Gomadic - Pack Light!

imported_Jack Cook · 01-05-07, 04:55 PM

So I am slowing getting everything together for CES and I have decided to take my iPAQ 4700, Palm 700W, KJAM and an incredibly wonderfulNokia N80. Certainly a little over kill but I will use the 4700 while in flight to watch a few movies and I will pick the cell I want to take depending on where I am going and what I get the urge to use. Lately I have been pretty muchsolely using the N80 ... it has been a terrific experience but I still need that Windows Mobile fix so I always have either the Palm or the KJAM to satisfy that need. But the problem with numerous devices is making sure you bring the chargers. That is bulk, it's a pain and often will force me to pick one, take that charger and live with it. But a week away from my favorite devices is not quite what I want so the easiest, simplest and best solution to "pack light" is to "pack Gomadic"! Check it out! One power supply and a tiny tip for each device will solve all my charging needs while on the road this next week. I am pretty impressed with the Gomadic solution because it offers a safe reliable means of charging your devices and with this solution, if you are like me and carry multiple devices, you can charge two at a time. Snap in the right tip, plug it in and voila ... your devices are charging. How well does it work? It is absolutely terrific! It's simple, easy, light, convenient and has been flawless in operation! For those of you that also want to charge your devices while driving, there is also a double car charger available that will ease the burden of charging that cell and you GPS solution .... I like that! The cost is very reasonable when you buy either the AC or DC double charger. Along witheach charger you get two tips and if extras are needed, you can order extra connector tips for any Gomadic TipExchange enabled product. Just pick your device platform from the list of supported models and push the order button! Cost: (current sale prices at Gomadic)

Double Wall AC Charger $34.95 (includes 2 tips) Double Car Charger $29.95 (includes 2 tips) additional Individual tips $4.95

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Kulnet · 01-05-07, 05:24 PM

I did a review for this exact product for this site. My review showed up on Aximsite as well. It's a great product. Thanks for the review Jack. :approve:

imported_Radimus · 01-05-07, 05:50 PM

It is a good solution until everyone follows Law #1

Speaking of which, I just bought this @ lowes (w/ mini usb tip)

Energi To Go

It was $20.00, and it powers up my 8525.

Tomorrow I'll do some testing on it

I know there are vendors here that sell similar products, but nothing is like being able to pick it up in person

imported_Radimus · 01-07-07, 05:35 PM

Energi To Go

The device came with the new Energizer Lithium batteries. FAQ

My knowledge of DC and battery theory is a bit old, from back in my electronics engineering days, but the basics should be the same. The standard battery puts out 1.5 volts (per cell) which is what the typical AA,AAA,C, and D batteries provide. USB ports provide 5 volts which is the the same as the DC charger output. So for 2 batteries as in the Energitogo charger to provide about 5 volts, there must be a small transformer inside to step up the voltage to somewhere approaching the 5 volt level. The 4 battery models must perform a different trick to sink 1 volt out of the 6 volts that would be present (1.5v x 4 =6v) either through a resistor, diode, or some other type of load.

Testing

Due to a pecularity with the HTC TYTN model device, battery charge is only reported in 10% increments, so accuracy should be taken with a grain of salt.

I waited for my Cingular 8525 to announce a low battery alert @ 20% remaining. I turned off BT and WiFi, but left the Cell Radio enabled (currently in GPRS area). I connected the Energitogo device with fresh batteries and connected to the 8525.

Approximately every 15-30 minutes I turned on the device, opened the power panel and took a screen capture. Then turned off the device and repeated the proceedure.

The Energizer Lithium battery results were:
Minutes......Battery Level
000...........20%
015...........30%
030...........40%
060...........50%
080...........60%
110...........70%
135...........80%
155...........90%
175...........100%

If I would have started with a dead battery (0%), it looks to be about 3 hours for a full charge. It takes about 1 hour on AC power for a full charge.

continued test on Lithium Battery
Minutes......Battery Level
000...........20%
015...........30%
030...........40%
test ended due to battery depletion
So the Lithium batteries will survive a single full charging of a 8525 but that is about it.

