That being said, I have a few user notes to share...
The Input Side
Brunton includes both a 12V DC car plug and a 120v AC wall adaptor for the Sustain & Impel batteries. This means you can charge the battery packs at home and away (in your car). When it comes to charging the batteries from a solar panel, you have two options: 1. connect directly to Brunton panels using the multi-connect cable provided with Brunton solar panels. 2. Use the 12V CLA car plug to connect to the 12V CLA output socket of any other brand of panel. Herein lies the rub.
For some reason yet to be solved, the 12V CLA input plug that Brunton includes with the Sustain & Impel, does not play nice with solar panels. I have tried using this connector with both PowerFIlm & Global Solar SunLinq panels to no avail. There must be something in the plug adaptor that is causing a voltage drop, because using a similar connector purchased from Radio Shack / The Source (Canada) worked perfectly.
So, if you are having trouble charging your Brunton Sustain or Brunton Impel from DC sources, I encourage you to try a different CLA plug before blaming the battery.
Here are links to the Radio Shack / Source cables I have used with good success...
Heavy-Duty 8' Cable
Coiled 12V Cable
or in the USA...
12V Cable
If the cable doesn't come with adaptor tips, make sure you get the size "M" barrel tip connector to fit the Sustain & Impel.
The Output Side...
The Sustain & Impel have a built-in USB port. It is a universal one, which means all manner of iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, and other small USB-charged devices will be happy with it.
When it comes to iPad and other 2.1A high-power USB devices, they will 'power' from the built-in USB port, but they will not 'charge'. To 'charge' your iPad from the Brunton Sustain or Impel, you need to get a 2.1A car adaptor & plug it into the 12V socket on the battery.
The Sustain & Impel batteries also have a voltage switch to control the output cable. 12V, 16V, & 19V are provided, which covers most laptops, netbooks, and supports all kinds of 12V car adaptors for things like cell phones, camera chargers, GPS units, and battery chargers.
Cameras: You will need a DC charger for your camera. The Sustain & Impel do not support AC power, or AC power inverters, so your home wall camera charger will not work.
Laptops: The Sustain & Impel come with a variety of standard barrel connectors that fit 90% of laptop models. Set the Sustain/Impel output voltage to either 16V or 19V depending on the needs of your computer (your computer's AC adaptor will show you what voltage to use).
If you find that your laptop or netbook is not supported, look for a car adaptor for your computer, and plug it into the Sustain/Impel using the 12V mode.
Apple MacBooks: This is where Brunton really got it right. Because you can set the Sustain/Impel voltage to 16V or 19V, it is possible to use the Apple MagSafe Airline adaptor to connect the battery to your computer. No need to shell out $150 for a custom DC adaptor!
I will post more notes if/when they arise.
Cheers!
13 comments:
Hello,
Congratulation on the very nice article. I also have a Brunton Sustain battery and when I try to charge my HTC desire phone through the USB port it is not charging. Any idea how to get this fixed ? Any idea how to verify if the USB port is actually working ?
The USB port is activated by pressing the power/test button. If the port is not able to power your HTC, then likely there is something custom about the HTC's power requirements. The Sustain & Impel's USB port will cover most USB devices, so I would be surprised if it didn't cover the HTC. In the extremely rare case that it doesn't, you could try using a car adaptor through the 12V port (just like you would do in a car).
Interesting article. I have the sunlinq panels and wish to charge the sustain via the barrel connector that came with the panels. Is this possible, or do I have to buy the heavy duty 12V CLA from radio shack?
Anonymous,
The barrel connector for the SunLINQ panels will fit the Sustain & the Impel.
Thanks for the useful article. I was hoping you could confirm some information for me. I have the Brunton Impel, but unfortunately it did not come with the correct sized barrel connector for my Panasonic Toughbook CF-W4 laptop computer.
I was wondering if I could use this Fusion switching Power DC adapter to connect to the Impel's output device.
