Does anyone know of a charger unit to charge a standard Scurion battery from a USB port?

Reason is in an underground camp we plan to have a number of large USB Powerpacks, mainly for charging our surveying phones and cameras. A backup ability to give the Scurions a little extra juice could be useful.

I am already aware of the option to use a ScuriAA, and then a cheap USB -> AA charger unit, but it's not ideal.

Rob,
Don't know if the Nora adapter would work or if you have seen them, but Rude Nora do a micro USB adapter to the same plug connection as the scurion.  Of course the scurion is 3 cell but I imagine it shouldn't be a problem...

The Nora one is 3.7v out, Scurion batteries are 7.4v

http://www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/Pages/noramicrousbcharger.aspx

Nora usb charger wont work I'm afraid - same connector but Scurion is 7.2v and Nora 3.6v.

Rob, USB battery packs are based on exactly the same battery technology as Scurion battery packs, ie 18650 cells. In fact Scurion packs use the very best quality 18650s so weight for weight you're probably better off carrying Scurion battery packs than USB charging packs. Plus you wont need to boost the 5v from usb up to ~8v which would be fairly inefficient.

I have quite a few Scurion batteries (both old and new style) that I'd be more than happy to lend to you. If you want them, I'll pass them onto Mr Middleton for you (I guess this is for Mulu????).

In fact if you could get enough Scurion battery packs, then it would be fairly straight forward to knock up a circuit to convert Scurion to usb at 5v, so you could charge your phone and camera from Scurion batteries!

Hope that helps!

Ben

Ben, thanks for the kind offer.

We are indeed taking spare Scurion batteries, and agree that the proposed conversion is an inefficient operation.

The main problem is that Scurion batteries are theoretically difficult to fly with. They may get taken off us at the airport, so this converter is a backup of a backup (USB Powerbanks already in Mulu).

Something like this with just an adapter to get the right connector on the end would be worth testing to charge a Scurion from USB, although it may not work directly depending on if it requires the extra balance lead or not (I would guess it might not). Stepping up 3.7 V -> 5 V -> 7.4+ V will not get you much of your USB Powerbank energy into the Scurion battery though!

If you were to do things the other way round (Scurion to USB) then the right sort of thing does exist (https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-lipo-to-usb-charging-adapter-and-cell-checker-2s-6s.html) and I suspect it's not the only one.

Slightly off-topic, but has anyone considered making a setup that enables a Scurion to run from loose 18650s? I've made this sort of set-up with an old-style Rude Nora box which works a treat and was simple to do. It has the added bonus that I can fly with spare 18650s (which seem to arouse less suspicion than the usual battery packs) and they can just be slotted into a suitable USB powerbank if USB charging is required anywhere too.

Hey Rob

Within the last 2.5 years I've had multiple flights to Burma, Indonesia, east Timor and Austria, carrying at least 3 scurion battery's, as well as several drill batteries (sometime home made) and never had an issue! Even though it's officially against the rules, I always put them in the hold. I know several people who have had issues going to China, but nobody whose had issues in SE Asia.

However that cable mark found will probably do ya. I'm happy to frig a connector onto it if you want to give it a go.

Scurion batteries are about 6000mAh at 7.2v, so I guess you'd need something like a 10000mAh USB battery pack to charge a single scurion Battery.

Still happy to lend you the batteries, if they get taken off you it's no issue.

B

Another option is to get a load of 18650s shipped to a local contact, then make up a load of packs when you're there. It's fairly straight forward.....

Or alternatively, take the cells out of the USB battery packs and turn into scurion batteries

Rob said:

The Nora one is 3.7v out, Scurion batteries are 7.4v

http://www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/Pages/noramicrousbcharger.aspx

Click to expand...

I don't know much about usb battery packs but, if they are just batteries, then you should be able to connect two in series to get 7.4v.

We make these Rob, for 7.4v li-ion packs. No reason it wouldn't work on a Scurion battery pack as has compatible connector.

http://www.customduo.co.uk/siteimages/7.4v%20liion%20usb%20charger.jpg

(apologies if photo doesn't work; I'm not very good with computer guff)

Can be a complicated business taking high end li-ion lamps on far flung expeditions, these days. I tend to leave such things at home, and take a Petzl Duo, as one can simply throw AA batteries at it. Probably a controversial view, but I figure if one can afford such trips, then optimising kit for the job is no biggy. Guess human nature dictates that if folk have a nice expensive caving light then they probably want to use it, particularly for what might be a highlight of their caving life. This said, one probably wouldn't use a 6k road bike for winter cyclocross. Anyhow, just my opinion for what its worth. Not trying to start a bun fight, just promote a bit of thinking around the difficulties and legalities of flying with posh lamps, and the number of li-ion battery packs that may be required for the job (especially if exped is remote).