Nice little charging and battery backup solution!

[bac522]

So I was looking for a couple of things, first was I needed a charger with a USB port for my iPod Nano plus I wanted to be able to charge my cell phone,and my Nokia 700. Second, I wanted a way to have some extra juice in case of emergency.

Well I came across these 2 items and when putting both of the products listed below together it's makes up one cool charge/battery backup solution :D! Plus between the 2 products I got all the necessary cables and tips to work with my iPod, cell phone, Nokia 770, digital camera, bluetooth GPS, and probably a bunch of other devices you can think off! I'm pretty happy, this is a great little charging solution:) .

The 2 products I'm talking about are:

For battery backup I bought the Tekkeon myPower Go http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16875999020 .
And to charge everything up I bought the i-rocks IR-1050 AC Adapter http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812250001.

Both items are pretty small, the Tekkeon is just a bit bigger then the 4 AA batteries that go inside, and the i-rocks is even smaller then the standard 770 charger; no more lugging around several different chargers not to mention I have some spare power if I'm away from an AC outlet.

I haven't had a chance to use the Tekkon on my 770 via the 4 AA batteres, but according to Tekkon you get about 1.5 hours out of 4 AA batteries on a PDA. But since I'm using 4 2300 mHa AA's I would think it would last longer then the 1500 mHa battery that comes with the 770.

BTW, if you've never ordered from Newegg, you don't know what you're missing. Ordered the stuff Monday afternoon and everything was here today, ahead of the promise 3-day delivery time!!!

http://www.tekkeon.com/site/images/mypgo-zoom2.jpg
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage//12-250-001-02.jpg

[nspeer]

The charge charges any USB device. So, how does it charge the Nokia 770? Can you charge it thru the mini USB port useing an adapter?

[bac522]

The Tekkon comes with a USB cable that accepts multiple power tips and it includes a power tip that fits right into the power socket on the 770. So it charges the same way as if using the standard Nokia charger.

Plus using the USB cable with this power tip you can charge the 770 from the Tekkon, the i-rocks, or even right off of a USB port on a computer.

[jshthomas]

There is a good solution.
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=302

it even could be a torch.:) just the connection is a little bit complicated::confused:

[EIPI]

This same device is available for us Canadians at Canadian Tire, marketed under the NOMA brand. I'm planning on getting one and swappping out the included AA's with 2300 mAh ones.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=140847439 6672827&bmUID=1191694859428&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443299976&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

[R-R]

Have anyone tried something like:
http://www.igo.com/product.asp?sku=2701966
or
http://www.tekkeon.com/site/products-mypowerall.php
? :)

[chatterbox]

Cool, I like that the Tekkeon myPower Go comes with so many different adapters. I'll be able to charge my Nokia tablet, Nokia cellphone, and Motorola bluetooth speaker with one cable. I'll probably keep it at work most of the time so I can leave the other chargers at home. I'm not sure how often I'll actually need to use the battery pack, but I think it'll help on long flights to extend my tablet time. Thanks for the heads up, bac522!

[darethehair]

This same device is available for us Canadians at Canadian Tire, marketed under the NOMA brand. I'm planning on getting one and swappping out the included AA's with 2300 mAh ones.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=140847439 6672827&bmUID=1191694859428&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443299976&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

EIPE, please let us Canadians know if this works. I also noticed this in a recent Canadian Tire flier, and immediately thought of my N800. Also, does it have the right type of Nokia tip for this to work?

Thanks

[EIPI]

EIPE, please let us Canadians know if this works. I also noticed this in a recent Canadian Tire flier, and immediately thought of my N800. Also, does it have the right type of Nokia tip for this to work?

Thanks

Yes, this is the same unit as the Tekkeon one posted originally by bac522. I was just letting other Canucks know that you can buy it locally at CTC, instead of waiting for the mail order to arrive. It does indeed have the correct 2mm Nokia tip for the 770/n800.

[cbarnett]

Ok... I've now tried the Noma/Tekkeon version from Canadian Tire on the N800, and here's an oddity. IT DRAINED THE FRICKIN' TABLET!!!

I notice in the posted picture that there are Alkaline AA's installed. The Noma version comes with four 1200mAh, 1.2V NiMH AA's. I wonder if that's what caused the drain, or if it only occurs in the bottom of the discharge cycle.

On the upside, I previously had a set of adapters from Tigerdirect, and a AA to USB charger from Boxwave (http://www.boxwave.com), which I bought from the Canadian store, Softpocket (http://softpocket.ca/), the only PDA store in Canada. Note that the Boxwave product does not seem to be available any more.

