somebody works at a certain store, doesn't necessarily mean that they know anything about the items they carry.
we actually have a car power splitter, it worked fine in our Honda Element (that the wife hit a deer with) but the Scion XB we have doesn't have much room between the outlet and the shifter lever, so the splitter doesn't quite fit that well. It is adjustable, but we haven't been able to find a position that works.
In fact, we have a car to double USB port adapter right now, that we are powering the GPS and Zune with, even with just the 2 USB cables plugged into it, it's tight.
Click to expand...
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When I had my Scion xA, there were two power ports. One as part of the dash, the other was between the two front seats... the xB doesn't have this?
5V won't work. The power management chip is designed to handle 9 to 18V, but any car charger that is 12V out and fits will be fine.
Go to Radio Shack and buy the coiled Universal Accessory Charger. Its regulated 12V dc @ 2Mah.
Mine has been working excellent for months, although i can hear a high pitched sqeel in my audio system when the charger is on with no audio playing. I attribute this to a ground issue, not the charger...
Sent from my G Harmony v2.4 using XDA Premium App
Seems the OP answered his question but I think pointing out a couple of things may be helpful to others.
Haven't met anyone working RS that I thought was stupid but almost none know anything about the electronic components I buy. To think they have vast knowledge of and experience with electrictronics isn't logical.
Most things work with inverters but not all. I have some kind of a power supply, don't recall what, that says not to use it with an inverter. It's true you get 110(110,115,117,120) depending on how it's measured(min,avg,rms or max)) volts out of your home receptical but it's a sine wave. The ouput of a consumer inverter is a square wave.Square waves can cause noise or even overheating in some devices.
The other thing is that to get 110 volts the inverter draws 10X the output current to convert it. With a 20 amp fuse on you cars outlet that means your limited to ~2 amps for your devices.The vehicles system is ~13.5V so that's 27W. If you look at big inverters you'll notice they have battery clamps. 3 AC outlets from a cigarette lighter outlet is way optomistic.
An inverter may be a good choice for occasional use but probably better to keep everthing DC otherwise.
Make sure the inverter shuts itself off if the cars vehicle voltage gets low(i.e.when it isn't running). You could end up with a dead battery or even a damaged one.
rbrainard said:
Mine has been working excellent for months, although i can hear a high pitched sqeel in my audio system when the charger is on with no audio playing. I attribute this to a ground issue, not the charger...
Kind of nitpicking but cars are not grounded. Ground is literally the electrical potential of the Earth. A bad connection on the power or common(chassis) can cause noise but a sqeal is unlikely. The squeal is almost definately the inverter.
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h3llphyre said:
When I had my Scion xA, there were two power ports. One as part of the dash, the other was between the two front seats... the xB doesn't have this?
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It's an earlier XB (2006) and only has the one outlet. When the car is in park, the shifter handle is literally about 5 inches away from the outlet. Having the double outlet plugged in, and angled up (adjustable) will allow some room, but then you are unable to grab the shifter.
I'll be driving to DC next Thursday, and wanted a way to power the GPS, G-Tab, e-cig battery charger, and whatever else my son decides to bring with us (NDSi, DVD player, his iPod touch, etc.)
To JJJustmee: The device does shut off when the car is off, so I'm good there. Also, the inverter itself has a fuse on it, so I assume that if overloaded, then the fuse will give on it, before it effects anything on the car. I don't necessarily plan on running all devices at the same time, more like, run the G-Tablet unplugged until the battery decides to start draining really low. The GPS will be running the entire time. Everything else may be charged for a bit, while other devices are no plugged in. I liked the design of this, becuase the car lighter plug is rather short, since there is a 3 foot wire leading to the AC/USB outlets, like a surge protector. It takes up very little room near the car outlet area. The other options that people posted will not work becuase of the space limitations. I could, and have (in the element) use the outlet splitter, then one double USB outlet, to be able ot handle 3 devices at once, but then we're talking about at least 7-8 inches of plastic pluggs sticking out, and into my shift lever...
JJJustMee said:
Seems the OP answered his question but I think pointing out a couple of things may be helpful to others.
Haven't met anyone working RS that I thought was stupid but almost none know anything about the electronic components I buy. To think they have vast knowledge of and experience with electrictronics isn't logical.
Most things work with inverters but not all. I have some kind of a power supply, don't recall what, that says not to use it with an inverter. It's true you get 110(110,115,117,120) depending on how it's measured(min,avg,rms or max)) volts out of your home receptical but it's a sine wave. The ouput of a consumer inverter is a square wave.Square waves can cause noise or even overheating in some devices.
