Make Your Own Portable Battery Pack With A Longer-Lasting Charge

3 responses to “Make Your Own Portable Battery Pack With A Longer-Lasting Charge”

1. 

   bushrat011899

   August 3, 2014

   For the love of all that is holy make sure you get 1.25V batteries! Most AA batteries are 1.5V and thus combined will push 6V instead of 5V. I doubt it will destroy anything but better safe than ringing up about warranty…

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   1. 

      swatmajor1

      August 3, 2014

      Or you could build a voltage regulator if you are keen.

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      1. 

         bushrat011899

         August 4, 2014

         Yes that also an option but it’s simpler to just use the “right” batteries. I personally find it just worrying that this how-to didn’t even mention the danger though, it just said “use rechargeable batteries”. Not even sternly, just as if it’s an optional extra!

         If he wanted to make something actually cool, double the number of batteries and go buy the cheapest USB cigarette lighter charger you can get ($2 AU for a tiny one) and you’ll have something much bigger but much, much safer, that will also take normal AA’s or any other normal 12v supply in a pinch.

         Heck if you get a USB Booster chip (Adafruit sell an awesome one for $10 if you don’t know how to make one) that’ll take anything from 1.8v through to 12v and give you 5v at 1A+. I have one on hand for all sorts of occasions, never know when you’ll need 5v.

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   2. 

      shrubbyfawn

      August 3, 2014

      Show me a 1.5V Rechargeable AA battery and I’ll so you false advertising. (All NiHM rechargeable batteries are rated 1.2/1.25V)

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