Related
do there exist any battery chargers that are not cradles? I don't need a cradle. But I need to be able to charge my spare battery when I'm travelling. I'm not going to carry my cradle while flying around. But I don't see any battery chargers for sale, I mean ones like we use for our camera batteries. What's the deal?
also, are there any standards in batteries within HTC? or does each model use a different type of battery
Found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/HTC-Touch-Cruis...ryZ15037QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Looks ok. $10 delivered, folds, world AC.
speakerphone said:
Found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/HTC-Touch-Cruis...ryZ15037QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Looks ok. $10 delivered, folds, world AC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the link... for $10 US Dollars, its worth trying out...
i received the charger and - so far - it appears to be working very well. one plus is that it has a USB cord that allows you to use your laptop or a cigarette lighter adapter to charge your battery. it also has the built-in prongs to plug into the wall. certainly a good investment (so far)...
What? I thot the USB cord was to use it as a USB charger for the actual PDA? Ur saying it can charge the battery from a laptop too? Sounds good. Now if only my TC would actually get delivered to me...
speakerphone said:
What? I thot the USB cord was to use it as a USB charger for the actual PDA? Ur saying it can charge the battery from a laptop too? Sounds good. Now if only my TC would actually get delivered to me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, the charger came with a USB-to-USB cable so that i can use the charger from my laptop or any device that supports a USB connection.
I use this one...
http://www.boxwave.com/products/versachargerpro/index.htm
It has a car charger, wall socket charger, airplane charger all in one!
it has modules for american and european plug outlets as well
It's a little expensive but well worth it, cause it basically takes 3 different pieces and combines them into one
I'm waiting for that one to arrive as well, actually my TC is so delayed and we get it until next month...
But I thought the battery charger was also capable of being used as a charger.
anyway, as for the aeroplane charger I've never been on an airline that has a charging socket. Maybe you need to be in business class?
Yeah, only a select few airlines have the chargers in the seats...but either way it's good to have something like that when it's available...BTW, how much did you pay for the spare battery?
I also bought that Battery Adapter PRO thing from boxwave...it looks pretty cool, it uses AA batteries in a box to recharge your phone, and it says it can sustain 5 charge cycles from one set of batteries. Looks kinda cool. I hope to receive that, and the cradle I bought from them tomorrow.
Not enough power to charge direct to the phone.
cortezzi said:
thanks for the link... for $10 US Dollars, its worth trying out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried to use the USB charge direct to the TC, but It cannot provide enough power to charge direct the Phone:
USB Travels Charger:
Input: AC 110-240v 50/60Hz
Output: DC 4.2V 350mA (Charge the second battery)
Output: USB 5.0V 800mA** (I tried to use this to charge my TC)
HTC original wall charger:
Input: AC 100-240v 50/60Hz
Output: miniUSB 5V 1000mA**
However, If you only want to get power from notebook or car to charge the second batter, it's OK.
Actually 800mA is OK to top up, but only if your batt has say 15%+ left.
My battery is on order, HTC official one for 29 pounds.
I wonder about the ebay ones for US$5, but I've been burnt on a camera batt once, brand new off ebay, canon packaging $20 vs $40 in store, max charge was like 20%...
Tho now I think of it 30P is a lot...
ebay has become the cesspool of the internet
a place where scammers and theives / con artists unite and try to screw people over 24/7
i will never ever buy anything off ebay ever again :|
ESP not a battery...itll prolly work for like 2 months and then die..IF that lol
surgex0 said:
ebay has become the cesspool of the internet
a place where scammers and theives / con artists unite and try to screw people over 24/7
i will never ever buy anything off ebay ever again :|
ESP not a battery...itll prolly work for like 2 months and then die..IF that lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed...10 years ago ebay was an ok place to buy stuff. Now its truely buyer be ware. I never buy electronics from ebay, what a junk yard. Buy straight from the vendor, you get what you pay for...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Does anyone have a 3rd party charger and/or cable that will work with the TF?
I am also interested in finding that question out. I move around alot, and would like to have an extra charging cable.
Would the cable for the iphone/ipad work?
bhagiratha said:
I am also interested in finding that question out. I move around alot, and would like to have an extra charging cable.
Would the cable for the iphone/ipad work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow!
just wow.
bhagiratha said:
I am also interested in finding that question out. I move around alot, and would like to have an extra charging cable.
Would the cable for the iphone/ipad work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Apple cable will work on this device. The Transformer has a proprietary charger interface, so the cable would have to be made specifically for this device.
Similarly, all Apple product chargers use their own proprietary interfaces, so chargers made for iPhones or iPads will only be made to work with iPhones or iPads, not other devices.
And the funny part is that someone responded...
bhagiratha said:
Would the cable for the iphone/ipad work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, no iPhone cable would not work with Asus. Last I checked, Asus cable was proprietary as well.
Wait a little, soon someone's gonna dismantle one and they will be anywhere (monoprice, ebay)... (i guess(hope), the apple cable actually is everywhere even if it is proprietary...)
bhagiratha said:
I am also interested in finding that question out. I move around alot, and would like to have an extra charging cable.
Would the cable for the iphone/ipad work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cable no, but the ipad charger itself is 5v 2A. Has anyone tried one, if it works may provide an easy solution for car charger.
I would love an additional cable. I'm going on a trip and I could just see me losing the one and only way to charge the Transformer. Stupid proprietary cables. I still love my Asus Transformer, but we need uniformity.
seib said:
cable no, but the ipad charger itself is 5v 2A. Has anyone tried one, if it works may provide an easy solution for car charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a different size entirely. If you would like me to post a picture I suppose I could, but unless you're going to take a crow bar to your TF to wedge it in and hope the pins magically match, you're SOL. Sorry.
I think he meant the wall charger (the one you plug the usb ipod cable in...)