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&product=2738866&category=DC+AdaptorsandPlugs&catalog=Online&tab=3#more
I am currently overseas in Africa, so I'm unable to check with the store directly.
Many thanks for any advice you can provide.
Chris
Hi Chris, yes you can use any DC car adaptor with the Impel (or Sustain). I find that these work best when less than 30 Watts is needed, so using it to charge the laptop when the laptop is sleeping or 'Off' is best. Set the Impel's output to 12V, plug in the CLA socket outlet, and plug in the Fusion adaptor with the appropriate tip.
I ran into the same problem with the Impel not charging off of a solar cell (10W/18V/555mA) when I was using the Brunton supplied 9V male plug but then had no problem at all getting it to charge when I connected the cell to the battery with a cable and tip from a universal AC to DC converter that I have. I cracked open the male plug that they supplied and it contained 2 integrated circuits and a toroid. Perhaps they are doing a bit of power conditioning with their male plug.
I ran into the same problem as you with charging the Impel off of a solar cell (10W/555mA) with the supplied male car adapter. It charged just fine though when I connected directly to the solar cell
Hi Moe. Thanks for a great post. I am a regular Joe with limited knowledge of watts and amps so your explanations on using the Brunton with the Powerfilm are masterpieces of prose. I have learned so much from this post.
I just purchased the Brunton Impel and Powerfilm foldable 60watt. I have some questions.
1. My laptop power supply says DC 19V and 3.42A That said, what brunton volt setting should I put it at when a.) Charging the laptop in power off mode...I see a post of 12V in sleepmode. Is this good in my case too? b.) Having the laptop on connected to Brunton? Should it be 19V? What happens if I use 16V instead?
2. How will I know if the Brunton Impel is not charging up to spec any more and I need to get a new one?
Thanks for your comment, and positive feedback... glad to hear the post has been informative!
Answering your questions...
1. You will probably find that the laptop will run & charge when the Impel is set to 19V, but may only 'run' when on the 16v setting. It might charge on the 16V setting when the laptop is powered 'off', but that is something you will have to try. Laptop power management systems are always hard to predict. Your laptop will ignore the battery completely if it doesn't see adequate power/voltage anyway, and so will likely ignore the 12V setting completely.
The rule of thumb on these sorts of issues is start on the 16V setting, and go to 19V if you don't see the performance you should.
2. When a lithium battery reaches the end of its life, it will generally fail fairly quickly, and will show some strange charging/discharging quirks. For example, if you see the battery charge to 80% very quickly, and then never seem to get above that, then this would signal the pending demise. Also, if when using the battery, you see it discharging relatively quickly after reaching the 50% level, then this would also be a flag that it is starting to fail.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
I advise everyone to baby their lithium batteries as much as practically possible. Top-up the battery frequently, and try not to discharge below 50%. Lithium does not like to be cycled like the old NiCd cells, and you will shorten the battery life if you do.
Hope this helps!
Very Helpful. I did not know that about lithium batteries.
Three more questions:
I am having an issue finding a way to charge my ipad with the Brunton Impel. I have a 12 volt male adapter to connect to the ipad but where do I place the male connector. It seems I must have misplaced the female 12v connector that attaches to the Brunton (I do not recall seeing one in the box). Can I purchase a female connector to attach to the brunton at Radioshack in the US? What do you recommend. I suppose I could call Brunton but after reading the posts, I would feel better buying a solid third party 12v female adapter.
2. Does the Impel work in cold weather? What temperature will it stop charging correctly?
Is there a place I can post my powerfilm questions?
Found this article when trying to figure out why my Sustain has quit charging. I hadn't needed it since last summer when it worked fine. I got it out recently for a trip and found that I couldn't get it to charge. I have not purchased the Radio Shack CIG that you suggested and it still doesn't seem to want to charge. All I get after an hour or so when I turn the Sustain on is a blinking light. Is the battery shot?
I suggest calling Brunton for assistance. It may be a problem with the AC wall charger you have for your Sustain. If you are charging via a car socket, I suggest having the car 'running' for the higher voltage.
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