[Q] Solar: Anyone else "going green"? - Nook Color Accessories

Just finished making a solar charging panel for my nook a fee days ago, and was wondering if anyone else has tried this. Being in the Cascade foothills of Washington State, I can't say that I've seen the sun yet!
Too new to be able to post a pic. Sorry.
db.tt/5KpHc9y

Pretty cool, how many amps does that put out? And yeah, no sun here in Michigan. It's snowing a couple inches today!!

That's awesome. Any change for a DIY write up?

Yup, I have but on a bigger scale for my laptop and other chargables while camping with 1957 travel trailer (no real moder electric system) My sytem has a 18 volt panel that charges a deep cycle battery, then I use the battery to charge my laptop and other accessories via thier 12 volt car chargers.
I have also purchased a few smaller portable panel and battery sytems for my Android phone. The best I have found is made by Solio.
I am interested in the details of your setup becaouse the Nook power requirements are in between my current setups.
Does your panel charge a storage battery? And what are your input and output specs?
Sounds cool, I love this stuff.

12paq said:
Yup, I have but on a bigger scale for my laptop and other chargables while camping with 1957 travel trailer (no real moder electric system) My sytem has a 18 volt panel that charges a deep cycle battery, then I use the battery to charge my laptop and other accessories via thier 12 volt car chargers.
I have also purchased a few smaller portable panel and battery sytems for my Android phone. The best I have found is made by Solio.
I am interested in the details of your setup becaouse the Nook power requirements are in between my current setups.
Does your panel charge a storage battery? And what are your input and output specs?
Sounds cool, I love this stuff.
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Click to collapse
I'd like to know the specs as well. I use my solio to charge my G1, but would like to build up a charger for the NC

+1 to being interested in a write-up/parts guide to something like this. I love tinkering, and so something like this would be alot of fun to make...

cshehan said:
Pretty cool, how many amps does that put out? And yeah, no sun here in Michigan. It's snowing a couple inches today!!
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Click to collapse
Sorry to get back to you so late... Each panel puts out 200 mA;wired in parallel, with a Schottky diode 5819 on each, for a total 400 mA @ 6V and a resistor for a slight voltage-drop. Also wired in a standard USB type "A" receptacle to provide charging power from the panels to other USB devices like my phone etc. I've not had issues like others regarding the Nook Color being picky about chargers since installing the Customized Nookie FroYo eMMC distro. Got the panels from eBay:
cgi.ebay.com/New-1-PCS-6V-200mA-1-2W-Solar-Panel-Power-Cell-Charger-/160534678523?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25609ccbfb
Hope that answers it for ya. Been working GREAT for me.
I have to say... Soldering pins and resistors onto a mini-USB connector, at my age with my eye-sight issues SUCKS!

Bought the kit. Going to try 'er out!

ace7196 said:
Bought the kit. Going to try 'er out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool! Let me know how it turns out.

DDowns said:
Cool! Let me know how it turns out.
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Click to collapse
Just soldered and wired it up. Works great! Might grab some more and make a switch to change between 2000 mA and 500 mA
Pretty easy to do. Put them in parallel, attach diodes on positive side, and connect 5V and ground to usb!

I've been tempted to do a lot of solar powered projects, but engineers (mostly schools) keep coming up with better efficiency & lower cost on solar panels. Kinda waiting to see these results hit the market.

Related

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.

