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Kaiser Current draw at full processor load?

I am attempting to build a small 4xAA USB charger to use while on long flights so that I can watch movies. I notice that the wall charger is rated 5v 1000ma. I wonder if anyone has any clue what the Kaiser draws at full processor load. I can make a 4x AA charger with a 1000ma capacity, but if i could get away with something like a Minty Charger(2xAA, maybe like 500ma), I would, as the plans are there, and it would save me 15 bucks for a switching voltage regulator.
Has anyone done any work to this effect, and would they mind sharing their measurements?
Thank you in advance,
Ben

use batterystatus and check consumption when watching a movie or something

I will certainly check that, thanks!
Also does anyone know whether the kaiser has and odd charging tendedcies?
My plan basically calls for 4 aa batts wired in series to provide 6v, into a 5v switching voltage regulator, and out to USB. Will this be something that will work, or are there any odd little caveats i need to worry about?
Ben

The USB spec calls for a max of 500mA at 5V. Since the Kaiser can charge off of USB, then that should work.

I have a back ground in basic electronics, and building something like this would be right up my ally. But when I can find just what you want at a price like this>>
http://www.thepocketsolution.com/PSI-42555.html
I can't see any reason to bother building my own. I use this vary one, for just the same reasons you want one. And it works great.

GWelker62 said:
I have a back ground in basic electronics, and building something like this would be right up my ally. But when I can find just what you want at a price like this>>
http://www.thepocketsolution.com/PSI-42555.html
I can't see any reason to bother building my own. I use this vary one, for just the same reasons you want one. And it works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! I suppose I should have done a little more research first That charger costs the same as a decent switching voltage regulator.
Does that thing look like it's easy to open up? I may wish to modify it slightly so that I can charge other USB devices off it. I also probably want to repackage it into something fun.
Thanks for letting me know about this charger... You have saved me a lot of soldering
Ben
edit:
http://www.thepocketsolution.com/PSI-36223.html
I'm scratching my head re this one. The tilt and the kaiser are, with very few exceptions the same phone. I would imagine that the battery chargers here are the same too, though this one is a couple bucks cheaper. The AAA model is only 10 bucks... I imagine that all these things are is a voltage regulator and an LED... if i am gonna rip one apart anyways, is there any reason i couldnt get the AAA model, tear it up, jack 4 AA batteries to it, and get all the benefits of the 15 dollar model, for 10? Im not really penny pinching, though if i decide to repackage the whole deal anyways, might as well save the 5 bucks and buy a USB jack
ben

with the cost of geting the parts, you can buy one for about USD 10.
kms

You might want to check that giving the phone 5 volts will actually put it into charge mode. I believe the mot razar won't charge off the USB unless it first communicates with the computer. Don't know though, I only borrowed the phone for a week when traveling for work.
As for power consumption, I took a 10 hour trip yesterday. Bought a USB car charger and used the data cable that came with the phone. I plugged it in and it went into charge mode. Running tomtom and such didn't charge the battery to any meaningful extent while it was plugged in. Fortunately, it didn't drain the battery either.
Maybe the phone knows the diff between USB and an OEM charger, and draws power accordingly (500mA for usb, 1 amp for OEM charger).
Edit: the car usb thing I picked up is rated for 5v +-.5 volt and 1 amp output (says the sticker anyway). Does the job I was hoping for and was cheap (6 bucks at fry's).

Nice!
I think im gonna order 2 of the battery chargers linked above. one i will keep stock (i leave for spain in a few weeks and need one to work)
the other i will rip apart and see if i can do something fun and exiting with it. I think i have an empty altoids box around somewhere.... the one i used to hide smokes from the parents in when I was a kid....
I like breaking stuff!
Ben

Note that the Tytn II's charge circuitry may require more than 500 mA if the battery is sufficiently discharged. In such conditions, a 500 mA charging current won't actually charge the battery. A 1000 mA charging circuit should be sufficient, as that matches the device's rating as specified in the manual.

