Related
Has anyone bought a solar charger for the G1? I'm going camping for 2 weeks soon and have been looking at the chargers but not sure about them. Anybody have good experiences with any of them? Satisfied with the performance and charge time? I've a 2600 mAh seidio battery.
Solar Powered Charger
Well, I was browsing around one of the numerous Chinese websites that sell random no-brand parts and accessories, and stumbled upon this:
http://www.davismicro.com/products/product_1950.htm
It is a solar powered charger, and based on the specs, it says it can charge a RAZR V3. If I am not mistaken, charging specifications on the RAZR are similar to that of the G1. Any ideas? I couldn't use this, living in Oregon I would probably have to put this on the roof surrounded by mirrors.
dont get it. i got one from best buy and it sucked. never chared my phone once.
BestBuy sells this kinda stuff??
Awesome this is whats needed
I wouldn't bothewr with something cheap like that.
A Friend in OZ got something very much like that and it was rubbish and just wouldn't charge anything so he got one like mine.
A freeloader: http://www.hookarama.com/items/1925_1216480SIL
There's probably better sellers than that and it's a bit more expensive than the cheap ones but you get what you pay for.
Tha advantage of this one is that it has a built in battery and removeable solar panels so once it's charged it's battery you can remove the panels and just take the little battery pack with you.
Charges the G1 just fine too!
Phil
http://www.google.com/products?q=Solar+mobile+charger&oe=utf-8&hl=en&scoring=p
Quite a few.
-bZj
Free Loader
I have a Free Loader Solar Charger, and this is my experience:
The device itself is a couple of centimetres longer than the G1 and the same width/depth and well designed, it comprises of a battery and two solar panels that click onto the battery. It come with 12 different adapters making it very versatile.
The two small solar panels that attach to the device are very small and it takes about 2 days of (admittedly dull) English sunshine for it to reach a full charge. this is pretty impractical.
I purchased a larger solar panel produced by the same company, it has a USB port, so if you know how you could put a usb port on any solar panel and use it to charge this battery via traditional USB to mini USB. On a sunny day this larger panel took only 3 hours to reach a full charge. Making the device very practical and usable.
However even a full charge of this battery achieved via charging from computer USB will only power the G1 up to 60% battery level.
This is purely anecdotal but I get the feeling that this charge then runs down quicker than when i charge direct from USB or mains. Is this just me or could there be an explanation for this?
I use it by charging via the computer and then taking it along as a second battery. In an emergency a few hours of sunshine even with dull light will give just enough for a phone call.
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
...
Does anyone know if the charger pack u charge to act as a charger for your phone (when not near electricity)is compatible with the note? I've seen them but i didn't know if they are compatible with the note since it has such a large battery. Also does anyone have a link to one?
Sent from my Galaxy Note
I just bought this Anker one from Amazon. Reviews are almost overwhelmingly positive and I can confirm that it does work on the Note just as well as it works on my Atrix 4G.
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-5600mAh...5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330474615&sr=1-5
Does the higher the amount of mah on the battery pack equate to numerous recharges for your phone(depending on the phone's battery mah)?
Sent from my Galaxy Note
Yup. It's just shy of three full charges for my Atrix, which has a ~1900mAh battery. Should be two charges for a Note, give or take a little bit.
That's great! I just saw one on amazon with 11200 mah for $69 i think im going to get it.
Sent from my Galaxy Note
How long is the charge time on yours? I've never had one so i don't the slightest idea of how long it could take to charge one.
Sent from my Galaxy Note
I was going to get that one, but it was just too huge. I can slip the Anker 5600 I bought into a jacket or pants pocket with the cable and it's just fine. No problems with portability. Charge time is equal to what it'd be from an AC charger in my experience so far, but I only got mine a few days ago.
I meant wats the charge time of the battery pack?
Sent from my Galaxy Note
Haha...sorry. It was about half-charged when I got it (2/4 indicator lights) and took two hours to charge to four lights.
I got the mycharge ones since the cables are built in. 3Ah and 6Ah depending on my needs (1 or 2 nights). I like them even though they aren't 10Ah monsters.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note
Just ordered the anker. I appreciate the info.
Sent from my Galaxy Note
Does it hold the charge or do you constantly have to recharge it?
Sent from my Galaxy Note
Most portable USB battery chargers do not support the signals that allow the Note to go to high current charge mode. Pins 2 and 3 of the USB connection need to be shorted with a low resistance. The Note senses this and switches on a high charge otherwise, it will stick to a standard USB charge of less than 500ma even if the battery charger can put out 1A.
I bought a Scosche 5000 mah portable battery charger that comes with a special USB adapter designed for the Galaxy Tab. I tested it with my Note. With the adapter, the Note charges in under four hours. Without the adapter, it takes overnight to charge the Note even though the Scosche has a USB port that puts out 2.1A to charge an Ipad.
Staples sells the Scosche battery for $80 but there is a $29 online coupon that is good until 3/5/2012.
