UKC

Are there any good power packs for charging phones away from a power source?

Thanks muchly.

In reply to The Lemming: I was just about to post a thread asking the same question but running on AA batteries.

In reply to The Lemming:

I use the anker astro 3e. Only £25 or so, lithium battery, and 10,000mAh capacity, so will charge my Galaxy S3 three times easily. Doesn't run on AA's though!

In reply to The Lemming: I use a proporta turbocharger. Will charge my iPhone four and half times. Would recommend it

In reply to The Lemming:

No recommendations for particular ones but I've made two, for different battery formats, very cheaply. With the named brands you'll be almost guaranteed batteries that actually bear resemblance to what they claim - Ansmann are well regarded.

Brilliant bits of kit and better than solar chargers IMHO.

In reply to dutybooty:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Double-Capacity-MintyBoost-with-4-AA-Batter...

Google or ebay seqarch DC-DC USB 0.9V-5V to 5V DC Mobile Booster - this is the dc - dc boost

If you have a soldering iron, very easy to construct. Advantage with AA is they're ubiquitous.

In reply to The Lemming: I have an older version which kept my iphone working for 2 days with the capacity of this one i would guess 7 days but i won't know until christmas
http://www.lovecases.co.uk/kit-high-power-15000mah-dual-usb-emergency-charg...

In reply to Removed User:

May I ask how long you have owned the older version?

I am now torn between this model and one from Amazon, Anker 15,000
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00D5T3QK4/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1384114530&am...

I think this is the same company as New Trent but I can't be sure. I bought a New Trent battery in 2012 from a recommendation on here and its still going strong for my nephew.

In reply to The Lemming:

Some of these power packs have two USB ports, one with 1A and another with a 2A rating.

Does it make a difference which port I charge devices with, as it am I likely to fry something?

In reply to The Lemming: I've had it for 18 months it has worked in the highlands on a 3 day walk and survived Glastonbury and is in Yosemite (without me mores the pity) at the moment.

In reply to The Lemming:

Skip to the last line if you want.

The charge rate for my Samsung Galaxy S2 is 1Ah (or 1000mA). Typically charge rates for Li-ion batteries is between 0.5C to 1C (where C is the capacity of the battery so in my phone's case - a 1650mA battery, a charge rate of between 825mAh and 1650mAh). If I charged it at 2Ah that would be a charge rate of 1.25C (if my brain is working). I have a flam case for when I have to fast charge my battery cells.

Short answer - use the 1A usb.

In reply to The Lemming:

What should happen is if you plug a device with a big battery like an iPad in which would normally have a 10W charger into the 1A port there will be a negotiation between the device and the charger and it will either take a long time to charge or not charge at all. If you plug a small device like a phone into the 2A port it should do the same as if you plug it into the 1A port.

HOWEVER, some of these battery packs are made by total cowboys trying to shave out every possible cost and I would not bet on them implementing the USB spec properly if it cost an extra dollar worth of silicon. Therefore, unless the documentation explicitly said it was OK I would be careful to use the 1A port for small devices and the 2A port for big ones.

PowerMonkey... recharged 4 smartphone mobiles over 4 days days away from power. Also recharged an iPad on return to base when the power went off. All of one charge, not cheap, but sturdy and reliable.

I don't own one but I was impressed.

In reply to alexgoodey:

Which model of power monkey was it?

In reply to alexgoodey:

Last year I bought a power-monkey for my Samsung Ace. It went back to the shop the very next morning as it was as useful as a paper weight.

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:


My smart-phone has a battery capacity of 2100, does this mean that I would use the 2A port?

In reply to The Lemming:
The mophie range work well - they are available in various sizes. Used mine to charge the phone in the Alps this summer although many huts had charging points – even if no phone signal!

In reply to The Lemming:

Not necessarily. If you use the 1A port then it will take longer to charge. The 2100 maH battery on you galaxy ace is the capacity of the battery. An easy way to know how many times your power pack will charge your phone from empty is to see how many 2100's fit into the capacity of your power pack

David

In reply to climber david:

I've got a Nexus 4 phone now as my Samsung Ace started struggling with storage issues this year.

I'm not too sure how to care for my Nexus battery, to get the best life out of it as I read conflicting reports.

However, I've ordered an Anker 15,000 battery and it should arrive in a few days. Funny thing is that I won't be able to use this battery on my ASUS tablet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D5T3QK4/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

In reply to The Lemming:


No surprise. Your tablet will need charging at a voltage above the 5V the Anker kicks out.

Thinking on I'd opt for the 1A charge anyway. The Anker you have bought will very probably have 3.7V batteries powering it which are stepped up to 5V output. Anker is good kit but you'll lose about 20 - 30% of the stated capacity through that stepping up process - so you could end up with a pack that will have a real life 12000mAh "capacity" or nearly six charges of your phone. Trying to (or having to) charge at a higher rate will mean there is more draw from the source batteries which means their shelf life could be shortened.