The number of all kinds of mobile gadgets powered by a built-in battery is steadily growing, and the use of Power Bank for their unscheduled recharging is taken for granted by many. But is it possible to use such an external battery to work with laptops, which have their own battery has a considerable capacity, which has never dreamed of smartphones or tablets? It turns out – yes, but with a number of restrictions. Today you will learn how to charge a laptop from PowerBank, what are the requirements for both devices, and, first of all, for an external battery.
Contents
What characteristics should PowerBank have to recharge a laptop?
We suspect that most readers are interested in the question of whether it is possible to charge a laptop if a Power Bank is available, which is used to operate smartphones in an emergency. Alas, the answer will not always be positive, since the power requirements for such devices for charging portable PCs are significantly higher. If you made sure that this indicator was large when buying, then most likely there should be no problems. But such cases are quite rare – such models are much more expensive, they are noticeably heavier and larger in size. Accordingly, if you are used to carrying such a Power Bank in your pocket so that your phone is always in working order, then such a trick is unlikely to work with a powerful model. But that’s not all: the external battery should correspond to the parameters of a particular laptop model in terms of its characteristics.But first things first.
Laptop Slot Compatibility
Can I charge my laptop using PowerBank and a regular USB 2.0 / 3.0 cable? No, since such cables provide a voltage transmission of no more than 4.6 V. For a laptop with its full-fledged processor and other peripherals, this is clearly not enough. So you have to buy a Type-C cable (standard 3.1). For such a cable, the rated power is considered to be about 100 watts. Of course, one cable is not enough – you need to have the corresponding connector on the external battery.
If a specific Power Bank model comes with such a cable, you don’t have to worry about the possibility of recharging your laptop. Another thing is that much depends on the quality of such a cord – cheap options costing about 200 rubles, at best, will charge your Notebook too slowly, at worst – there is a possibility that the laptop will burn out.
That is, when choosing a cable, it is necessary to take into account both the reputation of the manufacturer and the compliance with the characteristics of the laptop. A prerequisite is the presence of a certificate.
But it is better if the external battery has a round connector designed specifically for recharging laptops. On the other side of the cable there is a connector that connects to the laptop’s native charging socket. With such a port, you definitely don’t have to worry about the possibility of recharging your mobile computer. There are also universal Power Bank devices on sale with several types of adapters in the kit, allowing you to connect and charge any model of laptops.
Current strength, voltage
Smartphones and other mobile gadgets have an operating voltage of 5 V. Most Power Bank models provide charging with just such a rating. What characteristics of chargers are required to work with laptops? It is rated at 24V or more. To know the specific figure, you need to check the specifications of your laptop. It should be borne in mind that there are models of external batteries that can work with different voltages and have a corresponding switch on the case (for example, from 19 V to 16).
The external battery provided as an example is not suitable for recharging laptops, since the operating voltage of 5 volts is too low.
The minimum amperage requirement is 3A, but here, again, the specific specifications of the laptop need to be considered. If you use a Power Bank with a current rating less than that required for a computer, charging will be very slow, and in some cases the external battery will work at its maximum capacity and, as a result, will simply turn off due to overload. In any case, you will not be able to work on the laptop, even if it is charged.
Battery capacity
Since almost all the characteristics of laptop PCs are much larger than that of smartphones, in order to connect a Power Bank to a laptop, the latter must have the appropriate capacity. For laptops, this figure is usually at least 10,000 mA / h, therefore, the Power Bank must have at least the same capacity to ensure a single recharge cycle. It should also be taken into account that part of the energy of the external battery is lost when charging the laptop, so the rating should be with a good margin. Say, if you use a 20,000 mAh battery, a fully charged device will transfer 14,000-15,000 mAh to your laptop.
The general rule here is simple – the larger the capacity of the Power Bank, the better, the restrictions here concern only the cost and such indirect characteristics as dimensions and weight. If they suit you, it is better to take a more powerful model, the extra milliamps will probably come in handy. The main thing is not to fall for a fake. In other words, if you come across a model with a large capacity at a suspiciously low price, it is better to play it safe, such savings can cost you much more.
Versatility
Of course, laptop owners are close to 100% likely to have a smartphone or tablet. Buying two external batteries in such cases is hardly appropriate, so you should pay attention to universal models with several types of output ports.
Before buying, carefully read the technical documentation – in the technical characteristics section, there should be information about the possibility of charging a laptop, as well as an explanation of which connector and cable can be used to make such a connection.
Features of laptop charging with Power Bank
As already noted, in order to avoid problems, it is better to purchase a device originally intended for charging mobile computers. Usually, the accompanying instructions describe the entire procedure in detail.