Be real careful..
Be careful taking any home built electronics on a plane in these days since 9/11.
A girl in USA got done for having a battery and LED on her t-shirt in an airport and wasnt even flying...
id be amazed if you were allowed to take a home-built circuit onto a plane, esp. in the USA
just saying
g

pontifex33 said:
edit:
http://www.thepocketsolution.com/PSI-36223.html
I'm scratching my head re this one. The tilt and the kaiser are, with very few exceptions the same phone. I would imagine that the battery chargers here are the same too, though this one is a couple bucks cheaper. The AAA model is only 10 bucks... I imagine that all these things are is a voltage regulator and an LED... if i am gonna rip one apart anyways, is there any reason i couldnt get the AAA model, tear it up, jack 4 AA batteries to it, and get all the benefits of the 15 dollar model, for 10? Im not really penny pinching, though if i decide to repackage the whole deal anyways, might as well save the 5 bucks and buy a USB jack
ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't see any difference in these two. I've had this one for over a year and half. I used on the 8125, the 8525, and now the Tilt.
As far as a AAA ver a AA, since the voltage is the same between the two, then it is only a question of mAh capacity.

I have one thing to say if your coming into America with some home made electronics your going to be thrown in Jail ...

ripnetuk said:
Be careful taking any home built electronics on a plane in these days since 9/11.
A girl in USA got done for having a battery and LED on her t-shirt in an airport and wasnt even flying...
id be amazed if you were allowed to take a home-built circuit onto a plane, esp. in the USA
just saying
g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've actually taken a suitcase full of half built circuit boards and electrical components as carry on (half finished school project). They didn't even raise an eyebrow. As long as it isn't connected to something that looks like a bomb, I don't think they care.

thanks, i surmised that based on some other devices i have. I'm not too concerned as the battery will never (hopefully) get critically low. I'd like to jsut keep the thing running for ~9 hours while running either GPS or a movie... I hate plane rides, and i need something to do to entertain myself. I'll see what the charger mentioned above can put out. I just ordered two, and we'll see what it looks like... I'll write a review when i have had time to play with it a bit.

I've had Archos portables for years and it also has a 5V input. A simple 4 cell pack using 2300-2900 NiHi AA batteries in series will easily power these devices for over 10 hours straight. What's nice is that you don't need any regulator at all, just don't use alkaline batteries in it as you'll be at 6V. I carry a very small 4-cell charger to charge the cells. Works great for long travel. I took an iPod version with battery fuel gague, stripped out their power supply and just kept the power switch and fuel gague circuit. This costs more but works really well and looks good too.

So this thread is of some use to others: here are some data that i collected regarding current draw:
Locked with the screen off, no apps running: 1-4ma
TCMP playing a movie fullscreen: never more than 350ma
TCMP Playing in background with tomtom navigator 6 running: 416ma
all done in flight mode with the backlight set to the middle.

Can you you do a worst case test for current draw?
Turn on GPS, bluetooth, Wifi, backlight max and not flight mode.

Lowest voltage to load Diamond?

Hello,
I'd like to build an AA-battery pack for loading my diamond on the go. (I know there are LiIo-packages on the market with high capacity, but I prefer standard AA-cells)
I've built one for my Loox 720 a few years ago but had the problem, that loading was terminated after the voltage of the package dropped slightly below 5V. It is not so easy to build a package with a standard voltage-converter because of voltage-dropping with too few cells or heat-production with too much cells.
But perhaps the diamond continues loading, even when the voltage drops by - for example 1V, so this would not be an issue anymore.
Sadly, I'am not a specialist on this things and even if the Diamond can handle lower voltage I'am not sure if it can probably do harm to the LiIon-Battery or the electronics within the diamond - don't know, if this is possible with too low voltages.
Perhaps somenone can help - I think a working AA-package for the diamond could be of interrest for other users.
Many thanks in advance!
Regards:
Token42

Take a look at the USB Charging Spec - available here - it clearly defines the operating limits that devices (and chargers) should comply with.
In your case your device would be acting as a dedicated charger (you should put a 200ohmn resistor across the data lines to tell the Diamond that's what you are) and so you should aim for >4.75v for charging currents <0.5A and >2.0v for currents >0.5A. The Diamond will control the current draw and given you're using a battery you have no control over the stability of the minimum voltage - the voltage/capacity curve will be dependent on the type of battery.
Assuming the Diamond is compliant with this spec then it be happy working within the above tolerances. Indeed, in practice you may find it will work beyond them (the charging is controlled within the device hence it can refuse to charge if it is out of spec).
Mathew