Note that Nokia has actually responded to the need with two little cable products. One is a USB to 2.5mm adapter, and the other is a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter (i.e. old style Nokia to new style). This means you can use all your old chargers, as well as the plethora of aftermarket chargers available for the old Nokias.

[frasej]

cbarnett, Where did you find those Nokia adapters?

[ericdkirk]

Here is what i have found.
Offical Nokia cable (http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-CA-100-USB-Charger/dp/B000QGF8OQ/)

This (http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Power-Nokia-Mobile-Phones/dp/B000QJ6TNC) looks like it might work but I can't find any details on it, but there are 5 on e-bay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Kensington-USB-Power-Tips-for-Nokia-Mobile-Phones-24512_W0QQitemZ290168490043QQcmdZViewItem) right now.

[darethehair]

cbarnett & EIPI & others:

So what is the final verdict on the CTC 'Noma' battery packs for the N800? Do they work or not --

[BillC]

Here's what I bought myself for Christmas:

http://www.solio.com/charger/explore-solio/what-is-solio.html

Can be charged off the grid or the sun and uses iGo compatible tips. Bought the mini-Nokia tip at Radio Shack and it charges the N800 great on the go.

[EIPI]

cbarnett & EIPI & others:

So what is the final verdict on the CTC 'Noma' battery packs for the N800? Do they work or not --

It works for me. Its pretty handy to have around - some power in a pinch.

I also have the CA-100 USB cable, and I use that to power up the N800 while at work (connected to my Fedora desktop).

[darethehair]

Canadian Tire has a sale on the three Noma 'pocket chargers':

RX4 = $15 @ 1200mA (?)
PL12 = $21 @ 2000mA
R12 = $36 @ 3200mA

So far, people have only talked about the RX4 (I think). Are the other models (with greater storage) possibly even better choices for our Nokia tablets?

I cannot seem to find out what 'voltage' these units put out. The impression I get is that 5.7v is the max 'safe' voltage that the Nokias can handle (?).

[EIPI]

I just saw the canadian tire sale flyer too. A great deal on that charger! The hgher capacity noma units they carry use custom batteries, not AA's. If you want higher capacity, buy the $15 unit, and swap the included batteries with higher capacity ones. More flexibility...

[darethehair]

EIPI:

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I am a bit confused...I have (for example) 4 1500mA AA batteries, so if I slap them into the RX4 (cheapest model), I would have 6000mA of storage? So why, then, is the PL12 and R12 even more expensive for much less capacity? Does the RX4 include *4* 1200mA batteries? If so, it would have 4800mA, which is still greater than the higher-priced models.

Also, I have found that the R12 supplies both 5v and 7.2v -- so it could conceivably power my digital camera as well...does the RX4 only do 5v?

Thanks

[EIPI]

darethehair: Good question. Batteries are funny things. The rechargeable AA's are usually 1.2V. Since most portable electronics require 5V to operate, they are wired in series within the Noma charging pack to get 4.8V. When batteries are wired in series, the voltage output multiplies by the number of batteries, but the current capacity (measured in mAh) does not. When wired in parallel, the voltage remains the same, but the current capacity multiplies. BTW - mAh stands for milli-Amp-hours.

So to answer your question, using the 4 1200 mAh batteries supplied with the unit, you get about 4.8V and 1200 mAh. If you increase the capacity of the batteries (need to change all 4), you'll get the higher rated current capacity, and still about 4.8V.

The RX4 says that it supplies 4.8-6V. Not sure about the other ones.

Higher mAh means that you get more use from the battery pack before requiring a recharge. I was suggesting getting the cheapest pack since it uses common AA's. If you need to replace the batteries in the future, you can put in higher capacity AA's. Both the PL12 and R12 use custom batteries. So you'll get more out of them, but they are not as flexible.

There is a nice experiement documented in this thread (http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=126177&postcount=48) for the Tekkeon MP1550, which is the same, but newer version of the Noma RX4.... some impressive numbers in terms of power to the tablets!

[darethehair]

EIPI:

Thanks again. I feel foolish. I know enough about electronics to realize that it should be mAh (capacity) rather than mA (current), but you reminded me of that. So, then, my four 1500 mAh batteries (in the RX4) would give me *half* the time that the R12 would give me -- and the *same* as the N800 native battery. This is nice, but not super-great -- just like carrying around another N800 Nokia battery. Yes, buying higher-capacity AA batteries would make it better.

I also have my old external camcorder 6.7v battery with 6500 mAh. It has the wrong tip for the N800 (RS would solve that), but too much voltage (perhaps a 5v voltage regulator would solve that too). However, it is much heavier than the RX4 or R12.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions...I think the R12 is looking more attractive all the time, and it is also on sale...but lithium-ion batteries have a finite life span that starts at the factory, and who knows how old a particular R12 will be :(

Thanks

[johnkzin]

Proporta has a USB power solution that I thought about getting, but I haven't actually tried it.

