Mobile gadgets have the right to be called so, only because of their small size and the ability to work without connecting to an electric network. Unfortunately, the energy supply of such devices is limited and sooner or later the device will show the company logo on the display and will automatically turn off.
If the trouble happened at home, then you can restore the functionality of the gadget by connecting it to a network adapter. Otherwise, you can fully charge the mobile device using the Power bank. What this device is, as well as which gadgets can be charged with it, will be described in detail in this article.
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What is Power Bank and where did it come from
Power Bank is a battery of significant capacity, so it can be used instead of a charger. Different models of such devices differ in capacity, weight and size.
Also, banks can be equipped with additional options, for example, the ability to charge from the energy of the sun and transmit electricity through electromagnetic radiation.
The principle of a rechargeable battery has been known for more than 2 centuries, but recently began to use batteries to recharge mobile devices. Poverbanks first saw the light in 2004, when Chinese polar explorers asked PISEN to develop a high-capacity portable battery device.
It was supposed to use a battery of this type to recharge cameras in polar conditions. As a result, a compact battery was developed and released, which not only had a small weight, but also gave excellent electricity at critically low temperatures.
After successfully creating the first models of external batteries, PISEN launched mass production of such products. Literally in 14 years, a simple and compact device has become very popular all over the world, including in our country.
What is it for?
An external battery is used primarily for recharging mobile devices. Such a product can be used not only in camping trips, fishing or when traveling. The need for an additional source of electricity may arise if a long blackout occurs.
For remote villages, where in the winter season repair crews may not always be able to quickly arrive at the accident site, a powerful bank will ensure the availability of a cell phone for several days.
In some cases, a power bank can be used not only for recharging batteries of various gadgets. Any low-power devices operating from a usb connector can be connected to such a source of electricity and be used for a long time. For example, this way you can use miniature fans, light fixtures and even miniature Wi-Fi routers.
What gadgets can they charge
An external battery is capable of delivering electricity in a volume not exceeding the maximum capacity value. This means that if the battery of an electronic gadget connected to a bank has a larger value for this parameter, then the portable battery will not be able to 100% charge the phone or other electronic device.
Based on this rule, before choosing a new product for recharging, you need to find out the capacity of the battery installed in the gadget. It is advisable to choose a bank that will be able to restore the battery of the charging device several times.
In addition to smartphones, phones, toys and other low-power devices, power banks can be used to recharge laptops and tablets. For such devices, special external batteries with a capacity of more than 20,000 mAh should be selected.
Power Bank device
The main internal volume of the bank is occupied by batteries. Typically, 16850 Li-Ion batteries connected in parallel are used. Sometimes, Li-Pol rechargeable cells are used, which can take various forms.
Such devices are more expensive, practically not subject to maintenance and repair, but thanks to their basic quality, the power bank case can be made very thin. Lithium batteries can also be used in home-made external batteries, including those made on the basis of a ready-made case with electronic filling.
To ensure the safe use of lithium batteries in banks, a controller board is required. Thanks to the presence of automatic control, it is possible to prevent overcharging the battery, and when consumers are connected, turn off the device when the batteries are discharged below a certain level.
Power banks are also equipped with display elements, thanks to which you can judge the degree of charge of internal batteries.
Principle of operation
The principle of work of the bank is quite simple:
- When connected to a charger, electric current begins to flow to the battery pack.
- When the rechargeable cells are restored to 100%, the controller will disconnect the charging circuit.
When consumers are connected to the bank, the reverse process occurs, that is, electricity is released until the safety mechanism disconnects the device when the battery capacity reaches the lower limit value.
Varieties and functional features
Different models of banks may differ not only in capacity, but also in other parameters. The color of the case and its size, as well as the material of the shell for many buyers can also be the most important selection criteria.
The presence of additional options will also allow more convenient use of an external battery. For example, indicators indicate the actual level of charge, which allows you to judge when you need to reconnect the power bank to the network charger.
Some additional options are simply indispensable in certain operating conditions. For example, the presence of solar panels will allow recharging the bank even away from civilization, and the fast charging of mobile gadgets will restore the phone’s battery to 50% in literally 20-30 minutes. Using the built-in electromagnetic transmitter, you can charge your gadgets without using wires.
Less significant, but useful options do not significantly affect the cost of the product, but can be very useful. For example, the presence of an LED flashlight allows you to do without additional lighting devices.
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