Apc Universal Battery, 10WH
by APC
|
List Price: Our Price: $64.99 You Save: $24.01 (27%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apc Universal Battery, 10WH
Customer Review: GETTING THE EDGE, OR HOW A 58 BUCK CHARGER CAN GET YOU DOWN THE ROAD
Summary: 5 Stars
Garmin Edge 205/305 12 Volt Vehicle Adapter Make that the Garmin 205/305 GPS units.
Garmin for years has maintained its Garmin 305 (the one I'm familiar with) had a 12 hour battery life. If the screams of anguish and pain coming from Garmin and MotionBased forums mostly the instrument has not performed up to rating.
I'd like to digress here and point out that around the time the Garmin hit the streets, Apple came out with their iPod. I guess the proforma assumption from the tech companies is that a battery (Li ion, I believe) will perform as stated. And that is: 12 hours.
That didn't happen. Apple was soon embroiled in lawsuits. Garmin it seemed had buyers who were, hmmm, more sedate? Possibly because a day of bike riding doesn't leave much time for civic action. I think we're more inclined to chuck the instrument (400.00) as we see our data fade to black. So, now the iPod battery (which I recently replaced in Oct.) is rated at around 18 hours. The Garmin, purchased in Nov of this year is still rated at 12 - but I never saw that. Nor apparently has any other user of the 305.
So the solution was to look for a secondary source of power (and not hold Garmin responsible for its claim) which would be small enough to put on the bike and powerful enough to zap the Garmin throughout the duration of a 100 miles, + or even a multiday event where AC power would not be easy to come by.
So, I tried 2 before I hit on the APC UPB10. I not so quickly realized (and I had others who ran into the same problems to turn to)I needed 5 V output.
The APC UPB10 arrived Friday. I brought it up to full charge with the supplied AC plug and USB cable. The instrument has a handy linear gauge which shows the amount of charge.
I disconnected the AC plug, plugged the USB cable into the Garmin and. . .da DA!~! Success. This I thought was a very satisfactory bench test. The real test, on the bike for a 50+ mile ride or so is yet to happen, but I am sure the APC UPB10 will function as rated (55 hours), and as I expect.
Finally a word about what some consider a real problem/defect with the instrument which is that one must push a switch about every 20 minutes else the APC UPB10 goes into a near coma. For me that's not a problem because the charger is in a sense in my lap and the Garmin is on the handlebar so I'm always monitoring the charging cycle.
Yep. Garmin should have thought of this one. GREAT PRODUCT.
Customer Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
This device is fantastic. Just as it's description says it can charge and power any mobile device that can use USB as a power source. I've used it with my iPod, PSP, Nintendo DS, and even my GPS and it works beautifully.
Before I got it, I was expecting something larger and heavier that didn't hold it's charge as well as this does. I should have known better. All of the APC products that I use at home and at work are great and this is no exception to that rule. It easily fits into a pants pocket or a small bag that you might use to carry your other devices.
What has impressed me the most is how well it can hold it's charge when it's not in use. Other portable batteries I have tried usually get pretty drained rather quickly when sitting on a shelf or being carried around. I've gone weeks without using this and it still had a full charge when I needed it. That was a life saver. We were lost in another state and the battery in my GPS was almost dead. The UPB10 got us home with power to spare.
I haven't been able to test how much time it can add to my various devices, because it lasts longer than I have needed it so far. On a weekend it looks like I got an additional four hours on the PSP. I could have gone longer, but I ran out of time to use it. That was while using it when watching a movie on the memory stick and playing a game from a UMD disc. I was also using my GRADO headphones at a good volume level.
I have noticed that some people have commented that the PSP can't be charged from a USB cable. This is only true if you don't have the right kind of cable. There are several manufacturers that make a USB cable with an extra wire that plugs into the power port on a PSP. MadCatz even makes a retractable one that I use because it makes everything even more portable. There is also a similar cable for the Nintendo DS, which otherwise couldn't be powered by USB.
