Sent by:
A review article for those who like to break something. ;)
IN in this case, the mechanical charger is disassembled for cell phones.
I am sure that many of us have more than once encountered the problem of charging the battery. mobile phone during any trips. Often, when we go on the road, we simply forget to look at the phone’s display and make sure its battery is charged. And only on the way it turns out that it is impossible to take an important call, because the phone is about to turn off. Some of us sometimes have such long trips that even a fully charged phone battery manages to run out, and access to the network alternating current, by coincidence, no.
Accordingly, there is also no opportunity to use the standard charger included with the phone. You never know what other situations there may be in life. But to mobile phones, or rather to the constant presence telephone communication, most of us are so used to it that we feel very uncomfortable without it, even if this connection is not needed at all at some point in time. It is good if in such situations the “victim” always has at his disposal, for example, the on-board network of the car. Then you can use a car charger, which are now available in abundance on the shelves of relevant stores.
But what to do if you need to recharge the battery of a mobile phone in other conditions, for example, on a hiking trip, where there are no usual and accessible energy sources suitable for powering the phone? Fortunately, today there are already devices that can help us out in such extreme situations. I think it’s not difficult to guess that it is one of these devices, supplied to Russia under the Neodrive brand, that will be discussed in this material.
As you can see from the photo above, the packaging of the charger in question is nothing fancy or original. Before us is a very ordinary blister with a piece of cardboard inserted into it, the design of the front side of which I don’t even want to evaluate. However, it seems to me that the end user will be completely indifferent to this design, because for normal operation No packaging required. The only information that may be required is the information printed on the back of the cardboard included in the blister, but I will return to it later, but for now we will continue to inspect the kit. So, in addition to cardboard, the following is also packed in the blister:
1. Manual dynamo
2. Extension cable
3. Five adapters for powering the most popular models phones
This is the kit the user receives when purchasing the item in question. Charger(by the way, it is multifunctional). Is it enough? At first glance, yes. However, after thinking carefully and assessing the conditions for which this device is intended, we can come to the conclusion that for the greatest user comfort, the kit could be somewhat richer. What is it missing? In my opinion, there is one very significant detail, but I will tell you what exactly, in my opinion, is missing, a little later, after the presented device and its operation have been examined in detail.
Dynamo machine …
So, before us is the main component of the charger in question - a manually driven dynamo, that is, a source of energy that is so necessary in field conditions. The unit is not large, as it is equipped with a folding handle. Its maximum dimensions when folded are 58x47x32 mm. Such an important parameter from the point of view of transportation as weight is also insignificant and comparable to the weight of modern mobile phones (about 85 grams).
The device body has a curved shape with rounded ends. Apparently, this is done so that during operation it fits comfortably in the user’s hand. The material used to make this body is blue translucent smoked plastic and the folding handle is made of black plastic. In addition to the handle, on the body of the unit there is also a connector for connecting the extension cable included in the kit of the charger in question, a red LED, and an attached wrist strap, which can be really useful in hiking conditions. But this strap, in my opinion, is somewhat small (circumference is 214 mm).
The insides of the dynamo can be seen in the photo above. However, in good lighting they are also partially visible through the translucent body of the device. The main component here is a generator, the shaft of which is connected to the black handle of the device through a gear drive. In addition to the generator and gears, there is also a small printed circuit board, on which a somewhat primitive, but quite functional electrical diagram voltage stabilizer. In general, the design is reliable enough for use in field conditions.
In theory, its only weak point is the gear train. So, when operating a dynamo, I recommend not to be too zealous when turning the handle. Otherwise, the plastic gears of the gear transmission may simply fail.
Cable and adapters...
The cable included with the charger is essentially nothing more than just an extension cord (length 61.5 cm). In general, you can do without it altogether by simply plugging an adapter that matches the user’s mobile phone directly into the dynamo connector. However, in this case, using the charger may not be as convenient as when using a cable, since the mobile phone and the charger in question will be rigidly connected to each other and will represent a single structure. The reliability of this design leaves much to be desired, so users should be strongly advised to use an extension cable, including it between the dynamo and the mobile phone adapter respectively.
I think that the purpose of adapters for mobile phones is already clear to everyone. In total, the charger in question comes with five adapters, with which you can connect this device to the most popular mobile phone models today. For unknown reasons, there is no information on which phone models these adapters are suitable for on the charger packaging. However, this information can be found on the supplier's website.
