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Gamin Charger compatibility

Malte

Maximum Pace
Sep 26, 2011
496
54
Hello,

going for some touring soon and try to minimize my luggage.
Would need a charger for:
1) Camera
2) IPhone
3) Garmin

IPhone and Garmin can charge through USB, so my question:
Did you try to:
a) use the Netadapter from the Garmin and charge the IPhone, or
b) use the Netadapter from the IPhone and charge the Garmin

In principle it shouldn't brake something but you never know ...

Thanks,
Malte
 
I don't have a Garmin, but generally Apple stuff is more picky about its power sources and uses its own conventions for figuring out what chargers support rather than following industry standards. On top of that the Garmin probably draws a lot fewer mA than the iPhone while charging. So I'd go for the iPhone charger with a Garmin compatible USB cable + iPhone USB cable. Another possibility is to get a wall charger with two USB-A sockets rated for 1A that is iPhone compatible and use that to charge both units in parallel (not sure how long the Garmin takes to charge).

As an aside, it's a pity most cameras can't charge direct from USB like mobile phones do. The extra hardware involved would be trivial. I can buy PCBs for $3 a piece that step up 3.7 V from a Li-ion to 5 V (USB) as well as charging Li-ion from 5 V (step down to 4.25 V), but a 30,000 yen camera still needs a dedicated Li-ion wall charger because it is lacking half of that PCB's functionality. Somebody saved a dollar somewhere.
 
From Bic Camera or similar I got an iPhone charger that has a spare USB socket for charging another device. Works great so far. (I did blow the first one up in Hong Kong - made sure the next one I bought was multi-voltage.)
 
Everything you mentioned can be charged through the USB-Socket plug you got with the iPhone:

white-travel-plug-usb-device-charger-adapter-for-apple-iphone-ipod-40150n.jpg


Just make sure you have the cable for phone and garmin. As I don't know what your camera is I can comment if it will charge through USB or not.
 
Surely anything that has a USB cable will work with any USB mains adapter. I just use any old USB to mains adapter I find laying around. Never had one not work.
 
Surely anything that has a USB cable will work with any USB mains adapter.

Almost anything...

I just use any old USB to mains adapter I find laying around. Never had one not work.

As I said, certain Apple hardware is very demanding. The iPad is notoriously power hungry, but even certain popular iPhone models don't work with all USB chargers. The other way round generally is no problem.
 
If you go to a local denkiya, you'll see a variety of adaptors, including microUSB to iPhone and iPhone style to microUSB. They should all say they are compatible with iPhone 4, iPad, etc. So probably will work just fine. Of course, best to try them at home before running into trouble in the field.... This way you just need one cable, an adaptor (small) and I guess an AC plug like FarEast posted and that should do it.
 
Guy's I've reied and tested this with numerous products and the standard socket to USB adapter you get with the iPhone is the way to go - as Malte already has one there is absolutely no need to purchase anything else.

The only issue he may have is if his camera in non-USB compatible for charging and to be honest depending on the camera I would just take the camera charger or take a spare fully charged battery.
 
The only issue he may have is if his camera in non-USB compatible for charging and to be honest depending on the camera I would just take the camera charger or take a spare fully charged battery.

I bought myself two spare batteries from Amazon Japan for 420 yen each for my Canon Powershot S95. They're clones of Canon's NB-6L battery, supposedly the same 1000 mAh, but even if they weren't, who cares at that price (Canon's battery is over 3000 yen)! They measure 36 x 42 x 7 mm. By comparison my camera charger measures 60 x 85 x 22 mm. I could easily carry half a dozen spare batteries in the same space! Each lasts for hundreds of shots. I always keep the spare batteries in an inside pocket of my back pack when I head out.

With spare batteries it's best to rotate through them, using one battery until it needs recharging, then switching to a spare. Recharge the discharged one at home and make it a spare for next time. That way you spread the wear and you avoid keeping some batteries close to 100% charged all the time, which is not the best for Li ion battery storage.
 
Joe, that's exactly wwhat I do with my Nikon DSLR. I actually have the battery pack that bolts to the underside of the camera and takes two batteries - it's odd as it actually gives you the ability to take tripple the amount of shots than if you were to just rotate the batteries through.
 
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