Other USB power sources for T-Link 3

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Other USB power sources for T-Link 3

Postby PatCray » Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:51 pm

I purchased three of the new T-Link 3's and would like to use a USB battery of mine as a backup. I bought a male-to-female USB cable and connected it to the USB connector where the battery usually goes. When I plug in my battery and power on the T-Link 3, the battery shuts off after about a minute. If I use the USB battery supplied with the T3, all works fine.

Am I doing something wrong? Seems pretty simple to me but it does not work with my battery.
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Re: Other USB power sources for T-Link 3

Postby raceamerica » Wed Feb 27, 2019 9:32 am

Not all USB battery packs are created equal. There are many batteries available on the market but they are designed to charge a smartphone or tablet at around 1 amp charge rate. Not all batteries can handle the much smaller current demands of the T-Link 3 or an emitter.

Your battery thinks it is charging a smartphone and when the smartphone is fully charged, the charge rate goes way down. The low power draw of the T3 or emitter looks, to the battery, as the smartphone is fully charged and automatically shuts off to avoid overcharging the smartphone. The USB Battery RaceAmerica provides with the T-Link 3 is designed to function at the small power draw level and therefore does not get fooled and shut off.

Not too much you can do other than use the supplied USB Battery. A single 8-hour charge will last for almost 60 hours of use.
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Re: Other USB power sources for T-Link 3

Postby PatCray » Wed Feb 27, 2019 9:38 am

I bought one of the smart batteries and thought it was smart enough to adjust to all power conditions. I actually tried three different USB batteries, two of them I had laying around and a few years old. The smart battery stays on for almost 2 minutes but still shuts off. The older batteries stay awake for as little as 30 seconds.

Is there a smart battery you could recommend that truely is smart?
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Re: Other USB power sources for T-Link 3

Postby raceamerica » Wed Feb 27, 2019 9:53 am

PatCray wrote:Is there a smart battery you could recommend that truely is smart?

Most smart batteries have the ability to negotiate with a smartphone for the charge level and the charge voltage. This allows for faster charging due to higher charge voltages and currents. This is the opposite direction a T-Link 3 needs for low power draw. Of the dozen or so brands of battery manufacturers RaceAmerica investigated, we found a limited few that could operate at low power draws and even fewer with consistent operation and quality. RaceAmerica tested many batteries extensively and selected the best fit for low power draw and consistent operation.
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