Do you need to crank to charge the USB devices or does it run off of the battery?
150753
You use the crank or solar energy to power everything, I don't think the radio uses batteries at all. Good question!
1907952
You will not need a battery anymore. Just hook to your device and plug in. It's not a charger.
135557
As far as I know you can power it with a USB but not charge the batteries. I occasionally use a stand alone, rechargeable power source for mine.
1118153
1) Crank yield time is going to vary pretty dramatically depending on what you are charging, but know that it's low output crank so it's pretty slow going. Maybe 3:1 crank to usage ratio for something high draw like an iPhone. 2) The light is LED. 3) Did a test charge with my iPhone and it worked fine. Even tried my iPad and was able to get it to charge a bit, although it took a lot more cranking to get any results.
100395
The device does not need batteries it runs off of power supplied by your computer's usb port.
1703289
No need to charge the battery first if you have it plugged in. There is a form without the battery, in fact.
1726079
Yes, the built-in USB, when plugged into a PC or laptop recharges the rechargeable battery. The power to the PC or laptop, of course, has to be on.
1212966
Recharges by USB. Which, ironically, is the same way it charges other things... Basically, if you have the ability to recharge it, you probably do not need it right then.
57486
It depends on your charging method. A few hours via AC power with a depleted battery. Crank for two minutes, rest for a minute, and repeat.
995997
The DC charger that is included in the package is NOT needed to run this unit. It is there for additional power for some of the more power demanding units such as certain external hard drives. Laptop USB ports usually only offer 500mAH of power.
1249346
Yes, after a charge it runs without being plugged in, it works both ways. I just wish it had some sort of light to tell you when it needs charging and when it is charged up.
478570
It charges the battery only. It does have usb.this makes it possible for me to never have to use a usb to charge my phone.
1277585
This is a crank-motion device with its own battery (which I would not change). So, yes, you'll have to crank to recharge its battery. But I don't think it can be replaced.
2090153
There is no battery needed. Alternatively, if you wanted to use a battery pack you probably can, but again, not needed. It comes with a Mini USB Male to Common (A-Type) USB Male Cable. Ive powered this from a laptop and had no issues. I also plugged it into an extra USB Adapter from an old phone and worked great.
508228
It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel will charge it in 7 hours. It seems the better choice. Their new Mini-Lantern is also an AWESOME product! It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal... » Read More It is not meant to fully charge the battery from the hand crank. It's purpose is to provide enough power for short-term light, or by its export port for making important phone calls, etc. If the "1 minute of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low for 1 side light" is accurate, then the 48 hours of run time on low would require: 48 hrs x 60 min/hr = 2,880 minutes of light ÷ 10 minutes per minute of cranking = 288 minutes or 4.8 hours of cranking at 120 RPM. If the "about ten minutes of light" is actually 9 minutes, you would have to crank for 5.3 hours. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel will charge it in 7 hours. It seems the better choice. Their new Mini-Lantern is also an AWESOME product! « Show Less
1613573
It charges at the same rate as plugging in a wall outlet. So a few minutes to bring a phone back from the dead. Over an hour to fully charge which is too much hand cranking. We recommend three minutes at a time, take a break and repeat for 30 minutes a day. Enough to keep you going away from power forever. We tested it for two months like this without plugging in on a smart phone. It is the only hand crank that really works. Others are under powered.
2082250
yeah you really have to crank it a long time. It doesn't hold a charge at all. It charges my phone (not an iphone) in about 45 mins.