Review: RAVPower 9,000mAh Power Bank Built-in Lightning Cable

Many power banks have same kind of design with their USB charging ports, Input ports and you basically know what to do with them. There are some power banks that are different though and by that that we mean some portable chargers have their own specialty with some being waterproof, having their own built-in cables or featuring certain charging technologies that are able to serve devices that use those kinds of charging technologies very well.

This is the RAVPower power bank that has a few unique aspects of its own since it has a built-in Lightning charging cable and uses a built-in AC adapter to recharge.

Power Capacity:

The power capacity of this RAVPower power bank starts at 9,000mAh and the conversion rate of the portable charger is actually quite bad. This is because it’s only able to charge most smartphones about 2.5 times and that leaves it at an Output power capacity of 5,000mAh.

So during charging you’re losing 4,000mAh and that’s a LOT of power being lost and the conversion rate in comparison to RAVPower’s other power banks is really bad and you can even take a look at Anker portable chargers to get an idea of what they offer as well. The modern standard of what a good conversion rate is usually 70% or higher and this power bank does a pretty bad job at that and actually gives you an Output power capacity of 5,000mAh.

This makes the versatility of the charger very restraining because it makes it really only usable for smartphones, and it can do 2 full charges at most for most smartphones. If you want to charge tablets like iPads, which would be a great thing to do if you’re using the built-in Lightning charging cable since it has a 2.4A charging speed, but it won’t make much of a good experience because of the low power capacity that’s actually useable.

Charging Mini sized tablets is going to make the most sense because you’ll at least get them to about 80% of a full charge using the entire power capacity of the power bank. However, charging Full-Sized ones will only take them to about 50% of the way through.

Overall, the power capacity isn’t what it says it is. By that, we mean that the power bank does indeed have a power capacity 9,000mAh but it does a bad job at converting that into power that you can actually use.

Lightning and Micro-USB Cable Variants

The main attraction and probably the main reason that you’re getting this power bank (like 

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 is because of the Lightning charging cable that is inserted into the power bank, and this way you always have a reliable way to charge your Apple devices like your iPhone and iPad.

The built-In charging cable is perfect to use for Apple devices like your iPhone and iPad because it’ll charge them at max charging speeds. This because the Lightning cable is capable of Outputting 5V/2.4A. A Max standard charging rate.

The max charging speed starting at the iPhone 6 is 2 amps and the max charging speed of iPads is 2.4A. As a result, when you use the Built-In charging cable for either of those devices that we mentioned, you’ll be getting a max charging speed for them.

USB Output Port:

Free Range Charging is Available Too

There’s also a USB Output at the bottom of the power bank that can be used by any charging cable that you want to use, so if you want to charge your Android Micro-USB or USB-C compatible device, then this is where you can do it. However, you should know that the USB Output port is only capable of a speed of 5V/1.0A and that’s quite a slow charging speed for smartphone and tablets.

Overall, you can use the potential of both charging options because the Max Output of power bank is 3.4A.

Input Charging:

The power bank does not use a Micro-USB Input port to recharge itself like most power banks do, instead, there’s a built-in AC Adapter to recharge the power bank and all you have to do is just plug the AC Adapter into an AC Outlet and the power bank will begin to recharge.

However, we thought that the use of an AC Adapter to recharge the power bank would be a faster way to recharge it, but that’s not really the case since it recharges the RAVPower portable charger at 100-240V/0.3A and that’s basically like charging it at 1 Amp and as a result, you can expect a full recharge within 6 hours.

Structure and Material:

Even though the power bank is made of plastic, the overall build quality is really good because all of the things on it are able to be concealed.

The Lightning charging cable can be placed into the power bank, so can the retractable AC Adapter and the charging port can be covered by a covering flap. The paint is scratch resistant.

Tech:

It makes use of all the vital tech build qualities like using Short-Circuit and Overload Output protections and it will automatically shutdown once the power bank detects either of those things.

Reliability

This RAVPower power bank is very reliable for those that own Apple devices like iPhones or iPads. Since you’ll be able to charge you’re both of them at their at max charging speeds and best of all, the power bank has a built-in Lightning charging cable that you’ll always have with you.

For those that have Android devices, it’s best to get the Micro-USB variant of this power bank, which is basically the same thing but it has a built-in Micro-USB charging cable.

A new optimization model could bring higher solar-power integration

Solar power has been established as a source of mainstream power generation across the globe. With numerous installations of photovoltaic (PV) systems for residential homes at or near the distribution site, there is a challenge to balance supply and demand to make these intermittent energy sources reliable. Too little sun means low solar generation and poor PV system efficiency. Excessive generation can jeopardize normal operation of electricity networks.

Demand response (DR) is one promising way to increase operational flexibility and energy efficiency. However, little research has been conducted on a large scale to quantify the benefits of DR in residential communities. To fill this gap, researchers at the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) in Malaysia incorporated DR scenarios in simulated comprehensive network case studies based on 100 urban low-voltage network samples.

