Is it possible to charge the SP4 from a portable powerbank? (i.e. like you can with a phone / iPad / etc.). I've had a bit of a search and other than suggestions to get an inverter for the car I haven't come across anything... I'm hoping there's an option... I have a powerbank with lots of fittings, is there a USB to SP4 power fitting out there somewhere? Would also work on a plane (for example) or anywhere offering a USB charging port...
How to charge SP4 via portable powerbank?
- Thread starter WebGeorge
- Start date
You can but it won't be through usb so that rules out the little powerbanks made for phones and tablets and anyway they aren't able to supply 12v of power at 2.5 amps which the surface pro 4 needs.
To get this to work you will need a powerbank which can output 12 v at 2.5 amps it must also have a barrel connector output and the last thing you will need is the cable which is made for the surface pro 3/4 which has a male barrel connector on the other side and that's it. There are some other options Out there but here's some I found. Links provided for USA and UK.
pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type
Important note (THESE POWERBANKS LISTED HERE ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR THE SURFACE PRO 4 M3 VERSION BECUASE IT HAS A DIFFERENT VOLTAGE AND CURRENT REQUIREMENT. THE M3 VERSION OF THE SURFACE PRO 4 REQUIRES 15V AT 1.6 AMPS SO IF YOU CAN FIND A POWERBANK WHICH CAN SUPPLY 15V YOU SHOULD BE GOOD TO JUST ADD THE CABLE LINKED BELOW)
USA LINKS:
(POWER BANKS - ANY OF THESE WILL DO)
Amazon.com: Aukey 18000mah Multi-voltage (5v 12v 16v 19v)External Battery with Quick Charge for iPhone 6S 6S Plus 6 Samsung Galaxy Google Nexus LG HTC Motorola and many other USB Powered Mobile Devices(Silver): Cell Phones & Accessories
Amazon.com: RAVPower 23000mAh Portable Charger Power Bank External Battery Pack(Xtreme Series,3-Port,9V/12V/16V/19V/20V - LCD Display) for Laptops, tablets, iPhones, Android Phones and other devices: Camera & Photo
Amazon.com: Poweradd Pilot Pro 32000mAh Monster Capacity Multi-Voltage Portable Charger External Battery Pack: Computers & Accessories
(BARREL CABLE WITH SP4 CONNECTOR - pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type)
Amazon.com: GOOQ® Magnetic Cable Cord Mobile Power Charging Cable for Microsoft Surface PRO 3 12 Inch Tablet (pro 3 charging cable): Computers & Accessories
UK LINKS
(POWERBANKS - ANY OF THESE WILL DO)
Aukey 28000mah Multi-voltage (5v 12v 16v 19v) External Battery Pack with Quick Charge and Aluminum Body Design for Hp, Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, Toshiba, Netbooks, Notebooks, Ipad Air, Mini, Iphone 6, 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S5, S4, S3, Note 3, 4 and Many Other Devices:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
Poweradd Pilot Pro2 23000mAh Multi-Voltage (9V 12V 16V 19V 20V) Portable Charger External Battery Backup Power Bank with Smart LCD Digital Display for Tablet, Netbooks, Notebooks, Laptops, Smart Phones and More:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
(BARREL CABLE WITH SP4 CONNECTOR - pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type)
New Portable Charging Charger Cable with USB Port for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 12 Inch Tablet with a Free Makibes cleaning cloth (Charging Cable For Surface Surface Pro3):Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
To get this to work you will need a powerbank which can output 12 v at 2.5 amps it must also have a barrel connector output and the last thing you will need is the cable which is made for the surface pro 3/4 which has a male barrel connector on the other side and that's it. There are some other options Out there but here's some I found. Links provided for USA and UK.
pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type
Important note (THESE POWERBANKS LISTED HERE ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR THE SURFACE PRO 4 M3 VERSION BECUASE IT HAS A DIFFERENT VOLTAGE AND CURRENT REQUIREMENT. THE M3 VERSION OF THE SURFACE PRO 4 REQUIRES 15V AT 1.6 AMPS SO IF YOU CAN FIND A POWERBANK WHICH CAN SUPPLY 15V YOU SHOULD BE GOOD TO JUST ADD THE CABLE LINKED BELOW)
USA LINKS:
(POWER BANKS - ANY OF THESE WILL DO)
Amazon.com: Aukey 18000mah Multi-voltage (5v 12v 16v 19v)External Battery with Quick Charge for iPhone 6S 6S Plus 6 Samsung Galaxy Google Nexus LG HTC Motorola and many other USB Powered Mobile Devices(Silver): Cell Phones & Accessories
Amazon.com: RAVPower 23000mAh Portable Charger Power Bank External Battery Pack(Xtreme Series,3-Port,9V/12V/16V/19V/20V - LCD Display) for Laptops, tablets, iPhones, Android Phones and other devices: Camera & Photo
Amazon.com: Poweradd Pilot Pro 32000mAh Monster Capacity Multi-Voltage Portable Charger External Battery Pack: Computers & Accessories
(BARREL CABLE WITH SP4 CONNECTOR - pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type)
Amazon.com: GOOQ® Magnetic Cable Cord Mobile Power Charging Cable for Microsoft Surface PRO 3 12 Inch Tablet (pro 3 charging cable): Computers & Accessories
UK LINKS
(POWERBANKS - ANY OF THESE WILL DO)
Aukey 28000mah Multi-voltage (5v 12v 16v 19v) External Battery Pack with Quick Charge and Aluminum Body Design for Hp, Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, Toshiba, Netbooks, Notebooks, Ipad Air, Mini, Iphone 6, 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S5, S4, S3, Note 3, 4 and Many Other Devices:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
Poweradd Pilot Pro2 23000mAh Multi-Voltage (9V 12V 16V 19V 20V) Portable Charger External Battery Backup Power Bank with Smart LCD Digital Display for Tablet, Netbooks, Notebooks, Laptops, Smart Phones and More:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
(BARREL CABLE WITH SP4 CONNECTOR - pro 3 cables are compatible with pro 4 same connector type)
New Portable Charging Charger Cable with USB Port for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 12 Inch Tablet with a Free Makibes cleaning cloth (Charging Cable For Surface Surface Pro3):Amazon.co.uk:Electronics
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I didn't know, but it's good to know thanks greyfox I'll edit my post.
TBH I don't know if an m3 will charge with a 12v charger I never tried it. I did try (accidentally) charging an SP3 with an m3 charger and it didn't charge. I only did it once and decided to be more careful and never repeated that experiment to verify. It didn't damage anything but I had to remove the m3 brick from power and plug it back in to get it to charge the m3 so it apparently did a safety shutdown.
Hmmm it seems like the charger does have a safety cutoff which kicks in when it can't provide enough power it used to happen to my pro 3 charger and also happens to my pro 4 charger when I try to charge the surface and a device which needs more than 1 amps through the extra usb port on the actual charger brick. The charger would just cut out and the white light on the charger connector for the surface would just keep blinking and the only way to fix it was to unplug the charger from the mains and connect it again and also to disconnect the usb device from the the charger brick.
FYI, I looked into a few of the products you recommended in the links above. The Anker Astro Pro 2 is not capable of 12V 2A required to charge a Surface Pro (it maxes out at 12V 1.5A) - a few reviewers pointed this out.
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Anker 2nd Gen Astro Pro2 20000mAh 4-Port Aluminum Portable External Battery Charger with 9V/12V Multi-Voltage Port and PowerIQ Technology for Smartphones, Tablets, and more
I have the older 1st Gen version Anker Astro Pro 2 and can confirm that it can charge the Surface Pro 4:
Amazon.com: Anker Astro Pro2 20000mAh Multi-Voltage (5V 12V 16V 19V) Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank for iPad Air, Mini, iPhone 6, 5S, 5C, 5, 4S, Samsung Galaxy S5, S4, S3, Note 3, 4, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba Netbooks, Notebooks and many other devices (Apple adapters - 30 pin and lightning, not included): Computers & Accessories
Also, the owners manual of the 1st Gen Astro Pro 2 says that a user can select a voltage higher than the target device's voltage if the voltage needed isn't one of the options on the battery. This means that the Anker 1st Gen battery might be able to charge an i3 Pro 4 if the voltage of the battery output is set to 16V. Obviously, use at your own risk... I'm just stating what I read in the manual.
Thanks all...pity - my existing powerbank doesn't quite get there at 2.1A :-(
I'll probably see how I go for awhile and then look at options again. Just preparing for bad battery life but hoping for good !
One good thing - it certainly does charge quick, so maybe I'll get by.
I'll probably see how I go for awhile and then look at options again. Just preparing for bad battery life but hoping for good !
One good thing - it certainly does charge quick, so maybe I'll get by.
Or a better option which Microsoft should look at is to make a new power cover specifically for the surface pro 4.
I think it might be better to leave the answer as no for the m3 surface pro 4 atm unless someone is willing to try it and report back on how it goes with the first gen anker battery and I'll remove the 2nd gen anker battery from the list
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