iPod Newbie Ipod question - charging

[slimecity]

Hi there - I have a fairly vintage ipod nano - its great. It charges from the mac and at the wall, with no issues, so its not a dirty contact issue or anything like that. .

Problem is that it sporadically accepts powerbanks. I need it to charge from a powerbank as I tramp frequently and am often in the bush and I need a reliable system.

I haev used about 3 powerbanks. The latest one is a Promate Aidbar and it had good reviews, it has been working really well. It charges my iphone 6 no probs. The ipod charged a couple of times with this powerbank however now it seem to recognise it. Some questions:

Do Apple products recognise specific voltages from "approved" apple chargers etc, and if the powerbank isnt giving this, the ipod etc wont charge?

If I get a "charging only" lead (ie: not including data transfer) can I bypass this issue?

Some help woud be appreciated! Sick of buying these things only to have them not work. could upgrading the ipod to one that is known to be fairly lax with powerbanks be an option?

 

[cruisin]

The only "approval" is when you want to charge higher than the USB default of 5V and 0.5A, as it has to negotiate the correct amps (0.5/1/2) for the device. The default amps should always be available. If there was a approval list, your iPhone would have the same issue.

Have you tried a different cable? This is the first thing I would try, unless you only have one cable.

You can get a charge only lead, or if you can't find that you can get a device called "USB condom" which is the same thing. They are used when charging in public places and you are not sure if the public USB port will also install malware. I don't think this will solve the issue, as the iPhone charges from the power bank, but it isn't particularly expensive if you want to try it.

One of my power banks has a power saving "feature" that makes it refuse to stay on when the power draw is too low. I have a small USB light that is affected by the low power draw issue. Maybe yours has the same thing and will only charge the iPod when it is close to empty (below 50%), when the power draw is higher (The iPod Nano has a small power draw anyway). My other one doesn't have this.