Has anyone found a portable Battery pack that we can use on the TF? I have several that I have used for my iPhone and my old iPad2 but all are only 5v. is there one out there that can charge out TF or is the keyboard dock the only way to go for extra Battery?
There are several battery packs used for notebook computers that will work listed on Amazon. Just be sure they have a 12Volt output. EverReady had as battery pack that will also work but you will need an adapter provided by them. The key is that you need an output of 12 to 15 volts to charge the TF or Keyboard. You might read Devcake's post on a DIY charger for the TF as information on the voltages required to charge the TF. There is also a post on external batteries that might help.
hshoem1
By chance do you have a link to the EverReady battery pack? I would like to see it
hshoem1 said:
There are several battery packs used for notebook computers that will work listed on Amazon. Just be sure they have a 12Volt output. EverReady had as battery pack that will also work but you will need an adapter provided by them. The key is that you need an output of 12 to 15 volts to charge the TF or Keyboard. You might read Devcake's post on a DIY charger for the TF as information on the voltages required to charge the TF. There is also a post on external batteries that might help.
hshoem1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an XP8000 from Energizer, and work perfectly.
w w w.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp8000/
You will need a conector for Asus (Willy cable WI15) from them. You will have two free tips a year for the life of product
By any chance do you know the tip number?
The cable you note doesn't appear to connect directly to the Transformer.
What setup are you using to connect to the Transformer?
Thanks
steve
The cable it's a Female USB with 16V output. You need the Asus cable.
xp8000
I looked in the web site and it is expensiver than Asus keyboard!
alberteske said:
I looked in the web site and it is expensiver than Asus keyboard!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May as well get the keyboard then xD. Thats the whole point of it being a transformer anyways
RojoNinja said:
May as well get the keyboard then xD. Thats the whole point of it being a transformer anyways
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or get both, even better
I just saw this while I'm looking for a battery pack.
On a german page I found this interesting:
w w w.intecro.de/XTPower-MP-16000-Powerbank-mobiler-Akku-mit-16000mAh-fuer-Laptop-Handy-iPhone-iPod-iPad-PDA-MP3-Player-mit-20-Adaptern
(can'f find an english page for this product)
Could I use this one by using an adapter?
I just got an Anker Astro3 10000mAh battery pack. I plan to use it while camping this summer, mainly to charge a phone, but occasionally to charge my tablet.
It is intended to charge 5V USB devices, and has two USB ports. It also has a 12 volt port. The adapters for the 12 volt port, of course, do not work with USB or the Transformer. So I made an adapter, and I am good to go now for charging the tablet.
The battery pack charges from a 12 volt wall charger. I have also made an adapter to charge it from the 12 volts on my motorcycle. So I will be charging it from the motorcycle during the day when riding, then using it to charge my devices in the evening at the camp. I've already tried it a couple of times, and it worked well.
I tried to charge the battery pack using a solar panel, but the solar panel was far too wimpy. It was like trying to run a house air conditioner from a penlight battery. It may make you feel good to try it, but it isn't going to do much.
So far so good. This is very close to what I need.
The issues I have had to work around are:
1) I want to also charge an in helmet bluetooth intercom from the USB port. But the charge current is so low, the battery pack auto powers off, thinking nothing is plugged in. Not a big deal because I can plug in my phone at the same time. That keeps it turned on until everything is charged, then it auto shuts down.
2) When I charge the Asus Tablet, it doesn't appear to auto shut down. Just the opposite of #1, it looks like the load stays high enough to never shut down when charging the tablet. This may not really be true, as I have only tried it a couple of times. Also, it isn't good for much more then one and a half charges of the tablet, as expected.
3) You need to figure out your own harness to get the 12 volts to the tablet.
4) No charge cable for a car. I mean this is rated for an input of like 10 to 15 volts, or some such. This thing is GREAT for charging portable devices. Charging it from a car is as simple as a cable, but there isn't one.
Over all this charger is a winner. At right around $55 US, I recommend it, if you can fabricate a plug for charging the Transformer.
Try a 12V UPS type battery along with a 2A fuse and adapters. It only costs about $20 or so. Plan on using only 50% of its capacity and recharge often to get the most life out of it.
Someone posted this product on another post
http://www.sobuying.com/products/Solar-Charger-For-Notebook,-Ipad,-tablet-pc,-Cell-phone,-MP3,-Laptop-11200mAh.html
May suit your needs
NiHaoMike said:
Try a 12V UPS type battery along with a 2A fuse and adapters. It only costs about $20 or so. Plan on using only 50% of its capacity and recharge often to get the most life out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, this is actually what I use now. But it has issues.
One is simply that it is large. I carry it in the trailer that I tow behind the motorcycle, so it is OK, but a bit too large and heavy. It is a gel cell that has about a 48 WattHr capacity. LiIon has a a lot less and weight. In this case, it has about the same capacity, in a very small light weight package.
