power bank when parked up...

[old4570]

I currently own 3 power banks ...
Funny thing about power banks :
A) They are usually over rated ( some times horrendously so )
B) capacity is measured by what goes in - not what come out
C) so if you wan't 10,000mAh to your device , you will need to buy a 20,000mAh power bank
D) You can only pack so much mAh into so much space ( related to that over rated capacity )

http://old4570.com/stuff/solarpowerbank.html

Link is to my website , and the last powerbank test .. ( So if you thought cams can be bad )
I wanted a solar powerbank to run a cam ( Possibly my G90 ) in conjunction with DC ..
Plan was to run a PB ( power bank ) to the cam , DC to the cam as well as solar ( I have a USB solar panel that works )
So when the DC is turned off , the powerbank takes over ..

Plan was to run DC to the PB , as well as solar with a split USB cable ..
So when DC is off , solar is still trickling into the PB ..
If the PB is large enough it should run all night without problems ...
And when DC comes back on it recharges the PB ( ?? ) how long is your drive ?
PB's can take a long time to charge ...
So maybe at night you may need to plug in a 2nd PB to feed the first one and maintain charge ?

( Yeah , its getting messy )

 

[Dashmellow]

Anyone heard of or used one of these -

http://www.amazon.in/Romoss-Li-Polymer-Polymos-10-Charging/dp/B017IUMJ6W

Looking to get one for iffy roadside parking times.

Never heard of them but the company seems legit and they offer a wide range of charging products out of Hong Kong.

The difference I see between similar companies like Anker, PowerAdd, RavPower etc. that offer power banks is that Romoss doesn't seem to offer any form of warranty whereas all the others offer anywhere between 12 months and 24 months and in some instances lifetime coverage for their battery products.

Edit: I noticed on Amazon that some people have complained about fake Romoss products and so now on their web site Romoss has instituted a coded anti-counterfeit label on all products since 2016)

http://www.romoss.com/index.php

http://www.romoss.com/proview.php?ID=32

I notice that RAVPower is in the middle of a big promotion this month and they seem to offer a nice range of lithium-polymer power banks.

https://www.ravpower.com/

This one caught my eye - 22000 mAh lithium polymer with Lifetime Warranty. 22,000 mAh - (3 ) 2.4 amp ports - 70-80% of its full capacity after 500 charge-discharge cycles - claimed 1000 cycle lifetime
[Available for US & CA]

https://www.ravpower.com/22000-external-battery-charger-iSmart2.0-black.html

(@TonyM , as you were asking about RAVPower lithium-polymer banks the other day you may want to check out their promotion. Not sure if it is available in the UK though.)

And no folks don't believe any nonsense that you need to buy a 20,000mAh power bank to get 10,000 mAh of performance. A good quality power bank used with proper care and charging technique should provide at "least" 85% rated performance (or better) long term with a slow decline after extended use.

 

[Harsh]

Never heard of them but the company seems legit and they offer a wide range of charging products out of Hong Kong.

The difference I see between similar companies like Anker, PowerAdd, RavPower etc. that offer power banks is that Romoss doesn't seem to offer any form of warranty whereas all the others offer anywhere between 12 months and 24 months and in some instances lifetime coverage for their battery products.

Edit: I noticed on Amazon that some people have complained about fake Romoss products and so now on their web site Romoss has instituted a coded anti-counterfeit label on all products since 2016)

http://www.romoss.com/index.php

http://www.romoss.com/proview.php?ID=32

I notice that RAVPower is in the middle of a big promotion this month and they seem to offer a nice range of lithium-polymer power banks.

https://www.ravpower.com/

This one caught my eye. 22000 mAh lithium polymer with Lifetime Warranty. 22,000 mAh - (3 ) 2.4 amp ports - 70-80% of its full capacity after 500 charge-discharge cycles - claimed 1000 cycle lifetime
[Available for US & CA]

https://www.ravpower.com/22000-external-battery-charger-iSmart2.0-black.html

(@TonyM , as you were asking about RAVPower lithium-polymer banks the other day you may want to check out their promotion.)

