Language Archives New No. 10

[Tom Honeyman]

Re charging from USB, I've had mixed success with using USB as a  
power source. While USB is supposed to provide power at a fixed 5v,  
the reality that I've found is that from laptop to laptop it might be  
a little more or less than 5 volts. This might be because a (heavy)  
load makes the voltage drop, or simply because some laptops just  
don't provide enough power, but the result is that some battery  
chargers expect 5v, and don't work unless there's enough juice. I've  
seen phones and other devices that will only charge to 50%, or even  
_drain_ instead of charge! Bottom line is, your mileage may vary, so  
you should test before you buy/use.

If you want a light-weight USB charger, and you're a DIYer check this  
out:

http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/

-tom


On 08/10/2007, at 9:10 AM, David Nash wrote:

> At 3:56 PM +0000 27/9/07, David Nathan wrote:
>> 'Language Archives Newsletter' (LAN) No. 10 is now available.
>
>> Review: Audio Recorders Zoom H4 and Korg MR-1, by Paul Trilsbeek,  
>> Gerd Klaas
>
> Further on the Korg MR-1, I have found that the unit recharges from  
> USB2 power while connected to a computer.  This is not mentioned in  
> the manual http://www.korg.com/downloads/pdf/MR1_OM_E2.pdf, and  
> perhaps there is some reason to avoid doing this -- does anyone know?
> So if the field situation allows the Korg to be connected to a  
> laptop, and the laptop has an external power source (or robust  
> battery charge) then the recording time can be extended.  Also, the  
> Korg's rather large AC adaptor would not need to be carried.
>
> "A minor nuisance is that the display does not indicate the battery  
> level when charging, so there is no way to tell when the battery is  
> full while the device is connected to an AC power supply."  True,  
> but it is easy to momentarily disconnect the input power and the  
> display immediately shows the battery state.
>
> David Nash
> http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash