Powering a laptop in the field. Choosing an external battery for a laptop

An external mobile battery or power bank for a laptop may be the best option for increasing the operating time of your laptop computer.

With an average capacity of built-in batteries of 3000–6000 mAh, the average duration of use of the gadget does not exceed 3–5 hours.

A good power bank will increase this time by at least three times, allowing you to work on your laptop even in the complete absence of electricity for several days.

In order to figure out which model is best to purchase today, you should take into account several important factors, ranging from capacity to functionality and price.

Types of power banks

A modern power bank is a universal battery suitable for several types of devices at once.

In fact, if you have a suitable adapter, you can charge any gadget from a power bank - from a mobile watch and player to a tablet and laptop.

For ease of use, the array with batteries is enclosed in a housing with one or several outputs (USB and microUSB).

Different models of external batteries differ in the following parameters:

• power ranging from 1000–50000 mAh;
• number of connectors;
• presence of a charge indicator;
• type of battery (lithium-ion or lithium-polymer). They are distinguished from conventional batteries by their long service life and maximum energy capacity;
• size and weight, which usually depend on power;
• design;
• device manufacturer.

The standard model of an external power supply is a small rectangle that resembles an MP3 player or portable hard drive.

They are charged from the network (using a regular charger), from the USB connector of a PC, and even from the laptop whose resource they will be used to increase.

Features of choosing a battery

The main factors when choosing mobile external batteries are size, capacity and manufacturer.

The next most important point is the design of the device and its durability.

If the device will be used to charge several devices, you should pay attention to its functionality - the presence of a charge indicator and several inputs.

Characteristics

The main characteristic of the device that is worth paying attention to is the name of the manufacturer.

Popular brands in this segment are PowerPlant, Drobak and Xiaomi, which produce powerful batteries that are suitable for any type of mobile electronics, including laptops.

Little-known manufacturers are not as reliable, and their stated battery capacity may actually be lower.

The next point is the degree of protection of the external battery from dust, moisture and shock.

And, if impact resistance is not the most important characteristic, then preventing liquid and dust particles from getting inside can be called an important option.

All functional models of well-known brands have such protection - not to such an extent that you can dive with them, but enough to be in a room with high humidity.

Fully protected, including from falling, the external battery option can usually be recognized by the orange or dark red design of the case.

Another quite important characteristic of the device is its capacity. The larger it is, the longer the laptop will work without recharging from the mains.

Batteries with minimal capacity are not suitable for use to extend the charge of a laptop.

To do this, you should choose models with 20,000–30,000 mAh or more.

A capacity of 20 thousand mAh is already enough to increase the operating time of an average laptop PC by 3 times, 30 thousand is enough for a fivefold increase.

Although, if mobility plays the main role, you should pay attention to devices with a capacity of no more than 10,000 mAh - they are also quite productive, weigh no more than 200-300 g and fit in the pocket of a laptop bag.

Advice: You shouldn’t chase a large capacity, looking for batteries with 40-50 thousand mAh - most often these are fakes with smaller parameters.

An additional parameter that requires attention from female and youth users is the design of the device.

Often such equipment is not just made in the usual discreet color, but can have an original and eye-catching appearance.

When choosing a case material - plastic or metal - it is worth noting that modern plastic is often not much inferior in strength to aluminum.

Moreover, many new models of portable chargers are encased in a polymer shell, having no less wear resistance.

At the same time, they are more pleasant to the touch than metal options.

Functionality

The functionality of different models may vary markedly. For example, some power banks are capable of charging no more than one laptop at a time.

With the help of others, you can increase the operating time of your laptop PC, tablet, smartphone, or several laptops at the same time.

If the number of charging connectors reaches 3 or even 4, an additional connection device can be, for example, a small USB lamp.

The connectors differ in current strength, which determines the charging time. For a tablet or smartphone, a 1 or 2 A USB port is sufficient.

The laptop may require a 3.2A connector that can charge its main battery faster.

An additional advantage of the device can be a digital indicator, which shows how much charge is left.

Whereas the built-in LED lamp will ensure that the power bank can also be used as a temporary lighting source, and one that lasts much longer than even conventional hand-held flashlights.

Compatibility of models produced in the last few years may not be considered. All of them are suitable for charging any gadget.

Moreover, some power banks come with adapter cords designed for most connector options - from USB and microUSB to inputs for various laptop models.

