Tag: battery charger

Everyday Carry Items for the Connected Individual

Everyday Carry Items for the Connected Individual is about electronics and connectivity. In the post below you will see all manner of portable chargers, cables, adapters, small electronic devices, and things that make the modern technophile’s life easier.

I never seem to have the right charging cable, adapter or memory card when I am out doing something in the field.

In order never have to stop shooting videos, I started collecting different charging cables and battery packs to ensure that I always had power and could connect my devices together

I doubt any single person would find use for every item on this list, but since nobody’s needs are the same I wanted to give you lots of options.

Personally, I haven’t tried every item on this list, but there are a few items on here that I swear by, others that I wish I owned, and a few that I just think are neat.

Like all my other posts, you can click the picture to view this item on Amazon. I do make a small commission if you purchase from this link, but it does not cost you any more money and the commissions pay for the hosting of this site and a small amount of the time it takes to find the information I share here.

APEMAN Action Camera 1080P Full HD Waterproof Sport Camera

$35.97

Black Square Technologies Enigma

$97.85

Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth 16gb Usb 3.0 Flash Drive

$41.73

Titanium One Portable SSD – 120 GB

$59.00

Mini Digital Camera with 3 Inch TFT LCD Display

$38.49

US-KEY Portable Lightning Keychain Charging Cable

$14.99

Bluetooth Tracker Keychain

$11.99

Keyprop: Keychain Tripod

$4.99

Yowosmart Short Lightning to USB Key Charger Cable

$13.99

Seeshine Multifunctional 3 in 1 Lighting USB Cable Keychain

$6.99

(I ordered this as soon as I saw it, once it arrives we will see how it works)

goTenna Mesh SMS & GPS Device

$179.00

(goTenna Mesh pairs to your phone and enables it to privately relay texts and GPS locations between other goTenna devices, up to 4 miles in range. )

XY4+ Key Finder

$39.99

Sony ICDPX370 Mono Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB

$39.97

16GB Digital Voice Recorder

$39.99

Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 Edge Charger! Adaptive Fast Charger

$19.99

Anker PowerCore 5000, Ultra-Compact 5000mAh External Battery

$19.99

(I bought this for the wife, she loved it, then promptly lost it the cavern of junk that is her purse)

K-TOR Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator Portable Power Supply 10 Watts 120 Volts

$64.95

(They also make a larger pedal kit that can be bolted down, but its too big for EDC)

Universal Mobile Phone Stand

$19.98

Anker 8-in-1 USB 3.0 Portable Card Reader

$9.99

(I have one plugged in to the computer as I write this, it works well)

USB card reader Micro USB OTG to USB 2.0 Adapter

$6.99

(I keep one in my camera bag just in case)

Metal Braided Multi USB Charging Cable

$9.33

(I like these multi charging cables I have reviewed several

Lightning to USB Cable Charging Bracelet

$11.99

(Stylish and a little James bond – covert cables – cool)

Kingston Digital 32GB DataTraveler

$23.55

(This is the best flash drive I have owned, I keep it on my keys so I can’t lose. I modified it for my KeySmart key bar)

Solar Charger 24000mAh Portable Power Bank

$39.88

iWALK Battery Charger Portable Power Bank with Lightning Cable Built in

$19.99

August 4, 2018
USB Rechargeable AA Battery Review
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I bought this on a whim when I was searching through amazon. I was trying to find something cheap to allow me to buy an add on item I needed.

This product is a USB Rechargeable AA Battery. It uses a USB port to recharge so there are not cords to keep up with.

I like rechargeable batteries, because they are easier to store than hundreds of batteries, and I have several solar setups to recharge these batteries.

Here is some basic information about this battery:
- Rechargeable——500 guaranteed recharges,applicable to all device with AA battery such as wireless. mouse, keyboards, clock, game controllers, electric shaver, remote control, household products.
- High capacity——1450 mAh each battery and 1.2V nickel performance, suitable for any device which are using AA battery. Due to the high capacity it needs over 5 hours to full charge.
- Easy to use and Charge from any USB Port——Recharge hundreds of times, at home, in the office. As long as there is an USB port, and then you can charge it.
- USB Rechargeable Battery——Charging via USB interface, while they are charging, they are a red light flashes and get a little warm. When they are fully charged, the light goes blue and will get cool immediately.
- Green & environmental——Long life, which can be charged 500+ times, a great substitute of traditional batteries.
If you like this product, remember I am an “amazon influencer” and have a page of other great items on Amazon that I use to make these videos, or just like having around. Please visit my influencer page on amazon, it won’t cost you any more to purchase those items, and the revenue I get helps me run this website
February 18, 2018
Ready Set Solar Review and Repair
Buy at Amazon

I won this Ready Set Solar set in an instructables.com contest, and have waited months to get this in the mail.

