POWER

Taking our everyday gadgets with us when we hit the road can sometimes mean a suitcase on its own for the many chargers, leads, batteries etc. With the use of multi-way chargers and eco friendly solar chargers you can limit the amount you carry, meaning more room for those must take shoes.

Mains Outlet
The main source of providing power to our gadgets is via a lead connected to the mains. This is generally in a UK type, such as the standard 3-pin plug or a variant, this is dependant upon the country you are visiting should you wish to take these overseas.

Through recent years the range of gadgets available and our use of them has certainly increased. At times you can even get a headache when deciding which ones to take. Our choice ranges from mobile phones, personal audio such as MP3 players or iPods, laptops, digital cameras, PDAs, portable gaming, satellite navigation, portable DVDs to name a few.

The decision therefore is whether to take dedicated power sources for each unit or invest in a universal power supply that will be suitable for most if not all, with the relevant power tip of course.

The iGo range of adaptors is the perfect companion as it will charge most of your electronic gadgets in one handy, compact and portable unit. Simply select the iGo that’s most suited to you and the then look at the huge range of tips that will ensure you units keep charged and working throughout your whole trip.

Battery Power
Probably the most popular way to power our portable electronic items and gadgets is via the good old battery. However we should consider the differing types that are available, and ways to charge these mini marvels to help with convenience, packaging and a little bit of saving the planet.

There is generally a battery to suit any application whether it’s for MP3s or walkmans, cameras (digital, video or 35mm), video players, mobile phones and in fact the list goes on and on. You can find explanations of all the variants below.

The means to charge these batteries are not limited to just a mains version, there are car, USB and solar types which give the ability to charge these batteries pretty much anywhere in the world.

Alkaline (single cell – throwaway)
We are all familiar with the standard alkaline battery that we can purchase from pretty much anywhere. These come in AAA, AA, C, D and 9V (PP3) types, typically 1.5V per cell and can power anything from torches to smoke alarms. Technology has improved these types of battery to improved and longer life and to be leakproof.

Rechargeable
Becoming more popular, for a number of reasons based around eco-friendliness and cost, the rechargeable battery can offer greater flexibility, simply because you can re-use this time and time again, up to 1000 times. Sizes remain in the popular range of AAA, AA, C, D and 9V. Below are the main types currently available.

NiCd (Nickel Cadmium)
This is generally recognised as the first mainstream rechargeable cell, although it did suffer what is commonly known as 'memory effect', where batteries can suffer less charging capacity when not being charged from empty.

NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride)
Improved upon the Nicd technology to offer a greater voltage output without the memory effect. This battery is the current standard in mainstream rechargeable batteries used in everyday electronic items.

Li-ion (Lithium Ion)
Would expect the Li-ion battery to be the next standard as these are a further improvement on the NiCd and NiMh versions. These batteries have better storage capacity, no memory effect, last much longer and at present are commonly regarded as a better performer for high drain applications such as digital cameras.

Battery Chargers
We have come to expect that charging a battery could take most of the day. Due to advances in technology there are now battery chargers that can fully charge a battery in around 1 hour, meaning no more waiting around.

Chargers do come in a variety of types with versions that can either charge a single type such as AAA only or universal versions with the facility to charge the full range. Actually powering the charger itself has many types, with the main four options being:

Mains
Charging the batteries in a small enclosure that comes with mains power lead or adaptor.

Car
The chargers lead will connect to the cars cigarette socket

USB
Gives the option to connect your charger to your computers USB port

Solar
Small solar cells are built-in the enclosure to charge batteries with free, green solar energy.

‘Spare’ a moment …..
It is worth pointing out whilst we are discussing batteries that you must ensure prior to any travelling planned, you think about powering items such as cameras (video and still), iPods and MP3 players, mobile phones and laptops. These are the goods we tend to take for granted, however it is essential that you ensure you have spares or alternative sources available to power these units.

iPods / MP3
Spare batteries for your musical units such a iPods are available and will come in very handy should your unit lose its power half way through your favourite track.

Cameras
It is always important to carry spare camera batteries just in case your camera decides it hasn't got enough power. It's really not worth missing one of those once in a lifetime moments for the sake of a battery is it?

Mobile Phone
Do you ensure you have a spare battery or emergency power source when you're out in the middle of nowhere? If your answer is no, what would you do if your phone suddenly lost power and your need to make that all important call, or if there was an emergency? You would more than likely be stuck, so why not eliminate the risk?

Laptop
As more of us turn to mobile computing and take our laptops us with us wherever we go, it becomes important that we have the means to continue working or watching should the power fail. A spare can very easily be taken and prove vital in more ways than one.

Solar Energy
There has been a lot of fuss made of using as much alternative power sources as is possible to help protect the earth’s resources and rightly so, with solar energy at the forefront of the green revolution.

There are many solar cells available that will either power dedicated items such as mobile phones or larger varieties that can be used in applications in your home, caravan or boat.

Now the suns energy can also be used to power smaller portable items such as torches, radios, MP3 players and more. This can potentially save you vital room in your holdall and a few pounds in batteries alone.

Power 
You can utilise the sun’s energy through battery chargers that will charge the main battery types from AAA to 9V.

Radio
Always have music as a solar powered radio gives you the tunes while you’re on the dunes

Torch
Trap the sun’s light and use when it gets dark

Freeloader
The Freeloader system has become a bit of a phenomenon as it can give you power using small compact built-in solar panels, from a handy pocket sized unit. The item has a small rechargeable battery system within its small size and can power units such as mobile phones, PDAs or PSP for a number of hours at a time. It even boasts a USB charging facility. So whether you’re on top of the world, the middle of the desert or simply in your own back yard you don’t have to be short of power.

Special note for your car’s battery
It is worth pointing out that our cars' battery not only suffers through the winter months as we turn on the heaters, but suffers equally in the summer months as we switch to using the air conditioning unit, plus the powering of small appliances and chargers too. So it’s wise to invest, especially when travelling, in a small portable solar cell. This will have the effect of using the suns energy to keep your battery topped up, certainly a wise decision if you are off camping.