The International Cessna^® 170 Association

While it is unlikely that I would use all the battery power in my iPad Mini on a trip, I think it might be a good backup to have a dual charger that fits my power port/cigarette lighter. I want to tap into some of the knowledge of those of you who have purchased one of these devices to see what your recommendations may be. I see them on Amazon/Best Buy, etc. with anywhere from 2.5 amps to 6.0 amps with most having the capability of charging two devices at the same time (cell phone & iPad) Brands I see are Anker; Fosmon & Scosche. All are most likely designed for automobile use and seem to cost from about $5.00 to $15.00. Thoughts/suggestions?

The 2.5 amp is plenty for the iPad and any smartphone. Be careful with some of the cheapie versions as they can cause squelch problems on your com radio. I just ponied up for the Apple version which works well.

This is what I use to power my mini and my IPhone or Teresa's Iphone. We use in in the plane and the motorcycle.
Belkin 2-Port Car Charger with Lightning to USB Cable for iPhone 6 / 6 Plus, 5 / 5S, iPod touch, iPod nano, iPad and iPad mini (2.1 Amp / 10 Watt), Black
$23 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-2-Port-Cha ... rid_pt_0_1

Frank, you WILL want to be charging your IPad while flying. The GPS on constantly and anything else running sucks the power out of them. Don't over think it. Buy one that looks like it's quality made and I wouldn't go less than 2.1 amps myself.

bluEldr's favorite aviation store (Manny, Moe, and Jack/PepBoys) sells them at the front counter for $5.

Here's a view of them (many pages of options): http://www.pepboys.com/electronics/powe ... ing/00736/

Even tho' they were Navy boys...Their story is what inspires confidence in our own LDR ..well, that and the fact they're cheap! : http://www.pepboys.com/about_pep_boys/inside_pep_boys

I might put one of Pep Boys $5 chargers in my truck, but not sure about the plane Some guy that works at Wal Mart told me one of their small chargers caught on fire in his car I sure didn't know the history of Pep Boys. We never saw them in the Fort Worth area until in the 90's. Prior to that most auto supply stores in TX were local concerns that, if successful, might expand to a second, third or maybe 4th location in the city where they started. No Auto Zones, O'Reilly's, etc.

170C wrote:I might put one of Pep Boys $5 chargers in my truck, but not sure about the plane ....

Where do you think that cigar-lighter flashlight you wanted me to get for your plane came from?

Bracketron Dual USB Mobile Device Charger
Part # UGC298BL SKU:527204

•Fast charging for multiple devices, including iPad, iPhone/iPod, MP3 players and smartphone
•2.1A and 1.0A USB ports

$9.99 at bluEldr's supply-house, in store or ship to you for addt'l $6

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25 ... -infection

There are lots of reports of cheap knock off chargers causing fires and burns.
For safety sake, I'd stick with quality brand names.

I have a question for you guys that are into these cell phunes etc. I have a very simple cell phone made by LG and served by "TRACKFONE", a pre-paid program that apparently works on most cell systems. It saved my sorry ass when my serpentine fan belt tensioner failed out in the wastes of eastern Oregon last year on the way to Idaho. No texting, I don't turn it on except to make a call, I can't even remember its phone number, I only carry it for emergencies. Costs me anout $100/year for about 1400 minutes. I have over 1800 minutes backed up on it now.
My question has to do with Charging the battery. My charger requires "House Power", 120 vac, to charge it with the receptacle on the phone being a mini USB.
Does the mini USB connector system have a standard voltage? I would like to have a charging system that I could use to recharge it in my car through the 12 vdc cigarette lighter receptacle. If I buy an adapter plug with a mini USB receptacle, and a mini USB cord, is the voltage likely to be the correct one for the phone?

Dick I think you need a 1.5 amp charger

BL,

If one end of your phone charger cord looks like this and chances are good it does.
It is a standard USB plug and you can buy the very same 12V cigarette USB charger we are telling Frank to use for his IPad.

BTW the reason you can probably do this is because of a federal law that required manufacturers to standardize their plugs thus allowing persons to keep and use charging accessories from one device to another. Might save the person some money not having to buy a charger over and over or even for every device and it keeps the old chargers out of the land fill.

The reason I'm asking about this is that I have a Laptop computer with an "external" mouse that has what my engineer grandson says is a USB connection to the computer. It looks just like the above sample. My Trackfone has what looks just like that but is about half the size, so I'm assuming thaqt it is a "Mini" USB. Do they operate on a srandard voltage depending on their size? I don't wamnt to plug it in and develop a nuclear explosion of some sort.
What I'm trying to determine is: Does a Mini USB normally have a standard voltage when used as a battery charging connector?
The laptop uses a totally different type of connector for battery charging. The only USB receptacle on it is used with the external mouse. I therefore assume that USB connectors may be used for different functions amd must be wired accordingly. Or perhaps, the various machines may be wired accordingly.
I have tried to acquire this information from Trackfone Customer Service but their agent, "Myron", in Bumfuk Egypt, has too much of an accent and I cannot really understan him. If I really wanted to talk to an Egyptian, I have the old lady down the street have a seance and dredge up ex king Farouk.

blueldr wrote:The reason I'm asking about this is that I have a Laptop computer with an "external" mouse that has what my engineer grandson says is a USB connection to the computer. It looks just like the above sample. My Trackfone has what looks just like that but is about half the size, so I'm assuming thaqt it is a "Mini" USB. Do they operate on a srandard voltage depending on their size? I don't wamnt to plug it in and develop a nuclear explosion of some sort.
What I'm trying to determine is: Does a Mini USB normally have a standard voltage when used as a battery charging connector?
The laptop uses a totally different type of connector for battery charging. The only USB receptacle on it is used with the external mouse. I therefore assume that USB connectors may be used for different functions amd must be wired accordingly. Or perhaps, the various machines may be wired accordingly.

Dick,
Look at the label on your 110 ac phone charger it should tell you the output voltage and that will tell you what your phone is looking for.

BL:
Yes, the USB system uses a standard voltage, and I would do exactly as you are suggesting.

It is probably more likely that your phone uses a micro-USB than a mini-USB.
USB on top
Mini-USB in center
Micro-USB on bottom

The plug on my phone charger cord looks like the bottom above plug with the beveled edges. Is that a "Micro" USB?

As you can see, I'm not really smart enough to read the whole above comment or I wouldn't come up with such a dumb question.

It is sometimes dicconcerting to realize the the USAF managed to progress even after they retired me fifty years ago. However, it is becoming more understandable as I so gracefully age.