TheIginator wrote:so, from my understanding it'll take 4-5 hours to charge the battery itself...How long would the battery take to charge - say - my 6 cell laptop? Or my mp3? Don't believe it specifies

It takes the standard amount of time it would take your laptop to recharge using its regular power cable. I can fully recharge my laptop in around 1-2 hours with this battery.

mrtoast98 wrote:Here's a slightly different look at what comes in the package (besides the battery pack):

that pic is totally helpful, but does anyone have a quick and easy way to decipher the tips included? i need to know for sure what laptops/brands/whathaveyou that are included in the operation of this option?

Thanks for the pic, and any help available

enomosiki wrote:I hope that this mini-guide helps for decision-making.

Thank you very much for the excellent review. If this isn't a quality post, I don't know what is.

bugdave wrote:Will not work on a mac because apple doesn't license their connector.

There's an adapter cable here (under accessories) that should work. It's $80, though, since they had to cannibalize an official Apple AC adapter to make it.

http://mikegyver.com/Store/index.html

smtatertot13 wrote:that pic is totally helpful, but does anyone have a quick and easy way to decipher the tips included? i need to know for sure what laptops/brands/whathaveyou that are included in the operation of this option?

Thanks for the pic, and any help available

The bundled tips fit most major brand laptops. I did some research and this is what I found out;

Dimensions are either OD x ID or OD x PD.
*OD = Outer Diameter
*ID = Inner Diameter
*PD = Pin Diameter
*? = Uncertain

AB01 (?) -- 5.5mm x 2.5mm (NEC, Panasonic, Sharp, Fujitsu, IBM, HP, Acer, Compaq, Gateway (?), etc.)
AB02 -- 4mm x 1.75mm (HP, Compaq)
AB03 -- 4.75mm x 1.75mm (HP, Compaq, NEC, Asus)
AB04 -- 5.5mm x 1.75mm (Acer)
AB05 -- 5.5mm x 2.1mm (Acer, Dell, Compaq, NEC, Fujitsu, Toshiba)
AB06 -- 6.5mm x 1.35mm (Sony, Panasonic, Fujitsu)
AB07 -- 6.5mm x 3mm (Toshiba)
AB08 -- 7.4mm x 5mm (Dell)

AB01 is the name I assumed for the tip attached at the end of the 19V cable. All other 19V tips from AB02 to AB08 get plugged into AB01.

Note that I have only listed the tips for laptops only. Also, this list may or may not be accurate.

If you wish to find compatible tips for your devices, you can always check XPAL's Tip Finder page.

Hope it helps.

Now I really need to hit the sack...

The description says it is suitable for portable DVD players. Has anyone used it for one? Are there certain brands/models of portable DVD players that it supports? Are there any models that is definitely does not support?

I am thinking about taking one of these to power up a portable DVD player for an international trip. I am going to buy a portable DVD player next week, so it would be helpful to know which brands/models it supports.

If it supports for sure, I don't mind the S&H cost for the "free" compatible tip for the player if one is not included in the package.

In for 1! This way i can basically get an extended life battery on my laptop & netbook without having to buy a battery for each.

The 500 duty cycles is somewhat concerning, but according to the mfg's website it's got a 3 year warranty. So it should break right around 2 years. ;)

If you wait until the laptop battery's used up before you plug into the energizer, you'll get less total running time than you would if you plugged into the energizer at the very beginning of your session.

Example scenarios, both starting at 8am:

Scenario 1: Run laptop on it's own battery until it runs out at 10am. Plug into energizer, and get another 1-1/2 hours, running until 11:30.

Scenario 2: Run laptop plugged into energizer until energizer runs out at 10am. Switch to running on laptop battery (which until now hasn't been used at all) until noon.

Conclusion (in this example scenario): 1/2 hour longer running if you run out the energizer battery before running out the laptop battery. This is because the more time the energizer has to spend recharging the laptop battery, the more energy is wasted on heat in the laptop's recharging circuits. Ie, it'll last longer if you don't ask the energizer to spend extra energy recharging the laptop battery.

Sometimes that extra 1/2 hour (or so) has made a big difference for me.

anyone know about splicing tips for this thing. If I had a broken power adapter for my laptop, but the plug was still good, could I cut them apart and make my own "tip." Might be useful for those mac users...

stevesds wrote:Sweet! Yet another device that:
1. I need to keep charged up.
2. I need to keep putting back in my bag.
3. Won't fit on my lap (computer in the way).
4. Decreases the entire portability of all my portable devices.

