Can I charge a phone, laptop, etc, directly from the Boulder 15, or do I need to use it to charge a battery 1st and then charge the devices from that?
2083277
Yes you can so long as you get the Boulder 15 v. 2. Version 1 did not have an included USB charging option.
2083278
The panel charges the battery unit, such as a Yeti 150 or Escape 150 or other...... then you can user the battery to charge the device
2083279
No you can not directly charge a phone, laptop, etc. You can charge any of the Yeti power packs. I use a Yeti 150 to power my cooler with a Boulder connected sitting the sun charging it.
1935976
If you are referring to USB power packs for charging phones, yes you can. Just be aware that different battery packs are going to respond differently to the auto retry function. Some won't mind while others will be slow to charge when the auto retry reconnects (this is a safety feature with many battery packs to avoid charging a fully charged battery with full current). Other battery packs may cease charging if power is interrupted. So you might want to experiment here. But I've had good luck with charging USB battery packs with the Scharger 14.
162484
Hi David! This great tool only comes with a USB cable for charging. So, if you travel and use your laptop, which you probably do, all you need to do it charge it off your computer! I would assume you have some sort of converter to charge your laptop? How cool is that?! Hope this helps!
1360591
No, you can not charge a device and use it at the same time. Doing this will blow your device up and the battery pack will explode and burn you house down.
443419
The Goal Zero Boulder 15 can charge 12V batteries. This solar panel can produce up to 1A of output. For example, if the battery is rated at 12Ah, it will take 12 hours of optimal sunlight to charge the battery. The sportsman guide has a 12V battery, so it should be able to charge your device. On a side note, the output from the solar panel is unregulated; so it is possible you could overcharge your battery. I hope this answer helps.
2097928
Yes you can. You need a USB to Micro USB cable. If you plug it into the #1 port it will also charge the battery.
1557389
Yes. Our setup is consists of the charging panel, an RV battery, and a cigarette-outlet style inverter. With that, we had enough electricity to power our little pick-up camper AND charge cell phones and my laptop on a 3-day camping trip. Without the battery, though, I think you'd pretty much have a trickle charge that would take FOREVER to power up a laptop.
974737
No, the USB charges the battery and it won't work w/o battery. Although you can work with it while charging, but it is recommended not to do so, to increase the life of your battery.
2000912
Wont charge it directly, but if you keep a mobile battery in your pack, you can charge that and then plug your phone into the battery. Better than nothing in an emergency situaiton
1212965
Recharges by USB. Which, ironically, is the same way it charges other things...Basically, if you have the ability to recharge it, you probably do not need it right then.
945225
No, you cannot charge through USB. For an iPhone, 5W is required, for MacBook Pro, 60W is required (although 85 W is recommended). (So MBP would take 12 times longer than an iPhone.) If you got a suitable 12v inverter to connect to the MacBook Pro's power pack, that would be fine. I *think* a modified sine wave inverter will be sufficient (as opposed to pure sine wave inverter). (In general, never use a modified sine wave inverter for anything that spins or relies on nice AC power (audio equipment comes to mind) you'll end up damaging something.)
2196105
You can plug in and charge the battery directly through the phone... It's nice to keep the second battery charged in the wall charger and near by in case you are in a situation that you cannot use the original phone charger (airplane, traveling, etc)
902672
You can use any USB -> micro/ipod/ipad cable to charge your device. The included cable is only "required" for charging the battery, althouggh the short cable is convenient when used to charge your phone
1441731
No, I use mine all the time with isound 16000mah battery backup it has 4 USB and up to 2.5 amp out got charging high end phones and tablets.
1377464
I charge mine with my phones "fast charger" wall charger but you can also use a computer.
1599695
I've done it from an OLD 0.5A/500mA usb wall charger. Computer usb ports put out 5v at 0.5A/500mA, whereas most newer usb chargers put out 5-5.1v at 1A or more, so the battery may not be able to handle the higher amperage.
244777
I believe you are supposed to use the USB connector from the Trent device and plug it into your computer it the wall adapter. Once connected, the lights on the device should light up in a series to indicate that it is charging. In my case, it stopped working after a month or so. I would plugit in to charge and the lights that indicate charge would stop after a few seconds. I would leave it plugged in for hours and come back to a non charged portable battery. It's now a paper weight.