Power without a socket: power bank, solar lamp, emergency radio or power station?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Need power where there's no outlet? What mAh and Wh mean, when a power bank is enough and when you need a power station — with the cables you always forget.
You're at a street market in October, it's 4:30 PM, and it's getting dark. Your card reader needs charging, your phone is at 12 percent, and the only power outlet is in a building you don't have a key to. Or you're in a cabin without an external power connection, or the power goes out at home for a few hours. Always the same problem: you need power where there's no outlet.
There are roughly four solutions to that problem, and they vary enormously in price: loose batteries, a power bank, an item with a solar panel or dynamo, and a power station. They also don't solve the same things. Below, we list which one suits which situation and what to look for before ordering something.
First question: how much and for how long?
Almost every bad purchase starts with a wrong estimation of what you want to power. Therefore, make a list with three columns: what, how long, and how bad is it if it fails.
Charging a phone once a day is a small demand.
Light that needs to burn for four hours at a stall is a medium demand.
A laptop, a cash register system, or a small appliance with a plug is a large demand.
That third column determines whether you need a backup. For lighting that creates a cozy atmosphere, a failure is annoying. For the device you use to accept payments, a failure is a problem — you'll want a second solution ready.
mAh and Wh: why two numbers are not comparable
Power banks usually show a number in mAh (milliampere-hour). That indicates the amount of charge in the cells, but always at the voltage of those cells — not at the 5 volts that come out via USB. As a result, you get less from a power bank in practice than the number suggests: energy is lost when converting voltage and when heating up during charging.
For larger devices, Wh (watt-hour) is more often used. That is voltage times capacity and thus the more honest measure, because you can compare it between devices with different battery voltages. Rule of thumb: only compare mAh with mAh of the same product type, and use Wh as soon as you want to power something with an outlet.
The second number that matters is the power in watts: how quickly electricity can be supplied. A power bank with high capacity but low power will charge a phone slowly and not charge a laptop at all.
Small and always with you: power bank and loose batteries
For phones, earbuds, and small items, a compact power bank is the simplest. A Power Bank 3000mAh Red – Compact External Charger with USB (€14.95) fits in a jacket pocket and is intended for exactly that one boost to get you through the day. For a day with heavy use, or for two phones, this size is too small — plan for something heavier or two units.
Loose batteries are still the cheapest solution for anything that requires little power: lighting, a clock, a decoration, or a small device at the stall. Zinc-carbon cells like Panasonic AAA Zinc 4 pieces (€9.95) suffice for low-consumption devices. If you're running multiple items simultaneously, Dynamic Energy batteries R03 AAA 16 pieces zinc 1.5V (€5.95) are significantly more economical per piece. Always bring one complete spare set: searching for batteries halfway through the day is not a good plan.
Sun and crank: power that doesn't run out (but is slow)
Items with a small solar panel or a hand crank have one big advantage: they work even if you haven't seen an outlet for three days. The disadvantage is that they provide little power. A small panel on a lamp will charge considerably slower in autumn, with little and angled light, than in July.
Therefore, treat them as an addition, not a main source. The Solar Lamp with Power Bank – Super Bright Camping Lamp (€32.00) is a light that recharges itself during the day and where you can also charge a phone in an emergency. The Mini LED Flashlight with Hand Crank - 3 colors (€14.95) is meant for when everything is empty: cranking provides light, without depending on anything else. And an Emergency Radio with Solar, USB, and Crank (€70.00) combines these three charging methods in one device, with a radio included — especially relevant if you store it in a cupboard just in case.
The big solution: a power station with a panel
As soon as a device with a plug is involved, you'll end up with a power station. This is essentially a battery with an inverter, so it also outputs 230 volts. The Portable Solar Panels 60W with Flash Fish E200 Power Station (€350.00) is the combination of both: the station provides the power, and the 60-watt panel recharges it during the day.
Before you order something like this, check three things. First, the power your device requires — usually found in small print on the device itself or on the adapter. Second, whether the device runs continuously or only occasionally peaks; a heating element demands much more than a laptop. Third, how you'll charge it if the sun stays away for a day: a station that you plug into an outlet at home in the evening is more realistic in the Netherlands in October than a station that relies entirely on sunlight.
What you forget to bring
Most problems with power on the go are not battery problems but cable problems. Two separate cables of the same type are not a luxury, and a USB Charging Station 8 Ports Fast Charge and PD (€14.95) charges everything you take with you the next day in one go in the evening — power banks included.
Cables almost always break in the same place: right at the plug, where you pull it out of the connection. A set of Cable Protectors - Set of 4 (€1.95) costs almost nothing and extends the life of the cables you use most often. Keep everything together in one bag or container, so "the power bag" is one item you take instead of five separate things you forget.
One more practical point: if you're sending items with batteries or accumulators to a customer, check your carrier's terms and conditions beforehand. Separate rules apply to lithium batteries, and these vary by carrier and destination.
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