Instead of making a portable "gas-pump" for my battery operated devices...we need real improvements in battery technology!
I already have a car with 2 power sockets...my $100 saved!

Tue that. You'd think a battery company would want to build better batteries rather than this band-aid.

djkittn wrote:Does anyone know where you might find a list of what computers each "tip" is for, or do you have to just buy it and try them all, like some sort of awkward and unwieldy e-janitor key ring?

Here is a link to the XPAL tipfinder.

Merennulli wrote:Yes, your car will work well for that when you're sitting in an eight hour conference and your laptop battery lasts only two hours. I'm sure they don't mind you parking it in the back of the auditorium...

Realistically, it still irks me how many computer-related conferences have put no thought towards plugging in laptops. Something like this sitting in a pouch of my laptop bag would be great, but for the 500 use thing. I'm wondering how many of those 500 uses will be wasted on partial charges before meetings and conferences.

I'm pretty sure that the 500 cycles means that you do a complete discharge (well, as far as you can) and recharge. If you only discharge a small amount before you recharge, it isn't going to count as a full cycle. At least, my laptop batteries last longer if I don't run them dead all the time. Li-poly is almost the same as Li-ion, and I'm basing this on Li-ion.

steve

So the cord that is attached to the tip is a USB cord. Can I bypass the whole tip thing and just plug in my USB cord to it to charge? I have a Kodak Zi8 pocket camera and I was wondering if I could charge it that way.

Dude I need one of you computer guru/geeks to help me out

I broke my charger and now my laptop is dead sitting in the corner I was going to buy a new charger but then I saw this will it work in place of a charger??

Very nice for transcontinental flights.

jazzninjax wrote:"Apple laptop tip not available"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA EAT IT APPLE! wait..

Didn't eating an apple bring suffering upon humankind?

(it's a joke so don't you biblical scholars point out that the type of fruit was not specified!)

For you guys saying you want this to replace a faulty power cord,you would be better off going to Ebay and buying a new one. You can get one for about $25 versus $100 or more from places like Radio Shack. I have bought them for my laptop and for my daughter's Netbook and very pleased with them. Just make sure you buy from a U.S. company.

hippie19 wrote:anyone know about splicing tips for this thing. If I had a broken power adapter for my laptop, but the plug was still good, could I cut them apart and make my own "tip." Might be useful for those mac users...

Should be very simple since you're talking about 2 wires, one positive and one negative. Simply use a multimeter/voltmeter on the two wires of this powerpack. If you get a positive reading, the red probe is on the positive terminal. If the reading is negative, the red probe is on the negative terminal.

The tricky part is figuring out the polarity of your broken adapter. Since it's no longer outputting electricity, a multimeter won't help. However, most adapters have a diagram on body telling you which area on the plug is positive and which is negative. To figure out which wire goes to which area, switch your multimeter to the Resistance or Conductivity/Continuity setting. Put one probe on one wire and the other on one area of the plug. If you get a circuit (i.e. 0 resistance or good conductivity), you've found the wire going to that area of the plug. If not, switch to the other area. If you still don't get the desired result, the plug or wire is faulty. In that case, the power adapter may not be broken. It may still be outputting electricity that is simply not getting to the broken plug.

Once you've discovered how everything is wired, attach everything and put electrical tape around the exposed wires for protection.

BTW, if you don't have a multimeter, you can use a regular flashlight lightbulb and battery to measure conductivity. Or better yet, use an LED which will also indicate polarity (since LEDs only light if the polarity is flowing in the correct direction). The only concern is that the output surpasses the limits of your LED, which is generally around 5V (the voltage of most cellphone chargers).

loving the description.. the woot writers have outdone themselves today.

ronaldhughes wrote:But does it work with a Mac?

No, But thanks for helping my Apple stock!

This gives me April Fools nightmares!

There was some question last time of whether this would run afoul of TSA. I've taken it through security 3 times since I got it with no problems--I just take it out and put it in the bin with my netbook.

froppy wrote:Anyone have a good idea... If I ordered this today, would I get it within a week? I don't think I would, but just wondering if there's something I don't know about to get it quicker.

Going on an overseas trip exactly a week from today and would love to have one of these by then... and the retards don't sell this in-store from what I can tell.

They ship from Texas I believe and I usually get my products within 5 days (I live in the Midwest.) If they ship it by Monday you COULD get it by next week Friday but there are never any guarantees.

mnuahs wrote:In for 1! This way i can basically get an extended life battery on my laptop & netbook without having to buy a battery for each.