[Q] Wind up/Dynamo charger

Does anyone know a wind up/dynamo charger that works for HD2?
I found quite a few such chargers on ebay, but without any output voltage/current specifications.
Thanks!
Do you have any link ?
What about charging time, turning the dynamo....all night long for a two minutes call ;-)
Outpout should be 5 V / 1000 mAh
Input is muscles !
woaloo said:
Do you have any link ?
What about charging time, turning the dynamo....all night long for a two minutes call ;-)
Outpout should be 5 V / 1000 mAh
Input is muscles !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are a few:
cgi.ebay.com/Dynamo-Hand-Crank-USB-Cell-Phone-PDA-Emergency-Charger_W0QQitemZ380271301790QQcategoryZ20336QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D13%26pmod%3D270604680397%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5477555978945030598
cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Wind-up-Power-Dynamo-Crank-Charger-for-cell-phone_W0QQitemZ120575320936QQcategoryZ16039QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D13%26pmod%3D270604680397%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5477554947887512517
cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Wind-up-Power-Dynamo-Crank-Charger-Kit-For-Mobile_W0QQitemZ330401065721QQcategoryZ16039QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5477553022132199214
The 1st one has 5.5V and 600mAh, while the others don't have specs.
wish ebay got some tiny urls...meh i think they would do for emergency...nothing else. manage to get 1 or 2% after 5 mins of hand work
Not for the HD2 but i bought one for my diamond. I found it actually discharged the battery! Winding the handle the diamond displayed that it was charging and i could feel the rotational load increase as the phone started drawing current. However after 5 mins of winding my phone was 1-2% less than before 'charging'!
optiknerv said:
Not for the HD2 but i bought one for my diamond. I found it actually discharged the battery! Winding the handle the diamond displayed that it was charging and i could feel the rotational load increase as the phone started drawing current. However after 5 mins of winding my phone was 1-2% less than before 'charging'!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
loled at that...maybe turn off then charge
evolutionqy7 said:
loled at that...maybe turn off then charge
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Click to collapse
The same result! I was miffed. I thought that maybe the charging circuitry takes some of the power to operate and that the charger wasn't even providing enough for this, therefore it was drawing the rest of the battery and in turn depleting rather than charging the battery. I'm not sure why this was just my guess (and i'm an electrician )
well guess that answers op's thread
i remember when i was in school for a construction project my class mate was making a wind electricity fan from wood with a dynamo stuck on the tri wing when we tested how much power it produced when spinning it as hard as we could it was producing - power couldn't even light a bulb to show its working haha
guess the same **** here...just probably not going fast enough to power it properly or u want to be superman
evolutionqy7 said:
well guess that answers op's thread
i remember when i was in school for a construction project my class mate was making a wind electricity fan from wood with a dynamo stuck on the tri wing when we tested how much power it produced when spinning it as hard as we could it was producing - power couldn't even light a bulb to show its working haha
guess the same **** here...just probably not going fast enough to power it properly or u want to be superman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I don't think that answers my thread...
I still haven't found a proper charger. Thanks anyway...
?
Anyone else?
solar charger
why not u try solar charger?
Re: solar charger
one_e00 said:
why not u try solar charger?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I thought about getting a solar charger, but I want something that will charge my cell anytime and not only during daytime or sunshine.
Although, if I don't find a wind up charger, I might end up getting a solar.
So, which one do you suggest? Have you tried it?
there are some solar chargers that can keep the charge in its battery, so even u don't have sun, u can charge it later.
i tend to buy this:
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/Solar-Battery-Charger-Laptops-iPods-Cameras-Phones-11Ah-/150497984773?pt=Laptop_Batteries&hash=item230a610105
but not have money yet.. what's ur opinion?
one_e00 said:
there are some solar chargers that can keep the charge in its battery, so even u don't have sun, u can charge it later.
i tend to buy this:
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/Solar-Batter...84773?pt=Laptop_Batteries&hash=item230a610105
but not have money yet.. what's ur opinion?
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I found this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Solar-USB-AC-Po...454747?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item3a5d10559b