The other thing is that to get 110 volts the inverter draws 10X the output current to convert it. With a 20 amp fuse on you cars outlet that means your limited to ~2 amps for your devices.The vehicles system is ~13.5V so that's 27W. If you look at big inverters you'll notice they have battery clamps. 3 AC outlets from a cigarette lighter outlet is way optomistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you're saying isn't quite true. Min, Avg, RMS, or Max are not accurate figures that you can toss out without testing. The Max voltage of a 120v system is 177v, The Root means square (RMS) would be the nominal voltage or 120v. Regardless, when you say it draws 27w you're doing the conversion incorrectly. The only way to change from one nominal voltage to another is via the resistance. So you max can draw 20A at 12v (240w), or 2A at 120V (or 240w ish) via and inverter (assuming your inverter is sized accordingly).
baenap said:
What you're saying isn't quite true. Min, Avg, RMS, or Max are not accurate figures that you can toss out without testing. The Max voltage of a 120v system is 177v, The Root means square (RMS) would be the nominal voltage or 120v. Regardless, when you say it draws 27w you're doing the conversion incorrectly. The only way to change from one nominal voltage to another is via the resistance. So you max can draw 20A at 12v (240w), or 2A at 120V (or 240w ish) via and inverter (assuming your inverter is sized accordingly).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Said it for me.
If it turns off as soon as you turn the key off it means the outlet is switched. Will protect the battery but also means it can't be used for anythihng while the car is off. Good or bad depending on usage. What I was talking about is the device being able to shut off when battery voltage goes below, say, 11.6v. Fuse and circuit breakers only protect from too high of an amperage draw. If your system wasn't switched it could still dran the battery. Like if the inverter was left on overnight/weekend.
Sounds like what you're talking about could be ok for a trip. Use the USB as much as possible. Lots more effeceint than the inverter. If you actually mean fuse, get extra. If it's a circuit breaker you'll be good to see what does and doesn't work.
Found one on ebay
Found one here
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320690673489#ht_4544wt_937
Just ordered it about $12:00 US delivered. I will let you know how it goeswhen I get in about two weeks.
Igo told me a week ago, that they don't yet have a tip for the Gtab/Zpad but expect to do so by the end of the month
Spec
Here you are some pics of Malata official Car adapter. Maybe you can find some thing to help.
Car charger
Just ordered this from Amazon. (can't link yet - crap) so "30W DC/DC Regulated Adaptor for DVD" do your own search
13.34 shipped. Many more bucks directly from batteryspace
Will post again after I test it.
more info: it comes with two tips, neither of which fit the gtab. I had a proper size tip in our tool box so will check voltages tomorrow.
This has better 12V DC regulation than the oem ac charger.
Guys
YOU DO NOT NEED AN INVERTER TO CHARGE YOUR G_TAB IN THE CAR.
ANY 12VDC (output) charger will work. They are a dime a dozen if you know where to look. Just make sure the tip fits, and is tip positive (symbol will look something like this)
12VDC @1A
(-)-C-(+) with a dot INSIDE the "C" that is connected to the (+)
The power supply controller will work down to 9V and up to 18, which is fine for the 10 to 14V you'll get from a car adapter. Just make sure it isn't a step down.
They should be like $5. You might have to bust out the soldering skills though if you can't find the right tip.

Why do people still buy car chargers?

Inverters (devices that plug into car lighter sockets and convert power to an ac socket) are cheap, similar in price to car phone chargers.
Is there some specific advantage to car chargers that I'm not aware of?
Well, I have 3 inverters, and every one of them produces noise. If I am using the phone for videos, movies, or other audio through the stereo of the vehicle, and the phone is charging off an inverter, I hear something similar to white noise. With DC car chargers, not a problem.
Also, an inverter takes more juice from your battery to charge the phone. Important if you are somewhere for an extended period of time with the vehicle off.
Because most car chargers are very cheap and work in any car. Most people dont want a big clunky inverter sticking out when you can have a low profile USB plug sticking out with a cable plugged into it. Cheap inverters are unreliable, often cause noise, and are just plain ugly sticking out of the dash.
baaj said:
Inverters (devices that plug into car lighter sockets and convert power to an ac socket) are cheap, similar in price to car phone chargers.
Is there some specific advantage to car chargers that I'm not aware of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As said, inverters are quite inefficient and use a ton of power, and smaller is a big plus too. Who wants to carry their charger around with them all of them all the time? My OEM charger is by my bed for charging overnight, I have an older Moto charger at work, and a moto in my car.
PORTABILITY!
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
Also "most" anyone who has owned an htc / Samsung, or any brand that uses the micro USB standard already has a car charger that works with the note. I get so tired of accessories not needed for new models when it's a universal standard. previous gen cables / chargers will work just fine
SKyRocKeting727 said:
PORTABILITY!
