Update: We have a new home for tablet charger guide. Information below may be out of date and lacks details on charge times from solar.
| A lot has changed since we did our last tablet update following CES in January, including the launch of the iPad 2, Blackberry Playbook, ASUS Transformer, Acer Iconia and T-Mobile G-Slate (by LG). |
| The good news from a charging perspective is most manufacturers are following the iPad’s lead and charge from 5 Volts. The Motorola XOOM, ASUS Transformer Acer Iconia are the only |
| Here’s the summary to date of the top tablet models’ charging connector and whether it charges from low-power USB (we tested 600mA) as well as high-power USB (2A). Note that in every case, these batteries are going to charge best from high-powered ports because their batteries are about 5 times the size of a cell phone battery. Charging from low-power USB will always be slow, even when it works. We haven’t been able to get our hands on either the ASUS or LG tablets yet, so we would appreciate any reader comments/confirmations. |
| Model | Charge Input | Charges from 600mA USB? | Charges from 2A USB? | Source |
| iPad/iPad2 | iPad/iPhone adapter | Yes | Yes | Voltaic Testing |
| Acer Iconia Tab A500 | Barrel (Size TBD) | No, needs 12V | Acer Specs | |
| ASUS Transformer | Proprietary | No | Online Reviews, Customers | |
| Blackberry Playbook | Micro USB | Yes | Yes | Voltaic Testing |
| LG T-Mobile G-Slate | Barrel (size TBD), MicroUSB | Yes | Yes | Online Reviews |
| Motorola XOOM | Barrel (size TBD) | No, needs 12V | Voltaic Testing | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Voltaic Testing |
| Next we looked at their battery size to come up with an estimate of how long each tablet would take to charge from either our 4 Watt or 9 Watt Systems. The Spark is our forthcoming solution for tablets solution, but giving how iPad sales are going we’re thinking of it as an iPad solar charger. In the calculations, we’re assuming that we’re charging one of our batteries first and then using that battery to charge the tablet from one of the battery’s USB ports. |
| Model | Battery Capacity (mAh) |
| iPad2 | 6930 |
| Acer Iconia Tab A500 | 6520 |
| ASUS Transformer | 6600 |
| Blackberry Playbook | 5300 |
| LG T-Mobile G-Slate | 6400 |
| Motorola XOOM | 6500 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab | 6800 |
| In real world tests in New York City, we’re charging the iPad in less than 10 hours of sun from the Spark (an 8 Watt system). Although we haven’t done full tests on all the other models, we’d expect them to charge a bit faster given their slightly smaller batteries, but 10 hours is still a reasonable estimate. With 4 Watts, again we’re going through our battery first, expect twice that. |
| The battery we’re pairing with the Spark is called the V39 USB battery and will have 39 Watt hours of capacity. Expect it to fill up each of the 5V chargeable tablet batteries a bit more than full. We expect our V11 USB Battery will charge them each about 1/3 full (this is our experience with the iPad). |
Samsung Galaxy Tab USB Charging Cable
Blackberry Playbook MicroUSB AC charger
Acer Iconia MicroUSB input – not a charging port
Evening.
Im currently in the army and looking to get a mac air/asus transformer. Looking at using solar power. Do you guys currently have any products that will be capable of changing said items? And if so, in how long (in good sun)
Cheers,
Cameron.
P.s: if you don’t, that’s ok, but I would appreciate you steering me in the right direction!
Thanks
Hi Cameron,
We do. I would suggest the Fuse 10W as the best fit. See https://www.voltaicsystems.com/fuse10w
For the MacBook, you’ll need our additional MagSafe adapter, see: https://www.voltaicsystems.com/mac
For the ASUS Transformer, you’ll need our ASUS adapter, look at the “optional adapters” here: https://www.voltaicsystems.com/adapters.shtml#laptop
Cheers,
Jeff
Evening.
Im currently in the army and looking to get a mac air/asus transformer. Looking at using solar power. Do you guys currently have any products that will be capable of changing said items? And if so, in how long (in good sun)
Cheers,
Cameron.
P.s: if you don’t, that’s ok, but I would appreciate you steering me in the right direction!