which is quite cheaper ($6.14) and has the proper specs (5.5V, 1000mAh) for HD2.
I bought a spare battery & USB charger (Ebay; never had any regrets), as I do with all my earlier smartphones. USB cab be from car, computer, photovoltaic panel or mains unit.
gregzeng said:
I bought a spare battery & USB charger (Ebay; never had any regrets), as I do with all my earlier smartphones. USB cab be from car, computer, photovoltaic panel or mains unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already got these...
get powermonkey eXplorer or powergorilla if money is no problem
those are the best you can get.
very rugged, quality 100.
I bought powermonkey explorer 3years ago, its still running great.
this summer bought powergorilla and solargorilla to charge it while its sunny.
I love these gadgets! you can charge them ANYWHERE international chargers, usb, solar etc...
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/
edit: it seems they are also researching wind charger.. and somekind of waterchargers, but theyre been on R & D site for long time so dont wait for them in short time
tunppi said:
get powermonkey eXplorer or powergorilla if money is no problem
those are the best you can get.
very rugged, quality 100.
I bought powermonkey explorer 3years ago, its still running great.
this summer bought powergorilla and solargorilla to charge it while its sunny.
I love these gadgets! you can charge them ANYWHERE international chargers, usb, solar etc...
https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/
edit: it seems they are also researching wind charger.. and somekind of waterchargers, but theyre been on R & D site for long time so dont wait for them in short time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, but the price is quite high...
Another useless gadget
Well, slightly offtopic, but the thread was the closest I could find to post the following.
Recently i bought a wind-charger while on vacation in Paris (a charger that uses wind power while you bike for example to charge itself and then you can charge different devices with it).
And here is my negative review for it:
Well, i was very excited to buy this gadget (costed me 30 EUR). I bike a lot and this was also meant to be used for outdoor hiking activities.
But..
First of all the lack of any type of power meter renders the device unreliable to the point of uselessness. You take the charger outdoors (with a 1200 mAh battery inside) and you have no idea how much of the battery is filled(unless you pre-charge it from mains). But then, if i needed just an external battery, there are definitely better and smaller choices.
Second: You cannot pre-charge the charger from mains and charge the phone simultaneously, nor you can charge your device "on the go"-directly from wind..
Third: You cannot turn on the quite weak led lights in front of the device and charge it simultaneously (so, for example if you bike in the evenings when it is late, you have to chose, either you use it's light for safety, or you charge the device. Ridiculous)
Forth: in the description on Uniross site it is said "Can also be charged through a computer or through wall plug". Well, it can be only charged using supplied wall plug, no wire for computer charging..
Fifth: When fully charged from mains it will charge my discharged HD2 only to 60%, which means that it is less then 60% effective in transferring the charge. Also make sure your device will agree on some 500 mA of charging current (most of them will probably)
Sixth: It does need quite strong wind to charge, it starts to charge when your speed (in no wind condition) gets around 15 km/h. People say it needs some 15 km of ride to be fully charged. How they managed to estimate that the charger is fully charged - i have no idea.
Seventh: The charging indicator (which tells you that the speed is enough for charging), is placed right in front of the charger, so to check whether it charges you have to dangerously lean forward or ask the approaching bikers if they see a green LED light- truly stupid design flaw.
Eighth (the most annoying and stupid): YOU HAVE TO CHARGE IT FROM MAINS FOR SOME 20% BEFORE YOU CAN START CHARGING IT FROM WIND!! Can you imagine how dumb this condition is.. first - there is no way to know how long should i charge it from mains to get the necessary minimum 20%. Then, when i am outdoor and lets say charging the phone - if i use all the juice - the charger will become useless, as there won't be a possibility for another startup charging. Then I have to charge till it is decreased to 20% and use the wind to charge it back. HA! there is now way to know that it is on 20%,10% or 30%... how dumb the design and functioning can be... This is truly a raw device they let out on market. Shame for Uniross.
(i will stop here because it is too late...)
I wish i would have read a review like this before i went and got this piece of ... something... Hope it helps someone else.
Attached is the picture of mine in packaging