Hmm... I have a rechargeable battery from Monoprice that I use with my iPhone 4 but I haven't tried it with my Note yet. It will probably only charge the battery about half way. Monoprice has good cheap rechargeable batteries to charge on the go if anyone is looking for something similar.
After a few more days with the Anker, it charges my Atrix and my Vivid at least as fast as my AC charger. Probably placebo effect, but it honestly feels like it charges it faster.
Why not just carry a couple of extra batteries and get a charging station for them? Seems cumbersome to have to have one of these attached to your device when you need more juice, when swapping out a battery is quick and has an instant full charge...?
welchertc said:
Why not just carry a couple of extra batteries and get a charging station for them? Seems cumbersome to have to have one of these attached to your device when you need more juice, when swapping out a battery is quick and has an instant full charge...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1^^^
If you're gonna carry something anyway you might as well just have a single, spare battery instead of a power pack plus a cable. The Note has such an easy back to pull off and swap. Bing-bang-boom.
kimtyson said:
+1^^^
If you're gonna carry something anyway you might as well just have a single, spare battery instead of a power pack plus a cable. The Note has such an easy back to pull off and swap. Bing-bang-boom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who used to do this exact same thing with the captivate, it's definitely convenient to carry, however the interruption while you take off the case, remove the cover, replace the battery/reboot, can get annoying especiallky if you're right in the middle of doing something.
I'm getting ready to take a long plane flight, and I bought some battery packs from monoprice just now, with the intention of using one of them up front while I use the phone, so we'll see how that goes.
brookssw said:
As someone who used to do this exact same thing with the captivate, it's definitely convenient to carry, however the interruption while you take off the case, remove the cover, replace the battery/reboot, can get annoying especiallky if you're right in the middle of doing something.
I'm getting ready to take a long plane flight, and I bought some battery packs from monoprice just now, with the intention of using one of them up front while I use the phone, so we'll see how that goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note sure if it's just me, but the minute or so that my phone is down to swap the battery and reboot seems much more appealing and convenient than having a battery pack dangling by a cord from my phone for multiple hours while it charges, or keeps it charged.
Not to mention how many spare batteries you could buy for the price of one external battery pack.
welchertc said:
Note sure if it's just me, but the minute or so that my phone is down to swap the battery and reboot seems much more appealing and convenient than having a battery pack dangling by a cord from my phone for multiple hours while it charges, or keeps it charged.
Not to mention how many spare batteries you could buy for the price of one external battery pack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually agree partially, however I just found out that monoprice.com sells 2800mah battery packs for like $13 each. I just bought three:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10833&cs_id=1083311&p_id=7664&seq=1&format=2
That said, I likely will still buy an extra regular battery that I can just carry in my pocket. The main reason I'm going with the external batteries is because I'm getting ready to go on a trip with 15 month old twins to europe, and I can use these external packs to power up both my phone, and my touchpad (Which I need for playing childrens shows)
I'm looking for an external battery charger (preferably solar powered) for taking my Note on backpacking trips. Unfortunately, most of the solar packs that I've found have only .5 - .7 amps available for USB output. If I'm using a 1amp charging cable (with the data leads shorted), will .7 amps kick in the AC charging speed? Is .5 amps enough to charge the phone while I sleep for 7 hours?
I suppose it depends on how long you are out without power but another alternative is an external battery that allows you to charge your phone by plugging it into the external battery.
This one here (at $75 USD) will let you charge the Note from completely dead to a full complete charge 4.4 times.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-IMP...Z64Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336084828&sr=8-2
So, if you started your backpacking with a full charge on both the phone and the battery pack, and assuming you charge the phone every night at say 20% battery left, you should get 6 days. If you need more than that, you can just buy a second battery pack (personally, Id want to have two just in case).
That's a good suggestion from littlewierdo. I would also have at least 2 spare batteries for the note. I don't think that .5 amps is enough.
Budge said:
I'm looking for an external battery charger (preferably solar powered) for taking my Note on backpacking trips. Unfortunately, most of the solar packs that I've found have only .5 - .7 amps available for USB output. If I'm using a 1amp charging cable (with the data leads shorted), will .7 amps kick in the AC charging speed? Is .5 amps enough to charge the phone while I sleep for 7 hours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Budge I had an HTC evo 4g and got a 5400mah battery. This worked ok. However the output is .5a which will not charge the note if you are using maps with gps or bluetooth or playing tunes. It wil charge when not using those. Say at night when you are asleep. I think you would have to find a battery with output better than 1a to actually charge when you are actively using your phone. I am not sure of the actual output you would need. I will research it though for my own needs. I do use my note on my motorcyle with a charger which outputs .5a and this is nowhere near what is needed to use google maps and bluetooth and play tunes.
I am actively looking for a solution which will charge my note while using google maps, bluetooth, and playing tunes etc. I may have found a solution with a usb y cable which is connected a 2a source and a .5a source on my motorcycle.
