AA battery eliminator

May 15, 2017 10:17 AM

I got myself an older style bluetooth GPS receiver, to connect to my tablet in the car. The GPS puck runs on 2 AA batteries. Is there any way to make it run on USB instead?

The first hit "AA eliminator" brings me to a site that sells exactly what I need but at about $60/pop! That's nearly as much as the device itself. Are there any alternatives? Further googling reveals that it's something an electronics capable person can build. That's not me, so it's not really an option. What else can I try?

posted by aeighty to Technology (14 answers total)

This would do the job for $10 if USB isn't an absolute requirement.
posted by contraption at 10:36 AM on May 15, 2017

If you do need it to run on the 5 volts provided by USB you could use this; it's a bare board and thus a little more hassle than the first option I linked, but around the same price. I don't know of a good way to avoid the need to solder or otherwise affix wiring to the GPS receiver itself if it doesn't have a DC input port of some kind already. I would probably solder a little jack inside the battery compartment and then use an appropriate connector to plug it in rather than soldering the wire of the power supply itself into the device, just to make cable routing or power supply replacement easier.
posted by contraption at 10:51 AM on May 15, 2017

yah, it's not clear - does the GPS already have a USB port ? Or are you looking for something like contraption suggests -- a way to wire up a powered USB to the battery terminals somehow ? (and to second contraption - there isn't a DC power jack/port for the device either ? )

(What's the make/model of the GPS ? Googling that with "dc adapter" may also yield some hits)
posted by k5.user at 11:01 AM on May 15, 2017

Response by poster: Apologies. The device is InReach 1.5, so it doesn't have external charging port, it relies on batteries exclusively. This is the eliminator i was talking about previously, but at that price I can buy AA batteries in bulk..
posted by aeighty at 11:06 AM on May 15, 2017

It might be more cost-effective to get a different GPS receiver if it will work with your tablet. Generic bluetooth GPS pucks with built-in rechargeable lithium batteries are dirt cheap.
posted by exogenous at 11:22 AM on May 15, 2017

Buy one of the little dashboard GPS navigation units. This is a spot where having a single purpose device is way better. If you're willing to buy used you could get a name brand device for ~$50. New maybe more like ~$80.
posted by gregr at 12:02 PM on May 15, 2017

I know you said that you're not an electronics-capable person, but the circuit to step down 5v to 3.3v (which MAY not be too much for the receiver) is extremely simple, and even factoring in all the tools you need, would be a lot cheaper than $60.

That said, something tells me that a more modern USB-powered GPS receiver would probably also be cheaper than $60.
posted by destructive cactus at 12:32 PM on May 15, 2017

Response by poster: @destructive cactus, you'd be surprised. Bad Elph which is a pretty commonly recommended unit runs at $200. Here's an interesting list.
posted by aeighty at 3:46 PM on May 15, 2017

I was thinking something like this TomTom wireless bluetooth GPS
posted by exogenous at 4:53 AM on May 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

So that's a hard pass on anything involving soldering or otherwise attaching a wire to a terminal, then? My only other recommendation would be to see if you have a local TV repair shop and take it to them, adding a jack to your unit would be a really trivial task and they'd probably do it for next to nothing, those guys are happy just to have some company in the shop these days.
posted by contraption at 9:44 AM on May 16, 2017

oh gosh, the first link was fine, except AC plug. here's the DC 12V outlet version which also has a 2.1A usb charger for your ipad.

you really just need a 3V power supply (to relpace the 2x AA batts) but the input side needs to be cigarette lighter (i know, or USB) instead of AC... so take this guy, cut the connector off the DC charger side, strip a little wire off and wrap the positive and negative wires (as indicated on the charger usually) to the negative and positive leads of the battery compartment. if you were my neighbor i could do this in about 3 minutes for you.
posted by chasles at 11:37 AM on May 17, 2017

oh gosh, the first link was fine, except AC plug.

The first link I posted is a 12VDC device with car cigarette lighter connector.
posted by contraption at 12:20 PM on May 17, 2017

The first link I posted is a 12VDC device with car cigarette lighter connector.

crap sorry. think i messed up on amazon... that is indeed the same-ish thing! will definitely work!
posted by chasles at 12:33 PM on May 17, 2017

Hey, look what I found! Santa to the rescue with a pair of dummy AAs connected to a jack, which you'd be able to use with either one of the DC adaptors I linked upthread.
posted by contraption at 10:14 AM on May 19, 2017