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will only use my inverter because i don't wanna kill my phones battery. Some folks don't mind shorter battery life and use the outlet to save space. I also use for my laptop for the same reason.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
I have an inverter under my seat and a 3 outlet power strip that I plug all sorts of things into. Works perfectly.
I've not heard any buzzing, but I stream everything via Bluetooth, so its all digital...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Often you can get around the buzzing by using a pure-sinewave inverter. One of the best on the market is the Morningstar 300 - so efficient it doesn't even need a fan. Which usually fails about 2 weeks after buying the cheap mod-sine inverters.
slaydog said:
I have an inverter under my seat and a 3 outlet power strip that I plug all sorts of things into. Works perfectly.
I've not heard any buzzing, but I stream everything via Bluetooth, so its all digital...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which brand/model inverter are you using?
techntrek said:
Often you can get around the buzzing by using a pure-sinewave inverter. One of the best on the market is the Morningstar 300 - so efficient it doesn't even need a fan. Which usually fails about 2 weeks after buying the cheap mod-sine inverters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's a serious piece of equipment, unfortunately it retails for almost the same price as my phone!
Bataga said:
I will only use my inverter because i don't wanna kill my phones battery. Some folks don't mind shorter battery life and use the outlet to save space. I also use for my laptop for the same reason.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I havn't encountered a argument for this that is claims both real world effects AND facts to back it up. Mostly theories and all that jazz that equates to taking days off a batteries life over years of use in the worse case situation.
The most believable scenerios are the ones that take piss poor quality hardware into account and that is a fault of buying junk chargers and not one of the charging method. And ones that take charging characteristics of past battery technology into account and not current.
However please feel free to elaborate, I am by no means claiming to have read and understand everything out there, although links would also be greatly appreciated too.
Chief Geek said:
I havn't encountered a argument for this that is claims both real world effects AND facts to back it up. Mostly theories and all that jazz that equates to taking days off a batteries life over years of use in the worse case situation.
The most believable scenerios are the ones that take piss poor quality hardware into account and that is a fault of buying junk chargers and not one of the charging method. And ones that take charging characteristics of past battery technology into account and not current.
However please feel free to elaborate, I am by no means claiming to have read and understand everything out there, although links would also be greatly appreciated too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
There are chargers that regulate the voltage that is ultimately sent to your phone, but many don't and I have seen between 16-18 volts from my outlet depending on rpm's and loads. That's gonna charge your phone too fast and from what I've read lithium batteries are not designed for this. I've seen soooo many people with poor battery life and have "always used there car chargers".

Wireless Charging Car Dock - Homebrew

I had previously made a wireless charging car dock by combining the internals from the LG wcp-700 with an iBolt Alumina ProDock, it worked well for me but wasn't pretty and required 120v power. I had 120v power in my work truck, but I needed a solution for the wife's car, which doesn't.
So, I was finally able to pick up a couple of the Nokia dt-900 charging pads. They were out of stock everywhere around me so eBay was kind enough to provide some for me.
To start, I popped open the nokia charger and it looks like this. The board and charging coils are all one unit that is fastened with screws to the base of the pad.
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I needed to lose the base to save the thickness, so I removed the screws and used 3m mounting tape to hold the board/coils to the face of the pad.
Then I removed the small cover plate from the car dock, again to save thickness. Never mind all the holes cut in the car dock, that was for the previous version.
Then I just used more 3m mounting tape to hold the charging par to the dock, and this is what we have. All that's left is to wire it up to 12v power, it only takes .75a so you won't need anything special. I wired off of the constant power for the stereo with an inline fuse. I wanted constant power so the phone could charge with the key off.
Not exactly elegant, but it's much better than my last version. The reason for all the thickness reduction was so that the arms of the car dock would be long enough to hold the phone with a case on it, an Otterbox Commuter case to be exact. And it works quite well, here a video of me testing with the wife's phone in the case. It's a little awkward to get in the dock because with the case, it's a very snug fit in this dock, definitely wouldn't hold anything larger.
http://youtu.be/Wl3ZFquNqJE
So, I think it worked out okay and was pretty simple to do. It's a little costly with the dock being $30 and the charger being $50, but it's worth it to me to save plugging the phone in 10 or more times a day. I have had more than a couple phones usb ports get broken from abuse over the years, so if I can reduce that risk and add some usefulness, I certainly will.
Really nice job:good: I'm curious how it does on charging? I guess what i want to know is does it actually charge well when streaming music using nav and say making a call heavy load i guess ????
Looks awesome! Nice work. Two questions though -- what brand of dock is that and where did you get it?
