USB-C Power Bank

We've had a few questions regarding if we will be offering an USB-C power bank.

Tell us in the comments what you want, why you would like another USB-C power Bank from Mikegyver?  And why doesn't the current ones on the market appeal to you?

Survey

Hello everyone!

We have a survey to gauge demand on a new product. 

Fill out may get our USB-C adapter for FREE!

https://goo.gl/forms/iWq1KXtF42temk0P2

*restrictions apply.  One per household.

Cyber MONDAY SPECIAL! FREE 87W USB-C CAR ADAPTER TO FIRST 10 CUSTOMERS...

Cyber MONDAY SPECIAL!  FREE 87W USB-C CAR ADAPTER TO FIRST 10 CUSTOMERS...who order our regular 60w USB-C Car adapter through our website!

No need to do anything, just order on Cyber MONDAY  ( Nov 26, 2018) and we'll automatically include your free 87w USB-C car adapter!

Mikegyver 87w (99w) USB-C (Type-C) now available!

For the most power hungry users.  The Graphics users, Number crunchers, Renders, your wait is over.  Announcing World's first truly 87W USB-C car / Battery adapter for your Newest Macbook Pros!  Charge your internal battery all while running external terra-byte HD and Processing videos!

Check it out here

Mikegyver USB-C Car / Battery Adapter reviewed!

Check out the review for our USB-C (Type C) adapter from Lloyd Chambers @Mac Performance Guide!

USB-C Magsafe-like connector for your new Macbook, Macbook Pro

USB-C Magsafe-like connector for your new Macbook, Macbook Pro

Hello!

Remember the "old days" when Apple invented the Magsafe connector?  For me, it has saved my laptop tons of time when our dog, kids, or something silly just trip over the power cord.  Since then companies who copied the Magsafe connector was sued by Apple.

As covered in a prior blog of ours, Apple patent includes not just the magnetic connector, but a special chip inside the magsafe connector that actually communicates with the Macbook.  What that means is that if you made the magnetic connector with that chip, you're infringing on Apple Patent(the chip was what tells the Macbook to start charging).  That's why we were first in the world to convert Apple (we bought them them from Apple) Magsafe connectors to be used with car adapters and External batteries.

Since then Microsoft has also come out with their own magnetic connector for the Surface Pro tablets.  Why are they not sued?  Because there's no chip inside!

Since Apple has done away with Magsafe cables and have moved to the USB-C standard, we are all at risk of having something pull our expensive laptop off the table again!

Since I'm a big fan of the Magsafe, I looked for a USB-C cable and came across a magnetic USB-C cable!  I'm happy again.  Quality appears solid and capable if high powered charging.

On our next road trip, I will definitely be bringing this magnetic USB-C cable along with our very own USB-C car/battery adapter!

Are you ready for that summer trip!?
Mike
Mikegyver.com

P.S.

The USB-C magnetic cable can be found from Amazon* along with our USB-C car/battery adapter:

*Amazon Affiliate

Powering a large device (like a Macbook) from USB-A port

Hi,

Recently we've been asked again if you can run a Macbook Pro from a USB-A battery.  The kind that powers Phones.

Here's what we said:

You can only use batteries that have high power output, like 16-20vdc and about 4amps.

It is impossible to Power the Magsafe Macbooks from USB.  

It's like asking a motorcycle engine to pull a Semi-truck.

In technical terms, USB is only 5v, and max at 3a.  That's only about 15w.  Your Macbook starts at 60w (Macbook Pro 85w).  There is no way to up-convert 15w to 60w.  It's like asking for magic.

Stay Powered,

Mike

Surface Power adapters and cables.

Hi!

Some of you may be noticing that we are mostly out of stock on the Surface Car, Surface Battery cables...

We buy only Genuine Surface Power adapters.  Some of you may be surprised that we buy them retail, cut off the magnetic end of the cable and convert them into our Car adapters and Batteries because the Microsoft Surface Power cables are better quality.  We try to stay away cheap, clones, or copycat cables from some other Chinese source. See our prior blog about this.  However, that blog post was a while ago, and they have gotten much better these days.

