For those that want and external Battery charger

Hi,

I dont know if most here KNOW about this but on Ebay there is a company that makes External Battery Chargers for the CF models among others. I dont know when this started but about a year ago no such thing existed and I had to make my own.

I picked one up they cost $75 and while IMO its a little High they Do work and will not over charge etc. One thing I did Like was the Connector End is removable which allows you to MAKE a DC connection and allow for Charging your Batteries with a Solar Charger. ;-)

Hope this helps some of you, as it did me, Just want to help out since you were all nice to help me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-Charger...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

 

I can say for sure that panasonic makes an external charger for CF27 batteries, presumably they have them for the other models as well..

 

Yes, I have the Panasonic CF-VCBTB1U charger; it will charge my CF-29 battery and the media battery at the same time outside of the computer.

 

What about the CF-28 batteries?

doc

 

doc,
The media bay batteries are the same in the 28 & 29 so yes, the model I have would work in that regard.

I don't know about the regular battery on the 28. I think from reading here, on the site, that the 28 and 29 main batteries are different, but I'm not sure.

Someone more knowledgeable than I will have to have to respond to that.

 

I have never looked for an external charger for a toughbook that I didn't find on eBay sooner or later. Some of them work on several different models. They all get powered by your AC or DC adapter. Look around, you'll find one to work with your model. I am of course speaking of batteries not the computer itself.

 

Interesting. This listing is for the CF-VCBTB1U, but it says its for CF28 batteries..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260225243180

Which is surprising, because the connector of the 28 battery is quite different from the 29.

 

I think that I would doublecheck on that (works with 28). The model number appears to be the same one as I have; and it definately works with the media batt and 29 main batt.

 

The media bay battery external port and the external charging port on CF-28 batteries are the same so it must be the same as the CF-29 external charging port.

 

The CF-29 battery has no external port like the media bay battery. Could be why the external charger has two leads coming out. One lead fits the media bay battery port, and the other lead has a connector that snaps on to the same connector on the 29 battery that plugs into the computer.

 

I picked up a couple of the CF-VCBTB1Us which I use on my CF-17/CF-M34 and CF-28 (internal and media bay) batteries. On the input side there are 2 different input jacks allowing use of 2 different styles of AC Adapter tips. I've tested it with my DC car adapter which also works fine with it. On the output side there are 2 different connectors. One works on the CF-17/CF-28 external connectors. The second connector doesn't fit these batteries so as Pappy42 suggests they must fit the regular connectors for a different battery. If you happen to have both styles of batteries you can connect both at the same time and it will charge the batteries, one after the other.

 

Hmm. That is really Strange because I used this CF-VCBTB1U to MAKE a charger for my CF-28 aftermarket batteries. The ONLY connector I seen that would work on that unit was for the 4 pin plug that connects to the side of the OEM CF-28 batteries.

As for the CF-29 its possible? I am not sure as the Pins do seem to match but the only one I have left is a modded one with 2 pins removed.

What did you guys use for a power supply as connecting Straight to a DC Battery wouldnt work as it needs 15v+ to convert down. The Idea I had using the charger I posted was connect direct DC to the Charing cable hence bypassing the the need to convert DOWN.

 

I agree with you on using other DC sources just give me the cable that attaches to the battery, you can keep the AC part of that

 

I agree the one posted by Me can be MADE easily into a DC Solar charger. The other one would require cutting the cable and reconnecting the wires. The $35 is worth the extra headache as the wires in the other are thin and its hard to FIELDPROOF the homemade connector without PULLING out of its socket. The other unit is simple as going to radioshack for a Connector. lol

 

Does the body of the charger regulate the output of the solar panel? In South Texas; a solar charger can fry the big battery banks used for submersible water pumps, unless they are regulated in some manner. Same with wind generators.

 

I don't think the aftermarket one posted by Terminus will work with CF-28 batteries. It looks like the connector will only fit a CF-29 main battery.

 

Anything that produces the correct voltage will work, it's just about the connector. The ones I posted are fine for this application. I don't know why you'd think otherwise. Pappy you are right, a solar panel can easily produce 17-28 volts and if you don't use a charge controller you're going to blow the heck out of something, especially once your batteries are nearing full charge. If you plan on using solar to keep things charged you simply should not connect the dc output of a panel directly to a device unless it's input range is clearly specified as being able to accept those voltages. Thanks

Me.

 

Actually most of the solar panels I have seen regulate themselves to the batteries capacity. Example is Global Solar, you dont really need a regulator UNLESS you plan to leave and forget the battery as you could then Drain the battery when the sun is down.

I called the people who MAKE them and they said basically there is no worry of needing a regular with their products. So how true that is yet to be seen. But I do believe the Batteries for the toughbooks regulate the amount of current they recieve as this is normal for Lithium batteries otherwise they are prone to Blow.

On a lead acid you might want a regulator but for the TF batteries I think the internal chip should be enough.