From their site:

“The ReadySet is a renewable energy system that charges from solar panels and can power lights, radios, cell phones, tablets, and even Wi-Fi hot spots. The ReadySet’s intelligent battery can charge up to 10 iPhones, or power an iPad for over 12 hours of continuous video-play and can recharge from the included solar panel in just a few hours. Designed originally for Africa, the ReadySet is rugged and easy to use and now available here to power a tailgate, camping trip or for use in case of an emergency. You can even go on a carbon-diet and power your electronics from renewable energy at home.”

The Fenix Solar panel is a custom-built 15W peak mono-crystalline solar panel specially designed for use with the ReadySet Power System. It can fully charge the ReadySet in just 8-10 hours of full sun. Its rugged aluminum frame and portable size make it easy to transport or simply move indoors at night for safekeeping.

Beyond solar, the ReadySet’s smart electronics and firmware allow you to charge from virtually any source such as solar panels, bicycle generators, micro-wind turbines, and more. The ReadySet’s sleek yet simple design allows you to use this energy and power all kinds of devices from its two open standard 12-volt Car Lighter Adapter ports and two 5-volt USB ports.”

Each ReadySet Solar Kit includes:
- The ReadySet battery (54 WHr equals ~10 iPhone charges)
- 15 Watt Solar Panel with rugged aluminum frame (it’s fully weatherproof & waterproof)
- 23 Watt Power Adapter for grid charging
- 3 Watt LED Light with socket, cable and switch
- USB Universal Battery Charger that allows you charge any 3.7-volt Lithium battery (for phones, cameras, etc)
- Instruction Manual
On the negative side, I did have some problems with the original set. However, as a brand new company with a brand new design it is too be expected.

To readyset’s credit they did offer two solutions:
- I could return the set
- They would give me instructions to fix what they thought the problem was.
Once I got the problem fixed, see below, I tried it out. I think it is a very useful piece of equipment. Personally, I look at it as a hybrid of the harbor freight solar setup and my diy battery pack.

For the purpose of seeing how powerful it is, I tried to run my CPAP machine. I did this even though common sense said not to. Unfortunately, the battery just is not powerful enough to run my CPAP machine. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and the small size means limited power.

However, when running the things the kit is designed to run I have had great experience – it charges from wall power in about 6 hours, and about 8 in the sun (depending on location, time of year, and weather). I have been able to run both lights for over 8 hours on a single charge.

Finally, after looking at it, I think that even if I had not won it in a contest I would have bought it. I look forward to their upcoming bike powered generator.

Repair of the Ready Set Solar Battery

Buy at Amazon

I won a Ready Set solar kit at an instructables.com contest and was dying to do a review.

During the review process I noticed that the ReadySet I received did not work. Now, I was saddened by this as I have been wanting to do this review for several months.

I contacted Fenix Intl through customer service about the problem and after about an hour I received what I consider to be an appropriate reply.

Basically I got one of the kits on the first production run, and the spade connection on the battery worked itself off in transit. The company said I could either get an RMA and ship the old kit in for a replacement OR they could send me instructions for fixing the problem myself, and if I could not fix it they would get me and RMA.

I bet you have no question about which option I took….

The process was very simple, and considering that the first batch always has some problems I still think this is a pretty nice device.

Then, all I did was to flip the device upside down, take out 8 screws, flip it back over and remove the top.

Sure enough the negative battery clip was a little loose. I pushed it back on and plugged it in.
The lights came on and the device starting to charge.

In conclusion, I think this is a neat idea, and it has some potential. The company seems to be working very hard at providing a quality product, and they have some great ideas.

One thing is certain, their battery pack is light years better than mine…
November 26, 2015