So, the kit includes adapters compatible with the following phone models: Nokia (models 8210, 8310, 8850, 3310, 3210, 5210, 6210, 6310, 6510, 6610, 7210, 7650, 2100, and others compatible with them), Ericsson ( Sony Ericsson) (models T28, T39, T68, T20, R320, R380, A2618, T610, T630, and others compatible with them), Motorola (models V998, V3688, V8088, StarTac, T189, cd928, p7689, v2088, L2000, A6188 , and others compatible with them), Siemens (models C25, S25, C35, C45, S45, A35, SL42, SL45, 6688, and others compatible with them), Alcatel (models OT310, OT511, OT512, OT525, 715, and others compatible with them), Samsung (models A200, A300, A400, T100, T200, N620, and others compatible with them). As you can see, the charger in question turns out to be very versatile and will suit the vast majority of mobile phone users who could potentially need it.
And how does it work?
I think that the description of the individual components of the charger in question is quite enough to understand what it is. Now we can move on to a description of the practical experiments carried out on this device and evaluate it, so to speak, in action. So let's get started...
To bring the charger into working condition and connect it to a mobile phone, you need to perform four simple operations. Plug the extension cable into the dynamo connector. Insert into the extension cable connector an adapter suitable for connecting to a mobile phone whose battery needs to be recharged. Plug the adapter into the connector of this mobile phone. You can then open the folding handle of the dynamo and use the ready-to-use charger.
It couldn't be easier to use. It is enough just to rotate the handle of the dynamo with a frequency sufficient for the battery charging process to be indicated on the screen of the rechargeable mobile phone. The information printed on the cardboard included in the charger packaging states that it is enough to rotate the dynamo handle for three minutes at a frequency of 2-2.5 revolutions per second. After this, according to the manufacturer, the user will be provided with three to five minutes mobile communications. Well, let’s connect a ready-to-use charger to the first mobile phone we come across (it turned out to be a Nokia 8850) and check the manufacturer’s promises.
It should be noted that the experiments were carried out with a mobile phone whose battery was naturally discharged while the phone was in a call waiting state. At the same time, one hour passed from the moment the phone turned off due to low battery until the experiments began.
By the way, even before the experiments with the mobile phone began, another statement from the manufacturer was checked for safety reasons. This refers to the output voltage of the dynamo. Measurements showed that the output voltage of this unit is 6.4 V, without load! Apparently, by stating that the output voltage is limited to 6 Volts, the manufacturer meant the operation of the device under load.
So, we rotate the dynamo handle and watch the phone display. Since the phone sat for a whole hour, as mentioned above, after being turned off due to low battery, the charging progress indicator does not turn on immediately. It is quite natural that what longer phone lies in the off state with a discharged battery, the more the user will have to work before the recharging process begins.
Therefore, I would recommend, if possible, to start charging immediately after turning off the phone. But this is just a recommendation and let’s get back to the operation of the device. And it really works. As for the rotation speed of the dynamo handle required for recharging, in the case of a mobile Nokia phone 8850 was enough for 1.7 revolutions per second (approximately 100 revolutions per minute). But to fully power other phones, a slightly higher rotation speed may be required.
According to the manufacturer, the handle should be rotated at a frequency of 2-2.5 revolutions per second (120-150 revolutions per minute). Apparently, this statement was made with a “reserve”, which, in general, is not so bad. But the same manufacturer’s statement that three minutes of such recharging of the phone is enough for three, or even five minutes telephone conversation, to put it mildly, is not correct. Judge for yourself - for a phone, this charger is simply a power source, just like its standard AC power supply or, for example, a car charger. If you want, you can conduct an experiment yourself - connect the phone with a discharged battery to a standard network adapter, wait until the charging progress indicator appears on the phone display and then charge the battery for three minutes.
In the case of the phone under test, that is, the Nokia 8850, a three-minute recharge was only enough for the phone to turn on, find the network, and attempt to establish a connection. Making an attempt meant that the phone announced which number it was starting to dial and immediately turned off, sometimes without even having time to report that the battery was completely discharged. Phones with high power consumption after a three-minute recharge can turn off almost immediately after turning on, while still searching for a network.
In general, it all depends on specific model mobile phone, but three minutes of rotating the handle is clearly not enough for the subsequent normal operation of the phone (except perhaps as a watch, and even then not for a long time). However, this is not yet a reason to give up on the charger in question. Firstly, you can not be limited to three minutes of rotating the dynamo handle, thereby extending the recharging time of your mobile phone battery. Secondly, for those who do not have time to wait, there is another option to make the phone function using the same charger in question.