With that said, it seems our supplier is not stocking or has limited stocks of the Genuine Surface Power adapters. Other suppliers will not sell to us because we are not an end user.  Rather then always trying to figure out our suppliers stock situation, we are going to change the way we provide our solutions to you. For those the volume order customers, we are going to ask that you place an order for any of the Surface adapters (we prefer genuine since it is better quality) from any of your favorite retailer/supplier and have them ship to us called drop shipping.  We will then take your adapter and convert it to be used with any of our mobile power solutions.

That's it!


Thank you and Stay Powered!

Mikegyver.com

Next Generation USB-C adapter and gofundme.

Hi Everyone,

WE need your help!

Last summer, we decided to develop the World's first High Powered USB-C Car and Battery adapter because there were none on the market that was powerful enough to power larger devices like the new MacBook Pro with USB-C ports.  Everything on the market (and still today) have been lower powered USB-C adapters that are typically less than 36W.  They could not fully charge the largest MacBook Pro which requires 87W when going full speed.

So why do we need the help?

We've invested a LOT of money developing the High Power USB-C adapter that will actually charge the MacBook Pro (and other larger devices), but we were still a bit underpowered for the most hungry power users.  Ours output true 60w.  Others' claim to be 105w, but when we put that to the test, theirs was not 105w, but in fact, less than 60w.

Why was ours not 87W to begin with?

We tried.  To put it simply, chip manufacturers were not ready for the Type 5 (which is over 60w).  So we had to settle for Type 4 (60w range).  We made an agreement with our factory to place a trial order of Type 4, with the intention of next order to be Type 5.

But there is a problem.

The market is flooded with "USB-C" adapters and connectors, hubs, and everything USB-C that we are having a VERY hard time breaking into the market.

We did not break even with our initial investment.  We're not sure if it's a combination of people not finding us, or that you don't need a high powered car adapter/Battery solution for your MacBook Pro on the go.

How can you help?

Please help us spread the word.  Also, we have decided (which is very unusual) to start a gofundme.com page.  The proceeds will help us continue development of our next generation USB-C adapter.

Will you help us push the envelope?
https://www.gofundme.com/high-power-usbc-adapter-ver2


Thanks, and stay powered!
Mike
Mikegyver.com

Teardown and Hacking, no "Mikegyvering" the Apple Homepod.

Hello,

We just got our Apple Homepod!

One the first things I noticed when we got it, is that it's so heavy.  There must be some serious speakers in it!  There is no rush in setting it up, but rather how do I take this thing apart!  The first thing we did is to google for any HomePod teardown (We prefer minimal damage to things as much as possible)...  But no luck.  No one has gotten there's yet... or at least in process of tearing it down now.

The first thing we noticed is that it has an attached power cord... Hummm...  "How can we cut that off" we wondered?  What else could we do to it?  Gears are spinning now...

What would you like to see "improved" on the Homepod?  comments below.

Stay tuned for more...

UPDATE:  Our favorite teardown website:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/HomePod++Teardown/103133

Posted teardown of the HomePod.  Whew, this saved us a lot of wasted work that might not have been beneficial!  Because we will destroy the HomePod, we cannot resell our mod. (like we do with the AppleTV).  So, Mission aborted.  What do you think?  Comments below!

Stay Powered up,
Mikegyver

Pure DC power and the New Year.

Hi Everyone,

As we close out the year, I wanted to close out with a few thoughts...

Ideas come and go only to be replaced with new, bigger, better tech, cheaper tech. Ideas get copied and ideas get replaced.  This ultimately means change. Change sometimes can be a struggle. It means coming up with new ideas that are wanted by enough of us.  For those of you who know us, we seldom redo what other's have done (like selling batteries for cell phones).  Doing what's in our DNA is a prerequisite for us.  If our heart is not in it, we won't do it.  We are not into doing things half measure and so disappointing people. We do things with our whole heart or not at all.

