Looking for a power bank with auto charging

aaz01 · 23 Aug 2017 at 16:27

I need a USB power bank which charges a mobile phone automatically when the phone is connected to it.

All of the ones I can find need you to press a button after connecting the phone.

It's for an in-car build I'm doing and I won't be able to press the button.

Anyone know of one?

Orcvader · 23 Aug 2017 at 16:32

Anker. Popular choice on these forums and very reliable. I have the 20100 powercore one for a couple of years now and it still lasts me a week. Even without quickcharge/etc it charges my phone pretty fast.

tom_e · 23 Aug 2017 at 16:34

I've got a couple including a few Anker ones and none require any buttons pressing just plug the cable in and away it goes.

b0rn2sk8 · 23 Aug 2017 at 20:14

MY cheap Lumsing from Amazon does this.

hux · 23 Aug 2017 at 21:18

Anker

loltim · 25 Aug 2017 at 02:27

b0rn2sk8 said:
MY cheap Lumsing from Amazon does this.

do you know the internals (or at least the batteries) are made by Samsung?

i really liked my lumsing before the charger connector broke.

Rroff · 25 Aug 2017 at 03:28

Its a bit hit and miss TBH I've a fair stack of power banks and many won't automatically charge a device without being "woken up" first - probably because they are boosting from 3.7V internally to 5V output and the cheapest and simplest regulated boost circuit will eventually run the batteries down if the output is left "on".

b0rn2sk8 · 25 Aug 2017 at 20:08

loltim said:
do you know the internals (or at least the batteries) are made by Samsung?

i really liked my lumsing before the charger connector broke.

Good to hear, I just thought they would be some generic stuff given the price. Though Samsung, batteries and piece of mind don't usually don't appear in the same sentence these days!

GeX · 25 Aug 2017 at 20:47

It also depends on the phone, I have an old Easy Acc power bank and it'd charge my Nexus 4, 5 and 7 with just being plugged in - but to charge my S6 or Note 3 it needs a button press to wake it up.

I wonder if some phones can back feed enough to kick the boost circuit on

dale1uk · 27 Aug 2017 at 08:36

If you're using it for an in car build how do you plan on keeping it charged? Most of the ones I've seen/used state you can't charge them and use them at the same time so that rules out leaving it connected to the car.

GTiPUG · 27 Aug 2017 at 10:39

dale1uk said:
Most of the ones I've seen/used state you can charge them and use them at the same time so that rules out leaving it connected to the car.

Do you meant can't?

dale1uk · 27 Aug 2017 at 14:05

GTiPUG said:
Do you meant can't?

Balls, edited

Rroff · 27 Aug 2017 at 14:28

dale1uk said:
If you're using it for an in car build how do you plan on keeping it charged? Most of the ones I've seen/used state you can't charge them and use them at the same time so that rules out leaving it connected to the car.

PortaPow do one that can charge and output at the same time but with most devices you have to wake it up to charge them.

I ended up making my own due to the problem of always available output without intervention.