The other problem is charging the lead acid battery is an issue. I need to carry a AC charger and find AC when camping. I put a diode/resistor combo in the trailer and tapped off of the taillights. but by the time the weak motorcycle voltage gets to the taillights, add in the diode and other losses, and I'm lucky to see 13 volts at the battery. Not enough to charge it very well. The LiIon pack I use has the supply built in to charge properly from +12.
So I've tossed the lead brick battery (literally) and upgraded to a portable LiIon pack. So far so good.
This is what I use "Portable 12V DC USB 5V Rechargeable Lithium Li-ion Battery Pack for CCTV Camera" search on ebay, you can get one up to 13AH
I got a 3.8AH version for $16 , Dimension: 9.2cm X 6.0cm X 3.0cm
Outout rated 5V (5.8AH) and 12.8V (3.8AH)
small modification because the charger is NON-US wall plug, I just pull the plug pin out and add in a regular power cord cut off from an old appliance
Keep the USB plug for 5V use, cut the 12V DC cable and connect it to a female USB cable (pin 1 and pin 4) , then you can plug in the Asus usb/charge cable directly and charge or power the Asus
...
Related
Any third party extended battery options for the S7? I prefer the slim version if possible.
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
I rigged up a battery pack using 4 rechargeable Energizer AAA's and just plug it into the DC power socket and double-sided taped it to the back of the unit
I imagine I could use some left over spare Li-Ion batteries from other phones though.
UPDATE: someone asked how
STEP 1: Buy something similar to this http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/products/4%2dAAA-Battery-Holder.html
STEP 2: Buy a male plug that fits the female power socket on the S7 Like this but the correct size http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/products/1.3MM-PLUG%2d2.5MM-SOCKET-DC-ADAPTOR.html
STEP 3: Solder them together so that the + and - charge come out of the same wires as the wall-charger
STEP 4: Plug in batteries
If this looks/sounds difficult, don't even attempt it, you WILL break your tablet.
Since the original battery do last too long, i found this 2 option that i think that work with S7:
Good price and free shipping
lol i cant post links yet, sorry guys...
here goes the links for the battery extender....
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4284~r.14121877
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.48449~r.14121877
Nice guys! I was searching for an internal battery solution.
These battery packs look nice but be carefull, the output is only 500 mA. The S7 charger is a 2amp output charger. I'm not sure how well it will run on a lower input.
Ives
mowermech said:
These battery packs look nice but be carefull, the output is only 500 mA. The S7 charger is a 2amp output charger. I'm not sure how well it will run on a lower input.
Ives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The DC pack will only feed what the unit draws, and I doubt very much that it draws the entire 2000mA.
I have rigged up a USB charging cable for myself, USB pumps out 5v at 500mA max per port (I'm only using 1) and it charges a little slower than from the wall, depending on which computer I'm charging from, but apart from that it works great still and I can use the same cable to charge from other USB-charging devices like the one I have in my car.
The 500mA output will just mean it charges slower, and seeing how it's only a battery extender (IE, the oem battery is still required) and not a charging solution (the S7 can run without the battery off only the charge from the wall), the charge provided will be fine for extending the battery life.
davidcampbell said:
The DC pack will only feed what the unit draws, and I doubt very much that it draws the entire 2000mA.
I have rigged up a USB charging cable for myself, USB pumps out 5v at 500mA max per port (I'm only using 1) and it charges a little slower than from the wall, depending on which computer I'm charging from, but apart from that it works great still and I can use the same cable to charge from other USB-charging devices like the one I have in my car.
The 500mA output will just mean it charges slower, and seeing how it's only a battery extender (IE, the oem battery is still required) and not a charging solution (the S7 can run without the battery off only the charge from the wall), the charge provided will be fine for extending the battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
500mAh as supplied by standard USB will charge but as you say only slowly.
It will not start a charge if the battery has been allowed to drop too low. That's common with all Lion batteries and is why you get a high current wall charger to do the job.
If you are using the device at the same time (and depending on the functions in use and the state of charge of the battery) you will definately struggle with any positive charge and will experience heat build up in the USB port, cable and device so be carefull!
If you are also using the device as a phone and get a call there will be an extra high peak current draw that has to be contended with and that complicates things further.
With all the tests that I have done allong these lines 1000mAh is a bare minimum to cope with eventualities and even then it's borderline.
I have blown car adapter fuses and had low current phone chargers get really hot.
I now only use 2000mAH rated chargers.
Are there any? I would really want to have a battery that could last at least 6 hrs... Any suggestions?
Stjom said:
Are there any? I would really want to have a battery that could last at least 6 hrs... Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Energizer XPAL XP18000
That will give you about an extra 12-18 hours,
But no internal battery larger than standard. Why would you want one when the external packs are usable with any device and don't become redundant when you upgrade to a different model?
