Electrovaya PowerPad results

[Gary Shigenaka]

A long-time list-lurker here
I thought I would share with you my early experience
with the Electrovaya PowerPad 160 external power source and my 2400c (G3 320 mhz).
I know that a few others had indicated they would post their results but I don’t
recall seeing anything yet.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Electrovaya batteries are lithium ion
power sources for notebook computers.  There are three models, the 80, 120, and the
160.  The number represents the power capacity in watt-hours.  Weight ranges from
1.4 lbs (for the 80) to 2.4 lbs (for the 160).  Size of the PowerPad 160 is just a
little bigger than the footprint for the 2400c and about 3/8” thick.  The size and
thickness of these batteries mean that they pretty easily fit into backpack or
briefcase-type computer carriers.  These buggers are expensive—around $400 for the
PowerPad 160 at Provantage—but they can be used for any G3 or G4 PowerBook, not just
the 2400c.  I bought this thing for work, to use in remote field research situations
where access to AC power is not very consistent.

I had a problem with the first one I received.  At first I thought that the thing
was for some reason incompatible with the 2400c because no power was supplied and my
internal PowerBook battery ran down as it normally does when I’m not using an AC
adapter:  maybe 1.5 hrs worth of charge.  However, I had an electronics tech where I
work test the power output, and surprise
almost zero.  The PowerPad comes with two
output cables (to fit G3 and G4 PowerBooks), and both showed no output.  So I
contacted Electrovaya.  To make a long story short, it took a long time and many
calls/emails to get an RMA to return the battery and get a replacement, but I
finally did and it arrived yesterday.

So I charged it up and this morning thought I would see what kind of duration I
would get out of the thing.  The result:  it has powered my 2400c for 9 hrs straight
and the built in LED “fuel gauge” indicates that the PowerPad is still at 10-20%
capacity.  That’s not the lowest power level the gauge will show, but I don’t want
to sit around waiting for the battery to drain (it’s actually hot and sunny in
Seattle).  So...I would figure a nominal 10 hrs of use from the PowerPad before the
internal PowerBook battery has to kick in, which would give another hour or so of
use.  That’s a pretty decent long day’s work and might even last through an ugly set
of flights complete with airport delays.

The two main disadvantages are the initial cost (about the same as a 2400c on eBay),
and the fact that the battery has to be recharged via its own AC adapter (included)
(some notebook chargers provide the proper input voltage for the battery and an
additional charger is not needed—that’s not the case for PowerBooks).  Now that I
have a unit that works—I have to say the performance of the PowerPad 160 is
outstanding.  The fact that it works with the whole family of G3 and G4 PowerBooks
makes it a pretty versatile external source of power if a couple of pounds of
additional weight (and the cost) aren’t a deal-breaker for you.

Cheers, Gary