Advice: When charging a laptop, the second battery must be connected to the power supply. Because if you connect them to a USB connector, the battery will not charge the laptop computer, but, on the contrary, will be recharged from it.

The most powerful

The most powerful of all consumer-trusted portable chargers is the PowerPlant K2 50000.

This battery can replace the batteries of ten laptops and 15 medium-sized tablets at once.

The complete set of adapters allows you to use it specifically for charging laptop computers.

Safety options include protection against short circuits, spontaneous discharge, and overheating.

Technical specifications:

• capacity: 50000 mAh;
• adapters included: for Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo and HP laptops;
• price: from 12,000 rub.

The best solar powered option

A good option for a power bank for a laptop would be the KS-303 model, which can be charged not only from the electrical network, but also from the sun.

This will increase the already decent battery capacity of 20,000 mAh, sufficient for many hours of operation of the laptop.

Additional features of the device include protection of connectors from moisture and a rubberized housing.

Gadget characteristics:

• capacity: 20000 mAh;
• features: 220 mA solar battery;
• cost: from 3000 rub.

I am describing my personal experience of powering a laptop from external batteries. Getting ready to move to live in nature, I was inspired to solve the problem of powering my laptop from a battery. Having rummaged through the forums, I didn’t find anything simple and accessible. Everyone suggested either a homemade adapter for power supply from a car generator, which is very difficult to assemble. Or ready-made solutions, such as auto adapters for laptops and current converters of 12 volts to 220 volts to use a regular power supply for a laptop. But all these adapters cost money, and I didn’t have the opportunity to buy something ready-made.

Here's how I got out of the situation. The laptop is powered by 19 volts, I took and purchased 3 batteries from UPS at 6 volts 4.5A. I connected them in series and got 19 volts. I cut off the wire from the power supply, the one from the unit to the laptop and connected it to the batteries, observing the plus or minus. Next, I removed the battery from the laptop and connected the power cord. I turned it on and the laptop started working.

Attention - if you power the laptop from batteries, then its own battery must be removed, otherwise the laptop will burn out. I'll explain why. A standard power supply provides a certain current, for example 4A, and its battery consumes all these 4A. And if you power it from external batteries, then the battery of the laptop itself will charge everything that is given to it, and external batteries can produce tens of Amperes. With such a charging current, the hardware of the laptop simply cannot withstand it and the built-in power supply of the laptop will burn out.

In order to not only power, but also charge a laptop from external batteries, you need to install a resistor that will limit the charging current. For example, if your laptop is powered by 19 volts 4A, then you need to install a 4A resistor. But I know that this option also causes some difficulties, since you need to find the right resistor. There is an even simpler option: instead of a current-limiting resistor, you just need to install a car light bulb with the required number of Amperes.

For example, if your laptop consumes 4 amps, then you need to install a 4 amp light bulb. It will work like a resistor, that is, passing only 4 amperes through itself, while it itself will consume the same amount. Yes, with this scheme, the electricity consumption from external batteries will be 2 times greater, but this will allow you to charge the internal battery of the laptop.

And so, look at the picture, in the first image the laptop is powered directly from 3 6-volt batteries. With this scheme, it is necessary to remove the internal battery, otherwise the internal power supply of the laptop will burn out.

In Figure "2" the laptop is powered and charged through a resistor. Turning on a resistor or light bulb will not only power, but also charge the laptop’s built-in battery.

I tested all the methods described above on my acrer netbook, and it still works, I’m writing this article from it. Please note that for power supply I use 3 6.4 volt batteries, this gives 19 volts when connected in series. There are also laptops that are powered by 12.....16 volts. These laptops can be powered directly from 12 volts (auto battery), just remember to remove the internal battery. If you want to charge your laptop, then charge it through a resistor or a light bulb.

Another way to power a laptop if the laptop battery is dead

Power supply of the laptop from 12 volts, from the battery

The laptop's original battery failed, or rather it worked, but the charge lasted for about 20 minutes at most. And one fine day our electricity was cut off for 2 days, and I needed to correspond on the Internet. And I decided not to wait until the electricity was turned on, and to disassemble the built-in battery of the laptop, it was of no use anyway. There were 4 elements inside, the battery says 14.8 volts, which means each element is 3.7 volts.

Inside there are 2 main wires that are soldered to the ends of the element assembly, and several wires that are soldered between the elements. We need those 2 thick wires. which are on the sides of the element assembly. These wires are plus and minus for power, I connected a 12-volt battery to them and that’s it, we put the empty battery case in its place and turn on the laptop, everything works.