The aftermarket one only works on the model its for. But the same is said for the other one, it only works on a cf-28 BECAUSE of the 4 pin connector the actual socket is different but seems to fit the cf-29.

As for use, the only way to make the Stock charger to work is to have Another dc power converter and then that wouldnt work with solar as there wouldnt be enough Amps.

I tested using a multimeter and found connecting a CF battery to a panel using an adapter for charging the battery on DC automatically regulated to the voltage of the battery, which is what Jim said at Global Solar.

The one I posted is easy to make an adapter for to use for solar and also DC charging from the lead acid cell.

 

All solar panels have a built-in blocking diode to prevent batteries powering the solar panel when the sun goes down. This includes the Global Solar panels.

It will only "regulate" the voltage to the battery until the battery is fully charged and then there is no more load on the panel and voltage rises to as high as the panel can produce in sunlight.

I'm afraid Jim at Global Solar must be a salesman, or some other non-technical person.

 

Yeah, lt -

T is right. you can hook ANY power supply of sufficiently higher voltage CAPACITY to charge across a discharged battery (IE 16-18V across a 12V battery) & it will SEEM to regulate to that battery's operating voltage; but once it reaches full charge, that voltage will be enough to cook your battery.

The people who do solar & wind power don't spend hundreds & thousands of dollars on that regulating equipment because they like to waste money - quite the opposite. They do it to protect their large investment in storage cells. Either Jim doesn't know what he's talking about, or he wants to sell you another set of batteries quick...

mnem
I love the smell of electrolyte in the morning... smells like... VICTORY!!!

 

Thanks that is useful to know, I am glad I never charged to 100% then. lol What cost effective regular do you recommend that would be good for the panels? I only have panels that would be combined 2.4Amps I would want one that is waterproof but small portable for work.

BTW I have been looking around and I dont see ANYTHING for the lithium regulator, they are all for LeadAcid which isnt the same. I am still wondering if the chip onboard the Battery would CUT off when charged? The only other way around is to TIME how long it needs to charge and then pull it before being fully charged. I know some of the military chargers for Solar on Lithium HAVE NO regulator just plugs straight into to battery a good example is the PRC style lithium battery.

 

I think you'll find that those chargers are a "smart" charger designed around the charge/peak voltage curve of the lithium cells they're used to charge; most modern li-ion packs have a smart chip in them as well which prevents major over-current damage to the cells. I can GUARANTEE they are NOT charging a Li-ION pack without smart circuitry - they are far too electrically fragile to tolerate it. Excessive current draw or overcharging can ruin them in minutes (or drastically shorten life/capacity).

mnem
PUT THAT ELECTRON BACK WHERE YOU FOUND IT!

 

I found at "cheaper than Dirt" a Global Solar regulator set for 7Amps, which since made for their panels should be fine, As long as the voltage remains regular like said and doesnt spike above 16v "I think" should be fine on the onboard chip. Its $39 if anyone is interested and HAS the Connectors for the solar panels already on it, making it easy for them.

I wonder if these regulators would work with a HAND CRANKED generator which is something else I HAVE when in bad weather. 7 amps should be enough I wonder though if it would Fry it?

 

Does anybody know of an external battery charger for the y5? I've been searching around for one (including on eBay), but so far no luck.

Thanks.

 

Here is a response of many i HAVE RECIEVED from different regulator companies. As you can see its a problem charging Lithium and these Chargers are NOT as smart as some here thought.

Hi,



Our controllers are not designed to charge lithium type batteries. Doing so could potentially result in damage to the controller and/or your laptop battery. The reason for this is due to the different charging requirements lithium batteries have over normal lead-acid type batteries. Charging a lithium battery with anything but a specified lithium battery charger could result in thermal runaway and possible explosion of the battery. There are laptop DC-DC chargers for charging your laptop lithium battery from a regular type of battery. I would highly recommend obtaining one of those for your application instead of using the solar panel directly.



Best regards,

Noah Sindermann
MS Technical Support
www.morningstarcorp.com
[email protected]
+1-410-312-9161

 

Ummm... didn't I just SAY that?

*Blink...blinkblink*

mnem
*Toddles off to find his feet*

 

Not sure your post seemed to indicate that you were saying they are smart chargers. But either way I think it would work since the Batteries have over charge chips in them and most lithium batteries. So as long as the regulator keeps the voltage constant the onboard chipset should do the rest? What do you think Mnem?

Basically what I gather the problem is OVER voltage which technically a simple VR should do the trick, but its nice to have one for the small LA batteries that are used also.

Anyway I am curious on your opinion, as I think the Lith batteries would be ok as long as the V doesnt spike beyond 16v

 

I believe what is being said is that our little ac or dc power supplies are "smart" and protect the batteries from over charging. It seems simple enough to just put a dc "car charger" in the circuit and just feed that from the solar panel, wind mill, hydro dam, or what ever you have.

