Belite is now shipping its new USB charging ports for experimental aircraft.
The ports are designed to support charging requirements up to 2.4 amps and also feature soft backlighting, easy installation, and are also compatible with Battery Charging (1.2) standards, according to Belite officials.
“These USB charging ports are easy to install and look great too,” said James Wiebe, CEO of Belite. “We’ve set up our demonstrator aircraft with a USB port on each side of the panel, so that pilot and passenger can independently operate USB devices without tangling to a central outlet location.”
Priced at $79.95 each, they are available in a horizontal or a vertical installation motif.
Be warned, the vertical mount USB charger is NOT the same type of charger as the horizontal unit. The horizontal unit which I bought and reviewed is a smart charger that will supply 2.4 Amps. The vertical charger only puts out 1 Amp and I doubt that it is smart.
This is an odd press release. The charger pictured is not exactly the charger they are selling. Notice they are advertising a new 2.4 Amp charger, but the charger in the picture is rated at 1 Amp.
Always curious about USB chargers, I ordered one. Looks very similar to the one pictured, but is marked +5V 2.4A. It works as advertised. It’s an intelligent charger so it adapted to my iPad and Samsung tablets and rapid charged them both. It put out 2.4 Amps for a discharged iPad Air 2. I tested it for RFI by scanning it with my iCom handheld with the antenna sitting right next to it and it was clean so I doubt it will get into your panel mounted com radio.
Is it worth $80? You be the judge. On the same announcement page I’m seeing from GA News, there is a link to a press release for a dual USB charger from Sporty’s. That unit is less than $25 w/shipping. I bought one and tested it, too. It works as advertised. It’s smart and will rapid charge two dead iPads at 2.4A each, no RFI.
There is also a link to the announcement for a two port USB charger from Stratus. It’s TSOd and sells in the $350 range. Oddly though, the two ports are rated at 2.1 A which is code for the Apple 10 watt charging protocol. So, this very expensive charger may not keep your Apple iPad charging if it requires the 2.4A, 12 watt Apple protocol. And I doubt it is smart, which means it will not rapid charge your Samsung tablet running iFly. It will only charge it at 500 ma, not 1.7 amps.
P.S. – If you really want to understand USB battery charging, here’s the book I wrote: Secrets Of USB Battery Charging available for your iPad, Kindle, B&N and Kobo reader or Samsung tablet; whatever you’re trying to charge in your airplane.
Almost got it right – should be dual port with the same panel face. (especially at that high price)
Does it have any circuitry to prevent static/interference back into the electrical circuit? Or shielding?
Why so expensive for the experimental world? You can buy them in the automotive world for $10 each.
Most of the $10 USB chargers in the automotive world put out RFI that will unsquelch your com radio on every frequency. Others will unsquelch your radio on certain frequencies. Most of them are mislabeled in their capabilities and don’t know all of the charging protocols, so they may or may not rapid charge your device. A good number of them will overheat at full load. In my experience they are not worth the $10 cost.