Charging the iPhone off the airplane battery?

Diana

Diana

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 21, 2005
Messages
6,163
Location
Southwest MO
Display Name
Display name:
Diana
So, while at OSH for 10 days, I'd like to be able to charge the iPhone off the airplane battery. The only thing that comes on automatically when the master is on is the turn and bank, and I could take the fuse out for that and put the fuse back in when I get ready to leave.

I wonder if this would be feasible, and how much it might run my battery down if I do this for maybe an hour a day (while next to the airplane). In the past I've left my phone charging in the tie-down building, but I hate to leave my iPhone there. Besides, it's a pain to run back and forth to the tie-down building.

Thoughts?
 
Another question: Once the phone becomes fully charged, does it stop draining the battery?
 
12VDC battery in your plane?? If so no problem.

Diana said:
Another question: Once the phone becomes fully charged, does it stop draining the battery?
Click to expand...
Doubtful. The newer electronics, especially cellphones, use LiION batteries.

Simply put; The way these are charged is not through a continuous charging current like in older battery technologies, but through a series of pulses. This helps to keep the battery cool as over heating can damage the battery. Even after the battery achieve a fully charged state a maintenance pulse may still be used to help keep the battery charged and healthy.

Battery charging talk among engineers is a lot like talking religion between zealots. Lots of opinion., theories, and methods with an occasional holy war breaking out.
 
smigaldi said:
12VDC battery in your plane?? If so no problem.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

smigaldi said:
Simply put; The way these are charged is not through a continuous charging current like in older battery technologies, but through a series of pulses. This helps to keep the battery cool as over heating can damage the battery. Even after the battery achieve a fully charged state a maintenance pulse may still be used to help keep the battery charged and healthy.
Click to expand...
Thanks Scott.

smigaldi said:
Battery charging talk among engineers is a lot like talking religion between zealots. Lots of opinion., theories, and methods with an occasional holy war breaking out.
Click to expand...
I wondered if that would happen. As long as I don't get shot in the crossfire. ;)
 
Diana said:
So, while at OSH for 10 days, I'd like to be able to charge the iPhone off the airplane battery. The only thing that comes on automatically when the master is on is the turn and bank, and I could take the fuse out for that and put the fuse back in when I get ready to leave.

I wonder if this would be feasible, and how much it might run my battery down if I do this for maybe an hour a day (while next to the airplane). In the past I've left my phone charging in the tie-down building, but I hate to leave my iPhone there. Besides, it's a pain to run back and forth to the tie-down building.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


I bought one of these, seems to work well in tests at home:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-..._9?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1213576231&sr=8-9
 
What I've always done is just schlep to the showers in the evening, and sit and chat with folks there while I plug in the device(s) to charge. Only takes maybe 20-30 minutes to charge up a cell phone from an AC outlet.

Edit - I also have left stuff charging outside while I showered inside, and no problem. OSH is the one place where I think that if I left my wallet out, it would turn up missing ONLY because some good-hearted person was trying to return it to me.
 
Last edited:
TMetzinger said:
What I've always done is just schlep to the showers in the evening, and sit and chat with folks there while I plug in the device(s) to charge. Only takes maybe 20-30 minutes to charge up a cell phone from an AC outlet.
Click to expand...
When I go to banjo camp out at Fort Flagler, WA the only electricity is in the bathrooms. So each morning I take my cellphone and charger with me, plug them in and take a shower. Seems to do the trick. I am also up pretty early so no one else is there.
 
Skypilotcfii said:
A normal 12V Aircraft Battery would charge an iPhone many many times before it would effect the capacity for starting.
Click to expand...

But leaving the master switch on, and hence, the master relay engaged for extended periods of time will drain your aircraft battery. The master relay itself draws at least an amp or two since it's got a pretty healthy sized solenoid coil inside.

One of these ( http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=16346 ) booster batteries is great for a portable 12V source for charging cellphones. It has a lighter socket built-in. You can get them for about $30 online (thru amazon.com, etc).