I'm currently using the Nokia charger in my car with a power inverter. That works fine enough for me and I intend to stick with it rather than hard wiring. However, my mounting solution leaves something to be desired. I'm using an Exomount right now. I just put the Nokia pad in between the clamps and then set the phone over it. It works okay when driving, but each time I take the phone out, the Nokia falls out as well. Would love to pick up the same mount you have.
Thanks for the kind words, as far as charging speed goes, it's about equal to the cheap car chargers. I have no problem streaming Pandora all day and taking 20-30 bluetooth calls through the stereo. I don't use navigation much, but I think if you were running nav while streaming with the screen on high brightness, you would be lucky to hold power.
The dock is from iBolt, called the Prodock Alumina. It's about $30 on Amazon right now, that and a little mounting tape is all you'll need.
Sent from the Home Depot toilet
I too cracked open my nokia charger just to see what the insides were like(we all do this right?). Its basically the same insides as the palm touchstones, but just much larger, in the palm charger it was a small coil, maybe 1" in diameter. So it got me thinking, as they were both basically the same coil, just exactly how hard would it be to create your own coil. Like say you use that charger, find whatever wire you would use for this application, remove the existing coils and splice in your own. I need to research a little more, mainly what type of wire is needed, but it looks like you could maybe splice into the existing wires from the nokia board and just make your own, larger coil. I would try, but I don't want to mess around too much with my $50 charger lol.
From my understanding the tech isn't too complicated, its just an alternating magnetic field between the charger and phone that is what does the actual charging. Its not some magical stuff, just a current running through a wire. Maybe the larger the coil the bigger the current need, I don't know, anyone else want to try this
rhettnis said:
I too cracked open my nokia charger just to see what the insides were like(we all do this right?). Its basically the same insides as the palm touchstones, but just much larger, in the palm charger it was a small coil, maybe 1" in diameter. So it got me thinking, as they were both basically the same coil, just exactly how hard would it be to create your own coil. Like say you use that charger, find whatever wire you would use for this application, remove the existing coils and splice in your own. I need to research a little more, mainly what type of wire is needed, but it looks like you could maybe splice into the existing wires from the nokia board and just make your own, larger coil. I would try, but I don't want to mess around too much with my $50 charger lol.
From my understanding the tech isn't too complicated, its just an alternating magnetic field between the charger and phone that is what does the actual charging. Its not some magical stuff, just a current running through a wire. Maybe the larger the coil the bigger the current need, I don't know, anyone else want to try this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be interested to try something like this, trying to create a bigger "sweet spot" for the phone to rest. The Nokia version, as you all can see has 3 coils and it is pretty forgiving as to placement. The LG version on the other hand only has one coil, and in my experience was a bit temperamental about phone placement, especially with a case on it. You'd have to find out what the exact spec is for the wire, then you could freely experiment with different sized coils. I have no idea if this wire is special so someone smarter would need to figure that out.
JTNiggle said:
I'd be interested to try something like this, trying to create a bigger "sweet spot" for the phone to rest. The Nokia version, as you all can see has 3 coils and it is pretty forgiving as to placement. The LG version on the other hand only has one coil, and in my experience was a bit temperamental about phone placement, especially with a case on it. You'd have to find out what the exact spec is for the wire, then you could freely experiment with different sized coils. I have no idea if this wire is special so someone smarter would need to figure that out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed the nokia charger has decent amount of give when it comes to placement. For future reference, the size of the sweet spot on my wooden nightstand is 6.5"x3.5", and keep in my that's all while going through what id say is probably 1/8" of wood, and the fit isn't exactly flush with the bottom of the board. The size of the spot is great for easy placement considering the DNA is just a little over 5.5"x2.5", so I have nearly 1" of space to play with.
Id like to see someone find how large the "sweet spot" is for a single coil while going through different materials too. That way we can find out how much area a single coil can cover or see if overlapping them(like the nokia) can make a difference in terms of area coverage. So that way if we ever want to create something like an entire charging surface on a desk we can know if a single large coil would be need, or just a few well placed small coils would be suffice.
I might post a picture stand, but its not pretty lol. It was just something is just decided to do on a whim, and is still a little rough, but it works really well.
Comparing the Nokia 3 coils to the LG 1 coil, it's obvious that the LG sucks.
The LG pad is probably .75" larger than the phone in each direction, but I only have about .25" of forgiveness from center. It's a pretty small sweet spot. This is with a commuter case on though, I'm sure it's better naked. Because of this, I switched to the Nokia dt-910 for the night stand, plus it holds the phone up so I can see my alarm to hit the snooze.
Sent from the Home Depot toilet
Curious how you are powering this JTNiggle?