By the way, depending on the model, the laptop may swear at the power supply and write that the battery is low, but don’t worry, this is because a regular car battery provides 12 volts, not 14 volts, which is why the laptop thinks that its battery is low , but at the same time it does not turn off and works normally until the battery is actually discharged.

This option is only suitable for 11.1 or 14.8 volt batteries. But these are emergency options, and it is better to use devices designed for this.

For your laptop. This approach is really justified: if you are without the ability to connect to the network for a long time, you can change the batteries one by one and continue working. However, the question arises: how to charge these batteries? Inserting them into the laptop one by one to charge each one will not be very convenient. In addition, this will lead to rapid wear of plastic parts. To avoid such problems, you need to know how to charge a laptop battery without a charger.

Depending on the purpose and method, the equipment you need will be completely different. It’s worth noting right away that the process of charging the battery using any method other than the standard one will be quite risky and time-consuming.

If you don’t have a charger, don’t despair: you can charge your laptop without it.

This goal may be set precisely by those who want to charge a large number of batteries without connecting them to a laptop. Previously, it was still possible to do this by purchasing special equipment: special chargers were sold that charged the battery. Now there are no such devices. Therefore, you will have to act using engineering thought.

What you need

In addition to ingenuity and basic knowledge in the “Electricity” section from the ninth grade physics textbook, you will need tools and materials.

• Multimeter.
• Resistor.
• Small-sized single-core copper wiring.
• Insulating tape.
• Wire cutters.
• Perhaps needles and a soldering iron.
• Power adapter.

We only need the negative and positive poles. As practice shows, they are located as follows: two on one edge and two on the other. You can determine what charge they have using a multimeter. If the value is positive, the device will display a “+” sign, if negative, it will be displayed with a “–” sign. The tester probes may be too thick, so for convenience, you can tape metal needles to them with electrical tape.

The wires must be connected to the power adapter and to the battery itself. Moreover, a resistor must also be included in this circuit. We connect the adapter directly through the connector, which is inserted into the socket on the laptop. We attach the positive wire inside, and the negative wire outside. It is important to ensure that the wires do not cross. Otherwise your circuit will be short-circuited.

We connect the resistor to the cable with the “+” sign. For this purpose, it is advisable to solder the wires to the device. The set resistance should be 30–60 Ohms. To begin with, for the sake of safety, you can make it higher, and then lower it. In fact, the resistor here only serves as insurance. You can do without it, but if you don’t want the battery to burn out during a power surge, it’s better to install it.

Having completely connected all the elements of the circuit, connect the adapter to the outlet. Throughout charging, you must monitor the condition of the battery. If it overheats, it is better to stop this “experiment”.

If you don’t have the required memory

It happens that you don’t have a laptop charger at hand. How then to charge the battery? You can build a charger from similar ones. On all laptops (almost) the power connectors look the same. Only the diameter differs.

The size of the socket on the laptop is smaller than what is needed for the tip on the power supply. In this case, we need to increase the latter. To do this, we insert the cores from the cut flexible wire into the connector on the power supply so that it comes into contact with the contacts in the laptop. If the characteristics of the power supply and the battery match, then it will begin to receive a charge. It is important to ensure that the connection we make does not heat up. And also make sure that the polarity matches: this information is indicated on both the laptop and the power supply.

If the diameter of the charger is smaller than the diameter of the port on the laptop, you will need an adapter. You can build it from two wires, electrical tape and a small plastic tube. You can use a gel pen refill as a straw. One contact is fed inside the tube, the other outside. All this is fixed with electrical tape.

Hello again, brain friends! Some time ago, my laptop battery failed and had to be replaced, but I didn’t want to throw away the used battery. My braincuriosity pushed me to study it, and what came out of my experiments, read on!

Having studied the Internet on the topic of the “second life” of batteries, I became familiar with the theory and began to practice - I carefully disassembled the laptop battery and took out the batteries, four of which were working. And that's what I made from them homemade this brain guides— an external battery, I think it’s better than just throwing everything in the trash.

Laptop batteries are designed in such a way that if one of the batteries fails, the protection system turns off all the remaining ones, that is, there are many good 18650 batteries left in the used battery, which can be sent for “reuse”, or simply made into a small external battery for recharging gadgets .