And no folks don't believe any nonsense that you need to buy a 20,000mAh power bank to get 10,000 mAh of performance. A good quality power bank used with proper care and charging technique should provide at "least" 85% rated performance long term with a slow decline.

Only disadvantage I see with the Romoss unit (other than the warranty being vague) is that only one port is capable of 2.4A, the other port is good only for an amp. The 1A port might not do too well with a 15 foot run to the rear (speculating).

I've ordered one of their 5000mAh version from the same series; as I don't anticipate the need for more than an hour or two of recording while parked. If the unit received is satisfactory, I'll just get another and run the front and rear cams off separate power banks. This way I'll have two slimmer units with 2.4A available for both the front and rear.

 

[Dashmellow]

Only disadvantage I see with the Romoss unit (other than the warranty being vague) is that only one port is capable of 2.4A, the other port is good only for an amp. The 1A port might not do too well with 15 a foot run to the rear (speculating).

I've ordered one of their 5000mAh version from the same series; as I don't anticipate the need for more than an hour or two of recording while parked. If the unit received is satisfactory, I'll just get another and run the front and rear cams off separate power banks. This way I'll have two slimmer units with 2.4A available for both the front and rear.

Most common power banks have a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp or 2.4 amp port. All of my currently owned power banks are like that.

I've been running my rear and side Mobius cameras via 15 foot Monoprice cables using one port or the other and have never had a problem. The SG9665GC works fine with either port as well.
The only issue I've had is that on one of my power banks there is a data connection on the 2.1 amp port (but not the 1 amp) that forces cameras into mass storage mode or standby so I've had to modify the cable.
The mini-0806 is the only camera I've had that balked with the 15 foot cable run.

You'll note that the PowerAdd power bank I posted about the other day has a 1 amp and a 2.4 amp port.

 

[DT MI]

...The 1A port might not do too well with 15 a foot run to the rear (speculating).....

If it's a true 1A output there should be no issue. I'm currently running 2 A118-C cams using cheap 15 ft. cables with no problems.

 

[Harsh]

Most common power banks have a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp or 2.4 amp port. All of my currently owned power banks are like that.

I've been running my rear and side Mobius cameras via 15 foot Monoprice cables using one port or the other and have never had a problem. The SG9665GC works fine with either port as well.
The only issue I've had is that on one of my power banks there is a data connection on one of the 2.1 amp ports that forces cameras into mass storage mode or standby so I've had to modify the cable.
The mini-0806 is the only camera I've had that balked with the 15 foot cable run.

You'll note that the PowerAdd power bank I posted about the other day has a 1 amp and 2.4 amp port.

View attachment 30058

Good to know, if one bank works and can power both cameras for a couple of hours without any issue on the 1A port, then I won't get the second one.

It does say - "Safecare Romoss 1 Year Warranty", availing it seems to be a challenge as per some reviews.

Hope this is a good one as I'm at a loss to find anything better that uses Li-Polymer. There's one from Anker with 3 ports that uses 18650 batteries, if it wasn't for the weather here, I would've gotten that without thinking twice. It's already reached 40° C in Delhi and 46 is some central parts, a scorching summer ahead for sure.

 

[Dashmellow]

Good to know, if one bank works and can power both cameras for a couple of hours without any issue on the 1A port, then I won't get the second one.

It does say - "Safecare Romoss 1 Year Warranty", availing it seems to be a challenge as per some reviews.

Hope this is a good one as I'm at a loss to find anything better that uses Li-Polymer. There's one from Anker with 3 ports that uses 18650 batteries, if it wasn't for the weather here, I would've gotten that without thinking twice. It's already reached 40° C in Delhi and 46 is some central parts, a scorching summer ahead for sure.

Try it out when it arrives knowing you can always buy another power bank if you feel you need one.