If there is no technical documentation or you are using a battery that is compatible with the laptop in terms of its characteristics, you should adhere to the recommendations described below. Before proceeding with the procedure for charging a laptop via PowerBank, you need to make sure that the latter is fully charged. Especially in cases where its capacity is comparable to the capacity of a laptop battery.
The connection takes place through a special connector that is not intended for recharging low-power gadgets such as smartphones, namely for laptops. The cord must be “native”, included in the delivery set of the external battery, or purchased in a computer store, taking into account the presence of the necessary connectors. After connecting both devices with a cable, the Power Bank must be turned on by pressing the Power button (or by switching it to the On position). You may need to use adapters, the purchase of which must be taken care of in advance.
It is better if the cable has a DC connector on the computer side, but if you only have a Type-C cable, it can also be used to charge the laptop.
There is no exact answer to the question of how long charging should take – it all depends on the power parameters – the capacity of the external power source, the state of the laptop battery, as well as the rating of the current used when supplying electricity to external devices. On average, we can talk about three hours, but this value can vary greatly in one direction or another.
Many readers will have a question whether it makes sense to perform this procedure and how much it will be possible to recharge the laptop battery? The meaning is, of course, present, but only if the capacity of the Power Bank is greater than the capacity of the native laptop battery. If the capacities are roughly the same, you will have one of two options: run from an external battery or wait for the laptop to charge. That is, you will have approximately one more cycle of fully autonomous work, the duration of which you should know. If the power of the Power Bank is much higher than the rating of the laptop battery, you can work and charge the battery at the same time, having received a multiple of the number of cycles.
Note that if battery life is critical for you, do not use energy-intensive technologies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, especially if you do not need Internet access. Watching video is also associated with high energy costs, as well as cyclical mathematical calculations.
By sticking to these recommendations, with the help of an external battery, you can at least double the battery life of your laptop, bringing it to 4-8 hours. In the absence of the ability to connect the computer to the network, this is a strong argument in favor of using the Power Bank.
Mini-rating of external batteries suitable for recharging laptops
Finally, here are a few popular PowerBank models that you can use to extend the battery life of your laptop:
- The Pitatel NPS-153 is a fairly powerful universal device with a capacity of 41400 mAh, with a 5-volt port for charging phones and a 16/19-volt connector for laptops with a switch. The current provided during charging is 4.7 A. The model is equipped with a 70-watt power supply, which can also be used to charge a mobile computer. The power supply unit will be able to automatically select the voltage rating, focusing on the connector used; it also implements a short-circuit and overload protection circuit. It is possible to charge the Power Bank through the car cigarette lighter socket. Finally, the package includes a rather large bag for carrying the device, in which it is convenient to store cables with adapters. Weighing 1.35 kg. such a Power Bank will cost you 7,000 rubles.
- Xiaomi Mi PowerBank 3 Pro can be called a budget model, but at a cost of about 3,000 rubles, the device has a capacity of 20 thousand mAh, which is enough for many laptop models. There are two ports for charging smartphones with a voltage rating of 5V, and one USB Type-C port for 45W laptops. Among the features of the model can be called the possibility of fast two-way charging – the QC0 function allows you to reduce the charging time of the Power Bank itself to 270 minutes instead of 660. The device is equipped with protection against short-circuit, overheating when the Power Bank is overloaded and other emergency situations. Weighing 440 grams. PowerBank 3 Pro has very modest dimensions (73.5 × 27.4 × 153.5 mm.).
- Cactus CSPBPT18-18000AL. With a capacity of 18000 mAh, this device is designed to charge laptops, providing a voltage at the output of the device in the range of 12/19 volts. The delivery set of the model includes a pair of adapter adapters for connecting various mobile devices, the presence of a protection function provides the ability to turn off in case of sudden voltage surges during the process of its own charging. The strength of the charge current ranges from 1.0-3.25 A, the external power supply weighs 830 grams. at a cost of 5500 rubles.
- MaxOAK K2 Laptop PowerBank is the most expensive model in our ranking. You will have to pay about 10,000 rubles for 30,000 mAh and the ability to recharge almost any laptop, with the exception of professional gaming laptops, where its own battery has a higher nominal capacity. Here you do not have to worry about the presence of a cable with the right connector: all the necessary varieties, together with adapters, are included in the original kit, along with a carrying case. The model weighs 1250 g.
So, a small summary: when choosing a laptop version of PowerBank, carefully study the technical characteristics of your computer, including the battery capacity and the required current / voltage parameters to recharge the native battery. There is hardly a need to choose a model with all possible set of adapters and cables: they are inexpensive and are commercially available. And finally – an important rule: the capacity of the external battery should be about one and a half times more than that of the internal one.
Which Power Bank model are you running? Do not forget to indicate in the comments and the model of the laptop or give its main characteristics.