Their research showed the significance that DR can have on network operations with different levels of PV penetration. The researchers report their findings this week in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, from AIP Publishing. "We highlight [the] importance of the paradigm shift from the traditional 'generation to follow demand' to 'demand to follow generation' in renewable-rich energy mix scenarios," said Chin Kim Gan, UTeM associate professor and co-author of the paper.

DR initiatives, through the use of advanced building controls or manually reducing power during hours of peak demand, encourage consumers to reduce their electricity use in exchange for lower electric bills and other incentives.

Three case studies were developed to investigate how various DR scenarios would affect network performance. Malaysia was chosen as the location because of its consistent tropical weather pattern, with sunny days about 50 percent of the time. Different degrees of DR participation at varying levels of PV penetrations were considered for each case study for a total of 10,000 network analyses performed for each case study.

In the first case study, consumers responded to their own demand profile without PV generation (e.g., they delayed using their washing machine until later in the evening). In the second, participants responded to their own PV-generation profiles. For them, DR consisted of load shifting (e.g., taking a hot shower in the morning when local solar power is available).

In the last case study, consumers considered both their own demand and PV generation profiles simultaneously (e.g., they decreased their use of air conditioning after receiving a signal from a central DR optimizer).

DR applications with 100 percent PV penetration (in the third case study) provided the best use of solar energy and influenced network performance the most, reducing energy consumption at peak demand by 32 percent, reducing network losses by 42 percent and improving network utilization by 12 percent.

Gan said that these benefits would be even greater with the integration of energy storage systems and other smart-grid technologies, such as building sensors and smart meters.

"Although demand response provides notable benefits to the network, it cannot by itself fully unleash benefits of intermittent renewable energy, particularly when the output of generation is higher than the demand," Gan said.

"Demand response, therefore, coupled with the integration of energy storage and energy management systems would likely maximize the benefits of renewable energy in future energy systems (for example: RENOGY 150 WATT SOLAR PANEL )

Ask These Finance Questions before Starting a Business

Starting a new business is complicated, and can be a minefield of financial decisions. Do you start as a sole trader or a limited company? Do you need business insurance? Should you hire an accountant? Many financial decisions require careful thought for avoiding the risk of financial penalties and mistakes. Making a wrong decision not only will cost you money now, but will continue to haunt you for a long time. To help you make the best start here are 3 questions you must ask yourself before launching a new business.

Is It Best to Start as a Sole Trader?

If you do not expect a large income from the business, particularly at the start, it is a common belief that sole trader rather than limited company is the best route. But before you decide, consider how both entities affect your liability and your tax. If you are a sole trader in London then you have unlimited liability for all the debts of the business – there is no separation between you and the business. All your personal assets could be at risk if you are sued or you get into debt. If you do not want to risk this then you can register your company with Companies House, for a fee, as a limited liability company. When you do this the debts of the company belong to the company, and not to you. Tax issues are also affected if you are a limited liability company or a sole trader. If you are a new business then it is important to seek professional advice from an accountant as to what is best for you – if you are looking for accountants central London offers a range of professionals. The accountants central London provides can help you decide what your best direction is to take.

How to Get Dream Car for Your Business on a Budget

There’s no doubt that first impressions matter. This extends beyond your own appearance and how you present yourself to what you’re driving too. The big three German manufacturers, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, have long represented the kind of luxury people expect from a successful businessperson’s car. This kind of quality doesn’t come cheap, though, and for those running a small business on a tight budget, it’s often an expense that can’t be justified. So how can you still drive that luxury car that conveys an aura of success without having spend a fortune. Here are few options you can consider:

Leasing

Leasing a vehicle works much like an extended rental. Rather than owning the car for a short period of time, though, these deals usually operate over a 12-48-month basis. You choose a contract length that suit’s your current requirements and an annual mileage, typically 12,000 miles per year. Going over this limit will result in what are known as excess mileage charges so it’s important you have a reasonable expectation of what your driving habits will be over the next few years. At the end of the contract you can decide to renew your existing deal, though many look to instead lease a different vehicle. With this kind of flexibility, you can ensure you’re always driving the latest model in the showroom floor.

How to Secure the Business Location without Ruining its Appearance

Whether you own a large corporation or a small new business, it’s very important to keep your assets as safe and secure as possible. Unfortunately the best methods to do this usually involve huge expenses, highly technical security and large brick walls, which can take a lot away from your company’s friendly appearance.

Depending on the nature of your business and where it is located there may already be some security measures in place. If there aren’t or you are looking to strengthen existing capabilities then the following safety measures will be a real help without damaging its image.

CCTV

CCTV will not prevent break-ins or damage to your business’s property but it will help in investigations after such an event and in recovering assets. It will also act as a kind of scarecrow, hopefully warning off potential criminals in fear they may be identified, even if just fake camera are installed.