I know the pad gets 12v from the included charging brick. Do you have a regulated 12v source? Or does the charging pad seem to deal with the 14+V you get while your car is running? If it can deal with the extra voltage, that'd be pretty awesome. Just a straight wire to either a CIG plug for portability or even to a fused source for permanent install.
I really want to make something like this. I never use the charging pad for many of the reasons listed around the net. Esp for end of the day things when my battery is pretty low and I want to keep using. I have found some regulated DC-DC set ups. The ones that come with multiple tips...but I havent checked to see if one will fit the charging pad.
Oh..one other question... When you assembled the charging pad, is the 3M tape between the cover and the coils? Or is it between the cover and the back of the board. If its between the cover and coils, do you think you could get it back apart again if you wanted or would it destroy the coils?
J.
ghettocruiser said:
Curious how you are powering this JTNiggle?
I know the pad gets 12v from the included charging brick. Do you have a regulated 12v source? Or does the charging pad seem to deal with the 14+V you get while your car is running? If it can deal with the extra voltage, that'd be pretty awesome. Just a straight wire to either a CIG plug for portability or even to a fused source for permanent install.
I really want to make something like this. I never use the charging pad for many of the reasons listed around the net. Esp for end of the day things when my battery is pretty low and I want to keep using. I have found some regulated DC-DC set ups. The ones that come with multiple tips...but I havent checked to see if one will fit the charging pad.
Oh..one other question... When you assembled the charging pad, is the 3M tape between the cover and the coils? Or is it between the cover and the back of the board. If its between the cover and coils, do you think you could get it back apart again if you wanted or would it destroy the coils?
J.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's wired direct, in line with the stereo constant power. I only see 12.6 to 13.1 volts there, the pad has had zero trouble.
The mounting tape is between the coils and the face as well as between the board and the car dock. The tape isn't that strong, it's rated for about 2lbs with a 4" strip and only used 1.5". I was able to disassemble the first version vairly easy.
Sent from the Home Depot toilet
JTNiggle said:
I had previously made a wireless charging car dock by combining the internals from the LG wcp-700 with an iBolt Alumina ProDock, it worked well for me but wasn't pretty and required 120v power. I had 120v power in my work truck, but I needed a solution for the wife's car, which doesn't.
So, I was finally able to pick up a couple of the Nokia dt-900 charging pads. They were out of stock everywhere around me so eBay was kind enough to provide some for me.
To start, I popped open the nokia charger and it looks like this. The board and charging coils are all one unit that is fastened with screws to the base of the pad.
I needed to lose the base to save the thickness, so I removed the screws and used 3m mounting tape to hold the board/coils to the face of the pad.
Then I removed the small cover plate from the car dock, again to save thickness. Never mind all the holes cut in the car dock, that was for the previous version.
Then I just used more 3m mounting tape to hold the charging par to the dock, and this is what we have. All that's left is to wire it up to 12v power, it only takes .75a so you won't need anything special. I wired off of the constant power for the stereo with an inline fuse. I wanted constant power so the phone could charge with the key off.
Not exactly elegant, but it's much better than my last version. The reason for all the thickness reduction was so that the arms of the car dock would be long enough to hold the phone with a case on it, an Otterbox Commuter case to be exact. And it works quite well, here a video of me testing with the wife's phone in the case. It's a little awkward to get in the dock because with the case, it's a very snug fit in this dock, definitely wouldn't hold anything larger.
http://youtu.be/Wl3ZFquNqJE
So, I think it worked out okay and was pretty simple to do. It's a little costly with the dock being $30 and the charger being $50, but it's worth it to me to save plugging the phone in 10 or more times a day. I have had more than a couple phones usb ports get broken from abuse over the years, so if I can reduce that risk and add some usefulness, I certainly will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great Job...Glad to see more interested in expanding the wireless charging spots. have a question about you running power to constant power, did you put a power switch between that connection? The pads etc do draw power even when not in use, they just use less then say a a/c wall adapter for old way of charging.
It's like any electronic that can be controlled by a remote, even though the unit is off, it stills draws power to be on standby to be able to receive the remote command. As these pads are always looking for that Handshake to start sending power to receiver of the Wireless Charger. This is the only way it would be able to activate itself....Eventually draining your vehicle battery....
Thanks and good luck...
---------- Post added at 01:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:32 AM ----------
JTNiggle said:
I'd be interested to try something like this, trying to create a bigger "sweet spot" for the phone to rest. The Nokia version, as you all can see has 3 coils and it is pretty forgiving as to placement. The LG version on the other hand only has one coil, and in my experience was a bit temperamental about phone placement, especially with a case on it. You'd have to find out what the exact spec is for the wire, then you could freely experiment with different sized coils. I have no idea if this wire is special so someone smarter would need to figure that out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the only units that would be able to have a larger area to accept charging is the multi coiled pads. The simple basics for Induction Power is that the Receiving Coil is of Exact Size of the Transmitting Coil. This was proven by Tesla over 100 years ago and hasn't changed that Basic need since then.
