We disassemble external batteries Gmini
A month ago, they wrote to me from the Gmini company with a proposal to try new models of external batteries. At first I refused, because it was not clear - what, in fact, to write about? If you do not buy Chinese nameless masterpieces on eBay, it is difficult to face something obviously poor quality. At least for three years of operation of various models of external batteries, I failed to do this. For the rest, you just have to start from your own needs for battery capacity, current strength when charging and additional features. The latter can be quite a lot - from the battery and reader for flash cards to the built-in mobile router.
But Gmini said that their external batteries differ from their counterparts not only in design, but also in Samsung’s particularly reliable industrial batteries inside. Hearing the word “inside”, I immediately thought that it would probably be great not only to try the brand’s products at work, but also to make out in order to identify the true battery capacity and reliability of the design. No sooner said than done. And three models of Gmini were parsed to the ground.
')
We started with the Gmini mPower MPB562 with a capacity of 5600 mAh. Outwardly, it resembles sea pebbles, and is even rough to the touch. Unlike the older models, the charging port supports current up to 1A. Running a little ahead is to say that it is such a charger and should be used. If you take something less powerful, the charging time increases significantly and, more importantly, due to the nature of the batteries used, there is a risk of not getting the full capacity.
The two halves of the case are held on snaps, and therefore it was easiest to disassemble this model. Inside we are met by two Samsung ICR18650-28A lithium-ion batteries, each with 2800 mAh. So with a capacity we were not deceived. The electronic board looks rude. There are no complaints about the large USB connector, but with a micro USB designed to charge the batteries, I would be careful with your position. There is a feeling that if the plug is roughly connected, it will not last long.
At one of the Western resources caught interesting signs on the Samsung ICR18650-28A. That's what happens with the capacity, if you use a charger, issuing 4.3 V.
But as with the analogue of 4.2 V.
Comments are probably superfluous - you don’t need to save on charging. In the set it, of course, does not go. But I used the copy that was in the box with the iPad mini - that is, 5.2V and 2.4A. From him, the battery is charged from zero to the limit in one hour and fifty minutes. From it, then you can two and a half times to charge the iPhone 5s (1570 mAh) or one and a half times the Sony Xperia Z1 (3000 mAh). You can also charge iPad mini with a Retina screen for 2/3. It is worth emphasizing that new devices on Android, this battery charges very slowly, because they prefer a current of 2.1A, whereas in this case they are offered only 1A. Therefore, Gmini mPower MPB562 can only be recommended to users of iPhone and other relatively slow-burning devices. However, this model does not pretend to anything more.
We take a more serious, Gmini mPower MPB7830. The claimed capacity is 7800 mAh, and the output current is already quite adult 2.1A. The case is assembled very firmly, and it is almost impossible to disassemble it without mechanical damage. However, we seem to have succeeded.
Inside, we are greeted by three Samsung ICR18650-26F batteries, each with 2600 mAh. And again, not deceived! The board looks more decent this time (although the recommendations for the micro-USB connector remain in force), but in general the design resembles the ones that I used to build from a “square” battery and an electric motor in my childhood. Two wiring and a piece of tape ...
On the other hand, the design works reliably, and the protection against surprises is built into the batteries themselves. Only the loss of contact or the failure of an electronic board can render the system unusable. The first, if not climb inside, is practically excluded.
The battery charge time from the correct adapter is a little less than 3 hours. New gadgets are charged from this model significantly faster - so, Xperia Z1 returned from 30% to 100% in just an hour and a half. For comparison, when I tried to charge it from a 5600 mAh model, for a couple of hours it barely got to 60%, because I have a lot of synchronization configured, and the smartphone ate its battery almost faster than it was charged from the outside.
And finally, the most powerful model - Gmini mPower MPB1041. Inside there are four Samsung ICR18650-26F already familiar to us, and the total capacity is 10400 mAh. The maximum current on the micro-USB connector is 2A, and this is just fine, because the charging time is all the same 3 hours as the previous model. At the output of 2.1A, so everything charges quickly. There is enough capacity for five full charges of the iPhone 5s (tested in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress ), three Sony Xperia Z1 charges and a full iPad mini charge with a Retina screen (6450 mAh), and then another iPhone charge or about 2/3 charge xperia z1. We understand that energy is not just poured from one device to another, so about 1/5 of the nominal capacity is better not to take into account.