MJNewton said:
Take a look at the USB Charging Spec - available here - it clearly defines the operating limits that devices (and chargers) should comply with.
In your case your device would be acting as a dedicated charger (you should put a 200ohmn resistor across the data lines to tell the Diamond that's what you are) and so you should aim for >4.75v for charging currents <0.5A and >2.0v for currents >0.5A. The Diamond will control the current draw and given you're using a battery you have no control over the stability of the minimum voltage - the voltage/capacity curve will be dependent on the type of battery.
Assuming the Diamond is compliant with this spec then it be happy working within the above tolerances. Indeed, in practice you may find it will work beyond them (the charging is controlled within the device hence it can refuse to charge if it is out of spec).
Mathew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks Mathew! This sounds good - if I've understood you correctly I can use lower voltage with batteries able to output high currents. Even "normal" AA-cells should be able to output much more than 0,5A - this seems to be only relevant for USB-ports, so I should be able to go as low as 2V and I'am out of problems. In this case I even not have to build an adapter by myself but can use any cheap "emergency-loader" from shops. (If the resistor should be neccessary, I can add it to the package)
Do you mean, the shop-packages have this resistor built in allready, and can it be dangerous for the device without it?
p.s.: Sorry - I've allways said "loader" - I mean "charger", of course.

Token42 said:
Many thanks Mathew! This sounds good - if I've understood you correctly I can use lower voltage with batteries able to output high currents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory, yes, at least to stay within spec. However, the Diamond might not be as tolerant as the spec demands/allows so it's more a case of suck it and see.
Even "normal" AA-cells should be able to output much more than 0,5v
- this seems to be only relevant for USB-ports, so I should be able to go as low as 2V and I'am out of problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the spec, yes (although I'm not sure what you mean about USB ports - you are one as far as the Diamond is concerned) however the Diamond battery is 3.7v and, assuming no DC-DC converter, you'll have to stay above that to get any decent rate of charge.
If you are using alkaline batteries then you pay the price with a sloping discharge curve - the voltage drops almost linearly with consumption. This is why lithium batteries are being used in such charger packs because their voltage remains relatively flat and they have a high capacity. Rechargeable NiMH cells would also be a good choice, particularly at higher charging currents.
Edit: They say a picture speaks a thousand words - here are some discharge curves so you can see for yourself.
In this case I even not have to build an adapter by myself but can use any cheap "emergency-loader" from shops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I'd just buy a ready-made one anyway! Ideally one with a voltage regulator inside it so you can load it with practically any batteries you like.
Mathew

MJNewton said:
To be honest I'd just buy a ready-made one anyway!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes of course - in this case it is the wisest thing to do - particulary for me.
The reason for me to build my own one for the loox was, that the stock one did not work, (or only for a few minutes, because the loox seems to be very pedantic with the voltage). I have to admit that my own one did not worked too, cause of to much heat-production of the converter.
Seems to be a lot easier with the diamond.
Thanks again!

Why not strip down a car charger and add a few AA cells, all the electronics are already there, I'm pretty sure you could use a variety of old phone car chargers, why not check your drawers.

uniqueboy said:
Why not strip down a car charger and add a few AA cells, all the electronics are already there, I'm pretty sure you could use a variety of old phone car chargers, why not check your drawers.
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Click to collapse
If the diamond really accepts voltages between 3,6 and 5V a car-charger is not neccessary and very ineffective. A pack with 4*AA NIMH would be enough.
Regarding my Loox: I would need at least 10*AA, about 6 of them only to feed the charger. And the problem with voltage-drop is not solved.