External backup battery

I'm looking for a backup battery. Has anyone come across any that have enough juice to put a good charge on the nook? I know those little 400mah batteries can charge the nook but how long will 400mah last? I'm looking for something that can give it a 50%+ charge
This what you are looking for? That would get you about 1.5 charges.
This would give you about 1 charge.
The Zagg one would be perfect but its $100! I dont want to spend over $50 guess I should have said that.
I will look into the other one you posted thanks
EDIT: The energizer one looks great!! I am probably going to order one. Thanks a lot!
I didn't notice an amp output on the energizer. NC is looking for 1900 mA for proper charging. That first gizmo is dead perfect but 100 beans is a bit outside my budget too. I have a 4400 mah battery that does 1000 mA output- i wonder if that would add a few hours to my NC? I take very long flights often.
Sent from my Nookcolor
markiejones said:
I didn't notice an amp output on the energizer. NC is looking for 1900 mA for proper charging. That first gizmo is dead perfect but 100 beans is a bit outside my budget too. I have a 4400 mah battery that does 1000 mA output- i wonder if that would add a few hours to my NC? I take very long flights often.
Sent from my Nookcolor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I remember right The stock nook color charger is rated at 1.9A which is 1950mah. The energizer website lists the battery linked above as 1750mah which should work great.
Check out Brunton Chargers:
http://www.rei.com/category/40006509
I went with this unit, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038VQET4/ref=oss_product
It's under $40 and provides a full charge.
What is the recommended way to test the time-to-charge? There are two issues that I see in capturing this data.
1) You really shouldn't run the thing dry - I mean it won't even boot with the power adapter plugged in until it has a little juice in the battery. I suppose youl could to drain it to 25% then charge from there. Then add 25% to whatever your time-to-full is?
2) how can you tell how long this thing takes to charge if you're asleep. Is there a log file which gets updated with charging events? Or some specific app for such things?
A little big but if you want to keep your mobile devices running for a long time try this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZBZ64Q/ref=oss_product
It charges my NC and G2 3 times each and change. Especially useful when using the wireless tethering on the G2 to keep the NC online.
I've been running my NC entirely from a Tekkeon MyPower MP3450 with the MP3450-10 add-on pack for two full days of heavy usage (probably around 18 hours or so of actual use) and the MyPower is only drained down half-way while keeping the NC topped off at 100%. I'll be back with an update in another couple of days when I expect it to be empty.
Edit: Yep, I got four days of heavy usage (probably equivalent to four full recharges of the NC) from the Tekkeon pack. I bought it to keep my laptop running on long flights, but it's nice to know I'll be able to read if the power goes out for a few days.
Will using a standard usb cable with these backup batteries still only charge at .5A? If I use the stock nc cable on the energizer battery linked above will it damage the battery?
Have you looked at Monoprice? They have battery backups. I haven't personally ordered one of these (yet...need one for my evo) but I've ordered lots of stuff from them and everything has worked very well.
2800 maH
1900 maH
jerrykur said:
I went with this unit, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038VQET4/ref=oss_product
It's under $40 and provides a full charge.
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Click to collapse
That's a decent price. Have you had much of a chance to test the unit?
With the NC's built-in battery rated at 4000 mAh, this battery should be able to completely recharge an NC. Or give you an additional ~8+ power-on hours.
johnny15 said:
Have you looked at Monoprice? They have battery backups. I haven't personally ordered one of these (yet...need one for my evo) but I've ordered lots of stuff from them and everything has worked very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a version of one of those, works fine except it's hard to keep in place. If you get one, also get a M-F cable as well.
I went with THIS deal to get THIS battery pack for free. Not expecting much, but will post back when I have some results.
Eascen said:
I have a version of one of those, works fine except it's hard to keep in place. If you get one, also get a M-F cable as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im finding it near impossible to find a USB 2.0 Micro-A male to Micro-AB female cord. Especially in a shorter length.
I have up trying to find a cable and bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NTYYXY. I will update my findings when I get it.
shaxs said:
Im finding it near impossible to find a USB 2.0 Micro-A male to Micro-AB female cord. Especially in a shorter length.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I bought mine, I just Googled "buy micro usb extension." I just did it again and found this in seconds...
http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-mcb-ext-xxg.html
A Micro B male fits both Micro A and B female, which is why nobody bothers selling Micro A male cables... It would be less compatible with nothing to gain.
RoboRay said:
When I bought mine, I just Googled "buy micro usb extension." I just did it again and found this in seconds...
http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-mcb-ext-xxg.html
A Micro B male fits both Micro A and B female, which is why nobody bothers selling Micro A male cables... It would be less compatible with nothing to gain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks..I am surprised Monoprice doesnt carry it. Anywho, after shipping + cost of that cable + 2 x 2800 mAh, it was cheaper to buy the one from Amazon.

HTC Flyer Powered Charging Stand for Nook Color?