Using Energizer rechargables 2500 mAh the results were:
Minutes......Battery Level
000...........10%
030...........20%
060...........30%
090...........40%
120...........50%
150...........60%
test ended due to battery depletion

Typically rechargables have lower voltage and amperage and so these rechargable batteries exausted at 60% (no leds active on Energitigo device and no charge indication on 8525)...

Using standard Energizer batteries the results were:
Minutes......Battery Level
000...........20%
015...........30%
030...........40%
060...........50%
test ended due to battery depletion

The batteries (and charger) were remarkably hot. Not enough to burn, but enough to be remarked on. I found it amazing that the typical battery gave it's all in just an hour and only provided a 30% charge.

Apparently the Lithium batteries are deserving of some hype. I'm going to continue the testing of those lithiums from the first test to see how much charge they still have.

I might like to test the 4 battery models, to see if they are any faster.

This type of device is the kind of thing to cover you where you forget to charge your phone, forget to pack a cable, or even that you have used your phone/PDA so much that the charge is used up and you still have need of the device. I can easily see this as something for students to pack in their bag or locker, or something to hang out in the manbag/purses/shoulderbag/fannypack/ or whatever the term is today for it. In the world of Rule #1, this would be an indespensible utility

I'd also like to note that the battery in the 8525 is 1300mAh, your average cellphone will not have a battery of that capacity and so this device would charge it faster and more often than it did in these experiments

My biggest complaint with it is Rule #2... They could have put an LED flashlight, or battery tester or something else in it... I'd much rather have to carry 1 $40.00 device than 2 $20.00 devices. Quite frankly, there should be a method of determining if the batteries you are depending on to charge your phone in emergency have a charge to begin with.

BTW, it also has a big, bright, LED on the tip of it when the charging cord is plugged in, Energizer, please refer to Rule #3. It is almost bright enough to use as a flashlight.

hmmmm...

mental ambiguity · 01-08-07, 04:25 PM

Very interesting Radimus. I might have to check one of those out..

imported_Radimus · 01-09-07, 12:13 PM

updated results in review with standard energizer battery results.

imported_Radimus · 01-12-07, 06:59 AM

updated again for the continued testing of the original set of lithium batteries

mental ambiguity · 01-12-07, 08:23 AM

Nice.. Thanks for the testing Radimus!

mental ambiguity · 05-16-07, 03:26 PM

Hate to bring up an older thread like this.. But I picked up one of those Energizer thingies Radimus has. Came in handy at a wedding when my phone was dying and I was trying to keep tabs on the Red Wings vs Mighty Ducks game. :)

Anyway, I got bored and decided to take it apart today. No screws holding it in. It all snaps together. Very easy to take apart.

Anyway, just wanted to share the pics. Hope someone finds them interesting.

imported_Radimus · 05-16-07, 07:14 PM

At walmart I found in the camera accessory section a 4 battery USB charger for about 10.00

It comes with a retractable miniUSB cable, so the 10.00 is really a good deal for it.

I couple it with a 4pack of rechargables . The rechargables don't have the capacity of the lithiums, but a bird in the hand... and if they don't supply sufficient capacity for the need, there are always AA batteries for sale just about everywhere.

BTW, the retractable cable offers another convenience... the 4 battery charger is thin and narrow and slides easily in any pants pocket and the retractable cable allows it to reach out and connect to the phone while in it's holster. You can charge and walk without fighting with the 4 inch cable in the energizer charger

psionandy · 05-17-07, 06:56 AM

I've just got the proporta mobile power battery.. a bit more expensive.. BUT it also charges via miniUSB.

mental ambiguity · 05-17-07, 11:59 AM

Radimus, got any pics of it?

imported_Radimus · 05-17-07, 01:44 PM

no, but it is a very simple device. It just looks like a flattened, shiny black cigar tube, 2 AA batteries long and 2 AA batteries wide, with an on/off switch and a USB port on one end.

imported_Radimus · 05-17-07, 02:12 PM

no, but it is a very simple device. It just looks like a flattened, shiny black cigar tube, 2 AA batteries long and 2 AA batteries wide, with an on/off switch and a USB port on one end.

imported_Radimus · 05-17-07, 02:12 PM

no, but it is a very simple device. It just looks like a flattened, shiny black cigar tube, 2 AA batteries long and 2 AA batteries wide, with an on/off switch and a USB port on one end.