Emergency battery / Power Pack

A Power Bank is a mobile charger that can be charged in advance to later charge phones, tablets or laptops. So a Power Bank is a handy gadget that allows you to charge electrical devices without the need for an electrical outlet. This is useful when you are on the road, for example.

How do you charge a Power Bank?

A Power Bank can be charged by connecting it to a power outlet. Most Power Banks use power via USB. This means that a Power Bank, just like a smartphone, iPad or GPS system, can be charged by connecting it to a USB charger (which comes standard with most smartphones and tablets) or by connecting it to a computer with an often supplied USB cable. Power Banks that are suitable for charging laptops are often charged by an included adapter. In addition to the standard way of charging (USB or adapter), Solar Power Banks are also charged by a solar panel that is part of the Power Bank.

What can you charge with a Power Bank? And how do you charge something?

What you can charge with a Power Bank depends on the type of Power Bank used. We distinguish between Laptop Power Banks and USB Power Banks.
USB Power Bank

With a USB Power Bank you can charge all products that are charged by means of a USB connection. Connect the cable that charges your smartphone or tablet to the Power Bank and it usually starts charging automatically. With other Power Banks you have to press a button after which charging starts. Before you can charge something with a Power Bank, the Power Bank must first be charged by yourself. Most Power Banks have handy LED lights that indicate whether and how far it has been charged.

Most Power Banks come with cables and connectors that allow you to charge the Power Bank as well as most smartphones, tablets, cameras and game consoles.

Laptop Power Bank

A Laptop Power Bank can be charged by connecting it to the mains (with the adapter often included). With the included adapter and connectors almost every laptop can be connected. Check the product description to see if a Laptop Power Bank is also suitable for your laptop.

How does a Power Bank work?

A Power Bank contains one or more Lithium-Ion cells. These Lithium-Ion cells function almost the same as normal rechargeable batteries and can be charged by means of a USB connection or via a usually supplied adapter/cable.

How long does a Power Bank last?

How long a Power Bank can charge something depends on the power of the Power Bank. The power indicated in mAh indicates how powerful a Power Bank is. The greater the power, the longer the Power Bank is able to charge something. Whether a Power Bank can charge a phone, tablet or laptop partially, fully or several times also depends on the power of the device you are trying to charge. For example, a digital camera has limited power, a phone already has a bit more power and tablets and laptops already have a lot of power. To answer the question how long a Power Bank lasts and how often you can charge your phone or tablet, you need to know how powerful the battery in your gadget is. Roughly speaking, you can divide the power of the Power Bank by the power of your gadget. The result is the absolute maximum number of times you can charge a product. Because the Power Bank needs energy to charge something and loses energy over time, the actual power is often a bit lower.

To illustrate: a 5600 mAh Power Bank should charge every modern smartphone at least twice and up to four times.

How long does it take to charge a Power Bank?

How long it takes to charge a Power Bank depends on the capacity of the Power Ban.