The 500 duty cycles is somewhat concerning, but according to the mfg's website it's got a 3 year warranty. So it should break right around 2 years. ;)

Keep in mind that this is meant to supply backup or emergency power, and not act as a main power supply. For example, if you're home and no electrical outlet is nearby, use an extension cord rather than this thing. And if you're in a car, use the lighter outlet.

Assuming that you charge this no more than once a week, 500 cycles is equaled to approximately 9-10 years, not bad for any appliance. Keep in mind that 500 recharge/discharge cycles does not mean 500 uses. For example, you might use this with your cellphone 10-20x before needing to recharge it. In other words, the power pack may provide thousands of uses.

I just ordered tips for my samsung phone and netbook, 10/23/09, they are $3.95 shipped each. So thats not hatefull at all.

jd

bugdave wrote:Will not work on a mac because apple doesn't license their connector.

Now there's a surprise! Apple clinging to proprietary technology. Hmmm. Let's see, now how did Apple personal computers decline from the number one, most commonly used PC in the late 70's, to less than 10 percent now? How did the the words "personal computer," which used to mean an Apple product, morph into "PC" which now means something that runs on Windows -- the system with published documentation for outside developers? How did that happen?

It's a mystery to me.

Same product widely available at the same price.

This company has horrible customer service. Not to mention my last product from them which I bought on Woot came with "free tips for life" meaning 2 tips per year and shipping is $4-5 per tip - more than the cost of a $1 tip and shipping. They make money off their "free" tips! ALso, the battery I got is nearing the end of its life.. being recharged about 13 times now.

oh and after contacting customer service because my tip was not listed, they said they could get it for me if I payed $7.95 for shipping. Really, FREE tip?? WHy would the shipping vary if they are all the same size?

great for portable DVD players

Sorry if I missed it in the description, but can it power/charge a device while it is itself plugged into the wall?

Edit - Found the answer in their FAQ

Is it possible to recharge the Energizer Power Pack from a wall outlet while using it on my device.

Yes, it is possible to use our Energizer Power Packs as an A/C adapter for your device. The Power Packs recommended for this type of use are our XP8000 and XP18000. The XP8000 and XP18000 are specifically designed to power all electronic devices which require anywhere between 5V-20V of power. They also feature a built in USB 5V output port and a power off feature to conserve discharge. You can also use these batteries as an A/C adapter replacement for your devices so you can leave all your other A/C adapters behind. The XP18000 can power laptops and netbooks for up to 6 hours of additional run time per charge.

Anyone tried connecting an inverter with the 12V cable?

According to the MFGR's warranty terms, the internal battery cell is only warranted for 6 months.
See http://www.xpalpower.com/us/products/downloads/warranty.pdf
and scroll down to the Exclusions and Limitations. Kind of disappointing that its advertised with a 3 year warranty, but the most important component is limited to 1/6 of that.

wiesenmark wrote:Two mediocre reviews on Amazon.com, both say S&H charges for "free" adapter tips make this an expensive add-on. Buyer beware.

The "free" tips end up costing $8 EACH! Its a gimmik that will bite you if you do not get all of the tips out right.

Will it work with a MacBook Pro?

This is an awesome battery... got 1 first time it came thru on Woot... going for more as this is an awesome price and works great for EVERYTHING (well almost everything).

vanliesh wrote:According to the MFGR's warranty terms, the internal battery cell is only warranted for 6 months.
See http://www.xpalpower.com/us/products/downloads/warranty.pdf
and scroll down to the Exclusions and Limitations. Kind of disappointing that its advertised with a 3 year warranty, but the most important component is limited to 1/6 of that.

Ha! It's like one of those car warranties that scam groups try to sell gullible people. They insure things like the metal part of the brakes (which *can't* break except from an accident, which isn't covered), but not the brake pads or the braking mechanism.

As mentioned this is not as powerful a battery as they lead you to believe.

At 5v it is 18,000 maH
At 12v it is 7,500 maH
At 19v it is 5,150 maH

So buyer beware.

I checked the site for tips for two different brand laptop and netbook I own. I can use the same charger for either, yet the site has two different numbers for each one. WB04 and WA04. Neither are listed with what comes with it, but there is one with the 04 at the end. I wonder if this will work or not and if it does, why do the tips that come with it not correspond at all to what they sell individually?

enomosiki wrote:I purchased the same battery under XPAL brand--both XPAL and Energizer have teamed up and are offering same products--and there are several shortcomings.