In the new year, we hope to introduce new product categories. One of them we are looking at is the Apple HomePod, and the other... well... we'll just leave it as a surprise.
Our goal will continue to be efficiently squeezing out every ounce of power so you can keep your devices running longer on pure DC power.  We will continue to pursue looking for ways to prevent inversion of power (the use of inverters) which in itself is a huge waste of energy, especially for those who are mobile and need every ounce of energy to keep their devices going. So look forward to some fresh new concepts and Tech from us in 2018.

Finally, I wanted to thank you for your support and all your kind emails.  It is the "power" that keeps us going!  It is great to know that we have helped even just one more individual get more work done!

I wish each and all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

Black Friday Sale Going on Right Now!

Black Friday Sale for Limited time!  Starting 8amET Nov 24!*
Get $10.00 off our NEW USB-C car and Battery Adapter, coupon code "MCT10USBC"
Get 60% off our Solar Panels, coupon code "MCTBFSALE60"Get 45% off on “The Boss 24AH”! Code "MCTBFSALE45"
Get 40% off on our “Little Giant 12AH”, “Slim Power 16AH”, “Super Slim 20AH” batteries! Code "MCTBFSALE40"
Get 30% off any of our batteries by entering code "30MCTDISC" upon checkout!
Get 10% everything else by entering code "10disc".
*Restrictions apply. One per customer per order. Limited time, until supplies last. $10, 60%, 45%, 40% discounts Start 8amET end at Mid-night ET. Other restrictions, Email us.

Mikegyver Engineering Services

Hi,


In our last blog, we mentioned that we are going to make a business move toward engineering services.  So what does this actually mean?  Mikegyver's first product was actually modified Apple MacBook Car adapters.  Anyone who follows us knows that we simply bought Apple supplied Adapters, cut off the Magsafe cable and converted it to be used on PURE DC power (for use in cars and with batteries).  This meant less energy wastage through the use of inverters to those who appreciate saving energy.

We quickly moved on to Microsoft Surface tablets and did the same thing there.  With these nifty adaptations, we have helped thousands and thousands of people who appreciate being more efficient with their power. 

Throughout our journey, we constantly come across people who wanted to know if they can alter some of their other devices to become more efficient with DC power for various reasons but most especially if they are interested in off the grid living.  We have had to convert Mac Mini's, Apple Airport routers, and of course our Apple TV which we are selling in our store.  We also tackled harder to power devices like the Lenovo Yoga tablets which had no car adapters at the time.  More recently we created our very own USB-C car/battery adapter that is powerful enough to charge the power-hungry MacBook Pro 15" touchbar and more.

Obviously, all these conversions have led us to think that there could be far more of you out there struggling with some kind of power issue that we could help with or that have a power challenge that no accessory or device on the market is catering to at the moment. Therefore our new engineering service...

So! Do you have something that you'd like to have convert for you or a power source problem that you think we might be able to help with? Or do you have a device that only has AC input and you'd like for it to run on DC power?  Perhaps you need us to put on some special connector for your camera battery (for you photographers out there)? How about just some power needs for that gadget of yours? Or perhaps you know of someone in need of these services?

Contact us for your low power needs!

Until next time, 

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

Facts you didn't know about power and power banks

Understanding Power Banks and  Power cables

Is it possible for a small battery to outlast large batteries?

Not all Power Banks (or External Batteries) are the same.  Power Bank capacity is usually measured in mAH or WH.  Most of the time you'll see the capacity measured in mAH.  The higher capacity the longer it will keep your device powered.  So, for example, a 52,800mAH battery will last longer than a 32,400mAH battery.  So...if you would like to keep an iPhone 6Plus running for about 11 recharges, you should consider a battery like our "executive" that is 34,200mAH.  I'll normally try to stay away from doing math but here you go :-)  (34200mAH / 2916mah = 11.11)

"Executive" Battery

As I am saying this, I bet you are thinking: "But I've seen a tiny battery on eBay and/or Amazon showing a 200,000mah how can that be?" In short, they are being mislabeled.  The best way to tell the difference between two battery capacities is simply to look at its size.  Think of batteries like a bottle of water or a gas tank.  If you have a small battery claiming to be 200,000mah and is the size of a pack of gum and a battery like our "executive" that is 34,200mah that is a size of a book.  It's quite obvious that the bigger battery will outlast the smaller battery!

