Retractable or Integrated Cables in PowerCore’s

[Oggyboy]

I’ve been using the PowerCore II 10000 and what is kinda bugging me more and more is the cable. We should be trying ditch the cables and his little palm size pearl needs to be an All in One solution.

I’ve got of these solar power banks and it has a micro usb cable on one side plus a lightning cable on the other side so it can be used independently.

Or, could something like a retractable cable be added to them somehow. These would need to be wired in one end so you just have the Micro USB, Lightning or USB-C connector available.

You could still have a USB port to connect additional cables if needed.

I think having something like this with either cable would suit the market. People could buy the one that suits their needs. This would be the perfect device for day use. Then pop it on charge at night.

[Tank]

The problem I see with these built in cables, more specifically the micro USB ones is that the ends are the weak link. Far to many micro USB cables fail because of the connector and having an all in one solution doesn’t leave room to replace the cable if the end fails.

Take my current Motorola Moto X Pure edition phone, most cables do not charge it because the micro USB port is worn. So I have to use ones that have a slightly longer end where the body is exposed more… thankfully Ankers cables do fit and work but I still have to replace them every couple of weeks because they lose their ability to stay plugged into the phone. Yes yes I know USB-C would fix this issue but even those ports are not without their own faults

[Oggyboy]

Good points. I just think there must be a solution out there somewhere that would suit. I’m luckily with touching distance of power day and night unless I go out to a gig or work at an event so a one stop solution would be great.

[ndalby]

As @elmo41683 has mentioned, the problem with incorporated cables would be that once the cable or connector breaks/fails (and cables are often the primary fault) the PowerCore would then become useless (unless under warranty). Then you would have the higher cost of replacement of the whole PowerCore rather than just a faulty cable.

Cables are always cheaper to replace than full PowerCores

[Oggyboy]

They would still have the usb output port so could continue to be used in the old way

[ndalby]

Missed that comment . Fair point but still seems like kinda a un-needed aspect that could be prone to failure and in turn having to make you revert to what you were trying to avoid. Just my take from past experiences with built in cables

[hunho.lee10]

I feel like this feature is something that is so preferential and very much up to the consumer. Not many companies make battery packs with built in cables for a reason and I just think the people who want these feature is a minority.

Since built in cables are short anyway, people who might want this on their battery packs can just attach a very short cable and carry that with them at all times. Someone who prefers long cables prefer them because they can set the battery pack down or in a pocket and use the phone. Not to mention, they can use this long cable for other things and not be bound to the battery pack (more modular option).

As for the retractable aspect, I dont really see it happening either because you would need to have that retractable wheel on it at all times and it can get hairy if it either gets tangled inside or if the cable breaks or if the wheel plastic breaks, etc.

Selling a battery pack by itself gives the manufacturer an easier time without worrying about adding features to it that might make it more complex down the road.

just my 2 seconds tho

[professor]

Smaller batteries would benefit from built-in cables because otherwise when you add a cable it becomes half cable in total. The Type A port is huge and the smaller the battery the more it dominates.

Larger batteries you have a more expensive item which can fail for the sake of the cable.

So I think flip-up incorporated cable in the 3A-5A, sold in the 3 variants (Micro, C, Lightning) would be a hit.

[Tank]

As phones and other devices start to get larger the smaller battery packs will become pointless to those who want a full recharge. I double t they would dominate anywhere near where they would need to be in order to make it worthwhile

[professor]

Phones go flat for many reasons including a software bug, bad app (often Facebook), and then what do you do when nowhere near a wall socket. A small emergency 0.3-1 worth of phone recharge will always be needed. If Anker stopped making them I’d still buy them and keep them in the bags of those I can help. Given the smaller batteries are only really for this purpose having one with a built-in cable for your phone socket type is an obvious Anker product portfolio gap.

Also, merging smaller batteries with torches is a gap in Anker’s products because this is about the corner cases of a-infrequently used but still needed to be carried.

[Oggyboy]

That was my thinking on the smaller ones like the powercore II 10000. The fit better in your pocket unlike the 20000 so having cable(s) built in would work better.

[professor]

So this comes down to what amount of power and its purpose.

The 3A-5A size I find is more in the emergency situation and so they tend to not get used often, they are carried a lot but infrequently used. Separating the cable gives more scope to lose the cable and you end up with an increasingly relative size Type A socket. This is dominated by recharging an unexpected flat phone problem, so it only needs 1 type of cable. The accepted point that cables are the most commonly failing part in this scenario is not as important because it is infrequently used so wears much slower, the battery inside ages and dies before the cable.

The 10A, well that is what I use the most often, and I use it to recharge multiple devices, I would not ever buy one with a built in cable of 1 type as I use it to recharge in my case USB-C and MicroB ports. Until everything becomes USB-C (e.g. Anker stop making MicroB buds and move to USB-C buds), I have to live in multiple devices multiple ports imperfect reality.

The 20A, well then it becomes economics, the cable is the most common part to fail so bundling would lower average reliability is accepted. A $10 purchase failing for a cable is less painful than $70 purchase failing for a cable.

[Tank]

I see your point about the smaller battery packs and having an integrated cable. I’m sitting in my car as I type this up and realize I had two small battery packs in my glove box that I use to keep charged up in case of an emergency. I have the cable zip tied around

[professor]

I think Anker should make a converged torch+battery with integrated output port. 3 flavors, MicroB, USB-C, Lightning. They would sell in the millions as Xmas gifts. The MicroB output has Type A input, the C output has C input and the lightning output has lightning input. Probably due to licensing and certification issues the Lightning output would likely be Micro B input.

[Insider]

So Anker tried this…

[Tank]

Oh snap, thanks for posting that. I use to have one of those, completely forgot about it because I lost it when I went to my wife’s family’s Cold house. I did like the integrated cable but it always gave me problems because like in the video the case always got in the way. It did good to charge my Samsung Galaxy S3, but that old phone needed constant charging because my battery was crap.

Somewhere in or around the cold house is that battery pack, but because the family sold it I will never know it’s outcome. Hope someone found it and out it to use