A Naked Emo said:
It is a different size entirely. If you would like me to post a picture I suppose I could, but unless you're going to take a crow bar to your TF to wedge it in and hope the pins magically match, you're SOL. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Naked Emo said:
It is a different size entirely. If you would like me to post a picture I suppose I could, but unless you're going to take a crow bar to your TF to wedge it in and hope the pins magically match, you're SOL. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe they're just referring to the charger itself not the apple sync cable. And no that isn't likely to work as the ASUS charger gives out 15V/1.2A on one of the pins unique to USB3
The 6ft USB 3 Male/Female extension cable is now back in stock on monoprice. For those that haven't been reading up, this is essentially an extension to charge your Transformer since the extra pins in USB 3 are used for power.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030309&p_id=6506&seq=1&format=2
Any car charger in the market? Off topic but optimumwifi is getting 6mbps down, 10mbps up on this baby.
Bumping this thread. I find it hard to believe (or at least surprising) that this has been out 3 months now and I still can't find any third party replacement cables and/or 15v chargers. Paying $25 for a factory one is simply not something I can do, it just makes me sick to my stomach.
The most important thing I would like to find is the cable. I did buy a monoprice USB extension cable, which at least makes using the device while charging possible - but it is no solution in the case of this factory cable breaking in any way. I always like to have an extra charging cable on hand, and usually pay $1.99 or less for such things for my other phones and tablets.
need cables
@brunes
I agree with you. This reminds me too much of the original asus eee pc. There were no additional chargers nor expansion ssd (mini pcie) available for months. People were coming up with all sorts of work around ideas. Argh.
The idea of not having a replacement cable and charger does make me very uncomfortable. This is really unacceptable, and I hope Asus fixes it immediately.
I have to think about a post I read: just buy a second one and immediately return it with the bad charger if yours goes bad. This seems to screw the retailer, but hopefully Asus covers their cost in these cases.
In any case, it is a bad problem. I wrote my newegg review to exactly highlight this problem.
Not having a replacement cable is not a very comfortable feeling.
Anyway, an iPad charger does work for the tablet. I don't have a dock so no way to test it.
However, I noticed that using an iPad charger, theTF does not chnage the battery icon to charging and it charges a bit slower.
Q.Entity said:
However, I noticed that using an iPad charger, theTF does not chnage the battery icon to charging and it charges a bit slower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is charging at 5V. I assume using diodes to charge the cells in parallel instead of series without causing a short. Only other explanation is ASUS put DC-DC regulator in to ramp up the 5V. Only works while off or asleep and is sloooooowww...took me 8 hrs to get 22% charge on 5V USB.
a rabbit just chewed up my new transformer's cable
i emailed asus, but from my googling it looks like i'll have to spend about $40 ordering a replacement cable from a random retailer. sucks!
Check the DIY charger thread link in my signature. With 2 off the shelf parts you can have another charger for under $15.
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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...
Anyone else having them?
It's at 25%... plugged it in. It wouldn't charge. I left it there for a while and it got to 26%... now it's stopped charging. Already checked the wall charger. I'm at work and I'm using one of the Galaxy Tab chargers. It shouldn't make a difference.
I would check the cord. For whatever reason my HP touchpads original cord wouldn't charge reliably, I change my cord out with my LG thrill and the HP cord will reliably charge my thrill and my thrills cord will reliably charge my touchpad, I can't really make sense of it, but that's how it worked for me. But I would suggest using the hp's wall plug in at all times due to the fact that it uses the correct voltage to charge and another's could destroy your battery.
Sent from my LG-P925
I leave here in a couple hours. I'll try it out. Thanks for the idea.
RadDudeTommy said:
I would check the cord. For whatever reason my HP touchpads original cord wouldn't charge reliably, I change my cord out with my LG thrill and the HP cord will reliably charge my thrill and my thrills cord will reliably charge my touchpad, I can't really make sense of it, but that's how it worked for me. But I would suggest using the hp's wall plug in at all times due to the fact that it uses the correct voltage to charge and another's could destroy your battery.
Sent from my LG-P925
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I second this. I had to replace my cord after a while as well. I find that this happens over time with all micro-USB connectors, they just sort of lose their ability to snugly connect / the contacts wear out... Maybe it's just because I use my devices while tethered to the power strip sometimes, and the connector wiggles around.
Any charger that is not at least rated at 2mA and is correctly wired internaly will not give optimum charging current.
Stick to the HP original chargers or one that has been properly modded to do the job.
chrischoi said:
I leave here in a couple hours. I'll try it out. Thanks for the idea.
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You're welcome, let us know how it turns out for you.
Sent from my LG-P925
HP replaced my cord with second day delivery :0
I was very impressed.
pa49 said:
Any charger that is not at least rated at 2mA and is correctly wired internaly will not give optimum charging current.
Stick to the HP original chargers or one that has been properly modded to do the job.
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Click to collapse
You want 2000mA, or 2A. I don't know the specs on the galaxy tab charger but I know the voltage is different too. The TouchPad is 5.3v, most chargers are 5v, and I have read on other forums that the voltage is more likely to be the issue, even is the charger you are using puts out enough amperage.
quarlow said:
You want 2000mA, or 2A. I don't know the specs on the galaxy tab charger but I know the voltage is different too. The TouchPad is 5.3v, most chargers are 5v, and I have read on other forums that the voltage is more likely to be the issue, even is the charger you are using puts out enough amperage.
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Click to collapse
My mistake 2mA should have read 2A!
It's unlikely that any power supply will be exactly the stated voltage due to component tolerances, but I doubt that a .3v variance will make any difference. I've read what others have said, but never experienced any probs in reality.
All ratings are usually nominal values and set within tolerances. Under voltage would be a bigger negative factor.