Off Grid Ham Radio Tablet Laptop Computer charging how to
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- Need to charge your tablet or laptop computer off-grid? This video shows you how to do it.
Hello Operators.
In this video we go through charging our Microsoft Surface or similar laptops and tablets off-grid, using the same 12 volt batteries which power our ham radio gear.
73
Julian #oh8stn #hamradio #computer
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You'll find all the links to USB-C PD adapters and tools seen in the video here: oh8stn.org/blo...
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There's other Microsoft Surface related information on the blogs.
Enjoy and thanks for watching.
73
Julian oh8stn
oh8stn.org/blog/category/microsoft-surface/
This was a great video, Julian. I'm in agreement that we need to have everything standardized, including charging sources. In my gear, it has to be either rechargeable via USB or a 12v cigarette port source. I only got very few now that don't, which I use a step-up converter to charge the 12v source like an HT via USB. I'm glad ham radio manufacturers are finally listening.
Mounting the handle for the 705 on the bottom is a stroke of genius!
🙏👍😉
Great stuff again, Julian! USB-C PD is definitely the way to go! It looks like electronics manufacturers are finally catching on!
Thanks, and I couldn't agree more. We just need to push (violently) the ham radio community in this direction.
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Julian oh8stn
@@OH8STN I need to start sniffing around for a second-hand Surface. I'm using a Dell gaming laptop right now.
Linda is usually RF quiet.
USB-C 78W socket on my battery box takes care of my laptop, phone and the power poles power the 705 and any other HAM gear.. Love the wireless setup using WFview. allows for all digital mode apps without buying the extra icom software which should have been free in my opinion but I digress. Last thing I need to do is wire up and integrate the solar charger into the battery box I made. I integrated a Drok bi-directional battery monitor into the box so it give me the details of usage and counts up and down Amp hours so I have a good idea where the 30ah batter is and if temp high or low or Volts drops or Wattage usage goes beyond a set point drops the relay signal and it all shuts off..
Never heard of USB-C Power Delivery. So much to learn! Thank you for your videos!
Thanks Julian for turning your financial investment into knowledge for operators to continue lifesaving comms in the coming SHTF. Great service to the community sir. ❤
It is a blessing to share.
Thanks for teh kindness.
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Julian oh8stn
Great info. Nice to stream line charging. Also nice to see videos from you. Been missing your content!
Sorry about being "away". Between working on the Caravan, taking care of family, and trying to get sleep. I may not post as often, but I'm not going anywhere.
WX permitting, I'll be in Lapland or just below the Arctic Circle with the camper in a few days. I'm just finalizing the radio install, additional solar panels, and getting the propane fridge to work.
Interesting things in the works.
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Julian oh8stn
Both my works laptop's (my employer and our customer) use USB C PD on Lenovo but my personal Lenovo X240 has the proprietary rectangular yellow DC connector. I've got a 12v charger for it but I need to use my 32Ah battery box with car lighter socket to run it.
I've got the Surface Go on the way now with a similar car dash 65W PD/QC outlet on the way from Amazon. My 12Ah 'Satchel Charge' LiFePo4 battery will be more than enough to give me plenty of runtime for radio and tablet.
thanks Julian, I have a 13.8v 12ah battery, perhaps with will work with my 60w solar panel and keep the surface going
For usb charging in the shack, i use a dual usb a car adapter that is a dollar store buy.
I also bought a power queen battery.
I have a lot of things that can run on 5V USB charging. I found some small boards that takes 6-30V and gives USB charging output. By putting stand offs between them and a ware running between them then a wire to power plugs to power then I have a lot of 5V USB charging. Each board said it will give 3A. That will charge my phone with one, tablet on another, my internet hot spot on one and my DMR hot spot on one. They will not give the higher voltages, But if all you need is 5V charging it works for me. I got the boards from Amazon I think there are 5 of them in a pack! Just an idea that worked for me but may not for you. 73 W4DES
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks as always Julian this helps a lot.
thanks for the info
Great idea to make a Y connector for both radio and tablet charging Julian. Is there any RF noise from the dc-dc conversion?
Thanks, no RF noise coming from the USB-C power delivery adapters yet.
I'm sure if we found one cheap enough, we could find some noise as well.
I hadn't seen a USBC to square Lenovo cable. I did power pole to car adapter brick marketed as a laptop car charger. I'll have to get one of those USB power meters and compare the efficiency
Yes, that Lenovo plug is deceptive. hey kept telling me I could charge my Lenovo Yoga C940-15 with USB-C PD, but never said uow. I tried to use the Thunderbird port which was a no go. Then I happened to find that Lenovo square to USB-C PD cable, and it was clear. Had been banging my head on the wall for nearly a year :D
I just dropped the link for the USB-C multimeter in the description.
