Minty, Fresh Gum & Minty, Fresh eReader Charging

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Saw a note on an unrelated forum that this product is compatible with the nook. Bear in mind, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to do - especially when you build it yourself, but presumably it's harmless?

The Minty Boost device itself consists of a kit with a PCB board, a USB jack, some capacitors, some resisitors and a few other small components.

Once assembled, you too will have a Altoids gum tin that holds two AA batteries and can provide up to 400mAH of current to charge/power your USB powered devices. Well, actually, first you have to buy the gum and chew or remove the contents of the tin. If Altoids gum is not sold locally, you can buy a tin for $5 from them.

Most modern USB chargers provide at least 0.5amp (or 500mAh) of power. In fact, that's the default, maximum output from a laptop or desktop USB port. Some chargers contain a higher voltage, my nook's AC adapter, for example is rated at 0.85amp. There's generally no risk to your equipment from charging with a lower powered device (although it will charge slower) - but there is a risk in using a higher powered device, unless that device can step-down to accommodate your equipment.

So I generally believe the claim that using this device wouldn't be too harmful, and in a pinch would certainly provide some juice.

Obviously, the batteries you use will dictate how much of a charge you can provide. Alkalines won't do a great job, especially those cheap supermarket or dollar store brands. Lithium batteries are expensive, but will hold a lot more juice.

If you get serious about portable batteries, look into NiMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeables, since you get at least 500 charges out of them, and they can hold a great deal of juice. Cheap ones might be 1200mAH or so in power, with higher end batteries doing well more than double!

Unlike the Minty Boost, which I have no experience with, I can specifically recommend MAHA / PowerEx batteries, especially their Powerex AA 2700mAh NiMH Rechargeable Batteries w/holder- 4 Batteries Per Pack. You'll find lower cost batteries, but you won't find quality batteries that hold more juice in my experience.

Now that you're playing with high powered batteries, you'll want to find a high powered charger. Forget what you know about AA battery recharging (it takes all night). Find a good 1 hour charger, and live with the fact that it probably reduces the overall lifespan of your batteries. The convenience, for me, outweighs the cost of having to buy $15 more in batteries after a year or two, rather than two or three years.

One great deal, is the Powerex MH-C204W - available for $43.10 - but that price includes 8 of the above 2700mAh batteries. Unlike the slightly more expensive models you'll see in retail shops from Energizer and Duracell, this unit as a conditioner cycle, and can preserve the life of your batteries a bit better.

If you're liking the concept of having AA's handy to charge your devices, but not quite sure you want to build your own charger, I can recommend the Tekkeon TekCharge Mobile Power and Battery Charger, available for about $20.

This small, easily pocketable case holds four AA batteries, has an on-off switch, and provides two USB ports, a Mini-USB port for charging said batteries, plus a regular USB port that you can hookup your eReader's USB cable (or an iPhone cable - or any other USB cable to charge a device). I still carry my regular 1 hour charger when I travel overnight, since the Tekkeon will take a long time to recharge those batteries, but in a pinch, I'll carry just the one device, and throw a couple of pairs of already recharged batteries into a bag.

The Tekkeon provides up to 800mAh of output power, so it can charge your device as quickly as a regular wall wart can, and has a voltage regulator so as not to oversupply your device with power, in case 800mAh is a bit much.

All-in-all for a bit less than $65 you can carry around enough juice to recharge your reader and your cell phone, and if you can find an outlet and one hour's time you can start the process all over again!