How efficient is the charging process? I mean if you charge a 900mah lion battery with a 1.5ah nimh battery will it do it, I thought about 90% of the energy you put in is lost in the internal chemistry, which wouldn't give you more than about a 15% charge.

uniqueboy said:
How efficient is the charging process? I mean if you charge a 900mah lion battery with a 1.5ah nimh battery will it do it, I thought about 90% of the energy you put in is lost in the internal chemistry, which wouldn't give you more than about a 15% charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good NIMH-batteries have 2000mAh or more. If you use a LiIon-charger you have the same probs with internal chemistry. If one would loose 90%, no one would by any type of external charger. If you mean the chemistry of the AA's, no one would buy AA's anymore.
With a 2000mAh AA-pack, I think you get about the same charging-result as with a 2000mAh LiIon-charger. But you can put into the AA-pack batterys out of any supermarket in the world.

Token42 said:
Good NIMH-batteries have 2000mAh or more. If you use a LiIon-charger you have the same probs with internal chemistry. If one would loose 90%, no one would by any type of external charger. If you mean the chemistry of the AA's, no one would buy AA's anymore.
With a 2000mAh AA-pack, I think you get about the same charging-result as with a 2000mAh LiIon-charger. But you can put into the AA-pack batterys out of any supermarket in the world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And get what charge% from 0 could you get?, I'm suggesting you would need heavier duty D cells or more to get a full charge, you don't get out anywhere near what you put in.

uniqueboy said:
And get what charge% from 0 could you get?, I'm suggesting you would need heavier duty D cells or more to get a full charge, you don't get out anywhere near what you put in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youre right, of course - it's not very effective, but not (or not much) less effective than a same size LiIon-package. Probably its only a personal habbit of me to prefere AA-cells. My first PDA was a Psion 3c, the second a Palm-derivate. I liked it very much, to be able to put any AA-cells into this devices.
Most effective way is to swap the device-battery - its my oppinion too. But as long as you can't find LiIon-packs in differnt standard-formats for every device everywhere and they are not building wall-plugs into trees, I find it somewhat nice to have the ability to use AA's or A's.
LiIon have better charging/dicharging-capabilitys and are lighter and smaller, but this does not mean normal standard-cells are totaly crap in comparison, they have developed too.
I would recommend it, when not every device on the market would use LiIon-Batts, perhaps even not swappable - not every device has to be ultra light and ultra small, for me it does not matter so much, if an external charger is somewhat bigger and heavier, if it gives me much more flexibility and is cheaper in long-term usage.

A Bigger Battery DIY

I'm hoping for feedback or observations on the nooks battery compartment. In particular, what are the possibilities of installing a larger capacity battery? The teardown pics have provided good info, but I was wondering if anyone who has opened their baby up has noted any....extra space. The current battery is okay but you can never have to much power! : )
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

As with any device of this type, you'd definitely have some hefty constraints to work within.. Most notably, the thinness of the battery. It wouldn't be impossible to rig up a different battery, but you'd most likely not be able to fit one that lets you put the case back together properly.
In my opinion, it's probably not worth the effort. If you want some more battery life, get one of those rechargeable Duracell battery packs with micro-USB connector. They're like $35 at Wal Mart. I got one to use with my Atrix if I'm away from a charger for an extended period of time.

you could always try a solar powered recharger

vizographic said:
I'm hoping for feedback or observations on the nooks battery compartment. In particular, what are the possibilities of installing a larger capacity battery? The teardown pics have provided good info, but I was wondering if anyone who has opened their baby up has noted any....extra space. The current battery is okay but you can never have to much power! : )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously?? The NC gets 12 hours of runtime in full active use, and in standby it'll run almost forever (unless you have some widgets trying to stuff all the time even though wifi is off, HELLO WEATHERBUG)...
Do you really need more? More runtime, more WEIGHT?