Attention!!! This brainstorming It is for informational purposes only if you are a beginner, that is, you do not have experience working with electrical components, do not have knowledge about the operation of lithium-ion batteries, etc. And if you still decide to repeat the steps of the manual, then remember that you take full responsibility for this, since the process of disassembling the battery is quite dangerous! Be careful and careful.

Step 1: Components and Tools

• old laptop battery - you can borrow it from friends or a hardware repair shop
• case for an external battery - purchased online
• screwdriver
• wire cutters
• round pliers
• dremel

Step 2: Dismantling the old battery

Let's take it in our hands brain screwdriver and along the seam of the battery case we open the case itself. The process is not complicated, since the case is assembled using double-sided tape or ultrasonic welding, the main thing is not to damage the batteries.

If the case does not open, then you can use a Dremel, it is only important not to damage the integrity of the batteries with the disc, so it is better to make cuts at the corners of the case, and not in the middle of the sides.

IMPORTANT!!! When handling lithium-ion batteries in any way that could damage them, it is helpful, even wise, to have a fireproof container and a bucket of sand on hand. And if the integrity of the battery is damaged and it heats up or smokes, immediately throw it into a container and cover it with sand. Sand, by the way, is the only reliable way to extinguish a lithium fire; water or fire extinguishers cannot cope with it!

Step 3: Battery Pack

After the battery case is opened, we take out the battery pack; they are usually glued to the case with double-sided tape.

IMPORTANT!!! When handling the battery pack, again be careful and do not bend the jumpers connecting the batteries, otherwise a short circuit may occur, resulting in an explosion or even a fire!!!

Step 4: Separate the charging board

From the battery pack using brain cutter We separate the charge board and the wires going to the batteries.
The board itself may be useful for further crafts.

IMPORTANT!!! When biting off wires and jumpers, avoid short circuits!!!

Step 5: Separating the Batteries

My laptop battery consisted of 6 18650 lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 2200 mAh. The batteries are connected in pairs in parallel, and 3 paired blocks are connected in series to obtain the required voltage and capacity.

So, we carefully separate the batteries from each other, first we divide them into paired blocks, and then we separate the pairs of batteries.

Step 6: Removing Remaining Jumpers

Use pliers to remove the remaining contact jumpers from the battery poles. But if you want to assemble your own battery pack, then the jumpers can be left, this will make subsequent soldering easier brain contacts. Try not to scatter the removed jumpers, but then dispose of them safely.

Having separated the remnants of the jumpers with a dremel, we clean the battery poles from any remaining solder.

IMPORTANT!!! Be careful when removing the jumpers, as they are very sharp and can easily cut you. Unfortunately, I injured my finger on them.

Step 7: Finding Good Batteries

We arm ourselves with a multimeter and start testing the batteries:

• First, we measure the voltage of the battery, if it is less than 2.5V, then throw it away
• Next, we put the battery to charge and if it gets very hot during charging, then throw it away
• measure the voltage after charging, it should be around 4.1-4.2V, wait 30 minutes and measure the voltage on the battery again, and if it drops below 4V, then throw away the battery, if it is normal, then write down the voltage value
• we leave the batteries in a cool and dry place for 3 days, after this period we measure the voltage on them, and if it drops by more than 0.1V from the recorded value, then throw away the battery

All batteries have passed brain test considered suitable! I put all my good batteries in a plastic case for safe storage.

Step 8: Assembling the External Battery

It’s a stretch to call this an assembly :) but still, we insert a battery “extracted” from an old battery into an external battery case purchased online, such as a USB Power Bank 18650 Case. At the same time, we observe polarity!!! Otherwise, how can I burn the external battery case?

The positive terminal of the battery should face the charging board, sometimes the correct polarity is indicated on the bottom braincase.

So, we insert the battery correctly, close the case cover and use the USB cable supplied with the case to charge the external battery. We attach the keychain cord and homemade ready to use!

Step 9: Testing

After charging is completed, we carry out another test crafts. My tester showed a value of 5.06V, which is good for charging smartphones, tablets and other gadgets.

Rechargeable homemade assembled and tested, thank you for brain attention!

As a laptop user, you have probably encountered situations in which you need to charge your laptop battery without using the laptop itself. In this article, we will reveal to you methods on how you can recharge a laptop battery without the name of the corresponding device.

To begin with, it is worth noting such a fact as the universality of this instruction in terms of application of recommendations. Thus, after a detailed study of the material we have presented, you will be able not only to charge the laptop battery, but also to do the same with some other portable devices.

