Portable Powerbank

[nbp]

Thanks for all the good tips in this thread. Ordered myself an Anker powerbank from Amazon after rereading this thread. Seems like very good quality for a very good price.

 

[the0dore3524]

Lol one of my Anker 3100 mAhs was dead right out of the box...

 

[nbp]

Dang that sucks sorry man.

 

[archimedes]

Thanks for all the good tips in this thread. Ordered myself an Anker powerbank from Amazon after rereading this thread. Seems like very good quality for a very good price.

I only have a couple of Anker products, but been pleased so far with a small power bank and some cables.

The power bank in particular is much better than my experience with a variety of "no-name" alternatives ....

 

[Woods Walker]

I have two Anker powerbanks. One is really good. A 3200 mAh lipstick and a 13,000 mAh full sized. The larger one has some kinda issue. The gas gauge isn't really working and sometimes question if it takes a full charge. Didn't use it that much so a bit disappointing. The little one does rock.

 

[nbp]

I got the 5000mah cylinder. I will put it through a few cycles and see how it fares.

 

[tech25]

I ended up buying the Ravpower 10050mAh 2.4amp output. From the website appears to have 3 of the 3400mah panasonic battery in it (looks like they subtract 50mah off of each battery).

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Lately, I'm finding I like powerbanks that have extra features that help in the outdoors. My Goal Zero power packs have l.e.d.s for a flashlight, my Lifecharge Lighthouse power pack has a lantern that ran 96 hours at about 50 lumens. My favorite lately in winter has been my Celestron Elements 4.5 Amp Thermocharge power pack that gives you a handwarmer that lasts 4.5 hours per charge. This saves my from buying disposable handwarmers and I stay much more comfortable as I can start and stop the handwarmer at any time and don't have to weigh the pros and cons of using one time use handwarmers for shorter term use. They make a larger 6 amp one with a flashlight and an even larger 10 amp one with a 300 lumen flashlight. For comfort and emergencies, I'm happy so far with the little one as it's under 5 oz. and I can fit it in a pocket. The monster sized 10 amp one is cumbersome for lugging around backpacking and I can always charge up the little one with a solar panel or another USB battery pack in an emergency.

 

[Offgridled]

I have the Rev power 22000mah a bit heavy but very reliable.
post imagescertificity.com

 

[kreisl]

I have a TOMO model power bank and use it with reclaimed 18650s. It holds up to 4 cells, easily slides open so serves as a 18650 battery charger as well. has two USB outputs and mini USB input. It's not super rugged, but has LED display for each battery to show power level.

I have the TOMO "V8-4", it's actually a pretty old product. I found an old piece of paper which i kept for its written contents but I am cleaning the room and it's really time to toss it. Before doing so, i am transferring the data, here we go, now for our common records:

- my (empty/filled?) TOMO unit has a standby current draw of 14.8mA. I can't remember how i measured such a small current, probably not with my USB doctor. We don't know if this constant energy consumption also goes into the 4 batteries.
- my notes say "steady-state" (funny enough i am geman but i do take notes in engrish lang) but i cannot tell if i really meant that the battery voltages will reach a steady state, i.e. a constant value no matter how long you leave the TOMO connected to MiniUSB input power.
- in any case, my Samsung 18650 reached "steady-state" slot1 slot2 slot3 slot4: 4.197V 4.217V 4.183V 4.214V
- and my NCR-GA reached "steady-state" slot1 slot2 slot3 slot4: 4.199v 4.220V 4.185V 4.216V

For the voltage measurements i apparently took each cell out and quickly measured with my DMM duh.
These numbers tell us that there is no perfect 'cross-consistency' (i.e. consistency across slots), which doesn't matter because the product is just a cheap stupid powerbank, and that each slot charges consistently to the same end voltage respectively, no matter which 18650 battery i throw at it.

Somewhere else i noted down at which low voltage the TOMO ceases to operate, supplying USB output power. And how long it takes to charge up a set of 4 depleted batteries in the TOMO. I lost the notes, all i can remember is that it takes ages, maybe 9hrs or so depending on the battery capacity.

Off the top of my head what i like or dislike about the V8-4:
Likes:
+ made out of unbreakable/uncrackable type of flexible plastic. the product doesn't feel solid or rugged but i have the feeling that the construction would absorb drops on concrete or ceramic tiles. no worries about dropping the product on the floor.
+ independent slots, informative display
+ works. good energy conversion efficiency. not very good but good.
Dislikes:
- the USB ports are cheap, high contact resistance, and hold the USB cable plugs very very loosely. in consequence, the USB output power isn't reliable or steady and drops considerably after few usages. In theory the port could deliver 2A, and it does so on its very first day fresh out of the box, but the more often you use the port, you will never get the 2A again, only because of the mechanical degradation of the cheap USB port which was too loose to begin with.