When I got my 1st pc it had 512k of ram and a 10 Megabyte hardrive, freinds exclaimed: "damn you'll never use that much memory!" Well I did use all that memory and soon wished I had more. Hell yeah I'm serious about more power! What with running slingplayer, some serious web surfing, and a few rounds of heavy flash gaming, the Nooks current battery is..wanting. Sure the battery is fine for an email or two and maybe a few wikapedia searches, its more than most grandmas could ever want or dream of; but with current rom development running rampant the nooks abilities and uses are expanding. I'm not sure what is possible, I'm looking for observations pertaining to the interior dimensions of the nook. I remember seeing a reference (I don't think it was xda, it might of been along with one of the early tear down pick articles) where someone mentioned that there seemed to be enough interior space for some type of battery mod but there were no details. l will eventually pop it open and dig around myself but was hoping someone might have info to share.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

jwhited said:
As with any device of this type, you'd definitely have some hefty constraints to work within.. Most notably, the thinness of the battery. It wouldn't be impossible to rig up a different battery, but you'd most likely not be able to fit one that lets you put the case back together properly.
In my opinion, it's probably not worth the effort. If you want some more battery life, get one of those rechargeable Duracell battery packs with micro-USB connector. They're like $35 at Wal Mart. I got one to use with my Atrix if I'm away from a charger for an extended period of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. I 'm sure you will turn out to be right about the interior space constraints, its what my own gut feel contends. I did do some research on larger battery packs using tear down info and was surprised to find a wide range of battery capacities and volumetric formats for very modest prices. Given the nooks intended design, B&N would have sound economic reason not to pack the case with more battery than needed. We have a phone processor and larger screen, it is possible that the cases design is sized more for "look and feel" than mimimum volume. By the way how do you like the Atrix, dual core is very sexy, is it meeting your expectations?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I believe the only thing thay kept them from adding more battery was weight. I think its current weight is at the heaviest it should be for an ereader. Im currently very pleased with my battery life. Combined standby/use time is well over 8 hours.
Sent from my NC using XDA

Look at the photos here:
http://www.zdnet.com/photos/nookcolor-teardown/487636?seq=31&tag=photo-frame;get-photo-roto
I guess it is "possible", but it will mean cutting out the metal backframe to add room for the battery. I don't mind modding things, but that might be a bit much should you ever want to hope for service...

please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the nook color put together in such a fasion that once it's taken apart there is no way of putting it back together. I seem to remember there being people who's bezel came lose, and were required to do a return.

jwhited said:
As with any device of this type, you'd definitely have some hefty constraints to work within.. Most notably, the thinness of the battery. It wouldn't be impossible to rig up a different battery, but you'd most likely not be able to fit one that lets you put the case back together properly.
In my opinion, it's probably not worth the effort. If you want some more battery life, get one of those rechargeable Duracell battery packs with micro-USB connector. They're like $35 at Wal Mart. I got one to use with my Atrix if I'm away from a charger for an extended period of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since they went out of their way to use a special uUSB connector for charging I wonder if an external battery pack would be able to supply enough power while the NC is on to, at least, supply the normal usage. Anyone know what the current draw is when the NC is on?

azj said:
Since they went out of their way to use a special uUSB connector for charging I wonder if an external battery pack would be able to supply enough power while the NC is on to, at least, supply the normal usage. Anyone know what the current draw is when the NC is on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My NC ranges between 8% and 10%/hr usage, so that's 320mAh to 400mAh on low brightness, wifi on and semi-active, and reasonable stuff going on (not heavy gaming).

azj said:
Since they went out of their way to use a special uUSB connector for charging I wonder if an external battery pack would be able to supply enough power while the NC is on to, at least, supply the normal usage. Anyone know what the current draw is when the NC is on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the power source had a standard USB outlet, you could use the OE B&N cable. Most likely an external power source wouldn't have the 500 mA restriction on it's USB ports; one would have to verify of course.

