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Chosing USB charger for iPod nano 6th Gen

1K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Tech Elementz 
#1 ·
Hope someone here with electrical/electronic background can help.

My wife has a 6th Gen ipod nano - works fine, except that charging on an old white Ibook takes quite a while ( 5 - 6 hours).

I have a USB charger for my LG Optimus One cell phone, and I'm wondering if I can use this to charge the phone, or if I have to buy a specific charger from Apple.

Phone charger specs: Input 110/240V, 50/60Hz, Output: 5.1V, 0.7A

I've searched but cannot find electrical specs for the nano - other than, "works with USB ports" We have the cable which plugs into the USB port on the computer.

Any ideas?
 
#2 ·
You should be able to use pretty much any USB charger. The only number that will differ is the 0.7A one, in general though even devices designed to charge at higher amps will still charge just more slowly on lower ones and vice versa.
 
#4 ·
I just hesitate to use the phone charger for fear of ruining my wifes' nano

Apple has just recently listed a small USB charger for $ 21, but again no output specs, but I assume it would be suitable for a Nano
Apple lists the compatibility support for the iDevices that support the new "5W USB Power Adapter" that supports the iPod Nano 6th Gen & Other Older iDevices + the iPhone 5, iPod Nano 7th Gen & iPod Touch 5th Gen...

Apple 5W USB Power Adapter - Apple Store (Canada)
 
#6 ·
Hmmm... I was looking for a similar device for some remote charging via a OWC email link to their macsales.com site, and they had almost the same adapter and others for about $5.00 and even less.

A far cry from the Apple's more expensive $21.00 offering. ;)
 
#7 ·
BTW, I just came across a teardown site of Apple's 5W USB Power Adapter if anyone is interested in it's circuitry and innards, but one of his summary comments was interesting and supports my findings: "I was surprised to realize how enormous Apple's profit margins must be on these chargers."

Like if it costs more it must be better right???? Hmmm...

Ken Shirriff's blog: Apple iPhone charger teardown: quality in a tiny expensive package
 
#8 ·
Great link pm-r!

I'm not electronically advanced enough to follow all the nuances of the discussion but I did find it fascinating.

I understand that $ 21.00 seems a lot to pay for a few dollars worth of components, but I wonder if some of the "extra" cost is Flextonics charging more for patented technology/quality assembly and Apple is just adding their cost (packaging, shipping etc plus profit margin) on top.

In any event, I would rather pay a little more (about the price of two beers in the local canteen), for a device which I believe will not fry my wife's nano.

Peace on the home front - priceless!;)
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
I picked up one of the new USB adapters (ie charger) - very small.

Haven't had a chance to try it out yet

BTW: If anyone is thinking of getting one of the previous models ($ 35.00) which includes a non-lightning usb cable, you should act quickly as the older models will be pulled from stock and replaced with the newer model - because the cable is to be replaced by the separate lightning cable

Also - looked at the 13" MB Pro - very tempting
 
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