Battery Extender Question

[BeKind]

Hello, I just ordered an SL-5500 from TigerDirect $200

I am thinking of getting this product http://shop.store.yahoo.com/semsons-inc/pocpowban.html

It is the semsons pocket power bank recharger/extender.

I am getting it because I think I want to be able to recharge my Z\'s battery in between internet sessions while i am on the go, without having to park it by a wall socket.

This thing can charge back up the Z battery like 2-3 times while it is just sitting in my back pack right if i connect them up, right?

So I am imagining this:  I take a hour break and use the WIFI (and the battery.)  Then I do something else for a couple hours and it will be totally charged up for the next time I go to use it.  Can I use it like that, or does it just extend the Z\'s battery and not recharge it?

I like this model, because it comes with a recharger and some NiMh batteries for only $20.

I don\'t want it, however, if it always has to stay connected to the Z to be useful.  If that is the case I will get the smaller model that doesn\'t have a recharger for the AA batteries.

Has anyone used these things.. are they useful?  Can they be used that way?

[derekp]

Any battery extender that plugs into the power port on the Zaurus should be able to recharge the battery, same as if you had it plugged in.
Also, if you want to maximize battery life, the biggest power draw on the zaurus is the backlight.  Even putting it to half brightness cuts power drain by about a third.  I\'ve been able to use mine reading ebooks at night for about 3 hours on 1/4 backlight and a full charge.

[BeKind]

Thanks!  Appreciate the tip!

[tricuspa]

I purchased both of the Sempsons power extenders (one has a USB).  The only major difference I determined was the profile.  This really is a simple device a handy person could easily create it.  Basically you use four ni-mh batteries to generate 4.8v (just under 5) that power goes through an adapter plug to the Z\'s battery.
Sure enough it basically charges the battery.  The thing I noticed though is the Z gets sort of confused when you aren\'t giving it the 5v so it may switch modes, battery, adapter back and forth so lighting gets weird if you have different settings. The USB one has a belt clip and a slide removable for the batteries as well as a smaller wire guage the smaller one has uses a screw to hold in the batteries and a standard adapter length.  So far I am good that I have both and paid under 30$ for them, well worth it.

[tumnus]

I have the Semsons extender with the belt clip. It is nice and solid and 4 1800mAh NiMhs can both charge and operate my 5500 at the same time, giving about 2 to 3 charges.

I can only get 1 charge from these NiMhs with my 5600 and not while operating it at the same time, but that tends not to need it anyway.

Whatever you do, do NOT use Alkalines. 4 new Alkalines will generate 6V, which could fry your Zaurus. Some people have used adapters etc that are specified to output 6V, but I suspect that under load this may drop to a safer level. It still isn\'t worth the risk though.

[Zuber]

Been playing with the 2 in 1 unit following a customer enquiry over the last few days.

With a New set of 2350 mAh batteries, get a 1 full charge for the Zaurus C860 from more or less flat(1700mAh battery).

Would expect it to do better after the batteries have cycled through a few times.

[DavidFong]

I have successfully used a digital camera external battery (DPS9000) to recharge my Zaurus SL5500 (or use the 5500 when the battery is almost flat). The DPS9000 can also be used with most digital cameras, so it is a handy \'two-in-one\' option for all those 5500 owners with a digital camera (perhaps the vast majority of SL5500 owners!)

A review of the DPS 9000 can be found at ...

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/DPS90...000/DPS9000.HTM

The DPS 9000 is thought to have 1800 mAh capacity (Digipower are a little coy about the true rating), which seems to be more than enough to chargea 5500 from completely flat. The DPS9000 also has a handy \'gas gauge\' feature, so you know if the DPS9000 is almost flat.

But the DPS9000\'s best feature is that is has a 5 volt converter cable for true five volt output, the 5 volt converter cable plugs directly into the 5500\'s external power socket. The cable\'s box becomes quite warm during usage, consistent with the reviewer\'s thoughts that the cable has a voltage regulator rather than just a diode.

Oh, and Digipower promptly sent me a replacement unit when the first unit I purchased arrived \'dead on arrival\'.

The main \'bad thing\' is the cost of the unit, which was $US40 when I purchased from BugEyeDigital. However, I considered it quite worthwhile when I could use it both for my Panasonic FZ10 and my Zaurus SL5500.

Cheerio, David.

Panasonic FZ10 guide/FAQ --- http://www.users.bigpond.com/vkelim/photography.html

[braindrop]

I had trouble with mine but I guess it was my choice of batteries.  I was using the Z while it was plugged in and also using cf wifi.  it wasn\'t quite enough juice coming from the extender so my Z\'s battery crept to a low level that completely crashed it to the point i had to reflash. also it zapped my car adapter when I tried to recharge it after what happened with the extender.