By the way, the design of the older model I liked the most. The board is made neatly, the connectors are unsoldered securely, you can torment in one way or another, and nothing will happen to them. The case is durable, hard, barely opened. He is also rough, so he won't accidentally slip out of his hands. By all indications, will serve all for a long time.
What did I like about Gmini products?
By all indications, they designed (and took away) it with understanding, because I was already a little tired with batteries of 10,000 mAh, capable of receiving 500 mA from a force of charging, as a result of which the process stretches overnight. And here - everything is harmonious and logical. 2A on the older model generally pleased.
What did not like?
It should be noted the budget design, especially in the first two devices. The batteries themselves are excellent, no doubt. But here on the kit obviously saved. For my needs, I would take only the older model, although, on the other hand, during a long trip a smaller capacity wouldn't fit me.
Not very clear - why even on the older model there is only one charging socket? Taking into account the capacity, the battery would quite draw two, which sometimes is very handy.
And about the prices of Yandex.Market.
Gmini mPower MPB562 costs 1590 rubles
Gmini mPower MPB7830 - 1850 rubles
Gmini mPower MPB1041 - 2190 rubles
By the way, knowing the contents of the enclosures of these models, we can easily estimate their cost. Four copies of the Samsung ICR18650-26F retail will cost about $ 27. The wholesale price is not radically lower, the same amount will cost $ 23. Add to this the top ten for electronics, board and packaging. Total - the older model at the exit from the factory costs at least $ 33. Logistics and "interest" of the seller (especially when it comes to large networks) are usually at least half of the device. So feel free to throw another 16 dollars. Total - 49 dollars, which at the current inhuman course is 1764 rubles. Thus, on the older model Gmini earns about 400 rubles. Not much.
On eBay, meanwhile, external batteries for 10,400 mAh offer 700-800 rubles each. Honestly, I even find it hard to imagine what is inside these miracles of technology. Even with an honest battery capacity half as much as stated, it is banal to keep at that price, having received at least three pennies of profit.
Be careful, buy products of decent brands.
The author thanks Alexander Levchenko ( www.tech-town.ru ) for his help in parsing the devices.
But Gmini said that their external batteries differ from their counterparts not only in design, but also in Samsung’s particularly reliable industrial batteries inside. Hearing the word “inside”, I immediately thought that it would probably be great not only to try the brand’s products at work, but also to make out in order to identify the true battery capacity and reliability of the design. No sooner said than done. And three models of Gmini were parsed to the ground.
')
We started with the Gmini mPower MPB562 with a capacity of 5600 mAh. Outwardly, it resembles sea pebbles, and is even rough to the touch. Unlike the older models, the charging port supports current up to 1A. Running a little ahead is to say that it is such a charger and should be used. If you take something less powerful, the charging time increases significantly and, more importantly, due to the nature of the batteries used, there is a risk of not getting the full capacity.
The two halves of the case are held on snaps, and therefore it was easiest to disassemble this model. Inside we are met by two Samsung ICR18650-28A lithium-ion batteries, each with 2800 mAh. So with a capacity we were not deceived. The electronic board looks rude. There are no complaints about the large USB connector, but with a micro USB designed to charge the batteries, I would be careful with your position. There is a feeling that if the plug is roughly connected, it will not last long.
At one of the Western resources caught interesting signs on the Samsung ICR18650-28A. That's what happens with the capacity, if you use a charger, issuing 4.3 V.
But as with the analogue of 4.2 V.
Comments are probably superfluous - you don’t need to save on charging. In the set it, of course, does not go. But I used the copy that was in the box with the iPad mini - that is, 5.2V and 2.4A. From him, the battery is charged from zero to the limit in one hour and fifty minutes. From it, then you can two and a half times to charge the iPhone 5s (1570 mAh) or one and a half times the Sony Xperia Z1 (3000 mAh). You can also charge iPad mini with a Retina screen for 2/3. It is worth emphasizing that new devices on Android, this battery charges very slowly, because they prefer a current of 2.1A, whereas in this case they are offered only 1A. Therefore, Gmini mPower MPB562 can only be recommended to users of iPhone and other relatively slow-burning devices. However, this model does not pretend to anything more.
