How to choose the right universal external battery PowerBank?
A person quickly gets used to everything good. Our generation is so used to touch phones, tablets, iPads and other gadgets that a discharged battery of one of them can literally lead to a heart attack. Being in the heart of the city hustle and bustle, we are afraid of losing touch with the world and reflexively look for an outlet into which we can plug our phone to recharge. And what if there is no outlet nearby?
What is a PowerBank? External battery with solar panel.
There were moments in my life when I just dreamed of a spare battery for my phone. Therefore, having learned about external solar batteries - batteries, I bought a Solar Power Bank 20000mAh Silver. In general, the thing is very useful, especially for those who do not leave their phone for a minute. Basically, a powerbank is an external battery with a solar battery that reliably stores electricity in reserve. Of course, the price-quality parameters of chargers will differ significantly depending on the quality of energy-saving elements and the name of the manufacturer of the charger.
I bought a relatively inexpensive model. Quite compact, dimensions 123x63x16, 8mm, but a bit heavy for such dimensions, my power bank has two USB outputs. Why two? In principle, this approach allows you to charge two phones at the same time, but in addition, according to the manufacturer's request, they are configured to supply current of different power. The included USB cord has a universal socket into which you can insert any of the 4 adapters. That is, almost any gadget can be powered from the charger. Installed charge indicators allow you to know the amount of energy left. By the way, you can charge the powerbank external battery not only from the sun, but also from a computer and from a regular outlet - for this there is a mini-USB input. The maximum energy reserve written on the power bank itself is 20,000 mAh, although in reality everything is a little different, but more on that later.
As written above, I bought a budget model, but there are also more expensive ones. However, there are a number of problems that can be traced both in expensive models and cheaper ones. Therefore, you should carefully consider several important nuances that should be guided when choosing a Solar Power Bank.
Powerbank specifications - applications and reality.
The first thing to consider when buying a powerbank is the actual battery capacity. Accessory manufacturers often overstate the battery capacity. I don't know why they do it - whether it's for advertising purposes, or just playing "for a fool", but the real state of affairs is such that the specified parameters never coincide with vital indicators.
Let's look at simple examples. The manufacturer specifies 10 ampere-hours in the parameters, and the battery of your device needs only two. "AT! - thinks the future buyer, (I thought so too) - and I will be able to charge my unit five times! ", - No, I answer, - you can't. Do you know why? But since the battery absorbs 3.7, and gives 5V. Feel the difference? The real state of affairs is that a universal mobile battery delivers, at best, 80% of the claimed capacity, at least my Solar Power Bank does. Therefore, when buying, it is best to divide the number specified by the manufacturer by two - this way you will be much closer to the true state of things.
Solar phone charger.
It's cool to have a device in your pocket that can give out the required amount of energy to a tablet or phone at any moment. And having the same device, which, moreover, can be recharged from the sun is even cooler - that's what I thought when choosing a universal mobile battery. Well, to a certain extent I was right.
Any powerbank to which a solar battery is attached remains an ordinary battery, the only difference being that it can be charged by sunlight. There is also a significant disadvantage in this - if you did not have time to charge the battery during the day, then at night you will not be able to see anything, both literally and figuratively.
In fact, according to my calculations and simple testing, it takes at least four days from the sun to charge this external solar phone battery, which is roughly one week of sunny weather. The grain of the problem lies in the size of the solar panel, which is too small. The size of the device allows you to put it in your pocket, but the size of the solar batteries is too small for full charging.
It often happens that a powerbank with a solar battery is additionally equipped with a flashlight, like mine, for example, which is not so bad. The two outputs, according to the manufacturers, are capable of delivering one and two amperes, respectively. But, as practice has shown, both outputs often give only one ampere, so it doesn't matter which socket you plug the charging cord into. At this point, I checked by charging the phone alternately through both outlets, and the charging speed remained the same.
The main power source is lithium-ion polymer batteries, similar to those installed in most phones. A significant disadvantage is the fact that in the event of failure of the power cell, it will not be possible to replace it. In simpler powerbank models, 18650 batteries are installed, which are not so difficult to replace. The advantage of lithium-ion batteries is the faster return of electricity, but their volume may differ slightly from the specified parameters. Another positive quality of power cells is the ability to store energy for a long time, that is, they will not discharge just like that.
Be that as it may, a charger with solar cells can be very useful for those who like to hike - to send an SOS signal, the energy that the unit absorbs in a day is enough. And just using a spare battery on a long trip or flight is very convenient.
The right choice of PowerBank is the key to savings
When you decide to buy a universal PowerBank charger, you will be faced with a considerable selection of products. When choosing a powerbank with a solar battery, you should consider the purposes for which the device is purchased. If you need to charge your phone during a party, you can take a cheaper model with a small working volume. When you need an additional battery for more serious purposes - to keep life in a working tablet or as a reserve of energy for a long trip, you should buy a model with higher performance indicators. My Power has saved me more than once and continues to save me when I need to be constantly in touch with customers and clients. Having attached it once to my work bag as a large key ring, I often do not even care about charging it, but at the right moment I have enough stored energy.
Of course, Chinese devices, it is not clear who and how they are made, please with their cheapness, but they can store a lot of surprises, the encounter with which can upset anyone. The rule I use all the time is not to skimp on quality, because the stingy pays twice. Therefore, if you decided to buy a powerbank , give preference to companies that have been on the market for more than one year, because if they produced low-quality products, they would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.