Basically as the title says. We have semi frequent power outages where I live. The noise machine in my daughter’s room goes out and wakes her up. If I were to buy a USB powered one, plug it into a power bank like one of those 10000ma ones you get for charging cell phones, would it have continuous power. Basically like a cheap UPS
DO NOT leave a lithium battery both charging and discharging indefinitely in your daughter’s room. The suggestion below of a small UPS device intended for routers and they like is the way to go.
Since you didn’t explain why… Using a normal power bank as an UPS is a bad idea because lithium batteries have a limited amount cycles it can charge and discharge. With a power bank the power has to flow from the charger into the battery then out to the load which eats up those cycles. An UPS is a little more clever as the power goes straight to the load via a capacitor bank and a mosfet bypassing the battery. When the source power is cut the UPS runs off of the capacitors for the milliseconds it takes for the mosfet to switch the load over to the battery. This vastly extends the life of the battery and reduces the risks of fire and toxic fumes from being released.
Any recommendations of a modem/router UPS that would keep one up and running for a few hours? I’ve been needing to get one for WFH.
I personally use an APC pro 1500 and it will run my (admittedly large) network for an hour. If your router and modem are around 50 watts you could probably get about two hours.
If you need anything longer than that you should look at solar generators that have an UPS mode like from what bluetti or ecoflow offers as they are a significantly better value than a purpose built high capacity UPS with the added benefits of being able to hook up portable solar panels to extend the run time even further.
Both of my USBc power banks have passthrough charging and would work for this. That’s the feature you need to look for.
However, keeping a battery bank charged to 100% isn’t good for longevity, make sure you get a good name brand one so it doesn’t catch fire.
Edit to add: the ecoflow & jackery power banks can also charge their batteries while running something. They can do 120v/240v and run the current nose machine, but they’re more expensive
They make and sell mini UPS devices. Usually marketed for modems and routers. I use one of those and they have several hours of autonomy for low power consumption devices, and they don’t beep uncontrollably like regular PC UPSs.
Most power banks can either provide power, or be charged, not both.
They actually make what you want however, you can get usb UPS modules. They are intended for raspberry pi power, but just present a usb socket. They hot switch between external usb and internal batteries, as required.
That’s old power banks from decade ago. Majority if not all reputable powerbank brands now have charge passthrough.
Some will charge your device to full first, then disconnect the device and charge itself second.
Some will slowly charge both the device and the powerbank itself (I emphasize the Slowly part, probably at 5V 0.5A).
For OP, look for something on the packaging that indicates it have the mentioned above function.
HOWEVER! No good powerbanks will work as a UPS. Because they have built-in protection that will disconnect the power when fully charged or turn itself off when the plugged in devices is full.
I said “good powerbanks” because cheap, no-name one doesn’t have those protections and will keep on trickle charging both itself and the devices, which is really bad.
Also, as a rule of thumb, you DO NOT want to plugged in your lithium battery at all times and keep it at 100%. That’s the recipe for disaster waiting to happen.
A cheap or 2nd-hand acid-battery UPS can be bought for as little as $30-$50 on Ebay, even the smallest one will be capable of powering the noise machine for days.
That is definitely still a premium power bank feature. I’ve got a few newer ones that have full pd capability etc and they still don’t do both.
Lithium ion are fine in a UPS capability, they just need to be treated right. What most do is pass through to a boost buck converter. The external power passes through via a diode. When the external drops, the battery takes over instantly. Critically, when powered, the li ion is effectively disconnected.
Raspberry Pis often require this capability, so most usb UPS units mention raspberry pi, making it a useful search finder.
Yes Absolutely. Not all of them will charge while plugged in, but I have a couple that do.