The Palm Touchstone coil in battery cover is just under the size of the Charger Disc you put the phone on. The Touchstones don't have a circuit board in the design as do other Designs which is needed to do the Handshake between the receiver and Transmitter parts so that charging begins in order to make this safe and not activate by something metal etc coming in contact with the charger.
Like placing a induction abled phone on a Induction Cooktop, it will detect that it is induction and metal parts inside the phone and it may start up but then shut down which is a Good thing for your phone not becoming a melted hunk of junk...LOL...
Someone put a kila-watt device on a charging pad, and said that it drew 0 across the board until the phone was placed on it. Here's the link.
http://forums.wpcentral.com/nokia-l...ing-plate-not-power-vampire-thanks-nokia.html
Hoping that is true, because I wasnt going to put a switch on mine in the car. I still think I might just install a cig plug on mine in case I take my wifes car and want the mount. But maybe Ill get a cig plug with a switch built in so I dont have to unplug. I have a jetta...so it has all sorts of power feeds that act in different ways (always on, on with key, on for a timed period, etc).
I was just concerned about seeing the close to or over 14 volts when running. But its sounding like that might not be an issue. I measured the output of the wireless pad's power brick and it was a pretty constant 12.19 volts. I cant wait to tinker with this.
J.
ghettocruiser said:
Someone put a kila-watt device on a charging pad, and said that it drew 0 across the board until the phone was placed on it. Here's the link.
http://forums.wpcentral.com/nokia-l...ing-plate-not-power-vampire-thanks-nokia.html
Hoping that is true, because I wasnt going to put a switch on mine in the car. I still think I might just install a cig plug on mine in case I take my wifes car and want the mount. But maybe Ill get a cig plug with a switch built in so I dont have to unplug. I have a jetta...so it has all sorts of power feeds that act in different ways (always on, on with key, on for a timed period, etc).
I was just concerned about seeing the close to or over 14 volts when running. But its sounding like that might not be an issue. I measured the output of the wireless pad's power brick and it was a pretty constant 12.19 volts. I cant wait to tinker with this.
J.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, Sorry their are people out there that refuse to listen or believe Tested Facts and push their own Opinions as Facts...lol...Below I got the info for you from the Qi standard Group and other Groups also supply the Technical Specs on this Technology...Enjoy..
*********************************************************************
Wireless Power Efficiency
The energy consumption of battery chargers has two main contributors: charging efficiency and standby power consumption.
STANDBY POWER CONSUMPTION
Unfortunately, many people leave the chargers and cradles connected to mains power when the charger is not used. The standby power consumption (also called “no-load power consumption”) is significant. A simple calculation shows that power consumed in standby mode is about the same as the energy consumed when loading the battery.
We assume that many people will also keep their wireless battery chargers continuously plugged into the mains. One of our main design goals was, therefore, minimize standby power. Go low!
We did go low. In the mean time we have demonstrated a system with only 0.0001 Watt (100 µW) standby power consumption. And that is probably not the bottom.
An estimate of power consumption by wireless chargers.
WHAT ABOUT WIRELESS CHARGERS?
Our wireless chargers also contain an AC-DC power adapter. Let’s assume that is has the same efficiency (72%). Let’s also assumes that it has the same standby power (0.12 W). [footnote: Wireless chargers can have a much lower standby power, but this keeps the comparison easier.] The transfer efficiency of the wireless power link is typically 70%. And assume that the wireless charger replaces 2 wired chargers. The total energy consumption is:
•charging: 1 hours * 4 W / 72% / 70% = 7.9 Wh (we are now charging 2 devices simultaneously)
•standby (no load): 23 hours * 0.12 W = 2.8 Wh
http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/technology/total-energy-consumption.html
---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 AM ----------
http://www.a4wp.org/Business White Paper - A4WP.pdf
http://www.a4wp.org/IEEE IMS2012 LC WPT Technical Paper.pdf
http://www.a4wp.org
Here is a Company I have done Business with for years with My Business, they have The modules for Auto, Furniture and My Favorite I've been using, Wireless charging for Drill Cases and tools on the Shelves in my Company Vans....
http://www.leggettecoupled.com/
ghettocruiser said:
Someone put a kila-watt device on a charging pad, and said that it drew 0 across the board until the phone was placed on it. Here's the link.
http://forums.wpcentral.com/nokia-l...ing-plate-not-power-vampire-thanks-nokia.html
Hoping that is true, because I wasnt going to put a switch on mine in the car. I still think I might just install a cig plug on mine in case I take my wifes car and want the mount. But maybe Ill get a cig plug with a switch built in so I dont have to unplug. I have a jetta...so it has all sorts of power feeds that act in different ways (always on, on with key, on for a timed period, etc).
