Traveling with Too Many Chargers?

MotorMachineMercenar wonders: "I just took a roadtrip over a long weekend and noticed that I need to lug around too many chargers. I have a charger for my cell phone, Nintendo DS Lite, my two digital cameras and an iPod. Sometimes I will have one for a portable HDD and laptop. In addition I have to carry a plug converter as some of them have been bought overseas. That's up to eight gadgets just to give juice my power-hungry devices, and they take precious space and weight in my bags. Is there any way to limit the number of chargers without gimping my roadwarrior gear? Most devices have more or less fixed batteries, 'smart' chargers and proprietary plugs, but is it possible as DIY, or is there an existing product? I'd like to see a universal charger for which plugs for any current device with the flexibility to add more in the future. What are the limitations and caveats with 240 vs 120, wattage, cutting and connecting cables, and so forth?"

Asking the wrong question

[DerekLyons]

I don't think you are travelling with too many chargers - but that you are traveling with too many things that require chargers.

use usb

[lavaface]

i think your best option is to use devices that charge via usb as much as possible. my phone uses usb to charge and i thought ipods did as well (don't have one though.) I know there are cameras that use usb to replenish their batteries. incompatible chargers is an enourmously frustrating experience so i am happy to see that more devices seem to be focusing on using usb. i know that radio shack sells kits with different adapter sizes and voltage switching as i used one to charge my minidisc player a few years back. this is not as good of a solution to me as usb charging so i look for that in devices i want to purchase. i realize differnt devices have dfferent amperage requirements but why, oh why, must cell phone manufacturers make so many different interfaces and amperage settings for what is essentially the same device! can they possibly be making that much money ripping people off for chargers? anyway, demand usb charging and hopefully more manufaturers will get a clue.

Re:use usb

[kwalker]

I agree with this. If the original poster is asking for a wonder-device to charge all the stuff he has already purchased, then best of luck, I can't help. I've been on a quasi-quest over the last several years to make sure all my portable devices can charge and/or run over USB, so I only need to lug around two chargers: one for my laptop, and one that spits out a USB-power connector (Something like the iPod chargers I've seen).

I did have to purchase a couple of USB-power adapters for devices that didn't already have one (e.g. my phone), but those take up minimal space, especially if you can find them in something like a zip-link auto-winder.

Proprietary

[fimbulvetr]

My phone, mp3 player, gps, and camera all charge and interface using miniusb. Perhaps you should consider purchasing products a little less proprietary?

What about all the wall-warts...

[Anonymous Coward]

The mess of a million wall-wart power supplies is not just inconvenient - the idle power supplies still draw current - it's a big draw on the grid when you add them all up.

USB charging as a standard is a great idea, but I'd like the world to move to a high-voltage + low-voltage standard.

Imagine: You have your standard outlet (by the conventions of your nation, of course), and you also have a low-voltage tap at each outlet. That low-voltage puts out a standardized voltage, has a standard current rating suitable for everything from a phone charger to a laptop battery recharger. Best yet: set it up so it's not drawing power from the grid when you're not charging anything.

All the manufacturers need to standardize on a common charging spec for this to work at all...

Re:Easy!

[penguinrenegade]

I absolutely recomment the iGo. You can charge 2-4 devices at once, and they have models that will even power up to midrange notebooks. I have one as does my wife - and they are invaluable. Get a new cel or other device? $10 for a new tip - RadioShack and others have them in major malls, you can even buy them in airports if you lose a tip. eBay often offers them for $10 per tip from various sellers.

I even have a tip that works with my battery charger - works with AAA, AA and 9V batteries. Best present I have had in quite a long time. It's got a carrying case, takes as many different tips as you need, and works on AC (US), DC (car charger) and airline charger. It's awesome to charge up my cel between flights - ON the flight!

USB-based charging rocks for cellphones

[billstewart]

My old Nokia phone supported a simple cheap charger cable with USB on one end and the phone's power connector on the other. No brick, no wall wart, uses a laptop for power, and the phone could run a long time even if I couldn't plug in the laptop, and any time I was going anywhere for business, I'd have the laptop and didn't need more clunky parts in the laptop bag (the USB-powered Ethernet hub also rocked.)

Unfortunately, my next Nokia phone couldn't use it, because it needed more amperage or some other undocumented quality. Now that I've got a cretinously stupid Motorola phone, I'll have to see if I can find the cable again.

Re:Proprietary

[MotorMachineMercenar]

Well, at surface this sounds like a reasonable suggestion. But why would I want to limit my choice of gadgets to those who use a certain type of power source. It's just one feature and it's not even a feature that's pertinent to the gadget's function. So, even if I have to lug around 5+ chargers I'd rather do that than use a sub-par camera, for example.

Besides, I don't know any dSLRs, portable gaming devices or phones which use (mini)USB for charging.