Currently, I use a wall plug to USB adaptor (like the one in the original post) to a 4 port USB mini-hub, to a USB charging cable I got through cellphoneshop.com ... and then I have another USB charging cable for my samsung phone. I have one of these set ups in my room, in my car (car charger to USB instead of wall charger), home office and work office (plugged into my desktop macs instead of the wall charger).

So I can basically charge all of my devices anywhere I am, without having multiple transformers going (just the 1 for the wall charger). I can also add 2 more devices without having to buy anything other than cables.

[dont]

I just saw the canadian tire sale flyer too. A great deal on that charger! The hgher capacity noma units they carry use custom batteries, not AA's. If you want higher capacity, buy the $15 unit, and swap the included batteries with higher capacity ones. More flexibility...

Not only that, the batteries that come with the unit are crap anyway, only 1200 mAh and one of my four had an internal short in it right out of the box. Looking back in this thread I suspect that this is not uncommon.

I think the thing is worth the $15 (just) for the case and the various adapters that come with it, but toss the batteries and use a real charger whenever you can. Stick in some charged 2500 mAh batteries or some alkalines and it seems to work quite nicely.

[s2k]

do the adapters with the noma unit just connect onto the usb cable? ie can they be also used on a standard usb cable conneccted to a pc to charge the n800? be a cheap and easy to find solution if so forr us canucks.

[EIPI]

Not only that, the batteries that come with the unit are crap anyway, only 1200 mAh and one of my four had an internal short in it right out of the box. Looking back in this thread I suspect that this is not uncommon.

I think the thing is worth the $15 (just) for the case and the various adapters that come with it, but toss the batteries and use a real charger whenever you can. Stick in some charged 2500 mAh batteries or some alkalines and it seems to work quite nicely.


Agreed I exchanged mine a couple of times to get one that wasn't flakey.

[EIPI]

do the adapters with the noma unit just connect onto the usb cable? ie can they be also used on a standard usb cable conneccted to a pc to charge the n800? be a cheap and easy to find solution if so forr us canucks.

The adapters plug onto one end of a usb cable via a round connector. So, with the included usb cable and 2mm nokia plug, it can connect to a pc for charging, or a usb wall wart.

[s2k]

The adapters plug onto one end of a usb cable via a round connector. So, with the included usb cable and 2mm nokia plug, it can connect to a pc for charging, or a usb wall wart.

Excellent thanks, for $15 seems like a good deal since i can pick it up locally then.

[dont]

Anybody who bought the Canadian Tire 'Noma' charger/battery backup might want to head over to Princess Auto and buy the 'Targus' mini 4-port USB hub that is on sale for less than $10. Now add the OTG adapter (http://internettablettalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=133782&postcount=6) that Jolouis is proposing to build and you have a very flexible system.

Four host ports for your N800, with/without auxiliary power where the auxiliary power can be portable battery power(4xAAs), AC through the charger that came with the Noma unit or or even through a separate PC USB port.

[jepensedoucjsuis]

Hey every one. So I have the Tekkon mp1800 and I noticed somthing odd when I just used the USB cable to charge my n800 for my PC after abit the battery was just dead. Like it was unable to charge form the USB cable with 2mm adapter tip, Not the unit was off and just the charge screen was on then while i was watching some TopGear I noticed the NOKIA start screen come up and then the unit just shut off. I pluged it in to the standered charger and it charged up fine. And I can use the USB charge cable to power and charge my BlackBerry Curve (8330) just fine so not a defective cable. But Has any one else ran in to trubble charging with "non Nokia" chargers?

[luca]

Pity (for an european like me) that the noma charger is only available in Canada, the tekkeon is available through expansys but it's (relatively much) more expensive. Anybody knows the oem and/or an alternative brand available in europe? (at canadian prices ;))
Note that the only AA usb charger I could find at dealextreme (this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.67)), can only supply 450mA, and I don't think that's enough to charge the tablet (the tekkeon/noma is rated at 800mA)

[heelio]

You know, this MAY be a stupid question. But, it could possibly be a good idea also: Assuming the voltage/current rating of a typical mini USB charger is about the same as the 2mm charger (say 5V at 500mA, more or less), why could someone not just solder a jumper from the N800's mini-USB to the appropriate pin at the 2mm jack (therefore drawing the charging voltage from the USB) making the device chargable from the USB? I know everyone would prefer this; in fact, I would think someone would have already done it. Has anyone?