This option is not as comfortable as a regular conversation on the phone with a charged battery, but in emergency cases it is quite suitable. The point of this option is that you can talk on the phone while the battery is charging. Of course, it will not be so easy to implement this without helpers, because when dialing a number, and even during the conversation itself, you will have to simultaneously hold the phone and rotate the crank of the dynamo. It is much more convenient to do this procedure together, when one person holds the mobile phone and makes a call, while the other holds the dynamo and rotates its handle. I think most will agree that this is not very comfortable.
In addition to this, the sound produced by the dynamo during operation can also be quite disturbing during a telephone conversation. However, with all the described shortcomings, this option of using a charger should not be discarded, because, as I already wrote, in emergency situations it is quite suitable and, more often than not, much better than just a phone with a dead battery that cannot be used.
The next thing worth mentioning is the load on the dynamo handle while charging the cell phone battery. This load is not uniform!
It is not difficult to guess that it depends on the load on the dynamo. In other words, from the current consumed by the mobile phone at various points in time during the process of recharging the battery. This current can vary over a fairly wide range, and, consequently, the force required to rotate the handle can vary from very insignificant to, let’s say, noticeable. No, of course, nothing extraordinary will be required from the user of the charger, but I think it was worth mentioning this behavior of the dynamo, at least so that users would not be scared, thinking that their charger is faulty.
As if finishing the topic of recharging mobile phone batteries, I think it must be reported that the charger is designed specifically for recharging these same batteries. Do not attempt to carry out a full charging cycle with it! main reason The reason why this should not be done is the resource of the dynamo.
Describing its design, I mentioned that the gears of the gear transmission are made of plastic and, accordingly, they should not be overloaded with work. Also, during operation of the dynamo, you should not apply too much force when rotating the handle and significantly exceed the recommended rotation speed. Increasing the rotation speed of the handle will in no way affect the process of recharging the batteries, but it can significantly reduce the service life of the gears.
When describing the kit of the device in question, I briefly mentioned that it is multifunctional. What is its versatility? And it lies in the fact that in addition to the function of an energy source, the dynamo included with the device can act not only as an energy source for recharging the battery of a mobile phone, but also autonomously as a regular flashlight. It is for these purposes that an LED is mounted in its body.
This flashlight is very easy to use. Simply rotate the dynamo handle while leaving the extension cable connector free. That is, simply do not connect anything to the dynamo. In this case, when the handle is rotated, the LED will light up, and the device can perform the functions of a flashlight that does not require any batteries for its operation. Practical experiments have shown that for the LED to fully glow, it is enough to rotate the handle at a frequency of about one and a half revolutions per second (83-90 revolutions per minute), which fully corresponds to the statement of the device manufacturer printed on the packaging. In this case, no significant effort is required from the user - the handle rotates very easily, since the LED does not pose a serious load for the dynamo.
Rotating the handle of the unit in question with a higher frequency will not bring any improvements - the LED will not glow brighter, since the voltage supplying it is controlled by the voltage stabilizer of the dynamo (similar to the process of recharging mobile phone batteries). It seems that everything is simple and clear, but personally I still have one question to answer, which I think I will never get an answer to. It’s not clear to me for what reasons the developers of this device decided to use a red LED as a light source? There was a surplus of these particular LEDs in the warehouses, and that’s why they were installed in the dynamo? Or maybe this is a flashlight for a camp photo laboratory? But why then is this not mentioned anywhere? In any case, considering this charger as a flashlight, we regret to say that the efficiency of the red LED is extremely low.
However, there is no point in making a tragedy out of this either. I don't think the flashlight function will be needed often. If it is still very necessary, then we can recommend replacing the LED used in the device yourself. True, for this the user will need at least basic skills in working with a soldering iron.
What more?
Even at the very beginning of this material, I wondered what was missing from the kit of the device in question? It seems that everything you need to recharge your mobile phone is available. There is an energy source, a set of adapters for the most popular models of mobile phones, and an extension cable that makes operation of the device more comfortable. But, let's think as follows - it's good if the user goes on the road alone with one single mobile phone. What if he is accompanied by someone like his wife (or husband, if the user is not male)? In this case, you may need to recharge two mobile phones, and it is not at all necessary that they come from the same manufacturer.
But, in this case, you can take not one adapter on the road, but two or more (if necessary). It seems that there are no problems, however, I would like to note that until now the charger has been considered almost only from the point of view of its functioning. What about transportation? I think it’s no longer difficult to guess what I’m getting at when I talk about some insufficiency of the kit in question.