As for 18650 vs lithium-polymer, the polymer is probably better in a motor vehicle but so far in my three years of using those 18650 banks they've held up to temperature extremes surprisingly well. I'm as careful as possible and take modest precautions such as leaving the windows cracked or putting the banks under the seats on hot days. I also try to limit the time I run them in hot conditions.

My understanding is that lithium batteries should be safe even up to 60º Celsius for discharge but heat will shorten their lifespan. So far, though with three years of service in all kinds of conditions and bouncing around on bumpy dirt roads with apparently still plenty of juice left on my first power bank purchase, I'm OK with the li-ions.

This chart comes from a good article, "Charging at High and Low Temperatures" from Battery University.

 

[Harsh]

Thank you!

The RAV model with 3 ports is available here on Amazon (through sellers that ship from the States), but for nearly $100.

 

[Dashmellow]

Thank you!

The RAV model with 3 ports is available here on Amazon (through sellers that ship from the States), but for nearly $100.

1oo bucks! Yikes! You'd probably be better off just buying a pile of smaller Romoss banks.

 

[Dashmellow]

I know from long experience here on DCT, basically from various comments that are posted that only a small number of members usually take the time to fully read articles that are linked from this forum.

So in reference to how much lithium-ion batteries can tolerate high temperatures some of you may find this quote from the above link to be of interest.

"Lithium-ion performs well at elevated temperatures but prolonged exposure to heat reduces longevity. Some lithium-based packs are momentarily heated to high temperatures. This applies to batteries in surgical tools that are sterilized at 137°C (280°F) for up to 20 minutes as part of autoclaving. Oil and gas drilling as part of fracking also exposes the battery to high temperatures."

So, I think the take home from this is that power banks can tolerate at least "some" higher temperature "abuse" and continue to function safely. Three hot summers in my dark blue vehicle seems to indicate that higher temps won't effect longevity all that badly.

 

[TonyM]

I've had a bad experience with an anker powerbank that stopped accepting charge just a few months after the warranty expired. They kindly offered a small discount on replacing with a new one. However I went with an aukey quick charge 2.0 model which works very well. I've now given that to my wife to run my old mobius in her car all day when she's at work.

So this week I bought a replacement 20000mah QC3.0 aukey on an amazon lightning deal :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B01H01C720It's a bit more expensive than the poweradd, but also more useful as both of our phones can take advantage of the quick charge function. It also recharges quickly too.

 

[Dashmellow]

I've had a bad experience with an anker powerbank that stopped accepting charge just a few months after the warranty expired. They kindly offered a small discount on replacing with a new one. However I went with an aukey quick charge 2.0 model which works very well. I've now given that to my wife to run my old mobius in her car all day when she's at work.

So this week I bought a replacement 20000mah QC3.0 aukey on an amazon lightning deal :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B01H01C720It's a bit more expensive than the poweradd, but also more useful as both of our phones can take advantage of the quick charge function. It also recharges quickly too.

Keep in mind the idea of deep cycling and slow charging a couple or three times with the Aukey when new and even try that with your defunct Anker and see what happens. The batteries will automatically protect against exceeding the low voltage threshold when you drain them down.

 

[TonyM]

Keep in mind the idea of deep cycling and slow charging a couple or three times with the Aukey when new and even try that with your defunct Anker and see what happens.

I'll see if I can find a slow charger! The 500mA output from my USB hub should do.

I actually sold the defunct Anker powerbank on eBay (for parts only)

 

[Dashmellow]

I'll see if I can find a slow charger! The 500mA output from my USB hub should do.

I actually sold the defunct Anker powerbank on eBay (for parts only)

By low amp charge I was referring to 1 amp but I think .5 amp should be fine. Many people like to use high current for quick charging (which is fine) but the lower amp charging causes less stress to the battery and can provide longer life. I have a 1 amp charger and a 2 amp charger but I usually use the 1 amp if I'm not in any hurry.