Do i regret having bought it back then, years ago? - No. I try to live without regrets. So i try to take things easy and remind myself not to regret (small) mistakes. So no. No regrets here.
Would i buy it again today, if i needed another unit or a new powerbank? - No. There is a newer model out on the market. Or i would try something else, maybe a powerbank made out of aluminum.

Imho the TOMO is a product that you buy once in your lifetime, try and enjoy, until it cr*ps out on you (i.e. the USB sockets wear out), and then never look back. And never buy again.

Overall i still like it, gets my Thumbs Up, and i could recommend it as First Purchase, if you never owned a powerbank before and you are looking for a budget-friendly solution with display/screen.

Oh and tinkerers could turn this soso product into a great product, simply by substituting higher quality (tighter fits!) USB sockets. Heck yeah, maybe i'll do that in future, i'll keep that idea in mind. Problem is, i never need or use a powerbank! Hence why would i go through the trouble and improve the TOMO? Doesn't make any sense.

No. It's time to move on. My TOMO and other powerbanks stay unused in my drawer, and right now i can trash the piece of paper. Finally. Bye.

Merry Christma

 

[DarlingSoul]

I choose RAV power bank that I purchase here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019IFIJW8/?tag=cpf0b6-20 —I was able to use it to charge my Nintendo switch while playing it without battery discharging or dropdown
I recently bought a High-Quality 7.2W Portable Solar Charger for my iPhone here https://agreenorigin.com/high-quali...olar-panelfoldable-solar-usb-battery-charger/ what I like about this its Universal USB, no connection limitation, Folding solar panels, lightweight, rugged and Water resistant making them a great option for marine, and camping.

 

[StarHalo]

New toy: Soonhua USB charger monitor, now I can spot defective cables/use the cable with least resistance every time. The display is live, updates ~twice a second, initially shows alternating voltage and current, until voltage stabilizes and then shows current until charge stops. Turns out an iPad that is charging and playing a game cruises at 2.5 amps, an iPhone usually hovers around 1.5 (the phone taking the picture is plugged in here,) AirPods need only .25..

 

[KITROBASKIN]

StarHalo:
Are you talking about the 3Amp, 3 port wall charger on Amazon?

 

[StarHalo]

They have two and three port models, but be aware that they're 2.4 and 3 amps max respectively, there's no way to charge more than one phone/tablet at full speed.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I've found a good way to check micro USB cables... I plug them into my phone and see if they can activate fast charging mode the ones with smaller wire that can't handle 2A often won't fast charge. I've found a surprising source of micro USB cables.... Dollar Tree. So far all their cables support fast charging even the extension cables support it so you can hook 2 cables to make a 6' cable.

 

[StarHalo]

I've found a good way to check micro USB cables... I plug them into my phone and see if they can activate fast charging mode the ones with smaller wire that can't handle 2A often won't fast charge. I've found a surprising source of micro USB cables.... Dollar Tree. So far all their cables support fast charging even the extension cables support it so you can hook 2 cables to make a 6' cable.

The aforepictured pink cable (so it's easy to see in the dark) is 10'.

A USB cable technically only needs to handle 1.5A to meet the standard, but recent iPhones and most tablets will charge at 2.5A, so don't skimp on the cable if you want the speed.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

The aforepictured pink cable (so it's easy to see in the dark) is 10'.

A USB cable technically only needs to handle 1.5A to meet the standard, but recent iPhones and most tablets will charge at 2.5A, so don't skimp on the cable if you want the speed.

I forgot to mention that I found some LED lighted cables at Dollar Tree which also work fast charging (Qualcomm 2.0). However I don't like the way the cable lights up the ends are super bright blue bindlingly bright.

 

[JAS]

New toy: Soonhua USB charger monitor, now I can spot defective cables/use the cable with least resistance every time. The display is live, updates ~twice a second, initially shows alternating voltage and current, until voltage stabilizes and then shows current until charge stops. Turns out an iPad that is charging and playing a game cruises at 2.5 amps, an iPhone usually hovers around 1.5 (the phone taking the picture is plugged in here,) AirPods need only .25..

I want one of those!

 

[StarHalo]

Got a RAVPower 20,100 mAh USB-C 45W charger on sale under $50 today; just connect your charge-via-USB-C laptop and now your computer charges like a phone. Trying it out now, already up over 10% in roughly the same number of minutes so there's 40+ watts there, the front of the pack is a little warm but the rest of it is room temperature. It even includes the USB-C cable, heck of a deal..

 

[orbital]

+

There are Powerbanks now w/ 21700 cells in them, dig the idea of that.