Also it you're an electronics tinkerer, you can just wire up a cigarette lighter jack to a 12V lantern battery and it'll charge your phone every night for probably a couple weeks or more, as a very low-budget solution.
 
Diana, if I wanted to charge my phone off the airplane battery I'd rig something that would let me connect the charger to the airplane battery without turning the master on. In addition to the turn gyro you'd be powering the master contactor and several gauges. The total current for all that is likely at least a few if not several amps and will drain your battery significantly in the few hours it takes to charge a phone.

The cell phone charger itself probably won't have much effect on the airplane's battery but I'd disconnect it relatively soon after the phone has been recharged to minimize unnecessary discharge.

Alternatively, you could bring along a jump start battery that has a cigar lighter socket and use that instead. Or something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/3h7fvb
 
Looks like you're getting plenty of good ideas here, though I personally wouldn't clip anything directly to my battery without a fuse in the line. I require more than just phone charging since I have young sons with portable games and a laptop that needs charging. Back when usenet was actually usable I got this idea (briefcase solar cells) from one of the guys there:

http://home.fuse.net/tjmcquinn/campMcQuinnGoesGreen.jpg

I bring a decent 12 volt rechargeable battery and just charge it during the day. Last year we were there 8 days and had all the power we needed.


Tom
 
How hard is it to access the plane's battery? If it's easy I suggest you use Dean's option #2. You should be able to buy one at an auto parts store, or maybe Radio Shack. I have one, but can't remember where I bought it. :dunno: You're welcome to charge your phone at my plane while I'm there, but then that's always up in the air, so to speak. :rolleyes:
 
Because the Citabria's battery is a pain to access (unless you would have sprung for the baggage door when you re-covered), and because you have weight limitations that might preclude one of the the backup battery units, I would encourage you to think about a solar charger. A quick google search turned up a number of them, some less than $50.

If I bring my airplane, I would be happy to throw on board my Honda generator, which I could lend you and then you could collect money from other campers to charge their phones! Yeah, a business venture! Having said that, I will probably fly up commercial this year. Haven't decided yet.
 
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! :) I've been studying them. :yes:

ddevillers said:
I bought one of these, seems to work well in tests at home:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-..._9?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1213576231&sr=8-9
Click to expand...
That looks very promising. I saw somewhere that it weighs five pounds. I might be able to do that in the Citabria, but I'll have to leave something else out. I usually head out for OSH about one pound under gross.

skyflyer8 said:
I know, I'm not helping....

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1513938.html
Click to expand...
Kate, that's funny! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

lancefisher said:
Diana, if I wanted to charge my phone off the airplane battery I'd rig something that would let me connect the charger to the airplane battery without turning the master on. In addition to the turn gyro you'd be powering the master contactor and several gauges. The total current for all that is likely at least a few if not several amps and will drain your battery significantly in the few hours it takes to charge a phone.

The cell phone charger itself probably won't have much effect on the airplane's battery but I'd disconnect it relatively soon after the phone has been recharged to minimize unnecessary discharge.

Alternatively, you could bring along a jump start battery that has a cigar lighter socket and use that instead. Or something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/3h7fvb
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Lance. That little gadget might not work with the iPhone. Seems like the iPhone is pretty selective about what it works with.

Ken Ibold said:
Because the Citabria's battery is a pain to access (unless you would have sprung for the baggage door when you re-covered), and because you have weight limitations that might preclude one of the the backup battery units, I would encourage you to think about a solar charger. A quick google search turned up a number of them, some less than $50.
Click to expand...
Yep, getting to the battery is a major pain and I won't be able to access it while at OSH. The solar charger idea sounds good.

Ken Ibold said:
If I bring my airplane, I would be happy to throw on board my Honda generator, which I could lend you and then you could collect money from other campers to charge their phones! Yeah, a business venture!
Click to expand...
It's on wheels, right! I could just pull it around the North 40 all day and make a bundle! That's the ticket! ;)

Ken Ibold said:
Having said that, I will probably fly up commercial this year. Haven't decided yet.
Click to expand...
If you fly up will you be parked at the North 40? I know better than to ask if you're camping. :D

Thanks again everyone.
 
