In need of a rechargeable battery bank I can keep in my car and use to charge my phone. My car is a little older and has one of those cigarette lighter things. Only problem is it doesn’t charge the phone, it just keeps it from dying, which is inconvenient for my current setup. Looking for good ones for the price, and hopefully ones that won’t explode or anything like that.

edit: It’s complicated to explain but with the position of the only spot I can put my phone holder due to a myriad of issues with my car, the wire would have to go over the steering wheel or over my lap or on the dash and with each one of those options it comes with its own problems that make me uncomfortable. With the way my job is, I need to constantly get back in and out of my car so I’d like if the wire weren’t in the way. I figure if I have a battery bank in the door pocket or something, I can just unplug the wire and stuff it back into the door.

while I appreciate people trying to help, this is also why i dislike asking tech questions on the internet. :/ Only two people actually answered the question

  • Pete Hahnloser@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Have you looked into getting a different adapter? If what plugs into your cigarette lighter for 12VDC spits out 5V at 2.4A, you’re only looking at 12W of charging ability. Modern phones can easily eat more than than operationally.

    A quick Amazon search pulls up this for $12. It can charge via USB-PD (type C) at 36W or QC 3.0 at 18W — but your phone model may or may not be compatible. Some research will be required on your part.

    Since the phone is maintaining charge as opposed to draining completely, the wiring to the socket sounds like it’s fine; it’s the adapter that’s your point of “failure” from the details provided.

  • MangoPenguin
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    1 year ago

    Why not get a better charger? They’re cheap and you won’t have a battery sitting in a hot car which wears them out really quickly.

      • MangoPenguin
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        1 year ago

        I would get one new enough to have QC and PD support, since most devices use one of those protocols for charging. Those really old ones that only supply 2.4A @ 5V usually can’t keep up with a modern phone.

        Random one I clicked on

    • Chris Remington@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, I’d recommend that they take their vehicle to a mechanic that can fix or replace the cigarette lighter thingy.

    • bermuda@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      position of the charger in the center console doesn’t work for where my phone fits best.

      • Brkdncr@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        A long usb cable and route it under the dash. Zip tie it to other wires. A battery bank isn’t the right solution here.

      • MangoPenguin
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        1 year ago

        Well the cable length can be whatever is needed to go up to the phone

  • hassanmckusick@lemmy.discothe.quest
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    1 year ago

    Everybody is right that the car plug should put out enough power to charge your phone and it’s probably just a shitty 1A adapter. Look into that first. But to answer the question Anker is a solid brand.

  • zhou@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Personally I’ve had good luck with Anker products – they are reviewed to have robust protection circuitry and semi-frequently go on sale so they’re not super expensive.

  • shortwavesurfer@monero.town
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    1 year ago

    Something is wrong then. You should be able to pull 36 watts (12 volts x 3 amps) no problem. A phone slow charge is at 5 watts so i assume the charger you have is not working well. Try to find one thats 5 volts 2 amps which would put out 10 watts to the phone.

  • dark_stang@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’ve seen people plug heated blankets into those ports. It’s definitely capable of fast charging your phone but I’m guessing the adapter is busted (or just real old). You should be able to pick up a fast charger (20-40w) for $20-30 and not have to worry about charging a battery at home.

    • bermuda@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      long story short, with the position of the only spot where I can put my phone holder without it falling off (trust me i’ve tried a dozen other spots), the charger would be either on my lap or over the steering wheel and i’m not super comfortable with that.