I was just concerned about seeing the close to or over 14 volts when running. But its sounding like that might not be an issue. I measured the output of the wireless pad's power brick and it was a pretty constant 12.19 volts. I cant wait to tinker with this.
J.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
easiest way to check if it's still receiving power while the car is off is simply place the phone on the dock and see if it charges with the engine off. if it's wired with the stereo's negative wire as well (you only stated wired to the constant power) than it wont receive power until the car is on acc. or on anyways. that should calm down anyone's fears about it draining the car's battery while you're gone.
ML417 said:
easiest way to check if it's still receiving power while the car is off is simply place the phone on the dock and see if it charges with the engine off. if it's wired with the stereo's negative wire as well (you only stated wired to the constant power) than it wont receive power until the car is on acc. or on anyways. that should calm down anyone's fears about it draining the car's battery while you're gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He wanted to have power always, that's why he chose the constant-on on the head unit which is always hot to keep clock and/or memory or Like My Jeep's Infotainment that has to have a constant on so the Hard drive can shut down properly etc.
But that Kill-a-watt post he read, the guy tested it and it shows 0.00...
***************************************************
The Manual for the Kill-a-Watt ez:
Kilowatt-Hour display:
1. To display the total consumed power in Kilowatt-Hours, press the MENU key until “KWH” is indicated in the display.
2. Consumption will be displayed in Kilowatt-Hours (from 0.01 KWH to 9999 KWH). As KWH accumulate, the decimal point in the display will shift to accommodate a full reading.
*****************************************************
The problem is the reader only reads to a 0.01 kwh which this unit is for Home meter testing of kwh usage times Power company rates...
And the tester needs to read down to: From the test site and results from the lowest possible/available from their design tests:
(we have demonstrated a system with only 0.0001 Watt (100 µW) standby power consumption)
I DEF wont be wiring it to constant on power. It'll be switched. My little insert about my jetta was just me brainstorming...that car has some power circuits that are on timers. So without the keys, you can turn on the stereo for a pre-determinted time, etc. A few more options if I decided to hardwire. Having a switch on the power plug would be nice if I use my wife's car, as both her cig lighters are constant on.
In the end...Ill be wiring mine to a plug so I can move it from car to car easily. Just like a GPS. I just picked up a regulated DC-DC adapter that Im going to test. Says it holds 12 via IC control, and it comes with a tip that SHOULD plug right into the power pad. We'll see. I can always fall back on wiring it straight.
And the link I posted...That guy's test is still pretty useful. Its showing that its not exactly sapping energy when not in use. I guess some other charger power bricks pull some measurable power when left plugged in..? I think .0001 watts is pretty insignificant dont you? Even if wired straight to the battery it would take quite a while to drain it any significant amount. Unless Im misunderstanding things...which happens more than I like to admit
Regardless, it wont be wired to any constant source, at least in my car. So it should be good. I cant wait to get my mount and try to fit everything together. Little projects like this are fun!
J.
ghettocruiser said:
I DEF wont be wiring it to constant on power. It'll be switched. My little insert about my jetta was just me brainstorming...that car has some power circuits that are on timers. So without the keys, you can turn on the stereo for a pre-determinted time, etc. A few more options if I decided to hardwire. Having a switch on the power plug would be nice if I use my wife's car, as both her cig lighters are constant on.
In the end...Ill be wiring mine to a plug so I can move it from car to car easily. Just like a GPS. I just picked up a regulated DC-DC adapter that Im going to test. Says it holds 12 via IC control, and it comes with a tip that SHOULD plug right into the power pad. We'll see. I can always fall back on wiring it straight.
And the link I posted...That guy's test is still pretty useful. Its showing that its not exactly sapping energy when not in use. I guess some other charger power bricks pull some measurable power when left plugged in..? I think .0001 watts is pretty insignificant dont you? Even if wired straight to the battery it would take quite a while to drain it any significant amount. Unless Im misunderstanding things...which happens more than I like to admit
Regardless, it wont be wired to any constant source, at least in my car. So it should be good. I cant wait to get my mount and try to fit everything together. Little projects like this are fun!
J.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah just find the RAP Fuse etc, (Retain Accessory Power) and connect their...It works great. You may even have the Option like My Jeep does and change the Time-out minutes to suit your needs.....Yeah what he did was Great, and I did give him a Compliment on his work, problem is just that the Kill-a-Watt is for A/C power meter tests/results and the device being tested is D/C power...kWh is a measure of energy, whilst kW is a measure of power...