[gemniii42]

<snip>Has anyone?
yes

10 chara

[tso]

http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/en/us/consumer/cc/_productid_SCM7880_27_US_CONSUMER/Power2Charge+SCM7880-27

only problem is that its borderline of what my N800 can charge from, and that it cant fully charge said tablet thanks to only having a 1000mA battery inside. but yes, it can also act as a universal wall charger so...

funny enough their US page do not list their biggest backup battery solution. a 8000mA beast...

and yes, it comes with tips for nokia, as well as sonyericsson, motorola and samsung. oh, and a mini-usb for all that can use that as a charger.

[heelio]

yes

10 chara


Really? Who is that? Are the details online someplace?

[gemniii42]

search the forum I saw it here.

[heelio]

Wonder what everyone thinks of this little item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Emergency-Charger-Battery-For-PSP-NDS-Lite-Mobile-Phone_W0QQitemZ380056413880QQihZ025QQcategoryZ1118 15QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262


It says for PSP but there's a Nokia tip included, 12000 mAH, and seems to be a nice size and cheap enough, even shipped from Hong Kong.

[luca]

Dealextreme has plenty of those, no way in hell it has the advertised capacity (consider yourself lucky if it is 2000 mAh), though it has some nice rusty metal pieces inside to give it more weight (somebody posted photos of it on the dx forums)

[bunanson]

From dealextreme.com,
http://www.dealextreme.com/feedbacks/BrowseReviews.dx/sku.8163
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12690

post back impression if anyone decide to get one,

Edit: It is cheap, so does the evaluation. You get what you paid for :)

bun

[luca]

bun, I was referring to this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/forums/Forums.dx/Forum.8163~threadid.93730) that matches the ebay one.
OTOH that's an easy way to get a lighter device: just remove the rusty pieces ;)

[bunanson]

bun, I was referring to this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/forums/Forums.dx/Forum.8163~threadid.93730) that matches the ebay one.
OTOH that's an easy way to get a lighter device: just remove the rusty pieces ;)

That is fascinating. I was about to get one to test....dont bother, since I dont have 'blind' faith......"It fell short/didn't work because you didn't have faith. :-( . You must have 100% blind faith to have your battery needs be saved by the battery pack. :-)"

Thanks for the pic link, a pic speaks for a 1000 words.

BTW, I got an advance degree in chemistry and taught college chemistry, I think they just forgot to:

1) put in some charcoal
2) rewire the anode and cathode,
3) submerge in sulfuric acid
4) then you would have a big FeCarbide battery....

so to justify the rusty iron.



bun

[luca]

That is fascinating. I was about to get one to test....dont bother, since I dont have 'blind' faith......"It fell short/didn't work because you didn't have faith. :-( . You must have 100% blind faith to have your battery needs be saved by the battery pack. :-)"

Well, the rusty pieces are just there to, er, "improve" the experience ;) however they shouldn't affect the operation of the battery pack, just take the claimed capacity with a grain of salt.
If it works (and the reviews claim it does) a 2000mAh battery is still a good deal for that amount.
If you look at the psp and/or ds section you'll find other interesting batteries, like this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7927) (one of the reviews say it has no rusty metal in it ;)) or this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13164).
If you get one, tell me if they work fine with the tablet (though I'm not sure I can resist and wait for your feedback before I order one ;))


BTW, I got an advance degree in chemistry and taught college chemistry, I think they just forgot to:

1) put in some charcoal
2) rewire the anode and cathode,
3) submerge in sulfuric acid
4) then you would have a big FeCarbide battery....

:D

[bunanson]

...If you get one, tell me if they work fine with the tablet (though I'm not sure I can resist and wait for your feedback before I order one ;))...:D

I bought this one and it works very nice with N8x0, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11826. It is about the size of a cigarette lighter., or the size smaller than A battery but bigger than AA battery. Sorry, it is out of stock now.

bun

[luca]

Sorry, it is out of stock now.
I know, it's on my wish list :mad:

[gazcart]

I still like my device after looking through all the posts - http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=169665&postcount=160

It will give a full charge it now costs 10 pounds and comes with a mini USB mains charger.

[jchord]

I built myself a minty boost for ~$5 usd from parts and stuck 2 2500 mah batteries and it gives me about 3 hours of video playback! works great for me!

[luca]

Today I received this one (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4505) but it isn't working (it actually charges the tablet, not for long, but it gets extremely hot, with a smell of burnt plastic).
I cannot say if it's a defective unit or it isn't properly current limited and the tablet is sucking too much current from the poor thing (but then the tablet charges from a laptop usb port, and this thing should be capable of supplying 500mA).

No maplin here :(