I made such a battery of two packages of Chinese Tablet battery voltage of 7.4V LiJon / 1500mAh connected in series and used a converter on the circuit LM2576 (with car charger navigation) [//chomikuj.pl/wibi) -> Huawei Ideos S7/Dodatkowa bateria]. This additional charger to recharge your battery voltage 8.4V. Pictures and diagrams from the following link will explain everything.
http://androidforums.com/asus-eee-pad-transformer/382444-bargain-car-charger-inverter-uk-5-a.html
Jason71 on AndroidForums.com said:
Hi all
Long time Android addict and just got myself a transformer at the weekend. I have been puzzling the best way to charge it in car (read the threads on the subject) when I happened to wander in to Asda and spotted a mini 75W 12-230v power inverter on sale reduced from £20 to £5!. They are exactly the same as ones that sell on Ebay for 2-4 times that price out of Hongkong e.g.
12V to Mains 75w Car Van Mini Power Inverter Adaptor | eBay
I bought one and tried it on the way home from the store with the Asus AC charger and the transformer and it worked perfectly.
As a bonus it has a usb port built in not only rated at 1000ma but wired to be recognised as an AC charger (many arn't) which means it will do full speed charging on an android phone. So it should supply enough current to charge my HTC Desire even when using it as a satnav (many don’t). The only downside is that the flange on the Asus mains charger covers the edge of the USB port on the inverter so you cannot use both the AC and the USB at the same time without trimming the flange on the Asus a little.
Anyway I thought this was too good a deal not to share it with you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So this is what we need! It looks huge though!!
http://www.nextag.com/12v-to-110v-car-adapter/compare-html have fun, go mad?
krugm0f0 said:
http://androidforums.com/asus-eee-pad-transformer/382444-bargain-car-charger-inverter-uk-5-a.html
So this is what we need! It looks huge though!!
http://www.nextag.com/12v-to-110v-car-adapter/compare-html have fun, go mad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ASUS AC charger is normally working very close to it's limits when running off fairly stable AC mains. Running off this modified sine wave poorly regulated device may be enough to push it past its limits. If you want a good mobile solution that you can use for the TF and other small DC devices, search for the thread by Devcake where he lists options and actual reviews.
I went with this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250899196416?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
And this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300547025189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
DAFTEK said:
I went with this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250899196416?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
And this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300547025189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your TF indicate charging, e.g. with Dual Battery Widget, using this bullet charger?
E.g. If it outputs 11V-12V it should indicate charging on the TF, but if less than 11V, say 5V-10V, it would trickle charge only (no indicator).
I got one from same guy, and it does not work. I measured 2.8V output.
Bob Smith42 said:
Does your TF indicate charging, e.g. with Dual Battery Widget, using this bullet charger?
E.g. If it outputs 11V-12V it should indicate charging on the TF, but if less than 11V, say 5V-10V, it would trickle charge only (no indicator).
I got one from same guy, and it does not work. I measured 2.8V output.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine arrived today. I hooked it up to 12v and tested the pins, got 2.8v. Then plugged i transformer and waited about 20 seconds. The transformer said it was charging on AC. I havent checked to see how quickly it was charging, but it gave the charging indication with the screen on.
EDIT: Tried it on another vehicle and now won't charge. Weird!
Any update to this working?
$1.99
I use this one for my phone (HTC Desire HD). It should also be okay for the Transformer, right?
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/car-cigarette-powered-1000ma-usb-adapter-charger-black-dc-12v-40470
/edit 1A limit could lead to slower charging, worst case (?).. by the way, there also is a 2 ampere model : http://www.dealextreme.com/p/universal-2000ma-usb-car-charger-adapter-for-digital-devices-black-12-24v-72961.. at $4 something, twice as expensive
kkoenen said:
I use this one for my phone (HTC Desire HD). It should also be okay for the Transformer, right?
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/car-cigarette-powered-1000ma-usb-adapter-charger-black-dc-12v-40470
/edit 1A limit could lead to slower charging, worst case (?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, won't charge.
Output:5V 1A
DAFTEK said:
I went with this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250899196416?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
And this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300547025189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one arrived today, there is one small issue with it, when you first plug it in the lighter the blue light gets bright and the asus orange light goes on and eventually green showing also the charging symbol, but if you unplug the cable from the charger and plug back in, it wont work, you have to unplug the charger from the lighter and plug back in. weird... But it works
This claims to be even more powerful. Just ordered but it will takes ages to get to me.
amm009uk said:
This claims to be even more powerful. Just ordered but it will takes ages to get to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry, I don't think it will work.. the transformer needs 15V to charge, that one only is a 5V charger. i'd cancel my order.