Divine_Madcat said:
Look at the photos here:
http://www.zdnet.com/photos/nookcolor-teardown/487636?seq=31&tag=photo-frame;get-photo-roto
I guess it is "possible", but it will mean cutting out the metal backframe to add room for the battery. I don't mind modding things, but that might be a bit much should you ever want to hope for service...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the picks do you think the battery pack could be doubled up? I wouldn't rule out a some dremel work to get 2x the battery life, if the external case could remain sound. From the picks it seems there might be space where the back case curves out. It's difficult to tell the depth of the curve relative to internal components, or if any real usable space is there. I'm kinda hoping to hear from someone who has popped the case.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Project GAMETRIX

Lapdock+Wii == Gametrix
So I have a spare Nintendo Wii and a lapdock (hopefully pick some more up if there are still any at Radioshack) and I am going to disassemble the Wii, reconfigure it to fit on the back "panel" of the Lapdock, and get the needed cords to create a Gametrix[/]
My initial goal is to connect a Nintendo Wii to my Atrix Lapdock by... (with modifications)
1) a. Having the Lapdock’s Male Mini-HDMI plugged into a Female Mini-HDMI TO M / F Fullsized-HDMI converter. Thus allowing a direct HDMI connection from there.
This takes care of ½ of connections for both the Lapdock and the Wii.
2) a. Ideally I am looking to hook the Wii’s power supply directly to the Lapdock’s Male Micro-USB port, via a Female Micro-USB TO M / F Fullsized-USB. From there I’d need a USB to Female Wall Outlet (3 prong?) this would entail finding(unlikely...) / building one.
This takes care of power needs, (if it works) leaving only the unlikely usability of the Lapdocks built in keyboard and mouse / USB ports.
2) b. if number 2 section a (above) doesn’t work because of lack of volts traveling through the USB to the Wii, then I’d be left with connecting an external battery to the Wii and just taking advantage of the screen.
Hopefully if I have to result to section b then I’d at least be able to use the keyboard and mouse?
I will update with a Diagram of my plan “a” and “b” tomorrow after school.

Here are average power draw for the Wii. @17 Watts http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/02/next-gen_console_power_lg.jpg
And here for Gamecube. @23 Watts http://www.tpcdb.com/product.php?id=1615
Lapdock voltage output. ??? I think I'd have to replace the battery because it's only supposed to charge a phone/run an OS...
Lapdock insternal battery mAh ???
Please guys I know it's a lot but any input is great input

sounds fun. good luck dude.

Use a wii its better and supports a HDMI converter.
The gamecube already has a battery pack accessory and a screen accessory so its easy been done
Sent from Moto Atrix 4g on Neutrino 2.91

I have decided to go with the Wii, I am trying to find info on how many amps the Wii draws and if the Lapdock is capable of powering it...

I think I would try seeing how they both look on the screen before diving in much further, but it does sound like it could be a fun project.
Other thoughts:
how useful the project will be specifically to you? For many of us, due to the limited availability of the lapdocks, there's a limited number of people that will be able to try this themselves.
do you plan on strictly playing games, or are you going a bit further by using Linux on the device? I imagine there is a way you could use the keyboard as some type of input device, although you may have to create some translator device from a programmable Microcontroller.
is the screen big enough for enjoying using the device or is it more of a challenge than it's worth. The screen may be plenty big enough for a handheld device, but for something like using a Wii controller where you are at a distance from the screen, is it big enough?
Budget This is something we all overlook far to often. Something starts off small and simple, but before you know it, you end up spending way more than you had anticipated.

I have 2 Wii's and a Lapdock, so budget is covered.
I'm not going to use the motion bar, just gamecube games.
My main concern is if the Lapdock can power it.

jeffreygtab said:
I have 2 Wii's and a Lapdock, so budget is covered.
I'm not going to use the motion bar, just gamecube games.
My main concern is if the Lapdock can power it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Power will probably be an issue through USB as USB does have a specification for max current of 500–900 mA (general); 5 A (charging devices). After that the port should shutdown to prevent burning out the controller.
Edit: I was looking at your figures above, did some digging, and I think you have a couple hurdles.
To start with, for power consumption, you want to look more at peak then you do at min and give yourself a bit of cushion, mainly because running at max power all the time will tax components. Second, and this is a big one, the Wii power pack apparently is 12V 3.7A (44.4W). USB is only 5 volts, and at 900mA you're peaking at 4.5W. However, if you could somehow manage to trick it into charge mode, you might be able to squeeze 25W. That's if it works like a standard USB port. If you can do that, you can step up the voltage with a charge pump, but I'm not quite sure how close to max that will put you due to efficiency losses. You may be able to go the other way and use the Wii to power the lapdock, or you may have to power them independently.
All that said, I think it's still important to just try to see what it looks like on the screen before digging in too far.