Not all methods discussed are universal!

Those battery charging methods that were not provided for by the technical specifications of the laptop and battery may well lead to failure of the component being charged. In this regard, when following the instructions, you should exercise maximum caution so as not to damage the battery.

In some cases, not only the energy cell may be at risk, but also the laptop itself in which the battery is planned to be used in the future.

Moving on to the main material, be aware that in the process of recharging the battery without a laptop, you will need additional parts. Some of the required components are not so easy to obtain, so you should choose the most suitable method according to your capabilities.

Method 1: Using a different laptop

This is a completely obvious method for any user, but it would be wrong not to mention it, given the essence of the topic being discussed. Moreover, in most cases, this method is the easiest way to charge the battery of a laptop computer.

You should not have any problems with the charging process; you just need to install the battery in another laptop and connect it to power from the mains. The model of the other laptop must match the device from which you want to recharge the battery.

The main disadvantage of this method is that neither the laptop nor the battery are designed for repeated replacement of the energy cell. Because of this, after this kind of recharging, side difficulties are quite possible, such as the computer refusing to charge the battery.

Method 2: Using a new battery

As you know, each battery purchased has a maximum charge level and is quite suitable for operation in accordance with the specification and amount of load from the laptop. As a result of the above, you can purchase a new battery and use it for your own purposes.

Of course, the method is also quite predictable and far from the cheapest, but it is still better to bypass more radical measures by any means. In addition, as mentioned earlier, there may be unpleasant consequences that could entail the need to purchase a new energy cell.

Method 3: Use a power adapter

This method, which is also the most radical, is the only way to charge the battery without a laptop. To use these instructions, you will need to prepare in advance a number of special tools, which can be purchased at almost any electronics store.

In general, the list of necessary tools cannot be called modest:

• Power adapter (higher battery voltage);
• Multimeter;
• Several wires (preferably copper).

In addition to the above, auxiliary parts such as electrical tape or a soldering iron will also be useful in order to somewhat secure and stabilize the process of connecting the external adapter.

Having prepared the parts we have mentioned, you can begin the initial measures before charging the battery.

1. Take the laptop battery and carefully inspect the contacts.



2. Literally all modern batteries are equipped with a complex voltage distribution system, which is why the standard number of terminals is quite large and can easily reach 4-7 or more.



3. Occasionally, contacts on such energy cells have marks indicating the polarity of a particular segment.



4. If you do not find any visible marks from the manufacturer, carefully examine the specifications on the battery. Often information about the ownership of a particular terminal is placed there.



5. In the absence of even such prompts, use a previously prepared multimeter, one by one checking the contacts for the value «+» And «-» .



It happens that the terminals themselves are protected by small plastic walls, which become a problem for accessing the multimeter plugs. This can be solved by using straightened paper clips or needles.

6. Often the segments needed are the leftmost and rightmost contact.

To calculate the required segments using a multimeter, use a power adapter!

After you have found the necessary terminals on the laptop battery, you need to connect these contacts with the wiring previously specified in the list of requirements.

Having finished with the preparatory manipulations, further actions can essentially be divided into two separate methods, depending on what specific power adapter you have.

In the first case, one way or another you will need not the laptop itself, but at least its standard power adapter. At the same time, it can easily be replaced with any other similar power supply from a laptop, taking into account the technical requirements of a lithium-ion battery.

In addition, you must also get a socket that matches the plug of the power adapter you are using. However, it is quite possible to do without this, using an accurate knowledge of the pinout of contacts and a soldering iron.

The pinout remains unchanged - in the center «+» , on the edge «-» .

At this point, actions from both possible methods go to the same list of instructions. Now we can shed light on another option for connecting the battery.

The second method, unlike the first, does not require you to use a specific laptop power supply. Moreover, the technique is rather complementary, since literally the same thing can be done using a laptop adapter.

You will likely experience some differences in your actions!

This is where the clarification of the second method ends and all that remains is to make a few comments, mostly related to safety rules. The following comments apply equally to both described methods, taking into account the specifics of your specific charging case.

In addition to all that has been said, it is also quite important to keep the multimeter connected to the created structure so that the voltage is always under your control. The most ideal charging indicator is a smoothly increasing voltage, finally slightly greater than the final battery voltage.

Information about the outgoing battery voltage, as mentioned, is located on the body of the energy cell.