OK, let's go over this again. The TF will charge with 5V at 1.5 amp but take forever to do so. The amps has nothing to do with it. It is the volts. If you feed the TF with 11V to 15V at 1.5 amp's or more it goes into the fast charge mode and charges in about 2 hrs. Anything that says 5V will charge the TF if you have several days to wait. If you have just hours you must charge using 11 to 15 volts at 1.5 amp or more to charge with. This is what the original power supply is doing. Please look at the specifications printed on the original charging brick. Note that it has dual outputs 5V and 15V if you plug your phone into the ASUS charger the charger is smart enough to know not to output 15V however when you plug in the TF the charger outputs 15V to charge the TF in the speedy mode.
Please read over "Dvecakes" thread for even more details and items you can use to charge the TF on the go and at home.
Hope this helps.
hshoem1
You guys need to read my DIY charger thread. For $12 you can make a car charger.
Check the thread links in my signature.
PatrickVogeli said:
sorry, I don't think it will work.. the transformer needs 15V to charge, that one only is a 5V charger. i'd cancel my order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hshoem1 said:
OK, let's go over this again. The TF will charge with 5V at 1.5 amp but take forever to do so. The amps has nothing to do with it. It is the volts. If you feed the TF with 11V to 15V at 1.5 amp's or more it goes into the fast charge mode and charges in about 2 hrs. Anything that says 5V will charge the TF if you have several days to wait. If you have just hours you must charge using 11 to 15 volts at 1.5 amp or more to charge with. This is what the original power supply is doing. Please look at the specifications printed on the original charging brick. Note that it has dual outputs 5V and 15V if you plug your phone into the ASUS charger the charger is smart enough to know not to output 15V however when you plug in the TF the charger outputs 15V to charge the TF in the speedy mode.
Please read over "Dvecakes" thread for even more details and items you can use to charge the TF on the go and at home.
Hope this helps.
hshoem1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DevCake said:
You guys need to read my DIY charger thread. For $12 you can make a car charger.
Check the thread links in my signature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok that was me being lazy and not reading! Thanks for straightening me out guys. DevCakes's thread is the place for all answers what more can you ask even the links are there
Has anyone by chance tried this car charger?
www.amazon.com/NTK-BULLET-CHARGER-T...Q4VU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324413368&sr=8-1
Also Does anyone have one of these replacement cables? I think I would probably order one directly from Asus though instead of trying to save a couple of bucks.
www.amazon.com/Aftermarket-Charging...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324413882&sr=1-13
I want to put together a car charger to just leave in the car.
http://maxborgesagency.com/press/bracketron-launches-dual-usb-charger/
$24.99 dual USB Cigarette lighter adapter 1 & 2 amp
Reeves360 said:
http://maxborgesagency.com/press/bracketron-launches-dual-usb-charger/
$24.99 dual USB Cigarette lighter adapter 1 & 2 amp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, worthless.
Transformer needs 11v-15v to charge reasonably well. Any 5v charger, even at 1000000 amps, will not charge the TF with screen lit, or charge takes days with TF turned off.
Much harder to find auto chargers in the 11v-15v range, some that say 12v are actually not. I found one advertised as 12v (that measures 9.8v actually) and it also did not charge TF. Good luck.
Wont work. Unlike most devices the Transformer does not use 5v to charge like the iPhone and many other Android devices. It does use USB but it will only charge via Asus's special chargers. This is because our Transformers charge via 15volt and the charger cable is actually a USB 3.0 cable that has extra pins in back, and the 15volt pin is one of these extra pins the USB 3.0 layout provides.
Edit Bob Smith42 beat me to it by a few seconds lol
Be aware that it's incorrect to say that the TF won't charge from a standard USB charger. It does charge however it only trickle charges and therefore takes much longer. So let's make sure we are clear when we respond about what works and what doesn't. I used my iPad 2 amp charger on the TF and went from about 30% charge to about 85% charge in about 6 hours (screen off). The absolute fastest way to trickle charge from a generic adapter is with the TF powered off. Hopefully Asus will come out their own car adapter for the TF.
The charger that the original poster mentioned WILL trickle charge the TF. Also new TF users should know that the TF will not give any charging indications when plugged into anything other than the Asus charger - but it is trickle charging none-the-less.
w4rmk said:
The charger that the original poster mentioned WILL trickle charge the TF. Also new TF users should know that the TF will not give any charging indications when plugged into anything other than the Asus charger - but it is trickle charging none-the-less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing to mention that you can do if you have the tock is trickl-echarge THAT while still using the pad... then in 5-6 hours when the padd is getting low, you can dock it, and it will charge off of the dock while you keep using it. Once fully charged, undock it again, etc. This is what I want to do, and why I want a second USB cable.