I plan on charging it through the Micro USB which you said supplies up to 23W+ Which is apparently plenty for the Wii. I'm going to order the necessary cords to attempt this, this weekend. So next week I'll know how much, if any, I have to modify to power it.....
I'll continue to research, and thanks for your help!
EDIT: screen size isn't an issue, as I'm have it right in from of me like a laptop, Playing Super Smash Bros Melee and the like.

BIG Message to everyone who's reading this. THIS IS MY FIRST HARDWARE MOD (as if that wasn't obvious?)
Anyways I'm gonna pick up a soldering iron as well, because I'm not finding a way to charge the Wii (assuming the Lapdock is capable...) There are no real ways to convert the micro usb to the 3 prong standard outlet that the Wii uses... So I may need to make my own? Will this work? http://www.sybausa.com/productInfo.php?iid=1274 Although I can't find where to buy it.

jeffreygtab said:
BIG Message to everyone who's reading this. THIS IS MY FIRST HARDWARE MOD (as if that wasn't obvious?)
Anyways I'm gonna pick up a soldering iron as well, because I'm not finding a way to charge the Wii (assuming the Lapdock is capable...) There are no real ways to convert the micro usb to the 3 prong standard outlet that the Wii uses... So I may need to make my own? Will this work? http://www.sybausa.com/productInfo.php?iid=1274 Although I can't find where to buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean you want to convert 5V DC to 120V AC and then downconvert to 12V? Better to just go from 5V to 12V, but the reality is that it's much easier to go down than up. What does the lapdock itself have for a power supply?
Edit: Looks like the Wii has some type of USB keyboard support. Not sure if you want to try getting that to work, but it might come in handy.

I know but isn't the Wii's power cord a standard 120v 3 prong wall charger? I'd have to convert the 3 prong format to a Micro USB.
The lapdocks power supply is the battery if that's what you were asking...
Thanks for helping on my first project btw.

Check out about halfway down the page on this link if you want to see what the Wii looks like on the lapdock screen:
http://www.robpol86.com/index.php/Atrix_Lapdock_Other_Uses

jeffreygtab said:
I know but isn't the Wii's power cord a standard 120v 3 prong wall charger? I'd have to convert the 3 prong format to a Micro USB.
The lapdocks power supply is the battery if that's what you were asking...
Thanks for helping on my first project btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to share my limited knowledge. Anyway, Really, I'm unsure if you can pull 25W out of the USB or not, but even if you could, you'd lose a good chunk of that in going from 5V to 125V AC, because at this point, a charge pump is no longer an option but instead you would need a power inverter, and since most of the commercially available ones are designed to go from 12V DC to 120V AC, you would likely end up building one yourself. The charge pump (buck–boost converter) is much easier to build, but I'm not sure about how much power you can get out of it.
Here's one I built from modifying a schematic I found online somewhere:

I hate to be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.

ravilov said:
I hate yo be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
But as I said, I don't know if you can get that much power out of this particular device. 20W @12V is 1.6A, but in order to power that from 5V, you would need at least 4 Amps, which puts it close to max, but not over it. The actual port connector is rated much higher than that.
Edit: I do have to agree on one point though, running on battery power will be pretty limiting, especially when you consider what the batteries were intended for in the first place.

So you're saying that there's basically no way to power the Wii with the Lapdock's setup? Ughhh I assumed this would be a major issue but decided I'd leave the verdict to those more knowledgeable than myself... So you're sure there's no way? Well anyways I hope at the very least to connect an external Battery (recommendations?) and hopefully get the Wii to recognize the trackpad and keyboard esp. for linux use... I'll keep researching and keep you guys posted.
edit:
ravilov said:
I hate yo be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lehjr said:
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
But as I said, I don't know if you can get that much power out of this particular device. 20W @12V is 1.6A, but in order to power that from 5V, you would need at least 4 Amps, which puts it close to max, but not over it. The actual port connector is rated much higher than that.
Edit: I do have to agree on one point though, running on battery power will be pretty limiting, especially when you consider what the batteries were intended for in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't read your reply Lehjr before posting mine, sorry about that. Anyways I'm still confused about whether or not the Lapdock is capable of powering the Wii? Anyways here is where I'm getting my very limited information on basic electronics. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm I will keep studying though don't worry:laugh:
I'm going to post this on BenHeck Forums too for additional input. Again thank you guys.

