How can I keep my phone & laptop charged all day at a convention?
May 13, 2013 3:12 PM Subscribe
I'm going to be selling stuff at a table at a convention where I won't have access to a wall outlet. I'd like to keep my phone and laptop charged throughout the day. I need some kind of battery. I searched Amazon and mostly what I found was devices for starting cars. Some of them did have AC and even USB outputs. So they might work, but I'm not sure. Most of them had very mixed reviews. Does anyone know of a good product for this pupose?
There are some cheap hand-crank USB charger things like this one. I don't know how much cranking is required, however.
posted by troika at 3:16 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by troika at 3:16 PM on May 13, 2013
Hand crank chargers definitely will not work; they simply don't put out enough current. Anything that is capable of charging a smartphone would require so much cranking as to tire you out. Anything required to charge a laptop would probably need to be connected to a bike.
Something like this is probably your best bet for your phone. It takes AA batteries and should charge your phone if you keep a couple of spares.
You're probably out of luck with the laptop unless you buy a couple spares, as decathecting says, but I disagree that it'd be cost effective or useful (how often do you need 2 or 3 $100 laptop batteries).
Also, what kind of phone and laptop do you have? How long is the event? An ultrabook or Macbook Air would probably get you through most of the day, but a laptop like the one I am using now would only last about 2 hours.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 3:24 PM on May 13, 2013
Something like this is probably your best bet for your phone. It takes AA batteries and should charge your phone if you keep a couple of spares.
You're probably out of luck with the laptop unless you buy a couple spares, as decathecting says, but I disagree that it'd be cost effective or useful (how often do you need 2 or 3 $100 laptop batteries).
Also, what kind of phone and laptop do you have? How long is the event? An ultrabook or Macbook Air would probably get you through most of the day, but a laptop like the one I am using now would only last about 2 hours.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 3:24 PM on May 13, 2013
Search for external batteries instead of chargers.
posted by srboisvert at 3:25 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by srboisvert at 3:25 PM on May 13, 2013
I've noticed this set of laptop bags with built in battery which could help you with the phone, but they are unlikely to charge the laptop.
posted by jacalata at 3:27 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by jacalata at 3:27 PM on May 13, 2013
I love this from Anker but there are tons of variants out there to work with different phones. It charges my iphone at least 5 times before needing a recharge.
posted by thatone at 3:27 PM on May 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by thatone at 3:27 PM on May 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Seconding what thatone says about that Anker model with regards to smartphones. Anker also makes a 20000mAh model. I've never used that model personally, and it's too big to stuff in a pocket, but if you're going to be manning a convention table, it can get away with being big.
posted by radwolf76 at 3:32 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by radwolf76 at 3:32 PM on May 13, 2013
Response by poster: "Couldn't you just get spares for the laptop battery and the phone battery, and then swap them out if your batteries die? That seems likely to be more cost effective and useful in the long term."
No, that isn't an option for me.
Not all phones or laptops have removable batteries.
posted by trevor_case at 3:36 PM on May 13, 2013
No, that isn't an option for me.
Not all phones or laptops have removable batteries.
posted by trevor_case at 3:36 PM on May 13, 2013
You might get more useful answers if you can tell us exactly what kind of laptop and phone you have.
posted by jacalata at 3:43 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by jacalata at 3:43 PM on May 13, 2013
Response by poster: "You might get more useful answers if you can tell us exactly what kind of laptop and phone you have."
iPhone 4s
17-inch MacBook Pro made in early 2011
posted by trevor_case at 3:55 PM on May 13, 2013
iPhone 4s
17-inch MacBook Pro made in early 2011
posted by trevor_case at 3:55 PM on May 13, 2013
This maybe the solution you are looking for you can charge your phones and laptop per normal and it will run all day, We have taken this model camping and had electricity way into the night.
posted by kanemano at 4:03 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by kanemano at 4:03 PM on May 13, 2013
In the past, I have rigged up an automotive inverter to a deep-cycle marine battery...
posted by weaponsgradecarp at 4:06 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by weaponsgradecarp at 4:06 PM on May 13, 2013
kanemano has the right idea, but a lot of those things are a ripoff and have really small capacity. the ones that will actually put out say, 80-100 watts that your macbook pro will draw while running and charging, with your phone plugged in to the laptop(which is what you should do.
check out something like this. Put in the rating of the jumper pack, or battery you're using, and the load of the macbook power supply. most of those boxes would do like, 4 hours and die. they have REALLY pathetic batteries from like.. 50cc mopeds from china.
