Rechargeable Battery Ideas for Ipad/ IPhone etc

[NorCalLC]

I purchased a Jackery Giant 10400mah battery pack for the sole purpose of charging my Ipad 3 and or phone while on a short trip. I know the Ipad has an 11500mah battery and after charging up the battery pack overnight, I plugged it into my 58% depleted Ipad. It took 4 hours to charge to 99% and the Jackery portable pack was dead. The initial assessment doesn't look too good, but that was only one test cycle and I'm working on doing it again several times.

It's about like all the others in its class, it'll charge two devices at the same time. It has led indicators for the power, even though its limited... Not too big in size or weight capacity IMO

I've read a lot of reviews through amazon on the numerous battery packs that are made, and this pack had decent reviews overall. Has anyone had any good or bad success with other manufacturers you're care to mention? I'm trying to stay in the $50 range if possible to see if this will work on short trips.

Thanks for any insight

 

[robgendreau]

I'm not sure what to recommend; do you need some lightweight? I'd think if you were in a vehicle the most cost-effective way to go is a 12v battery (I assume the Jackery is 5 or 5.5v). I'd think you could easily double the power in watt-hours if you got a sealed lead acid battery for less price and just hooked up a cig lighter/USB thingee to charge the iPad (note not all of these charge iPads at the higher rate; get one that does). I've used just a emergency starter battery in this way, although since it wasn't deep cycle it wasn't ideal. But then again it'll start my van and I doubt the Jackery can

 

[NorCalLC]

Well, I thought the idea of a small battery for in a tent recharging the Ipad would make some sense. I also planned to use it on some future bicycle touring we'd like to get into. I know a 12volt for sure is the way to go, Jackery is only 5V. I have a deep cell optima and it should be ok to recharge the Ipad without running it too low? Ultimately, I'll have a dual battery setup just for things like this and a fridge.

I wanted to try it out and post results, for anyone else that may be looking into this sort of thing. In the end of two full testing cycles, it only charged the Ipad around 50%. It should be capable of 85-90%, but my unit was not. It also took 12 hrs to recharge the portable battery pack on 110, very little power for that long of a time period. So it's going back...

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

 

[theksmith]

these sort of things have been on the deal sites lately:

http://www.icemonkey.com/external-b...er-ipodr-and-other-usb-mobile-devices-5000mah

http://www.icemonkey.com/vaas-mobil...-30-pin-cable-charges-up-to-4-devices-at-once

http://www.icemonkey.com/digipower-...rge-your-laptops-mobile-devices-from-anywhere

sorry, no personal experience to report though

 

[NorCalLC]

Thanks for the info and links, I've never seen that site before.
With everything made in China nowadays, it's hard to know much about any of the products.

 

[robgendreau]

I could see the use of something like this as a spare battery, but recharging is a somewhat different issue. Take a look at this for instance:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

To recharge a Li-ion battery takes some oomph; that might be more than the device would draw in the application you're using it for. The problem is that most of these devices can't swap out batteries, so anything plugged in may be considered a charger by the device and hence some of that energy is using to top up the internal battery. But I'm not sure exactly how that works, but your results seem to bear that out. iPads in particular are odd in that they use a different USB power spec; even some normal USB ports can't charge them quickly since they are designed for a faster charge at 2.1A or thereabouts, although they'll charge more slowly at the lower amp levels provided by many USB outlets.

 

[evldave]

I have a Limeaide Blast 18000mA pack...I bought it as part of their kickstarter campaign, so got a 1st-run unit...

http://www.amazon.com/External-Batt...e=UTF8&qid=1377730393&sr=8-1&keywords=limeade

That's the 15600mA pack...at your $50 price

My thoughts on it:

Solid build quality in the case
Has no problem feeding 2 separate devices (has a 2A and 1A port, and both charge relatively well)
I have drained it probably 8-10 times, and it seems to be recharging well
Main issue - The charge port (micro-usb) has started to fail already - I have to press the cord down to make contact within the port. I imagine this is due to getting the 1st run of the product - reviews on it seem to be solid and I would (and will likely) buy another one.

I would easily recommend this pack.

 

[madmax718]

try a new cable. new usb design is supposed to shift the wear and tear to the cable, and not to the socket itself.