I have attempted to charge several different devices with this, most of them with success.

1. LG VX5400 -- Charged without a hitch using a bundled tip and 5V USB connection.

2. Dell XPS M1210 -- Also charged with success using a bundled tip and 19V connection.

3. Dell Axim X51v -- I had to order the tip for this one, but it nevertheless charged great using the 5V USB connection.

4. Sony Vaio UX490 -- I had a trouble with this one. It appears that the battery is unable to natively support 16V output, as the device did not charge at all. At first I wondered if it was the tip that was causing the trouble, but after visiting Radio Shack and creating an improvised solution, it became apparent that the battery itself was the problem. To charge the device, I had to order a "Willy" cable that can toggle between 16V and 19V using a switch. I will explain more about this further down.

The "Tips for Life" program grants each product owners to obtain two compatible tips for their devices at no cost per year. However, they do charge for shipping and handling (USD$4.95), and since they use USPS Flat Rate shipping it's obvious that whatever they send out takes around a week to arrive. Honestly, I have absolutely no problem with paying for the shipping, but having to wait with my thumb up the arse was quite maddening.

Now, here is my major gripe; the Willy cable that I have mentioned above is what annoyed the heck out of me the most. There are three different types of this, 12V, 15V and 16-19V. They are basically cables with voltage regulators attached to the middle of the cables, and it seems that there are some devices out there that absolutely require these to operate, just like my Vaio UX unit. Before I found out about this, I frantically tried reading through the manual to find an answer, but to no avail. I proceeded to improvise a solution by cobbling up various pieces obtained from Radio Shack and soldering them together while assuming that it could be the tip that was causing the trouble. The improvised solution did not work, and I almost gave up since everything else was charging just fine. I fired off an e-mail to XPAL's customer support, to which they replied that I need the 16V-19V Willy cable to power the unit. It was pricey, but it worked when I got it, but it was pricey nevertheless at USD$17.95 plus another $6.95 for S&H. I am telling everyone this right now; there is absolutely no mention of this in the manual or XPAL's website, and the only way you can find out about this is through customer support. So the inconvenience and frustration of going absolute batshit-insane while trying to find a solution, having to make an additional investment and then waiting for a week for the thing to arrive drove me nuts.

The battery itself, on the other hand, is excellent. It packs a rather surprising amount of juice for its size and weight, and has decent safety features (Important!), including reverse-polarity protection (I was dumb enough to misread the polarity symbol on my UX at the first time I built the cable. Fortunately, the fail-safe kicked in and the battery shut itself off before anything happened, and the only thing I had to do was to reset it, which you can accomplish by simply plugging it into the charger and then unplugging it).

If you happen to wear cargo pants, you can fit it inside one of your pockets without too much trouble provided that they aren't too tight.

Also, the product description reads that the battery is pre-charged for immediate use out of the packaging, but the manual states, "Important: Always Charge your XPAL Power product the FIRST time for a full 8 hours before regular use." Just to be safe, I stuck to the latter. Afterwards, it only takes 3~4 hours to charge.

So, to sum it all up, here are the pros and cons;
Pros -- Excellent build quality; Packs an incredible amount of charge for its size and weight; Relatively inexpensive compared to other batteries with less power; Somewhat generous tip selection.
Cons -- It may not look expensive by itself, but additional investments for tips and adapters can be costly; Incompatibility with some devices that can only be resolved using specialized cables with attached voltage regulators; Vague instructions that will most likely leave everyone puzzled when turd hits the fan; No Mac support.

So, is this thing worth the money? I'd say, yes, it is, especially if you are a road warrior and have no wish to be glued to an outlet. Its relatively small size and light weight allows it to be carried inside a medium sized bag without much footprint. I got mine for USD$119 on eBay, so $99 on Woot is definitely not bad (In fact, I might go ahead and grab another one on Woot today). Just be sure to be ready to fork out some more in case you do get stuck with having to buy additional tips and adapters. If you are a casual portable device user and don't suck up electricity like air, then please move along and never look back (Or you can probably get XPAL's smaller capacity batteries for less cost).

I hope that this mini-guide helps for decision-making.

Outstanding "mini-guide". I could by-pass the Woot cutesy info if one of those was with every item.

Thanks.

This is a little off topic, but am I the only one who hates SmartPost with a deep dark burning red passion? It is the equivalent of asking my 5 year old to put his shoes on... takes forever. Woot - there has to be a better way. Really.