I've actually played around with this exact setup in a decommissioned city bus me and friend own that we sort of camp out in sometimes.
1. get a cheap inverter like this that has real battery terminals, not just a plug in socket cigarette lighter thing
2. go to your local auto electric/"acme battery supply" type of auto battery shop. Look for one in the industrial district. Around here, and as i've heard from people in other areas, they resell reconditioned batteries from cop cars and fire department ambulances/small trucks/etc. Buy the biggest battery they have. Here, they're ALL $30 regardless of size. some are even 25 if the case is a bit banged up. Ask them to charge it all the way up for you, they will.
3. Carry battery and inverter in to convention, connect to eachother, plug in macbook charger, run the entire setup for essentially ever. Wanna save this setup for later and keep the battery in good shape? throw it in your garage/basement plugged in to this
Congratulations, you just made a better portable power system then any of those cheap crappy jumpstarter boxes. Including the float charger, you should be at fifty bucks now. Which is cheaper than even the shittiest ones of those prebuilt ones.
Oh, and if your car battery every dies, you can always jump it with this bigassmofo truck battery :3
posted by emptythought at 4:31 PM on May 13, 2013 [7 favorites]
check out something like this. Put in the rating of the jumper pack, or battery you're using, and the load of the macbook power supply. most of those boxes would do like, 4 hours and die. they have REALLY pathetic batteries from like.. 50cc mopeds from china.
I've actually played around with this exact setup in a decommissioned city bus me and friend own that we sort of camp out in sometimes.
1. get a cheap inverter like this that has real battery terminals, not just a plug in socket cigarette lighter thing
2. go to your local auto electric/"acme battery supply" type of auto battery shop. Look for one in the industrial district. Around here, and as i've heard from people in other areas, they resell reconditioned batteries from cop cars and fire department ambulances/small trucks/etc. Buy the biggest battery they have. Here, they're ALL $30 regardless of size. some are even 25 if the case is a bit banged up. Ask them to charge it all the way up for you, they will.
3. Carry battery and inverter in to convention, connect to eachother, plug in macbook charger, run the entire setup for essentially ever. Wanna save this setup for later and keep the battery in good shape? throw it in your garage/basement plugged in to this
Congratulations, you just made a better portable power system then any of those cheap crappy jumpstarter boxes. Including the float charger, you should be at fifty bucks now. Which is cheaper than even the shittiest ones of those prebuilt ones.
Oh, and if your car battery every dies, you can always jump it with this bigassmofo truck battery :3
posted by emptythought at 4:31 PM on May 13, 2013 [7 favorites]
How about a UPS? Plug it into the wall in your hotel room at night, and sit it under your table during the day, with your laptop plugged into it.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:35 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:35 PM on May 13, 2013
Are you sure there's no option to pay for an outlet to be run to your booth?
If not, I have one of those car battery chargers/air compressors. I have never used one to charge a laptop or phone but hey, it would probably work, and then you'll have it in your car for emergencies.
posted by bq at 4:45 PM on May 13, 2013
If not, I have one of those car battery chargers/air compressors. I have never used one to charge a laptop or phone but hey, it would probably work, and then you'll have it in your car for emergencies.
posted by bq at 4:45 PM on May 13, 2013
emptythought, good info, just curious, once the cop/ambulance battery is depleted could you recharge it by connecting it to an idling car or would that take too long?
posted by any major dude at 4:53 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by any major dude at 4:53 PM on May 13, 2013
We have one of those jumpstarter/aircompressor rigs, and it kept two iphones going for several days of post-hurricane power outage without draining the battery hardly at all. I also have an external phone battery pack, that gives me about 3 charges of the phone before it needs to be recharged. Can't comment on charging a laptop, though.
posted by lawhound at 6:33 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by lawhound at 6:33 PM on May 13, 2013
once the cop/ambulance battery is depleted could you recharge it by connecting it to an idling car or would that take too long?