 

[madmax718]

Well, I thought the idea of a small battery for in a tent recharging the Ipad would make some sense. I also planned to use it on some future bicycle touring we'd like to get into.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

Depending on how much use you expect to get, I'd strongly suggest a solar setup, depending on how many days. the goal zero nomad 13 is probably a better size for you, and you can combine it with their li ion packs, or their AA pack. It is a little heavier, and there are some lighter options, but definitely not in the 50 dollar range.

 

[LR Max]

Check groupon right now. Multiple available for your application below your price point of $50.

http://www.groupon.com/goods?locale=en&category=electronics-goods

A vendor oh mine had a wee little cigar-shaped one that was 2800 mah. Recharged his iphone from 40% to 98% in the same time it took the girl to bring us a beer and to consume said beer. That said, I have a feeling the ipad needs a little more juice than an iphone.

I disagree on the solar idea. Its something else to take up space and take up time to recharge. The battery is a great idea for your application.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Another timely post from within ExPo! I am currently in the prelimary stages of compiling battery packs for a review in Overland Journal. There's a great deal of junk to navigate around. There's a lot that goes into the making of a good power pack. Aside from a solid construction, the sophistication of the battery itself is not universally good. How "smart" the charger is may be the most important factor. These power packs have to be able to identify what type of device they're charging to get the maximum efficiency.

I'm currently testing the HyperJuice 2 system, simply because it's one of a handful that can charge a MacBook. So far, it's very impressive, but time will tell. As is the case with all OJ tests, we put these things through the ringer before we start any true evaluations.

Also, Scott Brady is currently somewhere along the Pacific Coast on the ICON Ural solo motorcycle with a NewTrent PowerPak+ providing his juice. We'll see how that real-world test goes. That unit has a 13000 mAh capacity. We also have a first gen Extreme Pak from NewTrent on the way. That should be available in a month after our review. We'll see how that does.

Let me know what other devices to consider.

 

[RangeBrover]

Don't waste your time and money, just go buy a goal zero unit. While in Vermont for 4 days off the grid we used a Goal Zero battery pack to charge iPads and iPhones without issue, we didn't even hook it up to the solar panels till day 3. If you're looking for a portable power system that isn't a generator this is your best option.

 

[evldave]

Don't waste your time and money, just go buy a goal zero unit. While in Vermont for 4 days off the grid we used a Goal Zero battery pack to charge iPads and iPhones without issue, we didn't even hook it up to the solar panels till day 3. If you're looking for a portable power system that isn't a generator this is your best option.

I'm not sure I agree with you. Entirely depends on perspective

Compared to the 15600mA pack I linked to above, here's the Goal Zero equivalent:

http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/151/Sherpa-50-Power-Pack/2:8/

Same battery capacity. Only a single USB, but adds a lot more connectivity for a laptop.

I own the LimeAid and have handled the Goal Zero...build quality is similar (beefy, not likely to break).
The Limeaide is slightly smaller and quite a bit lighter
The Limeaide would probably be better if you are charging a phone/tablet, the GZ would likely be better to charge a phone/laptop

Oh, yeah...the Goal Zero is FOUR TIMES AS EXPENSIVE.

While the GZ may be a better product, I have serious doubts that it is 4x better.

I have looked at the GZ products for awhile. I think of them like Snow Peak...By going with diligently-researched alternative, I can get 80% of the quality/features at 30% of the cost (in this case, I would go w/90% at 25% cost). While that may not be everyone else's approach, it has served me well

 

[Christophe Noel]

I don't know if I'd consider Goal Zero like Snow Peak. I have a very realistic evaluation of Goal Zero. On one hand, during extensive testing of their Guide 10 small device unit, it not only melted, it nuked my iPhone. They replaced everything, including my phone in no time at all. In testing an Extreme 350 pack I had two units fail. One had a minor issue with the inverter, the other would lose 75% of its charge in as little as 10 days just sitting on a shelf. Again GZ stepped in to remedy the situation. For the OP, the GZ product most likely to fit his needs is the Sherpa 50 at $200. That's a good chunk of change, although it is a nice unit. It does have a lot of unique features, but at $200 for 15000 mAh, it's a lot more than say a NewTrent PowerPak+ at 13000 mAh at just $79.

 

[RangeBrover]

We ran a Yeti 400 and were very happy with it, what I was trying to say is get yourself a larger power pack. The smaller ones are more compact but I've never complained about not having enough extra power. Just something for you to consider. Our setup is integrated to solar panels on a roof rack so we can use it and recharge it easily on the road.