Hi,
I plan to disappear into the woods and come back out when I've finished my thesis (more or less). So I'm interested in buying a solar panel to use with my transformer and since people here seem pretty knowledgeable about charging the transformer I thought I would run it by you guys to make sure I do not miss something important.
I've gathered so far that I will need at least an 11v panel.
Also, it seems I need USB 3.0 to charge by USB. Is this correct?
And if I can't get USB 3.0 I will have to modify a 2.0 wire or plug or whatever... I prefer to avoid this
What should I go for in terms og Watts?
Would it be reccommendable to buy a panel with a battery to get a more even current?
Recommandations would be great!
Wow, I thought I was the only one that even remotely cared about this!
I have a Goal0 Nomad 7m. It's 12v, and I have had no luck getting it to charge my TF. Do you think it might be because of the USB 3.0 requirement?
Great that I'm not alone! Too bad that it doesn't work though...
I got the thing about USB 3.0 from this thread;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1087321
reading it again I noticed this line;
"The Asus charger does need a 3.0 cable extension to work. But with a DIY charger you don't need USB 3.0 cables or connectors."
So I'm not really sure if it makes a difference whether you use USB 2.0 or 3.0.
Anyway the specs for your Nomad says that it's 5v for USB output and 12v for DC output so I'm guessing that's why it doesn't work with the transformer.
Miki T. said:
Great that I'm not alone! Too bad that it doesn't work though...
I got the thing about USB 3.0 from this thread;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1087321
reading it again I noticed this line;
"The Asus charger does need a 3.0 cable extension to work. But with a DIY charger you don't need USB 3.0 cables or connectors."
So I'm not really sure if it makes a difference whether you use USB 2.0 or 3.0.
Anyway the specs for your Nomad says that it's 5v for USB output and 12v for DC output so I'm guessing that's why it doesn't work with the transformer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right!...that actually means there's options. Shouldn't something like this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inve...=UTF8&coliid=IUJZFD56YRM5K&colid=HQA2VAAM7MXY
I think I'm gonna have to order this, and give it a shot. I already have the panel & the DC jack, so I might as well.
Hey nice find! It seems like it should work, though don't take my word for it. I'm really ignorant of this stuff which is why I started the thread to begin with In any case $22 for a charger sounds fairly cheap.
Let me know if it works or not!
Solar panels that put out more than 28W (5V, 2A = 10W + 15V, 1.2A = 18W) would be enough, but then you'd likely want to run it through an inverter to get 110v AC, then the ASUS charger.
Until and unless ASUS comes out with a car charger that would work with the dock, running an inverter to generate an AC signal, then running it through the AC adapter will be the way to go.
Figuring in efficiency losses, you'll probably want 50-75W worth of solar panels for this to work. You can also use a 12v battery as a ballast.
FrayAdjacent said:
Solar panels that put out more than 28W (5V, 2A = 10W + 15V, 1.2A = 18W) would be enough, but then you'd likely want to run it through an inverter to get 110v AC, then the ASUS charger.
Until and unless ASUS comes out with a car charger that would work with the dock, running an inverter to generate an AC signal, then running it through the AC adapter will be the way to go.
Figuring in efficiency losses, you'll probably want 50-75W worth of solar panels for this to work. You can also use a 12v battery as a ballast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need 5V and 12V, only 12V. The Asus charger only puts out 5V for non-transformer devices. Don't introduce all the loss from the 110V converter, just charge a 12V battery with a panel(the Asus will draw 18 watts at full charge), then charge the transformer from the battery. Just get a usb extender, cut it, and hook negative to pin 4 and positive to pin 1. I would recommend a 5 Ohm resistor to limit amperage, but it isn't necessary.
I'd like to hear how it works out.
I was considering putting some flexible solar panels on the back of the transformer. But with the dock, I've got more than enough power for my needs. Plus, the back of the transformer won't get that much sunlight.
I'm now moving on to trying to put solar panels on the back of my cellphone (Huawei U8800). It's a great phone, and the battery lasts all day, so long as I don't play too many games.
One thing you might want to consider is an external battery pack. They are pretty cheap here in China, and have huge batteries in them. They even have some with built in solar panels. I'm sure you could find one that could recharge the Transformer. Then you could have the battery pack in the sun charging via the solar panel, and you sitting in the shade with the transformer. At night plug the battery up to the transformer to let it charge while you sleep. The transformer with dock should have more than enough battery life to last all day.
If I come across any useful information during my research, I'll let you know.
Miki T. said:
Hey nice find! It seems like it should work, though don't take my word for it. I'm really ignorant of this stuff which is why I started the thread to begin with In any case $22 for a charger sounds fairly cheap.
Let me know if it works or not!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it! ...and it will be here this afternoon. Thanks to Amazon Prime local delivery .
I'll let you know how/if it works out.
philburkhardt said:
I bought it! ...and it will be here this afternoon. Thanks to Amazon Prime local delivery .