I came across the following charging stand for the HTC Flyer. What do you think? Would this work with our Nook Colors?
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Base-Dock-C...ccessories&hash=item3f0be99c32#ht_2900wt_1375
Well, it might connect but won't give you the fast charging ability of the stock nook cable (which has additional connections for the 3-4 hour rapid charge). Provided that you connected to a 2 amp source, you might get a charge after 8 hours or so, and if you had a 1 amp charge, _IF_ your screen was off perhaps after another few hours (12?).
Phatdawg said:
Well, it might connect but won't give you the fast charging ability of the stock nook cable (which has additional connections for the 3-4 hour rapid charge). Provided that you connected to a 2 amp source, you might get a charge after 8 hours or so, and if you had a 1 amp charge, _IF_ your screen was off perhaps after another few hours (12?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might actually have fast charge, thank to it being for the Flyer and all. I think this stand would work, but I have no idea how far that micro usb comes up from the bottom. Hate to have you set your Nook down and break it off or something.
Well I took a chance and ordered one from some store in Hong Kong. Will be here in a few weeks and will let you know if it works out!
igolfchip said:
Well I took a chance and ordered one from some store in Hong Kong. Will be here in a few weeks and will let you know if it works out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THat does look really nice. If it works out igolfchip, please let us know!
Nburnes said:
This might actually have fast charge, thank to it being for the Flyer and all. I think this stand would work, but I have no idea how far that micro usb comes up from the bottom. Hate to have you set your Nook down and break it off or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, just to give you some idea of my tests.
Stock charger + cable = 3-4 hours
Stock cable + 3rd party 2amp brick = 7-8 hours.
From that picture it looks like a universal mini usb attachment. I doubt it will give the 3-4 hour charge. It probably will be a 2amp source though.
Phatdawg said:
Well, just to give you some idea of my tests.
Stock charger + cable = 3-4 hours
Stock cable + 3rd party 2amp brick = 7-8 hours.
From that picture it looks like a universal mini usb attachment. I doubt it will give the 3-4 hour charge. It probably will be a 2amp source though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe combine it with this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Barnes-Noble-Nook-Color-filter-plug-USB-charger-/190521989603#ht_3030wt_1163
I haven't tried it, but it would be quite nice if it work.
That might work, I don't know of anyone who's willing to try it out for 7 bux tho.
Phatdawg said:
That might work, I don't know of anyone who's willing to try it out for 7 bux tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guy did: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13730222&postcount=32 but didn't comment on his/her experience.
That would still mean you need the proprietary cable tho, and that's what keeps on breaking.
I wish a cheap 3rd party manufacturer would pick this item up...I wonder if monoprice would consider making them, or if they are protected by patent and unable to be reproduced because of it.
Phatdawg said:
That would still mean you need the proprietary cable tho, and that's what keeps on breaking.
I wish a cheap 3rd party manufacturer would pick this item up...I wonder if monoprice would consider making them, or if they are protected by patent and unable to be reproduced because of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know what you mean. Just had to call for a replacement today myself.
Probably is a patent issue, but that doesn't stop many manufacturers in China from making cables for Apple products, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time.
EDIT: Not to go too off topic here but I found these three on eBay, all of which state fast charging. Anyone tried them?
http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-Home-AC-Char...Accessories&hash=item4840fd2d20#ht_1417wt_905
http://cgi.ebay.com/Barnes-and-NooK...ccessories&hash=item20bb08ebc0#ht_2022wt_1139
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Home-Wall-A...ccessories&hash=item1c1d5bed4a#ht_4300wt_1727
Phatdawg said:
Well, it might connect but won't give you the fast charging ability of the stock nook cable (which has additional connections for the 3-4 hour rapid charge). Provided that you connected to a 2 amp source, you might get a charge after 8 hours or so, and if you had a 1 amp charge, _IF_ your screen was off perhaps after another few hours (12?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I tend to charge my devices overnight, so 2 hours or 6-8 hours really doesn't usually matter to me.
I see this dock as being a neat way to use the device at my desk (twitter feed, play music, etc...) as well as a stand to charge with.
Some folks have mentioned that standard MicroSD's don't charge the nook. I have used many different charging cables for my Samsung Captivate and found that the nook charges (and never complained about the time to charge).
Also, I checked out the Flyer at my local Best Buy store. The Flyer has a proprietary connector that is a modified MicroUSB connector. However, a standard MicroUSB also works. Looking at this item, seems that the stand from HK uses standard MicroUSB.
I'm guessing that the biggest issue I could come up with is 'fit' of the nook in this stand. Specifically, do I need to modify the stand so the back of the nook sits flush against the stand and doesn't put too much stress on the USB connector (assuming there's some space between the nook and the stand).
Any update on this?
Sent from my Droid using XDA Premium App
Just got it in the mail - I'd rate it an 8 out of 10.
Will post pics soon, but first impressions:
- Looks really good, blue indicator light when connected / Charging
- Hard to first figure out alignment, then it gets easy
- Fit:
- A little extra room between the back and the stand, not much wobble. Could always use tape or something to close the gap
- A little wiggle between the bottom edge and the stand. Again, some kind of black padded tape would easily resolve and look good. Not sure if I will event attempt as not a hassle yet
No idea on charging times, never been an issue for me as I'll use this:
1) At my desk (put a twitter feed or music on)
2) Overnight charging (3 hours or 6 hours don't really matter to me)
Again, pics to come soon!
Thanks keep us posted.
Does it hold the nook in landscape? I know it wont charge, but curious to know if its capable with the micro USB being there. Maybe add a pic with it in landscape as well.
Thanks
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Landscape is not advised.... If you can balance the device on there, will scratch up your nook.
Sounds like a good option. Can't wait fto see those pics.
That's excellent news. Can't wait to see the pictures. If you can get an estimated charge time as well, that would be excellent.
Sent from my NOOKcolor using XDA App
I'm excited to see some pictures whenever they get posted, this looks like a good deal.
Add me to the list of those eager for pictures...