We take a more serious, Gmini mPower MPB7830. The claimed capacity is 7800 mAh, and the output current is already quite adult 2.1A. The case is assembled very firmly, and it is almost impossible to disassemble it without mechanical damage. However, we seem to have succeeded.
Inside, we are greeted by three Samsung ICR18650-26F batteries, each with 2600 mAh. And again, not deceived! The board looks more decent this time (although the recommendations for the micro-USB connector remain in force), but in general the design resembles the ones that I used to build from a “square” battery and an electric motor in my childhood. Two wiring and a piece of tape ...
On the other hand, the design works reliably, and the protection against surprises is built into the batteries themselves. Only the loss of contact or the failure of an electronic board can render the system unusable. The first, if not climb inside, is practically excluded.
The battery charge time from the correct adapter is a little less than 3 hours. New gadgets are charged from this model significantly faster - so, Xperia Z1 returned from 30% to 100% in just an hour and a half. For comparison, when I tried to charge it from a 5600 mAh model, for a couple of hours it barely got to 60%, because I have a lot of synchronization configured, and the smartphone ate its battery almost faster than it was charged from the outside.
And finally, the most powerful model - Gmini mPower MPB1041. Inside there are four Samsung ICR18650-26F already familiar to us, and the total capacity is 10400 mAh. The maximum current on the micro-USB connector is 2A, and this is just fine, because the charging time is all the same 3 hours as the previous model. At the output of 2.1A, so everything charges quickly. There is enough capacity for five full charges of the iPhone 5s (tested in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress ), three Sony Xperia Z1 charges and a full iPad mini charge with a Retina screen (6450 mAh), and then another iPhone charge or about 2/3 charge xperia z1. We understand that energy is not just poured from one device to another, so about 1/5 of the nominal capacity is better not to take into account.
By the way, the design of the older model I liked the most. The board is made neatly, the connectors are unsoldered securely, you can torment in one way or another, and nothing will happen to them. The case is durable, hard, barely opened. He is also rough, so he won't accidentally slip out of his hands. By all indications, will serve all for a long time.
What did I like about Gmini products?
By all indications, they designed (and took away) it with understanding, because I was already a little tired with batteries of 10,000 mAh, capable of receiving 500 mA from a force of charging, as a result of which the process stretches overnight. And here - everything is harmonious and logical. 2A on the older model generally pleased.
What did not like?
It should be noted the budget design, especially in the first two devices. The batteries themselves are excellent, no doubt. But here on the kit obviously saved. For my needs, I would take only the older model, although, on the other hand, during a long trip a smaller capacity wouldn't fit me.
Not very clear - why even on the older model there is only one charging socket? Taking into account the capacity, the battery would quite draw two, which sometimes is very handy.
And about the prices of Yandex.Market.
Gmini mPower MPB562 costs 1590 rubles
Gmini mPower MPB7830 - 1850 rubles
Gmini mPower MPB1041 - 2190 rubles
By the way, knowing the contents of the enclosures of these models, we can easily estimate their cost. Four copies of the Samsung ICR18650-26F retail will cost about $ 27. The wholesale price is not radically lower, the same amount will cost $ 23. Add to this the top ten for electronics, board and packaging. Total - the older model at the exit from the factory costs at least $ 33. Logistics and "interest" of the seller (especially when it comes to large networks) are usually at least half of the device. So feel free to throw another 16 dollars. Total - 49 dollars, which at the current inhuman course is 1764 rubles. Thus, on the older model Gmini earns about 400 rubles. Not much.
On eBay, meanwhile, external batteries for 10,400 mAh offer 700-800 rubles each. Honestly, I even find it hard to imagine what is inside these miracles of technology. Even with an honest battery capacity half as much as stated, it is banal to keep at that price, having received at least three pennies of profit.
Be careful, buy products of decent brands.
The author thanks Alexander Levchenko ( www.tech-town.ru ) for his help in parsing the devices.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/215507/
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