In addition to charging phones, tablets and other gadgets, did you know that you can use an external battery to charge a laptop?
If we are going to run out of battery in our laptop and we do not have the charger at hand, we can always resort to a laptop power bank since, after all, it will perform the same function as a charger (only with limited energy).
But not just any external battery from Amazon serves to charge a laptop , they must meet a series of requirements to work as a substitute for the charger:
- Compatible connector
- Same working voltage (V)
- Equal or greater power supplied (W)
In this Guide we will learn to identify a laptop power bank taking into account the previous requirements and, as always, we will recommend the best models available on Amazon.
But before to start, these are the Top 3 Laptop Power Bank in Australia selling in Amazon.com.au
The more that you read, the more things you will know…
- Slim Power Bank in Australia – Buying Guide 2020
- Anker Power Banks – Discover Anker external batteries
Contents
Features of a laptop charger
Before analyzing the previous requirements, we will quickly know what characteristics the charger of our laptop has in order to find a power bank that meets the same requirements.
For example, the following image we can see the specifications of a portable charger:
Within the specifications, if we look at the output:
- Voltage: 19.5V
- Intensity: 4.62A
This means that this charger works at a voltage of 19.5V (volts) and supplies a maximum current of 4.26A (amps). Being 90W the maximum power capable of providing a laptop:
- Power : 19.5V x 4.62A = 90W
With this information we already know the charging voltage of our laptop and what is the recommended power that a power bank should supply.
It is very important to know exactly this voltage, since if we connect it to a charger (or power bank) that works at a higher voltage we could irreversibly damage it.
Using a laptop power bank as a portable charger
Now we need to use a power bank that replaces our charger and allows us to charge our laptop in an emergency. To do this, it must meet the following characteristics:
Loading Port
A laptop can be powered through a power bank in 3 different ways, depending on the OUTPUT port provided by the power bank:
In the market we can find 3 types of laptop power banks:
1. Power bank with DC port
If we use a specific power bank with DC output, it is important to check its output voltage and whether it includes a connector compatible with the charging port of your laptop. Although, generally, these types of models usually include a set of adapters from the main brands.
Its main drawbacks are the difficulty in finding a model compatible with a computer (output voltage or connector), they are bulky and require an AC charger to recharge them (like a laptop charger).
2. Power bank with AC port
Another option is those power banks that include a 220V AC port .
In this case, we should not worry about incompatibilities since we can directly connect the charger of our laptop (or any other device) as if we did it to the plug of our house. Sounds good doesn’t it?
However, we also found some drawbacks: large dimensions, additional AC charger, and part of the power bank’s energy is also lost when using the device charger as an “intermediary”.
3. Power bank with USB-C PD port
A novel way to power your laptop is using a power bank with a USB-C output port with Power Delivery charging technology .
The USB Type C (USB-C) is the future of connectivity, you can connect and charge any device (mobile, tablet, laptop, cameras …) using a single port universal power, let alone find compatible cables and connectors. If you still do not know its advantages, we invite you to read this article .
On the other hand, Power Delivery (PD) is the technology that allows powering high-power devices – as is the case with a laptop, through the USB C port .
Nowadays there are many latest generation laptops that bet on USB type C as a power port, for these cases, simply, you should look for a power bank with Power Delivery compatible with the charging voltage of your laptop.
But what if my laptop doesn’t have a USB-C charging port? Is it possible to charge it with a power bank with USB-C PD?
We are aware that many users do not have a latest generation laptop, in this case we would need to use a special adapter or cable that has a USB-C connector (power bank) at one end and an INPUT DC connector (laptop) at the other.
This adapter or cable incorporates a trigger capable of demanding power in Power Delivery from the power bank at a certain voltage: in principle, they exist for 15V and 20V , we do not know if they will be manufactured at other voltages in the future.
For this reason, you have to pay a lot of attention to the voltage when buying this cable , since if we make the wrong choice we could seriously damage our computer. For example:
If we connect a 15V PD trigger cable to a laptop that charges at 20V , it will not be able to start charging: for a 20V laptop we need a 20V PD trigger cable.
If we connect a 20V PD trigger cable to a laptop that charges 15V , WE COULD IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGE OUR LAPTOP : for a 15V laptop we need a 15V PD trigger cable .
Output voltage (V)
In the case of a power bank with DC or USB-C PD output , it is very important to check that the power bank’s output port has the same voltage * as your laptop charger , otherwise you could irreversibly damage your computer.
This output voltage will always be indicated in the power bank specifications as «DC Output» or «USB-C Output» .
What happens if my laptop charges at a voltage of 19.5V * ?
Actually, any electronic device must support a voltage of + -10% of its nominal voltage , that is, if your laptop charges at 19.5V, it supports a maximum voltage of 21.45V (19.5V + 1.95V), for Therefore, a 20V power bank could be connected to it.
In addition, the voltage drop that occurs in the cable that connects the power bank and the laptop must be taken into account , which varies between 0.15V and 0.2V (depending on the resistance of the cable itself) for each meter of length .
For example, if the output voltage of the power bank is 20V, the laptop would receive a voltage of 19.8V (20V-0.2V).
On the other hand, we can also find models that can have one or more DC output ports with a fixed voltage or a single multi- voltage DC port , whose voltage can be selected (by pressing the “Power” button) at the load voltage of our portable.
Obviously, if we were to use a power bank with AC output, it is not necessary to check the voltage because we would continue to supply the laptop with its own charger (which is already in charge of transforming the 220V voltage to the computer’s charging voltage).
Power supplied (W)
Finally, the maximum power that can be supplied by the power bank’s output port must be taken into account :
If the charger of our laptop is 65W then it is advisable to use a power bank that is capable of providing the same power as the charger or higher , because, otherwise, the computer would not even start as it needs maximum power during startup (and subsequent use) at the same time that it recharges its battery.
However, in the next section we are going to see some situations in which it is possible to use a less powerful model:
What is the necessary power of a power bank to charge a laptop?
Depending on the laptop model, your charger will be designed to supply a maximum power of 45W, 65W, 90W, 130W …
We may not find a power bank that provides the same or higher power than that of our portable charger or we do not want to spend a lot of money. In these cases, we can also buy a lower power bank .
Suppose we are working in a coffee shop with our Lenovo Z50-70 laptop ( 65W charger ) and we run out of battery.
FAQs about Laptop’s Power Banks
- ✍️What is the necessary power of a power bank to charge a laptop?
Depending on the laptop model, your charger will be designed to supply a maximum power of 45W, 65W, 90W, 130W …
- ✍️What happens if my laptop charges at a voltage of 19.5V * ?
Actually, any electronic device must support a voltage of + -10% of its nominal voltage , that is, if your laptop charges at 19.5V, it supports a maximum voltage of 21.45V (19.5V + 1.95V), for Therefore, a 20V power bank could be connected to it.
- ✍️Can I use a laptop power bank as a portable charger?
Yes
- ✍️What if my laptop doesn't have a USB-C charging port? Is it possible to charge it with a power bank with USB-C PD?
Yes, in this case we would need to use a special adapter or cable that has a USB-C connector (power bank) at one end and an INPUT DC connector (laptop) at the other
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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