Can all Power banks charge Laptops or large devices like powered coolers, etc?

Most small batteries have a small USB power port - normally only around 5v. They are intended for small devices like cell phones and tablets only.  They do not have the capability to power or recharge large devices like laptops.  MCT-Tech's main focus has always been to make batteries that can power both.  Even our "Little Giant" (which is our smallest power bank) can recharge a laptop, because it has both a USB power port and a high power port.  Keep in mind again, however, that the "Little Giant" will not last a long time with a laptop. It is only recommend when needing to few more minutes before your internal battery on your laptop dies.

What is the lifespan do you expect for your Power Banks?

Our Power banks are built to last approximately 500 cycles.  The more you discharge it from 100% to 0%,  the more you will 'wear' out the battery. Good practice is to recharge the Power bank before it fully depletes.

Will standard Power Banks charge all laptops?

No.  A lot of laptops these days employ a special sense pin that will not turn on unless a factory power adapter is used.  The most notable are Apple's MacBook line of laptops.  They have a "MagSafe" connector that Apple has a patent on.  In the early days, even if one was able to clone the connector, it would still not charge because it lacks the special IC built into the Magsafe connector (This was also part of Apple Patent).  We are actually the first to pioneered car adapters and batteries for the full line of  MacBook's by cutting off the MagSafe cable from the AC adapter and putting it on car adapters and batteries.  
Today, however, Chinese manufacturers have almost perfected the Magsafe cable and unless you have a trained eye, you would almost not be able to tell the difference anymore!

This same goes for the Microsoft magnetic cable too.

MCT-Tech has also helped many customers from HP, Lenovo, and Dell who are using special cables to be able to utilize our batteries well.  If you have a device that won't charge, contact us! This is our passion.

On this note, we would like to use segue to announce that we are shifting our business model to helping our customers get power from any number of sources.  We are going to be focusing on converting devices that are normally only AC power (household) DC power, like we have with The AppleTV (and hopefully if you ask for it) DC source for the new Apple HomePod.

In short, our motto will be "Engineering alternative efficient power sources for your Devices".

We will be discontinuing some of our batteries and Car adapters and only focusing on direct power solutions and would love to hear your thoughts on our ideas.

Until next time,

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

30% discount on our Batteries!

30% discount on our Batteries!

We are increasing our summer sales of our batteries to 30%!

Please use discount code:
30Disc when purchasing

Please note that for larger devices like the Macbook Pro 15" Touchbar, we only recommend our larger batteries (the "CEO" and the "Executive")

Why not make hay while the sun is shining hey?

Limited time offer - get yours now.

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

Hurricane, No Power, No Internet, Oh my!

Hi everyone.

As you know Hurricane Irma visited us recently.  I wanted to thank everyone who emailed us their well wishes during her visit.  It was really nice just knowing you guys were out there! We were lucky enough not to have suffered major damage, but this was the first time in my life I had to prepare for a hurricane of this size.  In the past, it has been mostly just removing all loose items in the yard. The real challenge with Irma came in her aftermath actually.We had no power for a whole week, which was the longest I have ever been without power.  That meant no internet, little to no cell phone coverage and, for us, no water. One doesn't realize how reliant we are on power and you only truly start appreciating it when you don't have it!

Fortunately, a good friend gave us a generator last year and I could not thank him enough during this time!  We used it to run our refrigerator and portable AC unit.