The only solution for backpacking may be to charge when not using the note. I am fairly sure it will charge at .5a when sleeping.
Good luck.
kimtyson said:
That's a good suggestion from littlewierdo. I would also have at least 2 spare batteries for the note. I don't think that .5 amps is enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
imesg said:
I am actively looking for a solution which will charge my note while using google maps, bluetooth, and playing tunes etc. I may have found a solution with a usb y cable which is connected a 2a source and a .5a source on my motorcycle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not sure where you got the .5 amps from, it outputs 1 amp, so it will charge the Note with the screen on. However, it wont charge quite as fast as the wall charger will it will actually charge the phone.
It should be able to handle keeping the screen on, bluetooth doesnt use much power at all so playing music shouldnt be an issue and gps uses very little battery as well. I dont see an issue with it.
Admittedly, I dont have one of these, dont really have much of a use for one at the moment but I cant possibly see any issues with this.
HOWEVER, there are alternative external battery packs that are MUCH cheaper with less mah capacity (meaning, in simple speak, you would get less power storage meaning that you wouldnt be able to charge your phone as many times as you might like). There are other USB battery packs that might also have less power output (or more) which might mean that you wouldnt be able to keep the screen on AND charge the phone.
Truth be told, I only looked for the highest capacity battery pack given what your situation was AND I tend to buy higher end if the price makes sense. In the case of battery packs similar to this design (external usb battery packs), they generally start at $30 and go to about $80 so buying the best possible makes sense. However, if the highest/best possible was $200, Id probably get something cheaper, but since its only ~$80, if I were in your shoes, that would be my choice.
Id probably consider getting two of them (that is, if we are talking about longer than 1 week excursions, if under a week, just get 1) and a decently long usb cable (3-4 ft) but not too long (you dont want to be tripping over the cable but you need it long enough that if you need to, you can charge the phone mid-day while hiking).
You dont need multiple batteries for the Note, the whole point of this external battery pack is to eliminate the need for them.
littlewierdo said:
Im not sure where you got the .5 amps from, it outputs 1 amp, so it will charge the Note with the screen on. However, it wont charge quite as fast as the wall charger will it will actually charge the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
littlewierdo I was not necessarily speaking of the device you suggested but one I had. I was warning Budge to be careful and not get a device which outputs only .5a. I was suggesting that he find one which will put out 2a if such exists. The device which you suggested will put out 1a. However I don't believe this would be enough for my purposes and maybe no Budge's either. i was not refering to your device or you. Not my intent to get in an argument with you but to help Budge find a suitable solution.
link to imp1000 manual:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...sg=AFQjCNFPt8XfUpeSr8olPnKLYCivrRvqFg&cad=rja
Couldn't make the link post as a link. Do a search for 'imp1000 manual'.
Ciao
Littlewierdo- I didn't disagree with your suggestion to use another battery pack to charge the existing battery. In fact, I have one and use that option myself. I was adding that it may be a good idea to have a spare. I was responding to the OP who mentioned .5 amps. I assume that's where imesg was coming from, too.
I'm on vacation and if i didn't have two battery's i would be lost. For some reason while running navigation i still lose battery even while plugged into charger. Any reasonable input is well appreciated.. Thanks guys..
$ø|\/|£ťhïñğ ¢ű$ț¤|\/| ⁴.².²
Is your screen brightness all the way up? That's a battery hog.
Also what kind of charger is it plugged into? If it's a cheap off brand it might not be enough power.
Is any thing else running?
I use Google nav all the time and it barely charges when plugged in. But it does charge.
It's really an issue of how much juice your charger is pushing out vs. the power needed for your screen, apps, and GPS. I have a USB connection in my car that I use and it definitely losses power while charging under said conditions. I'm able to counter this by simply turning off the screen whenever possible (like when you don't have to make a turn for several miles).
In order for our phone to charge while using Navy (whether Google or any other 3rd party Navy app), your car charger needs to put out MINIMUM 1amp. MINIMUM. Download current widget from the app store. It will tell you how much your charger is putting out.
(The units in the widget is off by 1000. Ie if the output is 900, then it is 0.9A.). A value ranging above 500 or 0.5A should be what you are getting on a regular charger. Close to 0.9-1A. This value will fluctuate a little as the batter reaches full charge and while the phone trickle charges.
USB and cheapie car chargers usually give you no more than 500 or 0.5A. Running NAV or watching video while plugged into this connection. Will not charge the battery. Usage exceeds the charge current.
Even using GPS on a 1A charger will not give you full charge speed. I would recommend a 2A charger if you want to be able to charge while using the NAV.
I am using a Samsung 2A USB car charger myself. Since the charger is capable of delivering 2A, while the NAV is running, the charger is capable of providing full charge.
There is a circuit in the phone that prevents excess current. (Well from what I have read, and my usage so far. Current widget has never shown anything over 1A-1.2A).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app