Anybody tried Solar Powered Battery Chargers?

Hi Guys,
Anyone tried Solar Powered Battery Chargers?
Looking at this one here :
source : 6000 mAh Solar Powered Mobile Power Extended Emergency Battery - Obostore
I'm looking fior the same. I bought recantly GOAL ZERO Nomad -7. Instead of charging it drains the power of my Note-2. I guess it is because of the non-standard pin-out (11 pins), so this is the one I would definitely not recommend.
Arthur
SINGAPOREAN said:
Hi Guys,
Anyone tried Solar Powered Battery Chargers?
Looking at this one here :
source : 6000 mAh Solar Powered Mobile Power Extended Emergency Battery - Obostore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't seen any positive reviews about any solar powered chargers. The problem is that you need to apply voltage (bias it) in order for it to work. Like those solar power panels on the roof of people - if you loose a power to the house, they will not work So they might be draining instead of charging lol!!!
Don't know for sure how it works and if it works and how efficiently. So if anybody has any real life experience, please chime in. Most of the big name external battery vendors don't want to carry this product. I only seen it on ebay and Aliexpress.
I personally haven't tried one. From what I've seen about them, they're very fast, and can be nick-picky about the angle to the sun. On top of it, you'll probably need to check what's the output versus what the phone needs to change.
I think you're probably better off finding some kind of crank mechanism and use that to change the phone. Plus, you'll get a little work out too; you'll live longer to enjoy your phone, 8)
I have a voltaic that I use when camping or on extended hikes. It comes with a 3000mah battery. I haven't used it on the Note2 yet, but used it a lot with my Fascinate. The battery works fine as backup power, though it charges slowly and the phone pretty much has to be off for it to be effective. It takes most of a day of full sun to recharge the contained battery. It's ok if you're going to be away from power for a week, but for less than that I think just an extra battery or two fully charged would work better.
I think we just need to find or build one that supports 2.1 amps (ideally) but anything over 1amp should do something.
willfck4beer said:
I think we just need to find or build one that supports 2.1 amps (ideally) but anything over 1amp should do something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have one I found at Best Buy a couple years ago. It's a single amp box, so charges my Note II very slowly. I've used it on my bike when I'm out on rides. I have a mount for it and my phone. While riding, I use bluetooth headphones. It does work, but like someone else said, there needs to be one with 2.1 amps.
I as well have a Nomad 7, but mine charges my note without issue, although I will admit, it is impractically slow.
I bought this couple of months ago, charging the phone is a wii bit slow but it works like a champ!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opteka-4000...iPad-iPod-Android-Phone-Charger-/370665663271
I wouldn't mind if the solar power was a "backup" to a regular external battery, but if all it did was solar I wouldn't be interested.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
WICKED... just stumbled across this on ebay. If you are a roll your own DIY type and want to charge a rapid charge device like Note2 or a tablet or something, this might be a great thing to look at.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-5V-36...018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c700c47c2
I, personally, don't like the mini-usb connector... seems kind of goofy. I'd prefer just two wire terminals to connect solar panels to.
But yeah, if you've got high voltage solar setup... e.g. anything between 5V and 36V and want to have a clean, regulated 5V usb compliant output, this would likely be your guy. I'd also want to make sure it really does work with note2 - in terms of negotiation of currents higher than 100ma. YMMV FWIW
AND if you don't need note2/tablet 2A...
this guy seems like about the right fit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-12V-2...965?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0c738c65

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