Monday, November 11, 2002
Ecovell USB DC Car Power Adaptor
Posted by Jason Dunn in "HARDWARE" @ 02:00 PM
E-Preview Corp. sent me an interesting little device that, while quite simple, makes for a very useful travel accessory. One of the trends I've noticed lately is the increasing focus on providing power for mobile devices in a car. Last year I bought a power brick that plugs into my vehicle cigarette lighter (I think that needs a new name - "Firestarter") and gives me a standard AC outlet to plug into. On long car trips, having my laptop with me for work is a beautiful thing. The adaptor is clunky though, and the solution isn't very elegant
Some newer cars, like the Pontiac Vibe, now have an AC outlet built into the car. Nice! That still requires you to bring your clunky AC adaptor. I've found a better way around that - the Ecovell USB DC Car Power Adaptor (they need a shorter name!) accepts USB cable input and provides power for that device. Now, most USB cables are for synchronizing purposes only, not for charging (ie: you wouldn't want to plug your camera USB sync cable into this device). However, if you have a USB sync/charge cable for your Pocket PC, you have the perfect travelling equipment.
I tested the USB Car Adaptor with a sync/charge cable from Gomadic, and it worked nicely. The combination of these two items make for a very light-weight and small solution to getting power on the road.
Some further specs on the Ecovell USB DC Car Power Adaptor:
• Up to 2000 mA max output. About 4 X the power compared to regular USB power output.
• USB receptacle matches all ECOVELL USB Power Cable or Power/Sync Cable for most PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders, 2 way radio and other devices.
• Smart micro controller provides 2 layers of surge protection with instant current and stable voltage output.
E-Preview Corp. doesn't sell these items themselves - they are a supplier to the following companies that do:
www.gooddealpc.com
www.kricomputer.com
www.usaving.com
www.talkall.com
Some newer cars, like the Pontiac Vibe, now have an AC outlet built into the car. Nice! That still requires you to bring your clunky AC adaptor. I've found a better way around that - the Ecovell USB DC Car Power Adaptor (they need a shorter name!) accepts USB cable input and provides power for that device. Now, most USB cables are for synchronizing purposes only, not for charging (ie: you wouldn't want to plug your camera USB sync cable into this device). However, if you have a USB sync/charge cable for your Pocket PC, you have the perfect travelling equipment.
I tested the USB Car Adaptor with a sync/charge cable from Gomadic, and it worked nicely. The combination of these two items make for a very light-weight and small solution to getting power on the road.
Some further specs on the Ecovell USB DC Car Power Adaptor:
• Up to 2000 mA max output. About 4 X the power compared to regular USB power output.
• USB receptacle matches all ECOVELL USB Power Cable or Power/Sync Cable for most PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders, 2 way radio and other devices.
• Smart micro controller provides 2 layers of surge protection with instant current and stable voltage output.
E-Preview Corp. doesn't sell these items themselves - they are a supplier to the following companies that do:
www.gooddealpc.com
www.kricomputer.com
www.usaving.com
www.talkall.com
