External power source for Axim

[Nemesis.2002]

So i'm going on a long bus ride to my new job, company is paying for it but it's going to be long i'll be on buses for at least 30 hours in total. I have my Dell axim x51v full of videos from my dvd collection. But my battery just is not going to last. Is their a way i can buy an external battery to power my axim so i can use it while traveling? Like using a UPS or something kinda like that?

[Don't Panic!]

Absolutely! There are several external power options you can by ranging fromm the very inexpensive to quite pricey. Smartphone & Pocket PC Magaine did a recent roundup of the latest solutions.

My solution I've been using since first finding out you could use an external battery pack has been a 4 cell AA battery extender from Semsons it only costs $6.99. Here's a thread about it from back in '05. Some good tips for other options are in that thread as well.

[rlarson_mn]

So i'm going on a long bus ride to my new job, company is paying for it but it's going to be long i'll be on buses for at least 30 hours in total. I have my Dell axim x51v full of videos from my dvd collection. But my battery just is not going to last. Is their a way i can buy an external battery to power my axim so i can use it while traveling? Like using a UPS or something kinda like that?

I just got a larger spare battery (2200 from Dell). Works great for me.

[spunker88]

So i'm going on a long bus ride to my new job, company is paying for it but it's going to be long i'll be on buses for at least 30 hours in total. I have my Dell axim x51v full of videos from my dvd collection. But my battery just is not going to last. Is their a way i can buy an external battery to power my axim so i can use it while traveling? Like using a UPS or something kinda like that?

If you can find or rig up a AA charger, then you can just get a huge pack of AA batteries to take with you and swap out as you use your axim.

[Nemesis.2002]

Thanks! Wow i'm happy i'll tell you that much. I'm impressed that the Semsons charger is only like 7$. Does that allow me to use it as i use my axim? Like let's say i'm watching a movie and i have it pluged in. Will it allow me to use the AAs as i watch my movie or does it simply recharge my battery? Or does it only recharge the battery when my axim is turned off?

I could make one too apparently huh? Is it complicated? Can come one that has little experience with soldering do it?

[rokky]

I can charge my Axim from this LiIon battery-in-a-case unit (model UPB10, 1.6A/1600ma, a bit smaller than the Axim), but, why oh why, cannot the Axim (at least my X51V) RUN off a USB power source like this? Does it draw too much power, or is it some arbitrary setting by Dell (overridable in the registry in that case?)?

I have seen the APC's on clearance in a local OfficeDepot for $40 (about what I paid over a year ago after a rebate IIRC).

[Nemesis.2002]

My solution I've been using since first finding out you could use an external battery pack has been a 4 cell AA battery extender from Semsons it only costs $6.99.

So does that work when your PDA is on? Like does it power your PDA while using it kinda like it's helping the battery or does it just recharge the pda when it's battery is dead?

[Don't Panic!]

Thanks! Wow i'm happy i'll tell you that much. I'm impressed that the Semsons charger is only like 7$. Does that allow me to use it as i use my axim? Like let's say i'm watching a movie and i have it pluged in. Will it allow me to use the AAs as i watch my movie or does it simply recharge my battery? Or does it only recharge the battery when my axim is turned off?[snip]

It worked for me on my X50v. The battery pack I used took over all the power functions whie I watched movies and listened to mp3s. The things to remember are to use High Energy NIMH Rechargable 2500 mAh batteries, start with a full charge on your Ax, and when you're not using your Ax unplug the battery pack. I never tested over a 30 hour period but it probably would be a good idea to have another set of rechargable 2500 mAh batteries charged for swapping out when/if the battery charging light on your Ax goes out.

[DJUnreal]

An 1100mAH battery will give ~4 hours of life, so on that assumption, if you're using 4 2500mAH batteries, you'll get 8 hours of use (as using more batteries at the same time will only increase your voltage, it won't affect the available current draw). With that said, if you're spending 30 hours on a bus, don't you wanna sleep dude?

[srvctec]

An 1100mAH battery will give ~4 hours of life, so on that assumption, if you're using 4 2500mAH batteries, you'll get 8 hours of use (as using more batteries at the same time will only increase your voltage, it won't affect the available current draw). With that said, if you're spending 30 hours on a bus, don't you wanna sleep dude?

Yes and no. It's not really quite that simple. mAH ratings are good for comparing batteries of the same chemical makeup, but not comparing batteries of differing chemistries. Also if the batteries are connected parallel, the result will not be increased voltage, but increased capacity.

[bernardm]

.....Also if the batteries are connected parallel, the result will not be increased voltage, but increased capacity.

That's an interesting detail.

[m.baurmann]

Ohm's law--the basis for all things electric/electronic!

[ursoouindio]

I would recommend a 2200 mah extended battery... or more than one.
for watching videos, it would last more then 4 hours... more your normal battery that shoul last at least 2 hours (should be more, but depends if it's old)
I've got one for US$ 19, delivered for free in Brazil and it works great. (High Capacity Battery For DELL Axim X51V extended with back cover Li-ion 2250Mah - Axim X51V)

I guess it's fine, or you really intend to use your axim for 30 hours?

I've did not found this US$ 7 charger on the site, and did not understood what it really supposed to do. But I don't believe AA batteries would survive long running a powerfull PDA like the X51v. On the other thread they say about the axim runing for 8 hours with this charger... anybody confirms that???

[bigbop]

An 1100mAH battery will give ~4 hours of life, so on that assumption, if you're using 4 2500mAH batteries, you'll get 8 hours of use (as using more batteries at the same time will only increase your voltage, it won't affect the available current draw). With that said, if you're spending 30 hours on a bus, don't you wanna sleep dude?

Actually - that is incorrect.

You need 4 x 1.2V batteries to give you 4.8V to run the device. Each cell is rated at 2500mAH but because they are connected in series, you get 2500mAH.
If however, the batteries were connected in parallel (you would need 16 of them in total), you would get 4 x 2500mAH but it would take up alot of space.