 

You cant do that as the Charger will NOT operate without a certain Amp rating. Example is the charger doesnt work unless 4-5 amps are given to the charger. Hence you have to use a direct connection with a V regulator at best to charge the batteries. The only way to use the DC chargers is a LA battery and really that is not neccessary if you can charge the battery directly.

I know this for fact because I have tried to use the charger using the Hand generator but it didnt produce enough amps to run it. Muchless a solar panel which TRICKLES the voltage in.

 

Naaahh... I was suggesting you should use something like these...

http://batteryjunction.com/rc900.html

They only draw about 0.9-1.2A, and will accept input from 12-24VDC.

Go ahead and poke around their site; they have a LOT of rechargeable battery related stuff that you should be able to make work. If you take a look at the 7.2V battery pack at the bottom of the page - you can put two of those in series for 14.4V, and at 3.6AH capacity, that's a lot of energy density for only 26oz and 40 bux...

mnem<~~~ CHARGE ME UP!*

 

What kind of technology do the little emergency cell phone chargers use? The ones that have a jack that fits into your c-phone and the other accepts a AA battery. Not much voltage or amperage there; but just thinking of making the stretch from a solar charger.

 

Mnem, that charger isnt any better than the one Global Solar sells. Basically its only for NiMh batteries which are different, I know because I have 2 chargers for my other Lithium stuff, which required a seperate charger because the NiMh wouldnt know its a lithium and its CELL structure, if you notice they state NiMh and nothing else, if it worked on Lithium they would state so. In fact I havent seen a Dual charger in the cost effective range for DC.

I have dealt with this company before and another one, and while making my Own Lithium Battery packs for my Remote camera System they educated me alot on those chargers. So I now run around with 2 types which suck. As for AA battery charging they have a Built in regulator which I use for charging NiMh batteries that are AA/AAA size.

The Charger you showed is the same as the one Global uses as it should work for NiMh also, but then it may not either way I am not charging NiMh with my Solar Panels, it would be direct connect for the lithium cells. Which have a different voltage rating of charge and discharge which requires a specific Lithium ION charger.

Thanks for trying to find something though, But what I learned on the CHIPSET that Lithium Batteries use, they regulate the Battery automatically to prevent overcharge, this is to protect the battery from Exploding, which lithium likes to do, also NEVER get the CELLS wet they can combust in water also. lol Something fun to know.

So if th Global Solar regulator can keep the voltage at 12-16v the Batteries internal workings should prevent serious damage, the only thing I didnt know what when a Battery was full the Solar Panel goes to the highest voltage, that would fry the chipset and thuse ruin the battery, but constant voltage of 15v or so should be fine. I will let everyone here know How the global Solar regulator works on battery charging. Summer is Here and with the Sun should be the best time to test.

I use a Hand generator mostly which is a PAIN in the ASS as it takes alot of energy to crank, but in the off seasons its rainy and cloudy and there solar panels are useless, until the sun shines again.

 

BTW this one would work but then look at the $80 price tag plus all the cable mods that would need to be done. lol Also it may not work with a Battery with more than 6amps IF I read them right on the info., As you can see it harder than one thinks.

http://batteryjunction.com/temilibachwl.html

 

Mmmhmmm... I'm sorry; I thought you were still trying to decide the ENTIRE setup; I didn't realize you had already decided on Li-Ion. The Li-Ion Charger is one I've used before for Li-Poly packs; I experimented with them for a while as auxiliary power for my laptop, as well as several other forms of Li-Ion power. In the end, I decided they were all simply too delicate for my kind of use; both mechanically & electrically. I understand the attraction of the higher energy density there; but if I were counting on it for critical power, I believe I'd STILL rather have a good old SLA battery in the bottom of my backpack. Those NIMH sub-C packs are a close 2nd for rugged; that's why I suggested them.

You still need to use a good peak charger with those Li-Ion cells, even the ones with the protection circuit board only prevents over-current & under-voltage - you can't just connect them to a power source & walk away.

mnem
*POWER TO THE PEEPHOLE!!!*

 

True and as you know even with the smart chargers they say dont leave them and test the heat on the battery. I never plan to leave my stuff unmonitored anyway and never have. I found that charging the LITHION batteries are pretty easy unless you forget them. lol So its just a matter of keeping track of the time and how low they were.

BTW I got a response from that battery company about the one I posted and as I THOUGHT they dont think the Solar panels would have enough current to activate the unit. lol So there you go. lol

 

Mmmhmmm...

LT - I've found that many chargers have a high initial current, which drops VERY quickly (In some cases, less than a second); You may be able to get those chargers to work on a solar panel if you parallel the output across a largish capacitor.

Just a thought,

mnem
*Capacitors bite.*

 

Good Idea, capacitor could work. I'll let you know if I try that. So far all I can do is use the Global Solar regulator to keep voltage regulated and watch the battery. lol