What is Power Bank?
A power bank is a portable charger for your mobile devices and it is an absolute necessity if
you are a frequent traveller. You absolutely need to be able to charge your
devices if you want to fully utilize them on a single trip. Smart Phones,
Cameras, Tablets, iPods, iPads, Headphones, Portable Speakers, etc., all
require power after some time and a power outlet is generally not available
everywhere you go.
Portable power banks
consist of a battery placed in a case which stores electrical energy and have a
special microprocessor circuitry connected to a PCB to control the power flow.
These are usually made of cylindrical lithium ion or low profile Lithium
polymer. It receives power through a dedicated input socket. This power can
come mainly from USB socket or a computer. It uses a mini or Micro USB sockets
for charging and a full-sized USB for discharging. Even though power banks can
use the same USB socket for input and output, frequent practice of the same can
damage the battery.
The life expectancy of a power bank depends on two main
factors as follows:
1. The number of charging and
discharging cycles it can perform reliably during its operation.
2. The time up to which the power bank
can retain its charge when not in use.
How to Use a Power Bank
Power
bank is basically an external battery in a closed case. They have an micro USB
cable at one end and the full sized USB cable at the other end. The micro end
goes into the Power bank and the other can be connected to laptops or any other
controlled power source like a DC adapter to charge them. Irrespective of
whether the USB charger is 1A or 2A, you can connect it to either of the one as
it will only take the current that it requires. Once charged, they can be used
to charge the phones, tablets etc through the full sized USB cable; just
connect the device and your power bank and the charging starts. The progress of
charging you can observe on your device the same way you do when it is
connected to a power socket.
Types of Power Banks
Some power banks are device
integrated and they can double or even triple the life of your battery. Power
banks can be of solar type, where you use solar power to charge the same.
Basically, Power Banks are of 3 types: Portable charging cases, USB plug in
charging banks and Solar charger.
Portable charging case:
This
is a innovative piece of technology. It connects to your device like a
protective case which in any case most of us use. It helps to charge the device
automatically when the power is down. You just plugin the device to the
charging dock when you are at home and with the case you automatically add
Two-Three times the charge for your device which kicks in whenever the device
battery dies.
USB plugin power banks:
These
contain pocket sized little units that use an USB to connect to your device. It
can be called as a secondary portable battery which charges your device when
there is no electricity socket nearby. When you are near a power source, you
plug it to charge the power bank, and when you go out you will have a secondary
battery in hand.
USB plugin power banks:
These
contain pocket sized little units that use an USB to connect to your device. It
can be called as a secondary portable battery which charges your device when
there is no electricity socket nearby. When you are near a power source, you
plug it to charge the power bank, and when you go out you will have a secondary
battery in hand.
Solar charger:
It
is very useful when you are going out for camping, hiking, or on a trip etc. It
can be used for any USB device and hence can be used for your phone, tablet etc.
Having the size of a smartphone, it has a solar panel on one side. It uses sun
rays to store and collect the power which can be used for charging other
devices. Since it is charged using sun rays, you can easily charge the same by
keeping it on the car dashboard when you are heading somewhere. The power bank
gets charged.
Charging a Power Bank
Power
banks basically have a dedicated input socket for getting power. You can use a
computer USB socket to connect to this socket for charging, but it charges
faster when using a wall socket adapter. Here are a few points to keep in mind
when charging a Power Bank:
·
They
normally use a mini or micro USB for discharging and full sized USB sockets for
charging.
·
Time
taken to charge a power bank depends on its capacity and its current charge
level.
·
Smaller
power banks can be charged with the same time taken to charge a smartphone, but
for a larger one, it can take double or triple or quadruple times the former.
·
They
have an LED indicator to show the charge level, which can be used to prevent
any overcharging
·
Always
avoid connecting power bank to the charging source once it is fully charged, to
prevent any overheating.
·
The
efficiency of the power bank is calculated based on the percentage of charge
transferred. When the power is getting transferred from power bank, a small
portion of it gets lost due to the resistance of the power bank.
·
Efficiency
ratings differ between power banks based on the type of cell used, quality of
the components and environment.
·
Efficiency
between 80 and 90 is the industry standard.
·
Device
depletion is the state of the battery of the device which is to be charged. The
lower its state, the more power is required to be transferred from power bank
to bring the device back to life.
Choosing a Power bankin India
Tips On Buying A Power Bank
1. Capacity - Determine Your Usage :
The main attribute considered to a power bank capacity. This capacity is measured in milli Ampere Hour (mAH). You can't exactly calculate how many times a specific power bank can charge your device, but the rule of thumb is more mAH rating mean more capacity.
There are chargers that can charge almost any type of device, from all types of companies. This includes laptops, iPAD, iPOD, Tablets, and Mobile Phones from Apple, Samsung, HTC, Nokia & etc., Sample Usage Guide:
- 1500mAh Battery : Mobile Phone - 1 full charge
- 5200mAh Battery : Mobile Phone - 2 full charges. Tablet- Approximately 50% charged.
- 10000mAh Battery : Mobile Phone - 4 full charges. Tablet Approximately 100% full charged.
2. USB Charging :
Most current power bank chargers have built in USB charging capability. They have a separate cable which one had to carry along with the device. This added to the number of things that could potentially go wrong in using the charger.
After you fully charge your power bank at home, it is a simple matter to connect the device to your mobile phone with an adapter and your phone will start charging instantly. The better quality power banks will come with a set of connectors for different device types, such as, Sony, Samsung, Nokia, Apple, etc.
3. Price and Quality :
Apart from battery strength, one other thing which can help you decide which power bank charger is best for you. ___is the price.
But you should not buy a portable power bank which either uses refurbished batteries or which doesn't contain the basic features e.g. short circuit, over-charging, etc.
4. Portability :
One of the main reasons to buy a power bank is the portability factor. The ability to charge your devices while on the move because you can simply take a charger with you, is a huge plus.
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