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0Lets talk about portable charger. With the developing technology, mobile operating systems and mobile applications are getting updated with more advanced and sophisticated features. While this is a great thing for users as it takes the mobile user experience to new horizons of satisfaction, there are certain drawbacks of the advancements as well.
Unlike the mobiles of the yesteryears, modern mobiles that are loaded with various apps consume charge at an incredibly fast rate. This may not sound like a problem if you are indoors as you can easily put your mobile on charge whenever it runs out of it. However, if you travel more frequently and are on the run always, a fast depletion of mobile charge could cause a lot of inconvenience to you. To avoid the mobile running out of charge, it is thus best to carry portable mobile phone chargers that will let you charge the mobile phone whenever you want, wherever you are.
What is a portable charger?
Also known as power banks, portable chargers are portable devices which have special inbuilt batteries which charge the mobile phones, Tablet PCs and other electronic gadgets using USB power supply. The unit serves as a ready power source that can reenergize the discharged batteries of the mobile phones and other USB-charged devices.
There are usually two types of portable chargers that are available in the market. The first types are solar portable chargers which contain photovoltaic cells and trap the solar energy to produce the power that is needed to charge the USB-charged devices. The second type of chargers is the more popular one and contains Lithium-ion or Lithium-Polymer batteries which serve as the power source for the power banks. The differentiating factor between the two types of lithium batteries is that the Li-Po batteries are slimmer and they make the portable charge look slim and trendy as well.
How does a portable charger work?
The working of a portable charger is simple. The charger usually has a couple of I/O ports, one of which being USB and the other one being micro USB ports. Once the power bank is fully charged it is ready to be used as a charger for the discharged batteries. The charging takes place by means of micro USB cables, the micro USB end of which goes inside the relevant port of the device that is getting charged and the USB end going to the USP port of the power bank. While charging, the indicator light on the power bank would be turned on to let the user know that the charging is in progress.
While the basic model of the USB power banks had only one USB port, modern designs are including two or three USB ports to facilitate the simultaneous charging of multiple mobiles from the same portable charger.
How to charge a portable charger?
What happens when the charger gets discharged? Will it revive its charge all by itself? While it would have been a great thing if the portable charger would have charged itself as well but unfortunately the unit is still not that much intelligent to charge itself on its own. You will need to charge it manually at home, office or anywhere you get an electric power outlet. It is always a good habit to keep the power bank fully charged all the time so that it can come to your rescue when the mobile or Tablet runs out of charge and needs to be charged immediately.
Most of the power banks have both USB and micro USB ports. To charge the portable charger, one has to connect the charger to a power outlet by means of a micro USB cable. The USB end of the cable gets connected to the USB adapter that gets plugged into the wall socket or any other power source. In case a power outlet or the USB adapter is missing, the charger can get charged through a laptop or using the USB port in cars. The other end of the cable, which is the micro USB end, gets inserted into the micro USB port of the power bank and the units start getting charged when the power source is turned on.
There are indicator lights on the power banks. It’s give an idea about the level of charge that the power bank has. In most models, the indicator lights blink when the charging of the unit is on.
The best way to use a portable charger
There are some common mistakes which are committed by people while using portable chargers. This causes the life of the power banks to get shortened. Following the below-mentioned tips will let you use the power bank the best way and keep it healthy for long.
Avoid leaving the power bank plugged into the mobile even when the charging is done.
Try to keep the power bank in cooler places. That will lengthen the life of the battery. However, if it is a solar power bank, you will have to keep it under the sun to get it charged.
Recharge the power bank when it is completely discharged.
Do not keep the power bank plugged into the power source even when it is fully charged. Extra flow of electricity through the batteries can reduce their life drastically.
Pros & Cons of portable chargers
It can be said with conviction that the number of advantages that are associated with the use of portable chargers will beat the number of disadvantages by a huge margin.
Pros
- Can charge multiple devices practically anywhere
- If used properly, doesn’t let mobile phones or tablet PCs run out of charge ever
- Can charge more than one devices when charged fully (depends on the mAH rating of the charged and the charging devices)
- Easy to use
- Very compact designed which makes them highly portable and convenient to carry in small purses and bags
- Gets charged easily and quickly
- Can be charged through laptops or car chargers as well
Cons
- They are very heavy at times which makes it slightly inconvenient for the user to carry them
- Excessive plugging of the chargers to mobile phones can cause quick degradation of the phone’s battery
- Not all of the chargers come with long USB chords which make it difficult to plug them into wall jacks.
The ever-increasing number of features in mobile phones would only help in quick drainer of the batteries. That is why portable chargers are going to be one of the most indispensable products for people who use mobile phones and tablet PCs.