Diana said:
If you fly up will you be parked at the North 40? I know better than to ask if you're camping. :D
Click to expand...
Nope. I file IFR and come over Lake Michigan into Appleton. I can't afford to get trapped at OSH if the weather on departure is IFR.
 
Diana, the warbird volunteer camping area is adding several "power panels" around its periphery this year just for cell phone and laptop charging. I wouldn't be surprised if the North 40 did the same. If all else fails we'd be happy to have it charged for you. Mary or Kathleen could get it to you when it was fully charged if I'm out of pocket.
 
Diana,

I was thinking about renting a Honda generator this year to keep all the gadgets charged. You'll just have to find a camp site near me. :yes:
 
Steve said:
Diana, the warbird volunteer camping area is adding several "power panels" around its periphery this year just for cell phone and laptop charging. I wouldn't be surprised if the North 40 did the same. If all else fails we'd be happy to have it charged for you. Mary or Kathleen could get it to you when it was fully charged if I'm out of pocket.
Click to expand...
Thanks Steve. :)

flyingcheesehead said:
Diana,

I was thinking about renting a Honda generator this year to keep all the gadgets charged. You'll just have to find a camp site near me. :yes:
Click to expand...
How big is your generator? Is it one of those annoyingly noisy ones? :eek:

Tom just came home with one of those Black & Decker charger things, so we'll play with it and let you know how it works. Since it will be added weight in the Citabria, I will have to leave Tom at home. ;)
 
Diana said:
How big is your generator? Is it one of those annoyingly noisy ones? :eek:
Click to expand...

I dunno, I'm going to RENT it. ;)

I'd plan to rent only one of the uber-quiet Honda ones like they sell at the show for about $550.

However, now I'm thinking it might be just as cheap to buy one of those battery booster/inverter combo things and the solar panel to keep it charged. That way I'd have a completely silent solution! :yes:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
However, now I'm thinking it might be just as cheap to buy one of those battery booster/inverter combo things and the solar panel to keep it charged. That way I'd have a completely silent solution! :yes:
Click to expand...
Your neighbors will feel more kindly towards you if you do that. One guy in the next row of airplanes had a noisy generator that he turned off at 10:30 at night at first and then he eventually kept it on all night. He was VERY unpopular. But he didn't seem to care...he stayed in his tent and played with his electronic toys and didn't socialize.
 
sounds like justification for lynch mob action right there!
 
Neal Howard said:
One of these ( http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=16346 ) booster batteries is great for a portable 12V source for charging cellphones. It has a lighter socket built-in. You can get them for about $30 online (thru amazon.com, etc).
Click to expand...
Tom got one of those for me yesterday at Lowe's. I charged it up and used it today to charge my iPhone. Works great! It's going to OSH in the Citabria and I'll just charge it up at the tie-down building if/when it runs down.
 
Dean said:
Diana,
Take one of these with you, then you can charge the iphone off the plane and keep the plane battery charged with this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Volt-Solar-B...ryZ79845QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...

Now that I'm seriously looking at this stuff... Is that enough? 2 watts? Will my battery (I'm gonna use one o' them Black and Decker thingies too I think) be toast by the end of the week? Or would this be a better option? Is that even enough?

I'm hoping to be able to charge the iPhone at night, and some 2400mAh camcorder batteries during the day.

I'm tempted to just buy a car battery and build a box that has what I want... But I won't have time to do that before OSH. :no: :(
 
The solar panel isn't worth the effort. If the panel actually outputs what they claim (12v, 1.7 watts) perfectly for 8 hours you'd be able to charge the iPhone twice. Would it actually work perfectly like they claim for 8 hours per day? I doubt it.

You'd be way better off just bringing a 12 volt battery big enough to last, which is exactly what Diana is doing, although that Black and Decker model doesn't have much power (and their numbers are a little odd). It could probably charge the iPhone four times. But who knows--you'd have to really measure the stuff to see how it all actually performs.

