How long does it take to charge the battery so you can charge a phone or tablet? Isn't there a limit on how much you can crank it safely?
57486
It depends on your charging method. A few hours via AC power with a depleted battery. Crank for two minutes, rest for a minute, and repeat.
2115733
The pamphlet inside says that it takes 15-20 hours of sunlight to charge.It doesn't work at all on my tablet. On my Android phone a full charge of this device lasts about 40 minutes and only gives me about 12-17%.
958431
Well I have a tablet and it was at 16% I plugged it in and a hour later it is at 36% so it will charge but very slowly I would suggest you buy the 5600 Mah one it has more power and it only cost like 5 dollars more.
946162
The battery once full (green) charged a smartphone no problem. It only brought my tablet (a Nexus to ~60%.) On a partly sunny to sunny day, it seemed to take 6 or 8 hours to get to green so basically all day but it depends on how much sun you have.
1563013
I bought mine for a bugout bag. I don't know about an android, but it will only charge a cell phone for about one or two emergency phone calls. And for that you have to crank for a while, an android would take an awful lot of cranking. Hope this helps.
264475
Just plug your normal phone charger into the micro usb port on the battery. Depending on how powerful the charger is will determine how long it takes to charge the battery.
661983
You can plug it into an outlet. A USB cable is included but no proper charger, I use any cell phone or tablet charger at hand. You could possibly charge it by plugging it to a computer USB but it'll take forever to fully charge. Cranking it would also take a long time to fully charge, it's meant to be used as a last resort. Been using it for nearly a year with no complains btw
2082250
yeah you really have to crank it a long time. It doesn't hold a charge at all. It charges my phone (not an iphone) in about 45 mins.
648905
i guess i should have also asked HOW FAST did you crank, you don't have to go crazy fast, but if you go incredibly slow, it will take forever to charge the battery sufficiently. But i think it's most likely the battery is just old and too weak to charge, or possibly the battery wire is not properly connected.
1468269
A charger should be capable of 2 amps in order to charge tablets quickly or to even gain a charge at all if they're in use. Anything less than that and the tablet will charge so slowly that if you are using it at all it will continue to lose power, albeit more slowly.
1437849
I'm not sure how long it takes to fully charge; I've left it charging for up to two days and the charging light never shut off. My guess for how long actually it takes to charge is like half a day or something, but that's pure speculation. And to answer the other question: Yes, as long as you're reasonably careful.
508228
It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel will charge it in 7 hours. It seems the better choice. Their new Mini-Lantern is also an AWESOME product! It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal... » Read More It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel will charge it in 7 hours. It seems the better choice. Their new Mini-Lantern is also an AWESOME product! « Show Less
2268702
there is no limit on the charging times all you have to do is recharge the pocket charger and take it with you and charge your phone when needed it has a battery of itself which needs to be charged thru usb from your laptop or desktop and there is no product guarantee but just to let you know this seller isn't trustworthy as the product he described is not actually what it is even i couldn't charge my phone with it and when i tried returning it but they say buying it was my fault...that's what was the reply i got from them you can find way better product then this all you gotta do is keep searching! :) there is no limit on the charging times all you have to do is recharge the pocket charger and take it with you and charge your phone when needed it has a battery of itself which needs to be charged thru usb from your laptop or desktop and there is no product guarantee but just to let you know this seller isn't trustworthy as the product he described is not actually what it is even i couldn't charge my phone with it and when i tried returning it but they say buying it was my fault...that's what was the reply i got from them you can find way better product then this all you gotta do is keep... » Read More there is no limit on the charging times all you have to do is recharge the pocket charger and take it with you and charge your phone when needed it has a battery of itself which needs to be charged thru usb from your laptop or desktop and there is no product guarantee but just to let you know this seller isn't trustworthy as the product he described is not actually what it is even i couldn't charge my phone with it and when i tried returning it but they say buying it was my fault...that's what was the reply i got from them you can find way better product then this all you gotta do is keep searching! :) « Show Less
4533
I would estimate the rechargeable battery lasts about 5-10 minutes. With the crank the battery does not last that long. Maybe I got a bad rechargeable battery, which suggests bad quality control. At this point it is useless when the rechargeable batteries are in the unit. Regarding the 3 AAA battery it takes, I just checked the unit and they appear to be drained, but I am unsure of the power they had when I installed them. I believe someone else documented the fact that the battery drains when in alert/standby mode. Also, the unit is quite small. It is slightly bigger (but much deeper) than a smartphone. I hope to try another rechargeable battery before I toss the thing. I would estimate the rechargeable battery lasts about 5-10 minutes. With the crank the battery does not last that long. Maybe I got a bad rechargeable battery, which suggests bad quality control. At this point it is useless when the rechargeable batteries are in the unit. Regarding the 3 AAA battery it takes, I just checked the unit and they appear to be drained, but I am unsure of the power they had when I installed them. I believe someone else documented the fact that the battery drains when in alert/standby mode. Also, the unit is quite small. It is slightly bigger (but much deeper) than... » Read More I would estimate the rechargeable battery lasts about 5-10 minutes. With the crank the battery does not last that long. Maybe I got a bad rechargeable battery, which suggests bad quality control. At this point it is useless when the rechargeable batteries are in the unit. Regarding the 3 AAA battery it takes, I just checked the unit and they appear to be drained, but I am unsure of the power they had when I installed them. I believe someone else documented the fact that the battery drains when in alert/standby mode. Also, the unit is quite small. It is slightly bigger (but much deeper) than a smartphone. I hope to try another rechargeable battery before I toss the thing. « Show Less
869024
I've only used this to recharge something that has run down and it works very well for that. I've used it for phones and tablets (including iPads). That being said, I am fairly confident that it would prolong the charge on a battery. By how much, depends on usage. I'm very happy with mine.
1458839
You can keep it plugged in all the time and you won't damage it. I think it takes at least 20 hours to fully charge it, after it's been totally drained of it's power.
1829018
If you don't fully charge the battery the first time, is can develop a memory and you will never get the "full use" of it. ALWAYS charge anything with a rechargeable battery at least 12-24 hours before use (cell phones, cordless phones, GPS, etc) it will just ensure you don't need a new battery for years.