$15 15000mah/Solar Portable Cellphone Charger

[Toad]

I picked up a new toy that's pretty cool for the price. A back up charger for the cellphone. If you haven't handled one before, it's pretty much a "jump pack" for your cell phone. You charge this unit up. When your cellphone dies, you hook the phone up to this unit, and you can get 3-6 charges on the cellphone.

Essentially this...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J9VU7SU/ref=twister_B01MXDSOYK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I got mine from Coolbuys for $14.99 free shipping.

*It's NOT waterproof. One side has very exposed USB connectors.

*It does have a rubberish case. It's little larger than an i6 or Galaxy6 in an Otterbox. The solar panel does have a film on it. I'm still hesitant on dropping it.

*It says 15000mah. I dunno if the stats are exaggerated or not. So far, I know it will give me at least 3 bail out charges on a well seasoned i6. I can go from 20% to mid 90% 3 times with juice to spare.

*It'll take up to 2A input charger via miniUSB, or charge off solar at 8-10% efficiency (whole day charge). 

*Out put is 2A or 5A via 5V USB.

*6" USB to miniUSB cable, strap, carabiner included.

*LEDs have a good flood mode and will do SOS if needed.


WTF, for $15, why not? Charge it up with your cell charger. Leave it on the dash board to maintenance charge in the sun. It's small enough to fit in the pocket, certainly small enough to fit in the BOB.

[Rocketvapor]

Is there any reason the batteries would not heat up and explode in a closed up car?

[Toad]

I wouldn't think so. By handling it, its quite obvious that the battery pack fills less than half of the case. It's a flat pack battery and it's not like it puts out any heat. I had a Moto Droid 6 and i6 charging at the same time. The pack took it like a champ and stayed cold. The iphone got hot (not supposed to put high amps into i stuff). Charging is dependent on your charger (not included) which are pretty much overcharge protected on their own. Manual say 2A input max. Most Samsung chargers are now 4A. Yeah, you'll have heat problems. [It not like I've ever hooked a 4A Samsung charger to my .5A input i6 for 15 min to get a quick 25% charge.]  I highly doubt the solar panel will ever cause an over charge situation.

I'd trust it as much as any other LIon battery....as long as you don't abuse the amperage.

Unless you pull a Samsung and desire to charge a 4.4v battery at 9v+ and wonder why stuff keeps on exploding.

[Rocketvapor]

Just sitting inside a closed car on the dash in the sun on a hot day.
Not a good place for Li-ion. 

As far as the rating goes 15000mah at a average cell voltage of 3.7 volts is 55.5 watt hours. 
Search for a Lipo cell with those rating and see if it would fit in the case. 
Li-ion technology has a much better watt/pound, and watts/cu. in. than most other chemistries, but this seems to be pushing science a little  

Going from 20% to 90% charge on a 7whr iPhone battery is about 4.9 watt hours.  But, converting the native battery energy to USB, through a cable then converting it back to the native iPhone cell voltage isn't free.  Getting the watts out of this device's battery at a pretty good 90% efficiency, and putting it into a phone battery at another pretty good 90% means if ought to be able charge your phone (20% to 90%) about 9 times. You got 3 and still had power left.  Not bad.

If it is really 55.5 watt hours how many hours would it take to charge with a solar cell of that size? Case is about 20 sq. in how big is the solar cell? 20 watts per square foot is about normal. 

I have a similar one and it is a great little accessory to have on hand. 
Just be aware that the cell inside is likely standard Lithium Ion Chemistry in a soft Polymer pack,
Lipo.  Just like exploding phones, the dash of a hot car is not a good place to leave one unattended. 
Don't expect it to fully recharge itself with just a single full day in the sun.

[Rocketvapor]

I'll add a little more to this.
We can assume that the Chinese manufacturer has included an adequate protective circuit inside this device.  Right at the Li-ion cell interface. 
A circuit that cuts off charge to the cell when maximum cell voltage is reached, cuts off cell discharge when a minimum voltage is reached, limits cell charging current, and cell discharge current, and monitors cell temperature.  A device that gets 'HOT' when operating and/or charging is not properly protected.  Overcharge protection both overvoltage and overcurrent needs to be AT the CELL.   
A circuit that will not continuously trickle charge the Li-ion cell after full charge has been reached as this permanently damages the cell. This applies to solar charging or from another voltaic source.
It will not try and charge the Li-ion cell when the temperature is Freezing or below, even in full sunlight, as this permanently damages the cell. This also applies to solar charging or from another voltaic source.

A 5 volt cell phone charger might be current limited at one amp, two amps, or even 4 amps, but it will not stop charging until the voltage gets to the 5.0 to 5.5 volt it outputs.  The cell protective circuit, required by the FTC, stops charging.  Cells without a protective circuit are classed as OEM/experimenter products not as end consumer products.

Be aware that elevated temperatures, storage, charging, or use, shorten the lifetime of Li-ion cells.  The capacity of the cell will degrade with time, and faster at higher temperatures.

Capacity rating are often expressed in Ch/mah.  That's Chinese milliamp hours which are are different than American milliamp hours The ratio is typically 2.5 to 1. 
Also take note that even a great protective circuit in a Li-ion powered product often has BLIND failure modes.  Unless the device has a thorough power on self test, a failed function may not be obvious to the consumer/user.  When the overvoltage charge protection dies will it not take a charge or will it just keep on truckin?

