useful in an emergency... Hello, Sorry for the time out in your neighborhood. When our community gets a blast of something weather wise, a shut off of the electric circuit everywhere, or a glitch in the wi-fi system, it seems like the whole world has stopped. The house is dark and looking out of the windows seems eerie. No lights for miles. That could be a power drain from all of the additional electric "thingys" we all use, especially electric cooktops, ovens, house lights, heater connections, super large TVs, computers running all day and night. Let alone all of the drain on the electrical grid from electronic charging cars. Ha! So, our one and only back up for our laptops early in the morning is this first generation of 10000 mAh portable battery ( if and when we get electricity back, it charges faster than the built-in unit.) One thing I always do before retiring for the night, is to get the laptop charged 100% before going to bed. We keep the laptop charged and all computers turned off. Also, the larger portable battery well charged and it has served its age well. When we used to go on long road trips, it was always in the glove compartment. Yes, cars have charger plugs, but we have timed them with our phones. The external battery charges faster than the USB plug-in outlets from the car(s). Jnaki How long does the Original external battery last? For charging phones, it lasts quite some time. Two or more full charges is “easy-peasy.” A hookup to the laptop lasts a good hour and a half, if it is full charge and all I do is type on my word processing program. When additional electric drains are used, like search engines or various programs, then the drain is faster. So, what if a hot rod does not have a USB plug or converter in the build? Forget about the extra work designing or installing those outlets or converters. The fully charged portable battery packs are excellent back ups in emergencies. We even had a few portable units on our sailboat, although the outlet in the instrument panel would have charged the portable battery or phone with ease. "Be prepared" is a motto we learned back in the late 50s… Speaking of car powered outlets, we have had many instances of driving with our granddaughter and when she needs a charge on her phone, she breaks out the portable battery pack we gave her for emergencies. She has used it countless times. It is a fast charger and the fun thing is, my wife plugged in her cell phone into the built in port with a cable to her phone. The portable battery pack charged faster and did not get hot in the charging period. Our granddaughter laughs at that scene. We have gone through phones and chargers since they came out with flip phones back in 2000 or so. The charging at home was fine as it was overnight, but on the road trips, if we did not remember to charge our devices before we left, then we were at the mercy of the small batteries in the music player IPods or phones. Since the advent of portable battery packs, there is no time when the batteries in the phones are low or dead. But, do we use the built in USB port or 12v port? No. We break out the first generation of 10000 mAh and it charges faster than the built-in unit. Our "old reliable, first gen” battery pack still charges and holds well. It is a little too large for a pocket, so it sits in our station wagon glove box for emergencies. These battery packs are available everywhere, but one day service and a charge overnight, you are good for the usage of your cell phone or device. We just have to make sure the re-charging does not overheat. Just like new tech batteries… We gave our granddaughter and her family these portable battery packs when they came out. They have been very useful and handy. The built in car units seem like they should charge as fast or faster, but they actually do not. We have tested the big 10k mAh battery and even lesser 2nd gen battery packs against the built in one and they all charge faster than the car plug options. Most of the portable battery packs are from Anker. They are one of the current oldest companies that make computer accessories and battery packs. The others, well, you will have to do your own research. Don’t let the price make your decision. Check out the history and quality, as well as the verified reviews of the products. For $34.99, that sure beats spending hours in the garage thinking about those wires and why it does not charge or work. Even if you or others are the top notch electrical guys, these portable battery packs are so handy, they should be standard equipment for all traveling families or college bound teenagers. They fit in jacket pockets and yes, crowded purses. They even come in small less powerful battery packs that will actually fit in most women’s purses that seem to get crowded fast. Yes, my wife has a portable one like this one. It is usually on the bottom of her purses, just in case. 4 x 1 inch dimensions. There is plenty of space in old hot rod glove boxes for all portable battery sizes and accessory cords. Update: This new portable charger is one we are going to buy for our granddaughter. It is the latest version and is more compact than the older one we gave her a couple of years ago. But, it has more storage and charging power. So, yes, it could charge up an early morning laptop that is low on power. For a college student, it is 4” x 1” and easily fits in a small purse or secured, backpack pocket. As a matter of fact, my wife and I may purchase this other Anker product. A little more horsepower and the size is 6” x 2” and it is like being a hot rodder at heart, “more horsepower” for our devices and easily fits into the glove box or our own carry on backpacks. The cost is negligible as the security far outweighs the emergency aspects it provides. Note: For all of the companies that make portable battery chargers and even the larger portable units, read the reviews from reputable folks online. Some are inexpensive, look the same, but are shabby for all respects. So, do some research. It is not like the history of external hard drives and flash drives with names like Toshiba, Sandisk, Western Digital, Samsung or Seagate. Both markets are now inundated with new name products as the technology progresses. So, beware… YRMV Or…break out the gas powered heavy portable power units usually found in the garages for various necessities… but, very loud for early in the morning activities…
Hope it all works out ok. Last big ice storm we had everybody on the opposite side of the street lost power. Everybody on the street behind us lost power on both sides. For over 2 weeks! Lotta neighbors bailed 'till the power came back on. Halloween was moved too. Good luck, Ryan.
Spent 10 days with no power as a teenager sometime in the 1980's iced in in Rochester, NY. . We had one neighbor with a wood stove in his basement and we all hung out there most of the daytime time. He'd had also hooked up a small light bulb to a car battery. It was in the teens outside and it got so cold in the house sleeping was hard and you had to wear winter coat and hat to bed. Worst memory of it was all my tropical fish died, water got too cold.
When I saw the weather around the holidays going to hell in a hand basket I began to think it might be a good idea to invest in a portable generator. That might make a good thread on HAMB about which generators guys have and suggestions as to which is a good one to buy. I'm leaning towards a duel fuel one.
Hope things are better? We are in our typical mid winter thaw. 50s and 60s here this weekend melted almost all of our snow at lower elevations
The Jalopy Journal