That thing wouldn't charge an empty car battery hardly at all....Enough to turn on the dome light and maybe click the starter :)
 
Last edited:
The solar panel I use is on ebay too:

http://tinyurl.com/6mukg4
But I have to admit I have never tested it by letting my gel cell run all the way down and seeing how long it takes to recharge. It's entirely possible that most or all of the power I need comes with me!

I see people talking about generators. Have the rules changed? I thought that generators we only allowed in one small section.

Tom
 
I'd buy a decent-sized gel-cell battery, use that.

It might still be worthwhile to have a solar cell charging the gel-cell on an ongoing basis, too.
 
tmcquinn said:
The solar panel I use is on ebay too:

http://tinyurl.com/6mukg4
Click to expand...

Oooo... I like that one. More power, still reasonably-priced, easy to carry, and can stand up on its own.

I see people talking about generators. Have the rules changed? I thought that generators we only allowed in one small section.
Click to expand...

That's in Camp Scholler, too. There isn't a generator section in the North 40, but I know I've seen people filling theirs out of the sump drains on their airplanes! I also camped right by the Hilton last year, maybe 40 feet away from where two refrigerated straight trucks were parked. In that situation, nobody would notice the little Honda generator. :no:
 
This is the cheapest method for using the12V while on the road.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Part...hash=item200238860507&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

It is a well constructed battery charger that came on VW and Audi cars. It will plug into your ligher socket, if it's hot will keep the battery up. If the lighter socket is not hot with the master off, then you can get a simple lighter to alligtor clip and clip it right to the batt. Radio Shack has them for a few bucks.

I use it on my boat and plane. Just clip it to the batt, and aim at the sun. In summer, you get quite a few hours of energy out of them. You should turn off the elec T&B so as not to run it when the master is on.
 
docmirror said:
This is the cheapest method for using the12V while on the road.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Part...hash=item200238860507&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

It is a well constructed battery charger that came on VW and Audi cars. It will plug into your ligher socket, if it's hot will keep the battery up. If the lighter socket is not hot with the master off, then you can get a simple lighter to alligtor clip and clip it right to the batt. Radio Shack has them for a few bucks.

I use it on my boat and plane. Just clip it to the batt, and aim at the sun. In summer, you get quite a few hours of energy out of them. You should turn off the elec T&B so as not to run it when the master is on.
Click to expand...

Just the master contactor will draw more current than a small solar panel can output. In addition to that you'd have to power the gauges and panel lights at a minimum.

The only way this kind of thing would help at all would be to connect it directly to the battery so it can charge with the master off.
 
docmirror said:
This is the cheapest method for using the12V while on the road.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Part...hash=item200238860507&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

It is a well constructed battery charger that came on VW and Audi cars. It will plug into your ligher socket, if it's hot will keep the battery up. If the lighter socket is not hot with the master off, then you can get a simple lighter to alligtor clip and clip it right to the batt. Radio Shack has them for a few bucks.

I use it on my boat and plane. Just clip it to the batt, and aim at the sun. In summer, you get quite a few hours of energy out of them. You should turn off the elec T&B so as not to run it when the master is on.
Click to expand...

lancefisher said:
...The only way this kind of thing would help at all would be to connect it directly to the battery so it can charge with the master off.
Click to expand...
Or get a modern one that also desulfates the battery:

http://www.thebatteryminder.com/12v3asolarbatteryminder-p-33.html

(not in the $10 range)
 
Okay,

Here's the final verdict, after some adjustments to the system while at OSH. I was charging the iPhone, camcorder batteries, and running a fan so I could stay cool in the tent.

ddevillers said:
I bought one of these, seems to work well in tests at home:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-..._9?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1213576231&sr=8-9
Click to expand...

Neal Howard said:
One of these ( http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=16346 ) booster batteries is great for a portable 12V source for charging cellphones. It has a lighter socket built-in. You can get them for about $30 online (thru amazon.com, etc).
Click to expand...