The device posted in this thread is a bargain at $20, even better at $15. 
You couldn't build one for that.  Used with care it could be a life saver. 
Don't break the solar cell, and don't abuse the device.  Electrically or mechanically. 
It's Chinese, so buy it before inauguration day or it may cost a lot more.   

Test question
Does the term LiPo commonly used for flat pack batteries refer to the totally dry Lithium Polymer chemistry, or to a standard Lithium-Ion cell in a soft Polymer package instead of a steel shell?


 

[J.A.B.M.]

 

Test question
Does the term LiPo commonly used for flat pack batteries refer to the totally dry Lithium Polymer chemistry, or to a standard Lithium-Ion cell in a soft Polymer package instead of a steel shell?


 

Lipo will give you a flat six pack abs.  Not real sure though, kind of early for me. This afternoon i will drink a few beers and will know more.

[ImTryin]

It's Chinese, so buy it before inauguration day or it may cost a lot more.   

Yeah, but once Trump brings all those high paying factory and coal mine jobs back, you'll hardly notice the tariff.

[Rocketvapor]

A Politically Correct Coal fired Cell Phone Charger?

[Toad]

Just sitting inside a closed car on the dash in the sun on a hot day.
Not a good place for Li-ion.

meh, live a little. Folks leave plastic glocks full of gunpowder in hot cars all day long and don't blink an eye. An occasional cellphone or GPS, the same thing. Gawd forbid you leave yer LIon vape pack in the Lincoln for more than 25mins. 

If it is really 55.5 watt hours how many hours would it take to charge with a solar cell of that size? Case is about 20 sq. in how big is the solar cell? 20 watts per square foot is about normal. 

I'm measuring out the panel to be 1/32" short (both directions), 2 3/4" x 5 3/4". I haven't taken it apart, but I'm making the trump hypothesis that its a TV photovoltaic. It's too thin, light, and cheap to be a poly.
[/quote]

Capacity rating are often expressed in Ch/mah.  That's Chinese milliamp hours which are are different than American milliamp hours The ratio is typically 2.5 to 1.

Agreed. Ch/mah are always overstated. I know I got a weekend+ worth of charges on the pack. I'm happy.

Test question
Does the term LiPo commonly used for flat pack batteries refer to the totally dry Lithium Polymer chemistry, or to a standard Lithium-Ion cell in a soft Polymer package instead of a steel shell?

I'm trying to remember the last time I've seen a LIon in a steel shell outside of Energizer.

The device posted in this thread is a bargain at $20, even better at $15.
You couldn't build one for that.  Used with care it could be a life saver. 

At $15, why not? If ya break it, oh well...out only $15.

[bch7773]

I have one similar to that, its great but keep in mind the solar charger is horribly inefficient.  Like 8 hours in the sun gives 10% charge.  Better then nothing, but don't count on it.  And on mine, you can't use it to top off the charger back to 100%.  The solar cell can only charge the charger to like 50%.

[Rocketvapor]

Depending on the solar cell chemistry placing it on the dash behind a UV blocking windshield might not be the most efficient location.  Ir and heat coming through the windshield doesn't produce much power with some cell chemistries. 

If you place it in direct sunlight, and kept it pointed directly at the sun for 3 full days it might produce enough to charge the battery pack. 
As the pack charge goes up, the intensity of the sun hitting the cell becomes more critical.  End charge would have to be during bright sun with the solar cell pointed at the sun. 
Setting it pointed in one direction all day won't do it.
If the internal pack of this device is properly designed, with a temperature sensor to cut off the cell (charging or discharging) @ 160 to 170 F, it may not continue to charge when it get hot. 
Obviously not an included function of the Chinese Hoverboards

For those that haven't seen a Lithium ion ,Li-ion (Lion must be a British thing) cell in a steel case, check inside a laptop battery (except some Apple laptops).
 
OR, do a Google search for 18650 cells.  Or, sneak a peek inside your neighbor's Tesla



While there are various chemistries within the general Lithium Ion chemistry group they mostly rely on the electromotive force of Lithium.  Some are 'safer' than others in that when they overheat they only produce gas that expands, but is not an explosive gas. 
If the source of a failure creates a spark or enough heat to ignite the lithium compounds an explosive gas mixture inside a containment vessel, like a waterproof tactical flashlight, might be worse than just spewing thousands of burning lithium coated foil bits like a magnesium road flare.  Some are only placed in a polymer/foil pouch, some Li-ion (LiFEPO4 varieties) cells are placed in a plastic rectangular (prizmatic) case and overheat, smoke and then catch fire rather than explode.  Like the packs that caused Boeing some problems. 


The various type are explained here:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion

and I never leave my LIon vape pack in the Lincoln for more than 25mins
while charging on the dash in the hot sun.


I don't have a Black Plastic Glock but I wouldn't leave it on the dash in the hot sun either. 
It would be too hot to handle.  But, it might be a cheap way to convert regular 9mm ammo into HOT +P+ ammo 

Maybe a cell phone charger made from Potatoes and Tomatoes would be better.  Works on cloudy days

[J.A.B.M.]

Nothing a regenerative cooling chamber wouldn't fix.

[Rocketvapor]

Take more than that if your hot Glock had a negligent discharge through the floorboard of your Tesla.

How hot can you still hold a black Glock?

[ImTryin]

Take more than that if your hot Glock had a negligent discharge through the floorboard of your Tesla.

My neighbor has a Tesla.. I'll get my Glock up to temperature in the oven then commence with the experiment

Why yes I've been drinking

[J.A.B.M.]

Hey we are on to something. Thermal protection system for neglected Glocks. Ha, maybe a non-profit.