I'll let you know how/if it works out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stuff like that is great for the car, but you're gonna lose SO much efficiency through it, then even more loss from the Asus charger plugged into it. A 15W solar panel should be enough to charge the TF directly. Using an inverter with the asus charger, you'll probably need 50-100W. Just FYI.
msticninja said:
Stuff like that is great for the car, but you're gonna lose SO much efficiency through it, then even more loss from the Asus charger plugged into it. A 15W solar panel should be enough to charge the TF directly. Using an inverter with the asus charger, you'll probably need 50-100W. Just FYI.
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Yup, you're right. No go on charging the TF. Like you said, it will be great for charging things in the car. Just not off my 12W solar panel. I think I'm gonna have to upgrade my panel .
philburkhardt said:
Yup, you're right. No go on charging the TF. Like you said, it will be great for charging things in the car. Just not off my 12W solar panel. I think I'm gonna have to upgrade my panel .
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The real joy of the TF is that it charges directly from 12 volts, so, assuming you have a 12 volt 12W panel, you should go get a 12 volt battery, 4AH(amp-hour) at least. It will be about the size of an old 6 volt lantern battery. Hook the panel to the battery to charge the battery, hook a female usb port to the battery, and hook the TF directly to the female usb port. You'll probably be able to get through a whole night on a 4AH battery + the TFs battery.
Great! Lots of useful replies... thanks a lot!
I plan on not using the adapter and use a USB extender the way msticninja wrote, since I don't want to carry or pay for something that delivers 50-100W.
I think I've found the panel I am going to buy. I cannot include outside links until I've posted 8 messages, but you can easily find it by googling "Portable 9x 2.5 W Solar Panel". So 22.5 Watt... that should suffice. That's at 18v * 1.25a.
It seems that all the solutions that comes with a battery are all quite pricey, but then I don't really need some fancy battery do I? Some do-it-yourself solution should be fine as long as the battery is rechargeable, 4AH("at least") and 12v right?
Do I want to reduce the voltage of the solar panel to 12 instead of 18? And should I worry about overcharging the battery?
By the way, is the battery an absolute necessity or is that only if I want to charge during the evening/night?
What I hope to be able to do is; be away from mains for about one week at a time, and use my laptop, say, 8 hours a day. I hope this will be enough...
Miki T. said:
That's at 18v * 1.25a.
Do I want to reduce the voltage of the solar panel to 12 instead of 18? And should I worry about overcharging the battery?
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The Asus charger will put out 15V at most, as marked on the charger itself. I don't think I'd use anything higher than 12V into the tablet/dock. You'd probably want to use some kind of voltage regulator to drop the 18V to 12V.
Without knowing the internal workings of the dock/tablet, I can't really comment more than that.
Miki T. said:
Great! Lots of useful replies... thanks a lot!
I plan on not using the adapter and use a USB extender the way msticninja wrote, since I don't want to carry or pay for something that delivers 50-100W.
I think I've found the panel I am going to buy. I cannot include outside links until I've posted 8 messages, but you can easily find it by googling "Portable 9x 2.5 W Solar Panel". So 22.5 Watt... that should suffice. That's at 18v * 1.25a.
It seems that all the solutions that comes with a battery are all quite pricey, but then I don't really need some fancy battery do I? Some do-it-yourself solution should be fine as long as the battery is rechargeable, 4AH("at least") and 12v right?
Do I want to reduce the voltage of the solar panel to 12 instead of 18? And should I worry about overcharging the battery?
By the way, is the battery an absolute necessity or is that only if I want to charge during the evening/night?
What I hope to be able to do is; be away from mains for about one week at a time, and use my laptop, say, 8 hours a day. I hope this will be enough...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need some sort of voltage regulation to maintain 12V. That's pretty much a requirement for any solar charging system. Panels themselves do not usually have regulation, so the output voltage of the panel is a function of the amount of light the panel is receiving.
This is a really quick search, but this satisfies all the requirements for what you need, and it's only $20:
http://www.amazon.com/Ramsond-SunShield-Charge-Controller-Regulator/dp/B0031FQ1S6
Feel free to search for alternatives, but use that as your starting point for searching.
Another quick search to give you an idea what you're looking for as far as batteries:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=12v+4ah+battery&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15393345737619657558&sa=X&ei=lq5MTsCGGMSCsgLgivmCBw&ved=0CHIQ8wIwAA
If I made something for myself, I'd use Lithium Ion cells and use a smart lipo charger to regulate the solar panel output, but it needs more research, and will cost more.
This will be interesting!
I've ordered the parts - the panel I mentioned, the Ramsond SunShield 12V 8A Solar Charge Controller Regulator that msticninja suggested and a Super Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, 12V 6800mAh. I ordered the panel and the battery off of sunsky. They seem to have very fair prices.