That would work, but it's kinda a waste of gas. You also wouldn't have any way of knowing how charged the battery was without either a voltmeter, or if your car is oldschool and has a real ammeter in it. That's what the trickle charger i linked was for. a larger charging unit like this would be the way to go if you wanted to recharge it more quickly. the 10/12 amp ones are even better, and only around $30. The reason i linked that small, cheap charger was that i assumed trevor_case would be using this all day, taking it back to a hotel room and be able to plug it in all night until the next morning. The little charger i linked would probably top off a battery like that(which wouldn't even be run most of the way down, more than likely) in 6-8 hours.
Also, a UPS will not work for this. Those will kill themselves in a half hour or so with no load. Trust me, i've messed around with this(and manage IT at an office that uses a bunch of UPS's, i've played around with lots of extra ones/damaged ones/etc). Just the load of the inverter on the battery will drain it in a UPS, in addition to all the extra electronics and the fact that they use tiny crap batteries. We've had UPS batteries fail after being fully discharged in a power outage once.
posted by emptythought at 7:05 PM on May 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
That would work, but it's kinda a waste of gas. You also wouldn't have any way of knowing how charged the battery was without either a voltmeter, or if your car is oldschool and has a real ammeter in it. That's what the trickle charger i linked was for. a larger charging unit like this would be the way to go if you wanted to recharge it more quickly. the 10/12 amp ones are even better, and only around $30. The reason i linked that small, cheap charger was that i assumed trevor_case would be using this all day, taking it back to a hotel room and be able to plug it in all night until the next morning. The little charger i linked would probably top off a battery like that(which wouldn't even be run most of the way down, more than likely) in 6-8 hours.
Also, a UPS will not work for this. Those will kill themselves in a half hour or so with no load. Trust me, i've messed around with this(and manage IT at an office that uses a bunch of UPS's, i've played around with lots of extra ones/damaged ones/etc). Just the load of the inverter on the battery will drain it in a UPS, in addition to all the extra electronics and the fact that they use tiny crap batteries. We've had UPS batteries fail after being fully discharged in a power outage once.
posted by emptythought at 7:05 PM on May 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
While emptythought has a good idea a huge truck battery is going to be really heavy. Twas me I'd get a milk crate and buy the biggest deep cycle automotive battery that'll fit into it. The inverter and cables will fit inside the crate along side the battery allowing for easy transport. A good size car deep cycle battery will have have around a 100-200 amp hours of power. If your MacBook draws a 100 W at 12V that's about 8A or about 12 hours of use for a 100Ah battery (though I really doubt your laptop pulls that kind of power; especially in power saving mode). Apple says you can browse the web for up to 7 hours on the built in 95 watt hour battery.
Be careful to never allow anything conductive to short the battery terminals; there is a lot of power in a car battery and with a good enough connection you can actually have the battery explode. Best way to do this is to buy a battery box for your battery. They are only about $10 and come with a box for the battery to fit into and a fitted cover that together completely enclose the battery and its terminals. The one I bought recently for my tractor came with a strap to mount the box and keep the lid on.
posted by Mitheral at 7:41 PM on May 13, 2013
Be careful to never allow anything conductive to short the battery terminals; there is a lot of power in a car battery and with a good enough connection you can actually have the battery explode. Best way to do this is to buy a battery box for your battery. They are only about $10 and come with a box for the battery to fit into and a fitted cover that together completely enclose the battery and its terminals. The one I bought recently for my tractor came with a strap to mount the box and keep the lid on.
posted by Mitheral at 7:41 PM on May 13, 2013
A few years ago we did this by getting a biggish UPS shipped directly to our hotel, charging it up, unplugging it turning off the alarm and then taking it down to our booth. I wasn't actually at the conference, but apparently it all went according to plan. It was cheaper than the available alternatives.
posted by Good Brain at 9:39 PM on May 13, 2013
posted by Good Brain at 9:39 PM on May 13, 2013
emptythought, I was just thinking about using that setup as an alternative to a noisy generator in the event of a prolonged power outage to charge my phones/laptops and maybe some lights. Would it take 6 hours of an idling car to charge it? Also, I have a sump pump in my basement and they recommend marine batteries as backup - but those only last 7 hours at most, would a truck/ambulance battery last much longer? If so I'll take your advice and replace my marine battery backup with one of those.
posted by any major dude at 6:28 AM on May 14, 2013
posted by any major dude at 6:28 AM on May 14, 2013
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posted by decathecting at 3:15 PM on May 13, 2013 [1 favorite]