Help with Integrated Battery Charger?

[wahaha686]

Hi all,

As a frequent flyer, I have owned and lost many chargers. So two friends and made something to fix this problem.

I am hoping to get some feedback on the product.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

 

[bhayes444]

It seems okay. The red laser upgrade might not be a needed addition, as it just seems odd to throw one onto a battery pack. Also, this seems to do things very similar to other battery packs with built in cables. The only difference here is the tracking feature, which I'm not sure is warranted, unless it was very expensive and you wanted to make sure it does not get lost. Then again you mentioned that it was designed for frequent travelers, and I am not one of those, so maybe they will appreciate its feature set more than I do. I just don't think will have a high volume of sales...

 

[MS_Hedrick]

It seems okay. The red laser upgrade might not be a needed addition, as it just seems odd to throw one onto a battery pack. Also, this seems to do things very similar to other battery packs with built in cables. The only difference here is the tracking feature, which I'm not sure is warranted, unless it was very expensive and you wanted to make sure it does not get lost. Then again you mentioned that it was designed for frequent travelers, and I am not one of those, so maybe they will appreciate its feature set more than I do. I just don't think will have a high volume of sales...

The tracker is your motivation to make this, and what differentiates the product. It's your best idea.

Laser pointer doesn't add much value. I'd also need an example of a must have function that the programmable buttons would provide.

As a product geared towards travelers, it's got to charge itself and devices quickly. Add foldable prongs to provide wall charger capability, or that's something else users will have to be carry. Expand your market by supplying built in capability to charge Android and iPhones with support for lightning and micro usb.

 

[wahaha686]

It seems okay. The red laser upgrade might not be a needed addition, as it just seems odd to throw one onto a battery pack.

Laser pointer doesn't add much value. I'd also need an example of a must have function that the programmable buttons would provide.

The laser is an optional add-on for people that want it. The base model will not have it.

For me, presentations as part of my job, so it helps to have the laser for that purpose.

I suppose I should swap out the laser module for flashlight, I think people will find that more useful.

Add foldable prongs to provide wall charger capability, or that's something else users will have to be carry. Expand your market by supplying built in capability to charge Android and iPhones with support for lightning and micro usb.

I plan to offer Micro-USB as well to cover the android users.

Wall socket part will make the charger bigger (mostly width), making it less pocketable, that was the reason I never really considered it for this project.
[doublepost=1472483885][/doublepost]Out of curiosity, with a little bit of tweaking, I can make the battery interchangeable, so people don't throw out the charger when after reaching the terminal life cycle, this way it's less damaging to the environment (assuming the battery cell is recycled).

I'm trying to choose the replaceable batteries that goes into the charger, maybe you and others can help me decide:

1. Panasonic 3400mAh cell, Amazon
Pros: smaller dimension allows for smaller overall charger, est. dimension L77mmxH33mmxW22mm, very pocketable,
Pros: standard battery size, a variety of battery brands / capacity
Cons: only 3400mAh, that should allow more than 1.5x charging for most phones,

2. Panasonic 5000mAh cell, Amazon
Pros: at 5000mAh, it could charge up to 2x of most phones, est. dimension L77mmxH40mmxW30mm,
Pros: standard battery size, a variety of battery brands / capacity
Cons: 40% increase in size compare to the smaller Panasonic 3400mAh, not very pocketable,

 

[bhayes444]

I'm trying to choose the replaceable batteries that goes into the charger, maybe you and others can help me decide:

1. Panasonic 3400mAh cell, Amazon
Pros: smaller dimension allows for smaller overall charger, est. dimension L77mmxH33mmxW22mm, very pocketable,
Pros: standard battery size, a variety of battery brands / capacity
Cons: only 3400mAh, that should allow more than 1.5x charging for most phones,

2. Panasonic 5000mAh cell, Amazon
Pros: at 5000mAh, it could charge up to 2x of most phones, est. dimension L77mmxH40mmxW30mm,
Pros: standard battery size, a variety of battery brands / capacity
Cons: 40% increase in size compare to the smaller Panasonic 3400mAh, not very pocketable,

I'm assuming this is for the mid-sized variant; since on your graphic you list three? It really depends on your goals for the product. If you do intend for this model to be pocket friendly then you should opt for the smallest size possible, that will still be useful. The 5000 mAh seems to be a nice compromise for size, at it would provide at least one full charge to pretty much any cell phone on the market today. But again, if size is a top priority then just go for that and make it the best that you can.