Solution For Too Many Chargers/Devices To Be Charged?

By Misty Dawn, 16 July, 2014

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

We all know that, these days, practically every major device has Lithium-Ion batteries that require their own chargers to charge them.

First of all, does a "universal charger" even exist where you can charge any of these devices on it?

Secondly, does one (that is accessible or reasonably so) exist with a bunch of ports where you can connect several devices at one time/in one place?

Thing is, I'm sick of having to keep track of all those chargers/finding places to plug everything in, both the chargers and the things to be charged.

Options

Comments

By Steve on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - 21:24

Anker make a five-port USB charger with a detachable wall plug. The unit is about the size of a deck of cards, and the USB ports are intelligent enough to correctly identify the amount of power required for each item you connect to them ensuring you actually get a decent charge out of all five sockets. The device retails for 50 bucks but can be had for about 25 on Amazon right now. If you also need a device which has both USB and standard plugs, the Power Cube (reviewed elsewhere on Applevis) is an excellent choice, though it's also considerably larger than the Anker charger.

HTH,
Steve

By dvdmth on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 21:24

I just got the Anker 5-port charger mentioned in the previous comment. I got it because I had three devices to charge, but only two wall adapters. This allows me to charge all three and use only one wall socket, which I'm sure will come in handy the next time I travel.

I noticed something odd, though, and I'm not sure if it's normal. After charging my iPad with this device, I noticed that the battery indicator in the status bar stayed at 100% for at least an hour after unplugging and using it. It eventually started to decline, but it took a lot longer than usual for the indicator to budge. Until now, I've been using the adapter provided by Apple for charging the device, and I don't recall ever seeing the battery level at 100% for more than a few minutes after a charge. So apparently, this Anker adapter is giving my iPad a bigger charge than Apple's own.

The iPad is supposed to have an internal circuit which prevents an overcharge, but it is still curious to me that two different wall adapters are yielding different amounts of charge, with the same Lightning-to-USB cable. I guess I shouldn't complain, if I end up getting a little more battery life with this new adapter, but it was definitely something I didn't expect.

By Misty Dawn on Sunday, November 23, 2014 - 21:24

A couple questions:

First, has anyone else experienced the problem of the above commenter concerning inconsistent charge with Anker?

Second, can someone please provide me with a direct Amazon link so that I know that I'm purchasing the right thing?

By dvdmth on Sunday, November 23, 2014 - 21:24

Here's a link to the item at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Charger-PowerIQ-Technology-Samsung/dp/B00GTGETFG/ref=cm_cr_pr_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

I should mention that, after using the charger for a while, the oddity I noticed with the battery indicator went away. I think the iPad needed to adjust its calibration for the new adapter, but once that was done, everything is working great. I have not had any issues whatsoever with this product.

There are some reviews at Amazon complaining about some ports not working, but Anker made a change to the internals of the device to prevent it from happening. I actually got a nice email from Anker about the potential problem, which I never had, and that they would gladly replace my unit with an updated model that solves the problem if I should ever encounter the issue.