All the parts came to a total of $164, shipping included. Compared to complete sets with the same specs I'd say that's a really good deal, provided I make it work
I'll let you know!
Miki T. said:
This will be interesting!
I've ordered the parts - the panel I mentioned, the Ramsond SunShield 12V 8A Solar Charge Controller Regulator that msticninja suggested and a Super Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, 12V 6800mAh. I ordered the panel and the battery off of sunsky. They seem to have very fair prices.
All the parts came to a total of $164, shipping included. Compared to complete sets with the same specs I'd say that's a really good deal, provided I make it work
I'll let you know!
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Give me a link to that Li-ion battery. If it doesn't have it's own charging circuit, you'll need to get a lipo charger instead of/in addition to the Ramsond regulator. I'll check it out for you.
EDIT: If it's this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-6800mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Lithium-ion-Battery-/150530536976
it's hard to say, but I think it has it's own charging circuit, because the wall wart included with it doesn't look like a lithium charger. But it does have a charge finished light, so, if the light stays on when the battery isn't plugged in, you should be okay. If the green light only turns on when a fully charged battery is connected, then you might not be fine. Confirm what you're getting by posting a link, and I'll try to make sure. If it doesn't have it's own charging circuit, the battery will explode in a fireball.
EDIT2: This one has it's own charging circuit, and it sounds like it's what's inside the other one I linked, so you should be okay if it's either of these.
http://www.lunershop.com/product_info.php?language=en¤cy=USD&products_id=2566
Just wondering if something like this would help.
http://www.ioffer.com/i/solar-battery-panel-usb-charger-for-cell-phone-mp3-mp4-147450373?source=eisi
I have no understanding of electricity, except the basic 4th grade stuff. This is a cool project thought. I'm planning on making a 55 paracord strap that will attach to my case and fit like a messenger bag. Having solar panels to charge it and a paracord strap would make the TF a nice camping device
SwiftLegend said:
Just wondering if something like this would help.
http://www.ioffer.com/i/solar-battery-panel-usb-charger-for-cell-phone-mp3-mp4-147450373?source=eisi
I have no understanding of electricity, except the basic 4th grade stuff. This is a cool project thought. I'm planning on making a 55 paracord strap that will attach to my case and fit like a messenger bag. Having solar panels to charge it and a paracord strap would make the TF a nice camping device
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Click to collapse
Nope, as discussed before, the TF uses 11-15V to charge, and normal USB chargers/backup batteries only put out 5V.
msticninja said:
Give me a link to that Li-ion battery. If it doesn't have it's own charging circuit, you'll need to get a lipo charger instead of/in addition to the Ramsond regulator. I'll check it out for you.
EDIT: If it's this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-6800mAh-Super-Rechargeable-Lithium-ion-Battery-/150530536976
it's hard to say, but I think it has it's own charging circuit, because the wall wart included with it doesn't look like a lithium charger. But it does have a charge finished light, so, if the light stays on when the battery isn't plugged in, you should be okay. If the green light only turns on when a fully charged battery is connected, then you might not be fine. Confirm what you're getting by posting a link, and I'll try to make sure. If it doesn't have it's own charging circuit, the battery will explode in a fireball.
EDIT2: This one has it's own charging circuit, and it sounds like it's what's inside the other one I linked, so you should be okay if it's either of these.
http://www.lunershop.com/product_info.php?language=en¤cy=USD&products_id=2566
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Click to collapse
Fireballs are serious business...
The one I ordered is the blue one. I can't really confirm with a link since I cannot post external links until 8 posts but there shouldn't be any mistake. And it does say the following about it;
With its multi-protective device, the inner circuit pervents the box from over-recharging or over-discharging.so it should be safe I think...
When ever I drive, I have my phone hooked up to my Escort Red Line radar detector and my car's stereo via bluetooth (both). In order for me to use the radar detector effective, I need to have GPS and Blueooth enabled. This is a HUGE SUPER OMG battery drainer for my amaze. 20 minutes drive kills about 35% of the phone's power. My radar detector offers a slot to charge my phone BUT it still drains, not enough juice flowing in. Someone said it is because it's probably a .5amp.
So I am running a extension from the 12v lighter that's in the trunk to the front of my car. Amazon has a generic 2.1amp for 3 bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Heavy...121&sr=8-1&keywords=htc+amaze+car+charger+amp
But on ebay, I found the original HTC car charger for 15 bucks which is a 1amp.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HTC-Amaze-4...918506?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27c867022a
What do you guys recommend? My logic says go for the 2.1amp, the phone will draw as much as it needs from it.
The 1amp.
Anything higher you'll damage the phone or the battery.
A wall plug power supply or a usb supply is 5.0v/1amp.
The 2.1 amp is probably 1 amp per port. Although it does not seem to specify.