I bought the aforementioned Black and Decker battery booster with the 12V socket and also a solar panel, thinking I'd use the solar panel to keep the booster charged. Problem #1: The booster refuses to allow you to charge it and use it simultaneously. I also don't know how on earth it could possibly charge up a car battery - It was only able to run a small battery-powered fan for three hours before it ran out of juice (yes, fully charged). Then, after I charged it again, it only charged the iPhone three times before it choked again. It was useful, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. I'll continue to use it, but I was disappointed. Again, no WAY this is gonna really get a car going unless the car is very close to turning over on its own. I'm not taking the jumper cables out of my trunk any time soon. :no:

Dean said:
Diana,
Take one of these with you, then you can charge the iphone off the plane and keep the plane battery charged with this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Volt-Solar-B...ryZ79845QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...

Ixnay, no way. Not nearly enough power output to really do anything meaningful. It'll keep a car battery with no load on it full, but not much else. 1.7 watts? My laptop's power adapter is 85 watts.

tmcquinn said:
Back when usenet was actually usable I got this idea (briefcase solar cells) from one of the guys there:

http://home.fuse.net/tjmcquinn/campMcQuinnGoesGreen.jpg

I bring a decent 12 volt rechargeable battery and just charge it during the day. Last year we were there 8 days and had all the power we needed.
Click to expand...

tmcquinn said:
The solar panel I use is on ebay too:

http://tinyurl.com/6mukg4
But I have to admit I have never tested it by letting my gel cell run all the way down and seeing how long it takes to recharge. It's entirely possible that most or all of the power I need comes with me!
Click to expand...

And, we have a winner! I bought this one too. 15 watts IIRC, almost 10x the ones linked elsewhere in the thread, and 3x the one that Target had for the same price. And, it worked GREAT. Even though the B&D booster refused to charge off it, I ended up using it for the camcorder batteries when I was away from the campsite. I used it for the iPhone the one time I was briefly back at camp during the day. It also worked PERFECTLY for the fan - It turned out to be pretty cold at night this year so I didn't need it, but I faced the panels east and plugged the fan in, so when the sun came up and the tent started to get hot, the fan would just come right on. The panels also were able to run the fan, albeit a bit slowly, even before the sun actually rose. All in all, I'm happiest with the purchase of the briefcase solar panel out of all the power-related junk I had. Thanks for the tip, Tom!

Steve said:
Diana, the warbird volunteer camping area is adding several "power panels" around its periphery this year just for cell phone and laptop charging. I wouldn't be surprised if the North 40 did the same. If all else fails we'd be happy to have it charged for you. Mary or Kathleen could get it to you when it was fully charged if I'm out of pocket.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it was there last year, but there was a little pole (looked like one of those little phone company boxes that you see out by the road in some areas) that had 4 outlets on it next to the shower trailer up by the Hilton. Partway through the week, EAA brought a pair of power strips up there due to its popularity. Good job, EAA. :yes:

docmirror said:
This is the cheapest method for using the12V while on the road.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Part...hash=item200238860507&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

It is a well constructed battery charger that came on VW and Audi cars. It will plug into your ligher socket, if it's hot will keep the battery up. If the lighter socket is not hot with the master off, then you can get a simple lighter to alligtor clip and clip it right to the batt. Radio Shack has them for a few bucks.

I use it on my boat and plane. Just clip it to the batt, and aim at the sun. In summer, you get quite a few hours of energy out of them. You should turn off the elec T&B so as not to run it when the master is on.
Click to expand...

Again, OK as a battery maintainer, but I was using every bit of the 15 watts off the briefcase panel to do anything useful. The smaller panels like this just wouldn't work well enough.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I was able to power everything without a generator, and now I feel "green" since I own a solar panel. :D
 
Well, I was happy with my little Black and Decker. I just dropped it off at the tie down shack every day to charge back up when I went in to the main grounds (the city :D) and it kept my iPhone charged the rest of the time. Worked good for all that I needed it to do. Seems like spending time on the internet uses up a LOT of my iPhone battery.
 
Glad you got it worked out. I charged my plane battery(directly on the batt) and also charged my ATT 8525 several times with the VW charger. It's only 5 watts, but that is fine to maintain a chem batt, or charge a NiH or NiCad. Total cost on flebay was
$19. If you want more current, get more cells.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top