There are lots of ways to charge USB devices on the go using disposable or rechargeable batteries, but none of them are as small or as cheap as this DIY one. It’s basically just a female USB connector stuck to the top of a 9v battery, with a voltage regulator in the middle to make sure that there’s only 5 volts coming out. Total cost? If you have a soldering iron and a scrap female USB cable, the voltage regulator will run you about $1.59 plus tax at RadioShack (which I refuse on principle to call “The Shack” like they want me to). The real beauty of this thing is that you don’t have to use a 9v battery. You could use a whole series of D batteries, for example, and go on vacation for a month with your iPod.
Now, yes, you do have to know how to solder if you want to make one of these yourself. But seriously, soldering is easy. And it’s fun! You get to MELT METAL! You can pick up a basic soldering set at The Shack for all of eight bucks, and there are a bazillion beginner guides online (try Instructables or even YouTube). So, have a fun afternoon and learn a useful skill while making a handy little gadget at the same time. Or, you can always just do it with glue, you wimp.
It’s no secret that advancements in battery technology have not kept pace with advancements in gadgetry. Smartphones equipped with giant LCD displays that are capable of playing movies, surfing the web, GPS’ing your location, taking photos and even occasionally making calls are great and all, but they’ve made the ugly downside of poor battery life even more of an issue.
Now sure, it would be fantastic if companies like Duracell stumbled across some miraculous solution to the problem in their research labs, but for the moment external backup batteries like their Instant USB Charger are the next best thing. I had a chance to try it out, and you can read my full review after the jump.
Belkin’s new Conserve Surge powerbar features a built-in timer that will automatically cut power to six of the 8 outlets after 11 hours. The idea is that an employee will turn the powerbar on in the morning when they get to work, starting the 11 hour countdown, and by the time the clock runs out, they should in theory have already gone home. It’s designed to reduce the amount of electronics that are still wasting energy when they’ve gone into a standby mode, and to ensure that power isn’t accidentally cut off when it’s still needed, a flashing light will warn when the timer is about to run out, allowing you to override the auto-off. $34.99 available now.
We’ve been fans of iGo’s power accessories for a while; with a system of interchangeable tips to charge as many gadgets as you own (almost) from any source iGo supports, you have to carry around far less self-tangling cableage keep all of your stuff juiced up and happy. iGo’s latest offering is a Netbook Charger, designed specifically for, uh, netbooks. It’s just like the power brick that came with your netbook, with few key exceptions: it can power any netbook you have a tip for, it includes a powered USB port, and it’s pretty. Read all about it, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Billed as “the next generation in battery solutions for the outdoor enthusiast” the Brunton Sync provides the equivalent of 5,000 AA batteries (2,000 mA/5V output) in a compact device weighing just under a pound. And like those portable hydration systems for carrying water on your back, the Sync features a tethered control center that allows you to stash the battery in your backpack while still having access to charging ports for your GPS device, cellphones or whatever else you need to tackle the great outdoors. About $150 from Brunton.
Not only are massive ‘wall wart’ transformers a pain in the butt to squeeze onto a standard power strip, but they’re so heavy they have the tendency to fall out by themselves, severing your gear’s power source. So the PlugLock power strip solves that problem with a simple innovation. Each of the five generously spaced plugs can accommodate even the largest of transformers, and they all feature a dedicated clamp which can be adjusted to securely ‘lock’ the transformers in place. It’s also rated for 15 Amps, comes with a heavy-duty 5 foot, 14 AWG extension cord and is available from various online retailers for about $45.
This power generator is built around a Jensen #75 steam engine coupled to a Lego Technic motor, with a 5v regulator circuit and female USB connector soldered on. It puts out enough power to charge an iPod with no trouble, and I can only imagine it’ll power anything else you decide to plug into it. And, although it’s hard to see in the video, there’s a little Lego console there with a minifig to monitor the power output.
So, why is it perfect for travel? Easy: all it requires to produce electricity is water, fire, and fuel. Unlike solar power, it works at night and in the rain, and unlike other generators where you have to DO something, you don’t have to get off your ass. Just find yourself a lake, some wood, and a flamethrower, and you’re good to go.
The Visible Energy UFO, which I ran across at Stanford’s CPX, is a remote control powerstrip that allows you to monitor and track your energy consumption. It’s not designed to be a color changing (and collapseable!) snack bowl at all, but in spite of that, it would make an excellent one. The UFO has four color coded outlets (plus a surge protector) inside, spaced around the central axis so that you can fit even the bulkiest of power adapters into them. If you don’t need the snack bowl part, you can fold the flexible plastic cover down to keep everything nice and tidy. The light on the top of the UFO changes color (green, yellow, or red) depending on how much juice it’s sucking.
The reason that you might want one of these, however, is the slick iPhone app that comes with it. The app connects to each one of your UFO power strips separately, and lets you see at a glance how much energy you’re using. You can also turn each outlet on and off, from anywhere. Setup is supposed to be fast and easy, and as far as home automation goes, I can’t imagine it gets much simpler than this. The only problem is, if you don’t have your iPhone, there aren’t actually any switches on the thing. Oh well.
The Visible Energy UFO should be available this summer for less (hopefully a lot less) than $200.
According to internal polling data that I just made up, the average OhGizmo reader has 16.03 gadgets. That’s a lot, and since most if not all of them require electricity to operate, it’s important to mooch as much of it from other people as possible. The extension cord that you have plugged into your neighbor’s garage can only handle so much current, but soon there may be a way to steal electric power from someone who isn’t expecting it and won’t come after you with a weed whacker: the water company.
This little device gets stuck onto the end of a faucet or inserted into an existing water pipe. It’s got a little hydroelectric turbine in it, and when water moves through, the turbine spins to charge a battery. You can then plug into the battery to charge stuff. It’s not completely free, of course… You’re taking advantage of either gravity or a water company pump somewhere, and you’ll pay for your electricity with a reduction in water pressure caused by the resistance of the turbine. But hey, if you don’t overthink it, it’s free [minuscule amounts of] electricity!
Needless to say, there’s no information on production, but I bet whatever it would cost would be the equivalent of a whoooole bunch of kilowatt-hours of electricity out of a socket.
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