The UPB10 may seem a bit pricey at first, but with it's versatility and performance, to me it was worth every penny.
Customer Review: Good concept, a few bugs, overpriced now
Summary: 3 Stars
Update 8-2010: Way overpriced now. Compared to the ryobi li-ion USB charger included in their 5 tool kit Ryobi Tek4 5 Pc. Combo Kit 4-volt Lithium Ion Tools (Retail Package) this is way overpriced - plus mine no longer has the capacity it did when new, forcing me to switch to the ryobi system with interchangable batteries. I would NOT recommend this today. I like the form factor and convenience of it, but it's just not cost effective today.
(original update then review)
When I purchased this unit it was much cheaper than it is now, so while I was satisfied with the price then, now it seems a little high. As others mentioned you get 15-20 minutes every time you press the button - there is no "on/off" switch.
The Positives:
Battery life is really long. I've used it to run my GPS and charge my cell phone for several days between recharges. Compatibility running on battery is really good (until the unit shuts itself off)
The Negatives:
APC suggests you can hook the AC charger to the battery, then connect it to your device. There are two problems here. First, when you unplug the AC adapter, the battery doesn't kick in fast enough and my garmin GPS shuts off. Second, the USB behaves like the AC charger they include when plugged in to AC. The problem is that their wall-wart doesn't negotiate like a true USB port and some items (like motorola phones) won't charge when plugged in this way. It's really meant for portable use and then to be recharged as the internal battery runs down.
The power button is a two-edged sword. If it were a switch I'd probably forget to turn it off half the time and have a dead battery as a result. As a button it turns off too quick for a full recharge making you keep pressing it. It does work fine the way it is if you keep pressing it every 10 minutes.
Customer Review: A superb device
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic device. The device comes with an USB output adapter it is directly plugged inti the adapter using the provided USB cable. This cable has a full size USB port on one end and a mini USB port at the other end. While charging full plug fits in the adapter and mini port is connected to the device input port. It has 4 built in LED's indicating the charging status. It is even possible to connect an USB device with an extra port for the pass-through mode. It can supply adapter power for both charging and the extra device. Once the charging is finished it will supply power to the device. All you do is to plug the full size connector to the outlet port over the device and small USB connector to your powering device. If you have a nonstandard cable you can directly plug it to the full size USB port. LED's will stop displaying remaining power after 10 seconds to conserve power. However it is possible to activate LED's again using the button located over the device. If no load is connected at the power port for 15 minutes the device goes into sleep mode to conserve battery. The included brochure says it can supply enough power for an iPOD up to 55 hours. The device is very lightweight and thin so very easy to jam in a pocket. It is absolutely worth for the money. The device is rated for 8W of continuous and 10W peak load.
APC UPB10 Mobile Power Pack for charging mobile devices
Customer Review: Road Warrior
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this battery so long ago; I can't even begin to remember how old this thing is. It just keeps on working and working.
On a recent trip to Europe I forgot my iPad charger, remember that device requires a 10W USB charger and nothing I had would charge the thing; except this battery. It was a struggle, but I managed to keep my iPad running for 10 days. I'm happy to report, this battery will charge an iPad. A 100% APC charge equates to about 20-25% of a charge on the iPad.
Simplicity, that's this battery. Plug the battery into a laptop, or USB adapter wall wart (like an iPhone adapter), with a mini USB cable (the ultra common cable for digital cameras) and wait about 4 hours for the battery to fully charge. How do you know it is fully charged? Press the silver button, the white light bar on the front lights up in 4 segments to show percent charge. When all four lights are lit (the bar is fully lit), the battery is 100%.
How to charge a device, plug the big USB rectangular side of your USB cable into the USB port, press the silver button and 20 minutes of charging happens. The white light on the front shows how much battery is left.
One press is about enough to fully charge a completely dead iPhone 3 or 3Gs. It takes two or three pushes to get 25% on an iPad. Any other USB device can be charged with this thing.
If I'm guessing, this battery is about 2 or 3 years old. It still works perfectly.