Yes, the dynamo does not take up much space, and, as I already mentioned, it does not weigh much. An extension cable and any required number of adapters will not burden the user while traveling. But, if it is quite difficult to “lose” a dynamo in a travel bag, even with its small dimensions, then in fact it is possible to lose adapters for mobile phones. Due to their tiny size, they can easily fall somewhere, and it will take a lot of time to find them.
So what is missing from the charger kit? That's right - some kind, for example, a rag bag-case similar to those that come with some models of miniature mice for laptops. And it seems like a trifle, but how useful and appropriate it would be! By putting all the components of the charger in such a bag, the user would not have to bother himself with any searches, and the price of the device would hardly be affected significantly by the bag. Of course, you can make it yourself, but it would be much nicer if in this case the manufacturer of the charger took care of the user’s convenience.
conclusions
Well, it would seem that not everything in the reviewed charger is ideal. However, despite this, I think that it is quite successful and deserves attention. Of course you can find others alternative solutions, performing the same functions as the considered charger. But, today, such an alternative will either be much more expensive, or more bulky and heavy, or will require voltage sources for its operation, which, as is known, have a limited supply of energy. This device is very compact, relatively lightweight, and does not require anything other than minor user effort to operate.
Of course, I would like to see in its kit a case for transportation and perhaps even a larger number of adapters for connecting to more various models mobile phones. But, even in the form in which the charger considered can be purchased today, it is very attractive and can be very useful. So, potential buyers can be recommended to pay attention to it.
") is designed for charging batteries of a wide variety of gadgets. These batteries are used in phones, pocket computers, cameras, players, GPS navigators, etc. Also, using the “toad” you can “feed” the tablets.
Why is it needed, such a “frog”? For example, a mobile phone charger was broken or lost. I had to buy a new one, but then it turned out that the phone model was already old - and I simply couldn’t find a charger for it. This means that it will no longer be possible to charge it. Don't throw away your phone?
That's why the "toad" is needed. Just take the battery out of the phone and insert it into this “toad”, observing all the pros and cons. If the red light is on, it means the battery was inserted incorrectly, if the green light is blinking, everything is fine and the battery is on, and if it is on green color– the battery is charged. Very simple and convenient.
"Frog" is considered universal device: it can also be used for batteries from other gadgets - tablets or players. There are “toads” that are connected via a USB connector, from a car network or from a regular room outlet. All of them are small in size and can be taken with you, depending on which model is more convenient.
Pros and cons of the “toad”
The mechanical charging “toad” is a rather strange device. On the one hand, it is positioned as a battery charger, but on the other hand, it cannot properly charge the battery - it either spoils it by overcharging or not completely. The “toad” delivers a stable charge current, which is undoubtedly a plus, but it has a high end-of-charge voltage – and this is a big minus.
“Toad” saves you if the charger is lost, or if the charging connector is broken. The “frog” is very compact and lightweight, suitable for batteries of any size, and easy to connect. It can also be used to charge battery, which has “failed” and regular charging cannot charge it.
But the “toad” also has a very big disadvantage. The fact is that the charging controller is set to average settings, and this “spoils” the batteries being charged. That is, it charges, but at the same time shortens the life of the batteries.
Such a device is inexpensive, but here everyone decides for himself whether to use this thing or not.
Monster Among manual exercises. Why is she attractive? This is power. According to the manufacturer, it is very powerful and is capable of delivering up to 30 watts of electrical energy. Igor Beletsky presented a review, and, according to his admission, he cannot even imagine how you can squeeze 30 watts out of such a small box measuring only 10 x 6 centimeters. Yes, it just fits in your hand. However, looking ahead, let's say that he managed to squeeze even 40 watts out of it.
There are many similar single-handle chargers sold on the Internet. But their power, as a rule, does not exceed 10 watts. It comes with a very serious set of wires. As they say, for all occasions. Well, for example, the most basic wire with a built-in voltage stabilizer. Pay attention to the positions from 3 volts to 28 volts. Using the switch, you can smoothly set any position and charge your devices. According to the test with a multimeter, everything is clear, even 0.5 volts are left. Anything you need! It was bought from this Chinese store. Name: 30W 0-28V Hand Dynamo Hand Emergency Generator with DC Converter.