•a kW is 1000 W and a W is 0.001 kW;
•a kWh is 1000 Wh and a Wh is 0.001 kWh;
•a MW (megawatt) is 1000 kW and a kW is 0.001 MW;
•a MWh (megawatt hour) is 1000 kWh and a kWh is 0.001 MWh
Yeah this is Fun Stuff isn't it???/ LOL...right now I'm doing custom install of a double charger and a single charger, wireless chargers, in my jeep. I'm Hiding the double charger to the underside of the tray inside the center Console and single charger underside of the Tray on Driver's side. You won't be able to see that their is a charger in each location....
Like to see what you do when you get it up and going....
sircody said:
Great Job...Glad to see more interested in expanding the wireless charging spots. have a question about you running power to constant power, did you put a power switch between that connection? The pads etc do draw power even when not in use, they just use less then say a a/c wall adapter for old way of charging.
It's like any electronic that can be controlled by a remote, even though the unit is off, it stills draws power to be on standby to be able to receive the remote command. As these pads are always looking for that Handshake to start sending power to receiver of the Wireless Charger. This is the only way it would be able to activate itself....Eventually draining your vehicle battery....
Thanks and good luck...
---------- Post added at 01:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:32 AM ----------
Yeah the only units that would be able to have a larger area to accept charging is the multi coiled pads. The simple basics for Induction Power is that the Receiving Coil is of Exact Size of the Transmitting Coil. This was proven by Tesla over 100 years ago and hasn't changed that Basic need since then.
The Palm Touchstone coil in battery cover is just under the size of the Charger Disc you put the phone on. The Touchstones don't have a circuit board in the design as do other Designs which is needed to do the Handshake between the receiver and Transmitter parts so that charging begins in order to make this safe and not activate by something metal etc coming in contact with the charger.
Like placing a induction abled phone on a Induction Cooktop, it will detect that it is induction and metal parts inside the phone and it may start up but then shut down which is a Good thing for your phone not becoming a melted hunk of junk...LOL...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not have a switch for this charger wired in, I did not see the need. The amount of power that this unit draws while not charging is very minimal and the vehicle is driven daily, so we have not had any trouble. I need to make a second one now to put back in my work truck, where I will just wire in line with the existing 12v accessory outlets as they are on 100% of the time. I just like being able to park the car and leave the phone charging if I need for a few minutes or an hour if necessary. If you have to leave the key on then you have a whole bunch of extra accessories trying to run at the same time and then you may kill your car battery trying to boost your cell battery,
For multi coil wireless chargers, I thing we will eventually see them built into all kinds of things, at least I hope so. We have that JBL charging speaker, which is way overpriced, but a more basic clock radio with charging coils on top would be nice. Not just one spot, but say the whole top had coils in it and you could set the phone anywhere. Laptops could have an area below the number pad with a coil or 3 in it, that would be great too. It seems to be useful enough that a few people here have cut wireless charger into their desk or night stands, obviously there is a desire for the tech to grow, so I'm sure it will only keep growing in the near future. I think I may end up building one into the kitchen counter for the wife, she likes to use the phone for recipes and music, so it would be great if I can find a neutral spot that isn't too likely to get wet.
JTNiggle said:
I do not have a switch for this charger wired in, I did not see the need. The amount of power that this unit draws while not charging is very minimal and the vehicle is driven daily, so we have not had any trouble. I need to make a second one now to put back in my work truck, where I will just wire in line with the existing 12v accessory outlets as they are on 100% of the time. I just like being able to park the car and leave the phone charging if I need for a few minutes or an hour if necessary. If you have to leave the key on then you have a whole bunch of extra accessories trying to run at the same time and then you may kill your car battery trying to boost your cell battery,
For multi coil wireless chargers, I thing we will eventually see them built into all kinds of things, at least I hope so. We have that JBL charging speaker, which is way overpriced, but a more basic clock radio with charging coils on top would be nice. Not just one spot, but say the whole top had coils in it and you could set the phone anywhere. Laptops could have an area below the number pad with a coil or 3 in it, that would be great too. It seems to be useful enough that a few people here have cut wireless charger into their desk or night stands, obviously there is a desire for the tech to grow, so I'm sure it will only keep growing in the near future. I think I may end up building one into the kitchen counter for the wife, she likes to use the phone for recipes and music, so it would be great if I can find a neutral spot that isn't too likely to get wet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check these out...I did this in my remodel about 4 years ago, these units have been available for a few years now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDAY0GgVDWo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpVl9nHQcnw
Here is the guys that sell it....I was lucky that it's here in Atlanta and My business allowed me to get in on the early stuff...lol
http://ecoupled.com/partners-products/products

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