F9zSlavik said:
What do you guys recommend? My logic says go for the 2.1amp, the phone will draw as much as it needs from it.
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Right!:good:
---------- Post added at 09:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:41 AM ----------
soundping said:
The 1amp.
Anything higher you'll damage the phone or the battery.
A wall plug power supply or a usb supply is 5.0v/1amp.
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That means a higher capacity battery (more current NOT MORE VOLTAGE) will damage the phone?!!!!
Totally wrong!
A higher current will not damage the phone. A higher voltage will do it!
Please do not mix the current with voltage!
Voltage is same 5 Volts (±5%) for these “USB like” applications (1A or 2.1A power supply our case )They use USB socket/connector but usually only pin 1 and 4 (+ and-)
Regular computer USB port can supply max 0.5-0.9 A depending on version.
For battery charging devices the current can go to 5A.
Higher voltage will trip a warning window telling you to disconnect and use official HTC equipment.
The phone monitors input voltage to protect the equipment.
nyc_tdi said:
That means a higher capacity battery (more current NOT MORE VOLTAGE) will damage the phone?!!!!
Totally wrong!
A higher current will not damage the phone. A higher voltage will do it!
Please do not mix the current with voltage!
Voltage is same 5 Volts (±5%) for these “USB like” applications (1A or 2.1A power supply our case )They use USB socket/connector but usually only pin 1 and 4 (+ and-)
Regular computer USB port can supply max 0.5-0.9 A depending on version.
For battery charging devices the current can go to 5A.
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Click to collapse
and to add to that... unless you take the charger apart and short pins 2 and 3, it will only ever draw 500mA, as it assumes that it is hooked up to a regular powered USB port... I have bought multiple car charger usb adapters, and I have taken all of them apart and soldered the 2nd and 3rd pins together... otherwise charge time = forever, and sometimes it won't even charge if you have wifi or data/gps/bluetooth all going at once...
I recently got an Amaze and am generally happy with it. The biggest problem I have right now is finding the right car charger for it because the car charger I previously used (a 1A monoprice car charger) doesn't give it enough charge. I have been reading through the forums and some has been saying that if the charger is not working properly, it will recognize it as charging via USB rather than AC. In my case, the phone seems to be reading it as charging through AC, but there still doesn't seem to be enough current going through it. The phone will only charge if NOTHING is going on (i.e. screen's off, no GPS, etc.). I've been using CoPilot GPS and it draws the battery like crazy. Anyone has any idea as to which car charger would work properly with the Amaze such that I'll be able to charge (or at least maintain the charge) while using it as a GPS? Do I need to go up to a 2.1A charger?
I would look for a 4-5 star rated 2.1a car charger on Amazon.
Just read through the comments and feedback and you'll find one that's right for you.
I prefer the USB charger base itself and then using the OEM cable that came with the Amaze.
It seems to charge faster with that cable, at least to me anyway.
Remember though if it's rated 2.1a but has two USB slots that 2.1a will be cut in half if used to charge two different devices.
Hope this helps.
I couldve sworn we talked about this months ago. Let me see if I can find the thread.
nguyendqh said:
I would look for a 4-5 star rated 2.1a car charger on Amazon.
Just read through the comments and feedback and you'll find one that's right for you.
I prefer the USB charger base itself and then using the OEM cable that came with the Amaze.
It seems to charge faster with that cable, at least to me anyway.
Remember though if it's rated 2.1a but has two USB slots that 2.1a will be cut in half if used to charge two different devices.
Hope this helps.
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you won't get the full 2.1a unless you usee a charge only cable or modify the charger as I stated above...
I ended up getting a 2.1A car charger and a USB charge only cable, and it's working perfectly. When I have the screen on full brightness and doing navigation with Co-Pilot GPS, my phone's no longer losing charge and is actually charging. The combo also works with my tablet as well.
blast0id said:
and to add to that... unless you take the charger apart and short pins 2 and 3, it will only ever draw 500mA, as it assumes that it is hooked up to a regular powered USB port... I have bought multiple car charger usb adapters, and I have taken all of them apart and soldered the 2nd and 3rd pins together... otherwise charge time = forever, and sometimes it won't even charge if you have wifi or data/gps/bluetooth all going at once...
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This is damn helpful! So THAT is why when driving and using gps or whatnot I would always lose more battery even on charger.. So basically I can just solder the middle 2 pins together to trick it into thinking it is being powered like a home charger? No chance it will hurt anything I assume?
Silentbtdeadly said:
This is damn helpful! So THAT is why when driving and using gps or whatnot I would always lose more battery even on charger.. So basically I can just solder the middle 2 pins together to trick it into thinking it is being powered like a home charger? No chance it will hurt anything I assume?
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I have done this to every single one of my USB car chargers... not a single issue...