How to choose the right Power Bank external battery?
It is called Power Bank, external battery or portable charger. So many terms to designate one and the same device. The external battery is a rechargeable accumulator designed to provide an emergency source of electrical energy. It is therefore the ideal companion for recharging your mobile phone, GPS, tablet or laptop.
For ten years, they have been constantly improving to offer even more power and autonomy to the user. Much-needed energy, moreover, because with Geolocation, Bluetooth and the wifi connection permanently on, our little electronic “gadgets” are becoming more and greedier. It is therefore becoming more and more difficult to last a full day with a full charge. Hence the importance of having a backup battery!
This article aims to guide you through the vast world of external batteries so that you can make an informed choice.
The Power Bank external battery to never run out of energy
It is not always easy to tell the difference between the terms mini powerbank and external batteries. It is simply the same product which can still be called portable external battery, external battery for smartphones, external charger, USB battery or emergency battery.
For several years, we have been surrounded by portable electronic devices that make our lives much easier, especially when you are a fan of outdoor activities. It has certainly happened to you that your portable GPS finds itself in lack of energy just when you need its services to orient you.
An external battery is the ideal solution for recharging your mobile devices when you do not have a power outlet, wherever you are and whenever you want. Simply recharge your portable battery at home, place it in your bag during your hike to never run out of power again and be able to power your devices when they run out of power.
The components of a Power Bank
Simply put, a Power Bank battery consists of one or more lithium-ion batteries connected to two ports via a printed circuit. One of its ports is used to recharge the external battery and the other to connect it to the mobile device that you want to recharge.
The battery of your Power Bank
The actual battery of your Power Bank is the central element of your system. Without it, no energy. It is made up of one or more elements called cells, which are connected to each other when there are several.
Most of the time, these cells that equip your battery are made of lithium-ion, but newer generations of batteries use high-density lithium polymer technology.
Each cell that makes up a Power Bank battery has a nominal voltage of 3.6 to 3.7 V and has a capacity of 1500 to 3600 mA h.
The electronic circuit
The electronic circuit of a Power Bank battery plays the role of the conductor. It increases the voltage of the Li-ion or Li polymer cell(s) from the 3.7V to the 5V needed for the USB charging port.
But its role does not stop there, since it provides protection against overvoltages and overvoltages, short circuits and the temperature of the assembly to prevent overheating.
All these functions obviously generate an energy expenditure which affects the remaining capacity of the battery. Good quality components generally consume less energy than low-end components.
It is also strongly advised to avoid buying external batteries at a lower cost or of an unknown brand. They could turn out to be unprofitable in terms of the electrical energy produced and even dangerous to use. Inexpensive batteries of this type have already caused fires due to overheating. On good terms!
The different characteristics of an external battery
If it is important to choose an external battery according to its use, it is just as necessary to make your choice according to the capacity of the battery, the intensity of the current produced at the output and the connectors available.
The capacity of a Power Bank
The capacity of an external battery is undoubtedly the most important criterion when choosing. It is expressed in milliampere-hours (mA h for short) and represents the amount of electricity that your battery is able to hold after a full charge.
A 3000 mAh battery will thus store twice as much electrical energy as a 1500 mAh battery. Remember, however, that the larger the capacity, the more cumbersome the item.
Generally, the Power Bank batteries that we currently find on the market offer oscillating capacities between 1500 and 20,000 mA h. Some like the Gravity 100 powerbank from Sunslice go up to 27,000 mAh.
