Battery bank not charging...

Mr_Singleton

Have one of these...

https://www.ravpower.com/p/ravpower-xtreme-26800mah-power-bank.html

It's only got fully powered once and that was in Spain as it normally just sits there flashing light 2 of five whilst charging. Manual says it takes 13 hours but have left it for 24 but still only flashing light 2 of 5.

Any ideas before I take it back?

Sharon87

That's a LOT of power to charge. I have a 4800 phone case that lasts 2 full iphone charges (and then some). That takes about 3 hours to charge. If it's still flashing on 2, take it off and plug it back on, is it still on 2? Sometimes mine says 2, but then I use it charge my phone and there's 3 on it. The test is how many charges does it provide when on charge for 24 hours? Should last around 7-10 charges depending on the phone.

Zandoni

What charger are you using? Check the manual to see what power output is required.

Mr_Singleton

Thanks both having such a large power bank is a real book as not only does it charge my phone but also a Fuji XT-3 mirrorless camera, MacBook pro and iPad etc. It's also pretty compact just feels a bit heavy for its size.

The bank didn't come with a plug just 2 cables. Have tried a number of plugs inc. a Samsung fast charger but nothing seems to get beyond the 2nd light.

Might try and fully discharge it to dead and see what happens then try different plugs but the manual says a full charge takes 13 hrs.

culpepper

On that website in the link In their FAQs someone has asked the same question (maybe you?)
The answer is that it needs 30 hours for a 1 amp charger..16 to 18 hours for a 2 or 2.4 amp ..Of course they recommend using the 2.4

Dataless

Firstly you need to find a power charger, most USB chargers are 1amp, I had similar problem with a Bluetooth speaker, it was heavily discounted but takes ages to charge on 1amp chargers.

If you have a modern ipad it will have 2.5amp that will charge it in a better time same goes for an official Raspberry Pi Power Supply

amazon.co.uk/Official-Power-Adapter-Raspberry-Pi/dp/B01CO1ELT8

You might consider putting in a high amp wall socket, this one has 4.2amp but it is shared so 2.1amp max on any given port, less if you have more plugged in.

amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-924U44-01-Unswitched-Socket/dp/B01N6AMK6V/

If you want a dedicated charger then this one is 8amp across 5 ports (2.4amp max per port)

amazon.co.uk/Charger-ORICO-5-Port-Samsung-Tablets-Black/dp/B01AKB7VRI/

Watch out for fake 2.5amp Chinese chargers on eBay, the classic con they do is to quote 2.1amp with two ports, when I measured the amps coming out it was less than half an amp per port.

The batteries in your power bank will be Lithium 18650 cells they do not suffer from the memory effect nor do they need to be drained down to zero, in fact they have circuits to stop that every happening as it would ruin them otherwise. I suspect yours may have a problem and I would send it back.

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Thanks both having such a large power bank is a real book as not only does it charge my phone but also a Fuji XT-3 mirrorless camera, MacBook pro and iPad etc. It's also pretty compact just feels a bit heavy for its size.

The bank didn't come with a plug just 2 cables. Have tried a number of plugs inc. a Samsung fast charger but nothing seems to get beyond the 2nd light.

Might try and fully discharge it to dead and see what happens then try different plugs but the manual says a full charge takes 13 hrs.

Mr_Singleton

Thanks for the info dataless. Interesting I've now tried a number of chargers but still have the same issue...... was wondering is it possible that the cable from the wall plug to the battery bank could be at fault? That's the only thing I haven't tested/swapped out? Will give that a go tonight and if I'm still having issues I'll take it back.

almillar

Why are you taking it back if you haven't actually established a fault? There's no point in just trying different chargers randomly - you need to read them and see what their outputs are. Many will be 1 Amp but you should have got one with the battery, which could be 2 or 2.4 Amp, and would charge faster as a result. And yes, the USB cable could slow things down, without being faulty. Using the pack with its own charger and USB cable should be the first test. Charging big battery packs over USB can certainly be slow.

Robisere

Ravpower is a US company, I noticed this at the bottom of the webpage:

" All products of the website are not from the official brand, but the substitute products of the third party. "

toshi

As people here have mentioned already, check out your adaptor, make sure 2A or 2.4A one, 1A is no way.

In addition, you may need a good quality (shorter) cable. If you use a longer cable, you need a 20AWG thick cable. Some cheap thin cables may not charge fast due to the cable resistance (see below) even they claim fast charging cables.

https://goughlui.com/2014/10/01/usb-cable-resistance-why-your-phonetablet-might-be-charging-slow/

You may want to try an USB tester like below.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/usb+tester.TRS0&_nkw=usb+tester

I use Choetech usb 5V 2.4A SMT0008, and I gave a spare one for my friend's iPhone 8 (The iPhone original chager is pathetically slow 1A charger...) YOu can actully get up to 2.4A. Pretty quick with older 5V only QC2.0 fast charger.

https://lygte-info.dk/review/USBpower%20Choetech%20usb%205V%202.4A%20SMT0008%20UK.html


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/CHOETECH-USB-Phone-Charger-EU-Plug-5V-2-4A-Universal-Fast-Charger-for-iPhone-Samsung-Xiaomi/32742790687.html