Thanks Julian. I'm a fan of the cigarette lighter combo as well. Are you running a fuse block between the battery and radio/computer? I see something at 7:32 but I can't tell what it is.
I know I should use some fuses, but I don't always do it. Sometimes I simply don't have the space or want to run light.
When I'm in the car or operating out of the caravan, I always use the fuse block, the wind camp one, the very same model I use in the off-grid ham shack.
Anyway, thanks for the great question and for watching. It's very much appreciated.
73
Julian oh8stn
@@OH8STNon the go I rely on the bms, at home I use a fuseblock. Thanks for your work 73 HB3XBL
The problem I ran into was my surface pro 9 says it’s doing a slow charge using the battery pack (USB-C) to the Surface. I shall try a powerpole configuration with the USB power outlet you suggested. Maybe that solution won’t give me the slow charge notice. Thanks Julian
Great!
Thanks
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Julian oh8stn
👍
Nice. Do those USB C power adapters put out much RFI? I'm excited to give this a try. I attempted to run my Surface Go off the inverter output from a Jackery device but the interference was horrendous.
In fact the noise is the reason I use them. They don't produce very much noise at all. I'm sure we could find some cheap ones, which will destroy HF.
Just stick to the popular brands with good reviews.
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Julian oh8stn
Fortunately, more laptops and tablets are using the USB-C PD standard. I have an older Acer Chromebook 314 which uses this standard. Much better than all of the odd proprietary old chargers (and connectors) I have. Try to find one that doesn't use proprietary connectors. Stick with the standard connectors.
Well said 👍
Hi Julian, I've been looking for a simple solution to charge my 10ah lithium battery off a 12vdc power source such as a vehicle. Cheers Steve VK7SL.
P.S. Like what you're doing, have set up Powerfilm panels and Genasun controllers for my off-grid station. Running CF-20 Toughbook.
Thanks Steven.
Keeping in mind a "12vdc" LiFePO4 battery needs 14.2-14.4 volts for a full charge, DC-DC is very difficult. Victron makes one, but it is extremely noisy. If you don't need to charge while you operate, it might be a good solution.
What I did was purchased a 12-48vdc adjustable current limiter from ebay. I limited the current to 2 amps, between my 24 volts battery and the 14.2 volt LiFePO4 battery I wanted to charge. Then I used the Genasun GV8 Boost for 4S LiFePO4. The output from the current limiter to the solar input on the Genasun, and the battery output from the Genasun, to the battery terminals on my LiFePO4 battery. That worked well, with very little noise.
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Julian oh8stn
@@OH8STN Thank Julian.
You have recommended the Surface Go 2 LTE. Do you need to be subscribed to a LTE plan (ie: Verizon or AT&T) to get the benefits of the internal GPS?
No subscriptions needed. In fact I don't even have a SIM card in my tablet. Excellent question!
@OH8STN Thank-you for the answer!!! I've ordered a Surface Go 2 and will be following along. I love the content!
Can you explain how a 12 Volt DC, battery... When ran through a panel mount USB C adapter, can provide 15 - 20 Volts DC?
I cannot find in the Xiegu X6100 extended manual that you can charge it by using USB-C in the DEV or HOST port. Your video suggest that you can do it, or will it damage the Xiegu?
No charge. I meant the use of the USB-C ports. The Retevis Ailunce HD2 can be Charged through its USB-C port.
Most laptops have a USB-C which will take power in at a decent rate now
👍👍
Thanks you
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Julian oh8stn
Hi Julian, what is the power monitor device make and model? Link? Thanks! Frank K4FMH
Here you go Frank
USB-C Multimeter used in the video: amzn.to/3YE5jdF
I made a 50 ah battery box with two power pole connectors and also two USB A and two USB C ports. All these are for charging/ running different things like cell phones, small fan or small lights while doing POTA. My biggest problem was keeping my laptop charged, so I installed a DC to DC step up transformer for this. It steps the voltage up from 13.2v to 19.5v. It is rated at 4 amps so it’s plenty big for my laptop. I made a home brew cable for charging. Works great
Maybe its just me? But, it seems that the more gadgets, gizmos, and extra wiring harnesses would actually create more resistance, and somehow bring down the efficiency of your battery's life / charge.
I do like all the adapters. But that is also more gear to pack along, and more weight and bulk. I am sure there is NO perfect solution... Yet! But you seem set up, for all your gear!
What is the power meter at 12:03?
I just dropped a link in the description.
Thanks for watching.
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Julian oh8stn
Excellent video. G7JDZ
I USE THE SAME TYPE FOR MINE I GOT THE SURFACE AFTER YOU DID A VIDEO WHEN U FIRST GOT IT SO SAME SENARIO BUT I HARDWIRED IT STRAIGHT TO ANDERSON POLES KEEP MAKING THE VIDEO AND WHERE DID U GET THE ROLLUP SOLAR PANNEL FROM PLEASE Dylan m0dsy