Exogear's Exovolt Plus 'stackable' battery pack claims to be the first of its kind

[mhectorgato]

Exogear’s Exovolt Plus ‘stackable’ battery pack claims to be the first of its kind

Exogear's Exovolt Plus 'stackable' battery pack claims to be the first of its...

We’ve seen (and tested) a fair share of interesting power packs during our time, and Exogear’s hoping to make a mark of its own in this very juicy department with what the outfit’s calling “the world’s first” stackable battery pack. The newly minted Exovolt Plus consists of a main 5,200 mAh kit, which can then be paired – or, in this particular case, stacked – alongside a “Sub Battery” unit to create the ultimate portable charging station. One thing worth noting, though, is that each extra stack will be sold separately for nearly $50, while the essential Exovolt Plus is set to run at about $90 minus some change. Given its universal capabilities (30-pin, USB and micro-USB), something tells us the Exovolt Plus won’t have trouble landing any suitors despite its somewhat hefty price tag. Still, you’ll have to wait a little while before you can snag one of these, as it’s currently listed as “coming soon,” and its creator’s yet to reveal when we can expect it to go on sale.

[stevepresley]

awesome… and it looks nice to boot!

[ransomhall]

That is perty… would look even better with a solar panel chargin’ it up

[Justin]

@ ransomhall - might take a fair bit of sunshine to top up 5,200 mAh - we would be knackered over here in the UK

[ransomhall]

@ Justin - Depends on how fast you discharge it. I’ve been working on just such a solution… not nearly as pretty, though. Mine does fairly well with one 6V 3.7W panel, and I live in a similar climate. We have and an exceptionally dry and sunny summer, though, which has probably made me a bit more optimistic than I should be about actual charge times.

“knackered” - love it! Is that an acceptable term to use in the presence of delicate ears, or is it more PG-13 rated?

[Justin]

@ ransomhall - Would be interested to see your solution, i do try to be politically correct with all the youngsters around but being from downunder i would have probably used a different term normally

[WouterH]

Looks like they’re designed by Apple

[Justin]

@ WouterH - let the suing begin

[ransomhall]

@Justin

Would be interested to see your solution

http://www.ransomhall.com/Pages/solbooster.aspx for an early version.

[HughB]

@Justin

@ ransomhall - might take a fair bit of sunshine to top up 5,200 mAh - we would be knackered over here in the UK

I keep forgetting you’re here in the UK

[Justin]

@ ransomhall - that’s a cool project

[Justin]

@ HughB - don’t hold that against me but on a lighter note I am injecting kiwiisms into the office culture

[mhectorgato]

@ransomhall

@Justin

Would be interested to see your solution

http://www.ransomhall.com/Pages/solbooster.aspx for an early version.

Does having the battery in the heat of the day effect it at all? Looks like you’ve got the case vented.

[ransomhall]

@ mhectorgato - Not anymore! The lipo charger has a spot to add a thermistor to slow down or stop charging if it gets too hot. I poked a hole in the outer plastic casing on the lipo and put the thermistor right next to the cells. I did have it shut down once from heat because the thermistor was wedged between the panel and the lipo, and only the panel actually got too hot. The battery was fine. I’ve since moved the thermistor to the other side of the battery and no more “overheating” has occured. Yes, the enclosure is (well) vented. A little low power fan that kicked on at some warm temp would be a great addition.

[Jeff_Birt]

Remindes of of the stackabe power supplies on the Thermal Dynamics ‘Stak Pak’ plasma cutter from 20 odd years ago. It was a neat concept, one control unit, and up to ‘n’ power units, but it tended to blow up an awful lot.