The wire branches into 4 more, where there is USB, where you connect your phones, tablets, Power banks. Anything that requires 5 volts to charge. Another mini USB and two plugs. One fits under the laptop, the second goes to the wire, which ends with two alligator clips. This is apparently so that the batteries can be charged. There is also a wire that is attached to the charger and also ends with two crocodiles. They have stickers - red (plus) and black (minus). This is a rarity that you don’t see everywhere these days.
Pay attention to how the wire is connected to the charger. First, each has a metal plug. It can only enter in one single position. There is a special groove, by aligning which you can insert the charger into the plug. The nut is screwed on and clamps the plug. The wire itself goes into the plug and is additionally clamped at the input with small bolts.
The charger itself is made in a metal style. It is assembled from 2 metal halves, with a rubber gasket between them, which means that it is waterproof. The device is held in the hand by a leash, which is tightened and holds the hand tightly. A slight inconvenience is that you won’t be able to completely wrap your fingers around the device, as they will interfere with the rotation of the handle. But you get used to it easily. The ergonomics are rectangular, all edges are rounded, so, in principle, it is quite comfortable to hold.
Checking charging power
For accurate measurements we will use an electronic wattmeter and variable resistance. Let's start with the phone. We connect it and set the stabilizer to 5 Volts. We start rotating and the phone instantly “lights up” and depicts charging. Let's switch to a wattmeter with resistance. Let's see how many watts we squeeze out. We charge at the same pace and observe the wattmeter reading. Voltage 5 Volts, power 5 Watts. Enough to charge any phone. Current 1 ampere. This is an excellent result.
We connect the tablet. The stabilizer has the same 5 Volts. Let's start rotating. 65%. It is written: it comes from the network. Which indicates that the current exceeds 0.5 Ampere. Which is exactly what we need. A tablet will require from 5 to 10 watts. Let's see how much effort it will take to produce such power. Here they are, the desired 10 watts. How long can you turn the handle at this pace? This is quite easy to do. Supposedly, for a well-trained person, it is possible to rotate the handle for half an hour. The author of the video, in his opinion, will last 10 minutes.
For a laptop, there is no question of proper nutrition, only recharging. In reality, this device is suitable for all gadgets. The author is most interested in whether he can squeeze the claimed 30 watts out of the device. Therefore, we now move on to the most important experiment.
Crash test for squeezing maximum power from the charger
Peak power reached 40 watts! The resistance became heated in a matter of seconds. It was impossible to pick it up. This suggests that this device is capable of delivering not only 30, but also 4o watts. It all depends on whether there is an appropriate physical effort at the input. Even without great physical strength, the author of the review managed to show this. For people who go hiking and are more physically developed, this device is a godsend. They can use it to charge their phone, tablet, or recharge their laptop. In case of complete isolation from civilization, this is a very necessary thing. The author of the reviews is pleasantly surprised that the manufacturer did not deceive and honestly wrote the declared power. It turned out that you can even surpass it. The quality is appropriate. Perhaps it was copied from a military model or was made with an eye to military orders. It has no competitor in its weight and size characteristics.
It's interesting to see what's inside the black box. There is a transmission gear mechanism here. What is he like? Plastic gears or metal? It is very important. The most interesting thing is, what kind of generator is here? Cheaper models have conventional commutator motors. For example, those that are on printers. Considering the power, it must be of impressive size. And here it’s only 4 centimeters. It just won't fit here. Therefore, presumably there is some kind of tricky generator here. Perhaps even on neodymium magnets. A separate video with an overview of charging in analysis. All details will be shown.
A mobile phone has long become an important attribute of a modern person. It is very inconvenient if it suddenly discharges at the most inopportune moment - on the street or even far from civilization. However, you can insure yourself in this case, and the simplest option is a manual charger, with which you can recharge your phone (as well as a tablet or any other gadget) in any situation.
1) The simplest and cheapest manual charging
It looks like this. It's a simple box with a generator inside. If you turn the knob, a voltage of about 5 V appears at the output, which is exactly what is needed to charge a mobile phone. A minimum of frills - there is no built-in battery, only an LED indicating that there is voltage at the output. The price of such a device is low - only 150-200 rubles. including delivery. As they say, cheap and cheerful.
2) Flashlight with phone charger with mechanical generator and solar panels
A much more advanced option costs about 800 rubles. This is not just primitive charging. It has a built-in battery, a flashlight with three LEDs, a mechanical generator and a solar panel. The flashlight body is shockproof and waterproof.
The manufacturer promises that most common models charge without problems, but charging the latest iPhone models is not supported.
3) Flashlight with phone charger with mechanical generator, solar panels and radio
