makeing a ipod battery back pack?

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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well dont usb port use 5 volts? and the apples charge from usb port from pc.so why cant ya use 4 nimh batss hooked up in series to a female usb port?
 

James S

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I have tried this, it doesn't work. The reason I think is that it wont charge from say a laptop computer that is asleep, it needs a data connection to charge from a USB port.

BUT, there is a pin on the big connector on the bottom that if connected it will charge to anyway. What I did to build my battery pack was to start with a belkin "juice" (I think that was the name of the model) basically just a little white 9v battery case with an iPod dock adaptor plug on the end of it. (I think it was like $19 at target)

Why you'd want to run through dozens of 9v batteries to run your iPod I dont know, but you can put NiMH 9v's in it, which is what I planned to do except the ones I ordered were bigger than regular 9v's by just a little bit and wouldn't fit in the tiny little case of the thing. So I took it out of the white case and installed the little board on the top of one of those 6AA battery cases from Radio Shack and then potted the whole thing in hot glue. The little wires that come off the top of the little board in there are very delicate, if you pull them off good luck getting them soldered back on again, so be careful if you actually have to take it apart.

anything from about 5v on up to 9v seemed OK with the iPod, so I'd use 6 NiMH batts if you can find a case for them as that will give you a much longer runtime than just 4 as thats not even quite 5v and probably wont even let it charge the internal battery...

Hope that makes some sense.
 

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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hmmn that was wierd bel;kin used a 9 volt batt i still cant figure out why they did that. man they should make a cheap one that uses 4 aaa batts or even a aaa pack for the nano
 

Brighteyez

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A pack with 4 AA sized NiMH batteries makes a great external power supply/charging pack for MP3 players; usually allowing for a couple of charges with some playback time. However, devices that use USB for charging like the iPod or even Motorola Razr phones often use a third wire for charge monitoring that deviates from the normal 2 wire charging circuit.

Insofar as external battery packs, I could have sworn I've seen quite a few over the years for iPods that used either alkaline or NiMH batteries, that also had Off/On switches. I remember seeing one at Geeks.com some time ago, but it doesn't appear to be there now. I'd suspect building one is more along the lines of reinventing the wheel, but if your player has a straight 5V input, all you really need to do is put 4 NiMH batteries into a battery holder and solder a plug to the wires.
 

greg_in_canada

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The older iPods with Firewire were apparently easier to kludge a charger for. They could handle a wide range of input voltage. The newer USB-only ones are more picky about voltage.

The above is based on some stuff I read on ilounge.com forums (hacks and mods forum). There was also talk of people (literally) smoking their iPod with a homemade charge, so be careful.

Greg
 

cobb

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Isnt there plans online to make one out of a altoids case? I think it uss a nine volt and 4 aa batteries.

I know I came across a 12 volt car plug to a USB plug to recharge an ipod, maybe data isnt needed to also charge it?
 

danielo_d

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raggie33 said:
hmmn that was wierd bel;kin used a 9 volt batt i still cant figure out why they did that. man they should make a cheap one that uses 4 aaa batts or even a aaa pack for the nano

Hey Rags!

They do, [or did] make this. I have one, but never used it, yet.

BatteryCase2.jpg


Uses 4 AA Batteries, with power switch and 4 LEDs for battery level.

Supposed to add 12 hrs of play, but never tried it, yet.

Danno
 

PhotonBoy

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Apple will be making changes soon:

http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/Daily-News/638662d7-a347-48a8-81ae-046fca5fb545.html

"EU to make battery recycling a must

Manufacturers and resellers of batteries for devices including laptops and phones will be obliged to dispose of spent batteries, and new batteries will be restricted in the amount of mercury and cadmium they can contain, according to a new Europe-wide law agreed by European Union lawmakers in Brussels late Tuesday evening...."
 

Samuel

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Los Angeles County
danielo_d said:
Hey Rags!

They do, [or did] make this. I have one, but never used it, yet.

BatteryCase2.jpg


Uses 4 AA Batteries, with power switch and 4 LEDs for battery level.

Supposed to add 12 hrs of play, but never tried it, yet.

Danno

I have one of those and it works great! Adds some bulk/size/weight but the form factor for my IPod isn't that crucial - e.g. I don't use it while exercising.
 
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