Lucky for us, we had plenty of batteries! :-)

My wife and I each used one of our "Executive" batteries for our cell phones and it they kept both phones charged the WHOLE week!  I also had the "CEO" ready to go and used that for our Macbook Pro's, hooking the portable printer up to it too just in case we would have to go a week more.

Because we had little internet, we didn't use our laptops much, but by mid week I noticed that cell coverage improved so I started making alternative plans should we not get power.  That meant subscribing to mobile hotspots for internet and finally beginning to process our backlog orders.

I did a lot of thinking in that week in the dark. I have been thinking of a shift in our business model. I have done a lot of things for our house that border on "off grid" living including the way we keep the water running (we are on a well and not dependent on city water).  To blog about all my ideas would take up a whole new series of blogs...so...in short...I re-piped our well so that we have a secondary lower powered pump for water. I learnt that you need to be more efficient with your power resources when living off the grid.

Have you been thinking of ways in which to be more efficient with power should it ever run out? Does off the grid living interest you? Send us your emails or simply comment below.

Ok, well...Storms gone, and I still have much to do.  Thank you for your patience with our orders.

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

USB-C Video

Check out our USB-C Video!
https://youtu.be/agGHBpkaMBo

Final Update 5: USB-C charger adapter - NOW AVAILABLE!

Hi Everyone,

We're proud to announce that our USB-C Car and External battery adapter is NOW available!!

Charge your Macbook Pro 15" touchbar or any other larger device with our USB-C adapter.
It can plug into any car cigarette plug and any external battery power bank that output's 12-24vdc.

Do you have a battery that has a special connector, we'll modify it for you!

Get yours here now!!!

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

Update 5: USB-C charger adapter - Pre-Order here!

Hello,

Just wanted to update everyone, that we've posted more pictures of our final product!

It looks beautiful in shiny White! Click here 

Stay powered up!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com

TSA and external batteries

Hi all,

Do you remember the last time we wrote about being stopped by Airport Security (TSA)?  For those of you who missed it, please check it out here: So I got stopped at #TSA ~ #TravellingTips #TravellingTales

I recently had another opportunity fly and keeping in mind what happened last time, I decided to see what would happen if I took our "Executive" battery along for the ride.

On arriving at the TSA, we had to perform the usual drill: put iPad in separate bins, take off shoes....etc. Not sure of what to expect, I left my 34.2ah battery (127wh) in my bag and shoved it through the X-ray machine. Well, I ended up walking through the body scanner and picking up my backpack (with my battery inside) on the other side. They didn't stop me, there were no delays and everything went quiet smoothly! All I kept thinking was: "Damn, I am not going to have much to blog about!"

Besides my disappointment at a lack of blog content though 😂, I am happy to report that it seems that even our Executive may at times makes it through TSA.

So with nothing else to blog about, I thought I would use this space just to answer a recent question by one of our battery users. He was asking us how we calculate our battery capacities (thinking all our batteries where over the 100W max for airlines). We calculate our battery capacities by multiplying the voltage of the individual cells inside the battery by it's total Ah.
For example  - with our "executive" battery, the cells inside are each 3.7v so we take 3.7v x 34200mah which would then = 127wH.

If you do these calculations with all of our batteries, you will actually see that technically, the only two batteries that are not TSA compliant are our "CEO" which is ~195wH and our "Executive" which is ~127wH.  All the rest of our batteries (which we call the platinum batteries) are good to go for TSA.

Why am I telling you this? Are we telling you to break the law or that you won't ever get stopped at TSA if you carry our CEO or Executive?  No.  Remember, your 'mileage' may vary, and you could end up having your battery confiscated or worse. Also remember...there is a reason they call me Mikegyver!! 😂

I have always wondered though, what the difference is between taking two 24aH batteries on a flight (177wH in total) and one big battery (like our Executive) that is 127wH. We would love to hear your thoughts on this one or any stories you might have of getting any of our batteries through TSA.
So what do you think? Is it the same as taking two batteries or one large one?  Is it worth the risk?

Stay powered up "SAFELY"!  

Mike

MCT-corp.com