 

[Dashmellow]

I'll see if I can find a slow charger! The 500mA output from my USB hub should do.

I actually sold the defunct Anker powerbank on eBay (for parts only)

There's a "possibility" the Anker battery could be resurrected. It's protection circuit may have been triggered for some reason.

How to Awaken a Sleeping Li-ion

 

[Dashmellow]

So, @TonyM, I got curious and checked Amazon UK and it turns out that RAVpower 22,000mAh Li-Po 3 x 2.4A USB port power bank I mentioned is selling for only £24.64 with free shipping within the UK! That's even a better deal than the promotion in the US! Maybe you should return that Aukey?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B01GJFNQYG

 

[old4570]

Never heard of them but the company seems legit and they offer a wide range of charging products out of Hong Kong.

The difference I see between similar companies like Anker, PowerAdd, RavPower etc. that offer power banks is that Romoss doesn't seem to offer any form of warranty whereas all the others offer anywhere between 12 months and 24 months and in some instances lifetime coverage for their battery products.

Edit: I noticed on Amazon that some people have complained about fake Romoss products and so now on their web site Romoss has instituted a coded anti-counterfeit label on all products since 2016)

http://www.romoss.com/index.php

http://www.romoss.com/proview.php?ID=32

I notice that RAVPower is in the middle of a big promotion this month and they seem to offer a nice range of lithium-polymer power banks.

https://www.ravpower.com/

This one caught my eye - 22000 mAh lithium polymer with Lifetime Warranty. 22,000 mAh - (3 ) 2.4 amp ports - 70-80% of its full capacity after 500 charge-discharge cycles - claimed 1000 cycle lifetime
[Available for US & CA]

https://www.ravpower.com/22000-external-battery-charger-iSmart2.0-black.html

(@TonyM , as you were asking about RAVPower lithium-polymer banks the other day you may want to check out their promotion. Not sure if it is available in the UK though.)

And no folks don't believe any nonsense that you need to buy a 20,000mAh power bank to get 10,000 mAh of performance. A good quality power bank used with proper care and charging technique should provide at "least" 85% rated performance (or better) long term with a slow decline after extended use.

Not one of my powerbanks comes close to 85% ...
But then they are all economy banks ... ( And offer about 50% of stated capacity )

( Such is life ) Dont forget those nasty Variables ! ( Like seller / dealer BS )

 

[Dashmellow]

Not one of my powerbanks comes close to 85% ...
But then they are all economy banks ... ( And offer about 50% of stated capacity )

( Such is life ) Dont forget those nasty Variables ! ( Like seller / dealer BS )

You always go for that low end stuff, what do you expect?

For me, various tests seem to indicate better results than you describe. For example, I tested one of my 20,000 mAh power banks (one of the Chinese generics) when it was new, with a dash cam, and ran it from full charge until it quit. The camera ran for just about 19 hours which seems to indicate that the power bank was somewhere close to its rated output.

 

[old4570]

I haven't tested high end stuff ... No
But I consider it a community service to test the bottom of the barrel !
Financially speaking it's not a burden ( I don't drink / smoke / or whore around ) , so there is a little bit of money to spend on (?) the cheap stuff .
+ I have too many interests ( RC - Photography = Expensive in comparison ) and so forth . So I have to cheap out somewhere .
I would love to be a top of the range guy ( nothing but the best ) , but the wallet wont allow that .

 

[Dashmellow]

I haven't tested high end stuff ... No
But I consider it a community service to test the bottom of the barrel !
Financially speaking it's not a burden ( I don't drink / smoke / or whore around ) , so there is a little bit of money to spend on (?) the cheap stuff .
+ I have too many interests ( RC - Photography = Expensive in comparison ) and so forth . So I have to cheap out somewhere .
I would love to be a top of the range guy ( nothing but the best ) , but the wallet wont allow that .

You left out flashlights!

I've been a flashlight freak since I've been a kid, so I know.