lehjr said:
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, interesting. I don't know, I'd say even if the USB hardware might be able to withhold such high currents, it's only for a short while, not for continuous use. I'm talking about all the USB hardware now, not just the plugs and cords.
Anyway, while 5A might indeed be the theoretical maximum, I have yet to see an USB device that actually delivers anywhere close to that. Even most commercial "high-speed" chargers deliver only up to about 2A.

ravilov said:
Hm, interesting. I don't know, I'd say even if the USB hardware might be able to withhold such high currents, it's only for a short while, not for continuous use. I'm talking about all the USB hardware now, not just the plugs and cords.
Anyway, while 5A might indeed be the theoretical maximum, I have yet to see an USB device that actually delivers anywhere close to that. Even most commercial "high-speed" chargers deliver only up to about 2A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, running that close to maximum is likely going to be short lived, and that's if it can be coaxed to go there in the first place. I'm not sure what the portability thing is about anyway. The Wii may be small, but it's heavy.
---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 PM ----------
jeffreygtab said:
So you're saying that there's basically no way to power the Wii with the Lapdock's setup? Ughhh I assumed this would be a major issue but decided I'd leave the verdict to those more knowledgeable than myself... So you're sure there's no way? Well anyways I hope at the very least to connect an external Battery (recommendations?) and hopefully get the Wii to recognize the trackpad and keyboard esp. for linux use... I'll keep researching and keep you guys posted.
edit:
Didn't read your reply Lehjr before posting mine, sorry about that. Anyways I'm still confused about whether or not the Lapdock is capable of powering the Wii? Anyways here is where I'm getting my very limited information on basic electronics. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm I will keep studying though don't worry:laugh:
I'm going to post this on BenHeck Forums too for additional input. Again thank you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly capable, very slim chance, but doing so would be running very close to max the entire time the Wii is powered. You would also have to build a device to convert 5V to 12V, again, not impossible, but you do lose some power do to conversion inefficiencies. Is there any particular reason you want the device to be portable? IMHO, in order to run the Wii for any length of time, you would need a decent set of batteries. A few amps plugged in is one thing, on battery power that's something else. I could easily see you using something like a couple Power Wheels 6V batteries and a 12V charger or some similar setup, maybe some lithium cells if you're a big spender. Anything more than that and you're wheeling this thing around on a cart with a deep cycle marine/RV battery.

Haha a definitive answer would be welcomed as to whether it's theoretically capable or not, but if you can't provide that, I completely understand! Anyways It just needs to be temporarily portable, like 1 hour battery life is plenty. Thanks... Btw I can't actually thank you guys anymore as I'm out of thanks.

PCIe card charging

Just bought one of these and plan to test it out to see if I can get 3A charging. Confirmed with the manufacturer that it does in fact support 3A from the type-C port, but only 1.5A from the standard type-A port included. I will report back once tested.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014JU16N6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=AXMDUQ3Z9DF80

Interesting, kinda regretting my choice of a tiny mini itx desktop, first time in a long time that I have needed(well, want) expansion cards beyond a decent gpu.

Interested in this

tyman4444 said:
Interesting, kinda regretting my choice of a tiny mini itx desktop, first time in a long time that I have needed(well, want) expansion cards beyond a decent gpu.
Click to expand...
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Yeah - might be tough tp make any sort of external peripheral that might hook up to SATA or something that can handle the same power requirements for charging. I think these things have their own power cable internally, just like a harddrive or DVD.

Well - I've tested this thing fairly well now and can report it does pretty great. I can get a full charge from around 10-15% in about an hour and it reports as delivering a true 3A using the Current Monitor app. Still maybe not quite as good as the OEM charger, but as close as anything I have tried so far.