Gomadic Charger Cables with Tip Exchange Technology

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

December 23, 2005

Right around the corner from my office is a closet which acts as the receptacle for all of the gadgets' boxes and accessories currently being used in our household - well, the ones that will fit, anyway. Inside this closet sits a large cardboard box which holds nothing but power cords, adapters, odd cables and vehicle chargers for PDAs, digital music players, mobile phones, and other devices that we may or may not still own and which we may or may not still be using. I have to clean the box out at least every two years, otherwise the cables will begin to spill over and chaos will rule.

You know what? It really strikes me as a complete waste of money that almost every time I change PDA's I have to also get new travel or vehicle cables to go along with the device. I mean, these cables are all essentially the same. Well, with the exception of their tips, of course.

That's why I was so interested when I was given the opportunity to review Gomadic's Charger Cables with Tip Exchange Technology. I was intrigued by the idea that the same power cable which charges my PPC-6700 could also charge my iPAQ 4700 as well as my iPod. I was especially impressed by the idea that the same cable could also power almost every current or future portable device. Suddenly, I can see an end to the need for the box in my closet. This is a good thing!

Gomadic sells what they call their Essential Power Kit, which includes both their Rapid Car Charger and Rapid Wall Charger as well as two tips for the same device. I was sent a kit that included two mini USB tips to use with my PPC-6700, and I was also sent tips which would fit my iPod and iPAQ 4700. Additional tips for many devices may be ordered at the same time as the initial order, or later on as the owner acquires new devices. All it takes is the swapping out of a simple plug-in tip...

Each tip securely snaps into the Gomadic cable; they will not accidentally fall out

The wall charger is available with either a US or European style plug, and there is a red LED to indicate when it is receiving power. Its cable is a generous 5 1/2 feet long, which should be enough to allow one to sit in a chair and comfortably use the device while it is charging in a nearby outlet. 

The car charger has a tightly coiled cable, which measures approximately 16" when retracted and roughly double that when stretched. It also has a red LED located at its base to indicate power.

What makes either charger qualify as "rapid"? According to Gomadic, "Rapid power circuitry is used in our car and travel (wall) chargers. Car chargers are rated at 850ma and wall chargers at 1000ma resulting in charging times that are over twice as fast as standard chargers." Also according to the site, "Products are designed to support wide range of input voltages (ie. 100-240v AC for wall chargers and 12-24v DC for car chargers) enabling customers to use products anywhere in the world."

Now in case that makes potential buyers worry about whether these chargers might be producing too much juice, the site also says that their chargers are "carefully engineered using additional custom enhancements to protect your mobile device including current limiting protection, circuit breaking fuses, reverse voltage protection diodes and more." Unlike cheaply made chargers that may only have the protection of a single fuse.

The first thing that I wanted to verify after receiving the kit was that both chargers would actually charge my phone and iPAQ when WiFi was turned on...

The PPC-6700 charging with the WiFi on

This has turned out to be an issue in the past with other replacement power cords, but in this case it was no problem.

The iPAQ charging with WiFi on

On our recent trip to Houston, I was able to pack one power cord and three tips for the three devices that I like to travel with. The freedom of being able to pack even more lightly than usual was quite nice! Both the car and wall chargers never failed to charge my devices, and they never got hot or caused my devices to get any warmer than when used with their factory chargers, which is to say that they did not grow noticeably warm at all.

The Gomadic Essential Power Kit has earned a permanent place both in my gear bag and in my glovebox. I really had to think long and hard about what, if anything, might constitute as a con with this system, but I just couldn't find one. Instead, I was only able to come up with a future design request: that the prongs fold into the body of the wall charger for even more compact packing. Otherwise, this really is the perfect solution for those that carry more than one device or for those that upgrade devices on a regular basis.

Gomadic even offers a AA Battery Emergency Backup Charger that uses their Tip Exchange Technology. I did not receive one of these for the review, but it looks to be similar to the USB version I have reviewed in the past. This would be a very handy item to have for longer flights or other times when a power outlet is not available.

Gomadic offers a Lifetime warranty on all parts, and you should be sure to take a look at this page.

Additional tips can be ordered for $4.95 each.