Boxwave VersaCharger Pro - Power to Your Player
Many posts ago we took a look at a solution to keeping your MP3 player charged on-the-go in a post appropriately titled “Charging Your USB MP3 Player Without a Computer”. The question, charging sans computer, is so frequently asked that I thought I would cover another cool solution.
The Boxwave VersaCharger Pro will cover your home and auto charging needs in one light compact form factor. Additionally it will charge your player on the plane with an optional airline adapter.
Although this post is not sequentially named, consider this “Part Two” of “Charging Your USB MP3 Player Without a Computer” and check out more info and photos below.
The good thing about this charger is that it will work in every country due to its rated 100-240V and 50-60Hz. You will just need a prong adapter for corresponding country costing only a few bucks. (See this guide.) The auto adapter end of the VersaCharger will also work in all countries due to the 12 to 24 volt DC input range. If all of the above was just gibberish to you, all you need to know is… whereever you go, it will work.
As far as what it can charge, it will charge anything that normally charges over your computer’s USB slot, basically all of your USB gadgets. I tested them on all of the MP3 players lying around and it worked just as expected with all of them. (I did however run into one problem with the iRiver clix, which will only charge when completely drained, but the clix has issues with other chargers as well.)
The VersaCharger Pro can be picked up directly from Boxwave’s website for $26. They also make retractable USB cables that are handy for traveling and charging on the go. They are available for most proprietary cables like the one shown in the photo for the Sansa e200.
Comments
Matthew on September 12, 2006 2:36 PM
That extendable usb cord is just what I have been looking for, awesome.
simon on October 3, 2006 1:54 PM
i have the boxwave versacharger (not the pro) and it doesnt seem to work with my sansa e250 whats the difference between the 2
CriZ on January 10, 2007 1:03 PM
I have a ZEN Vision M, which including a MINI usb cable along with Sync adapter for charging with computer. It says in the boxwave website, versacharger pro has to be purchased with one of their Sync cables. Does the mini USB cable with Sync Adapter do the same trick??
Thanks for any reply!!
Destiny on March 20, 2008 2:51 PM
I HAVE A SANSA AND THIS SIS WHAT I NEED!!
Steven on April 20, 2009 7:56 PM
I bought a VersaCharger PRO about two years ago, and initially thought it was a great product. The idea behind it, I still believe, is a fantastic one. Externally, the design is great, including putting the AC prongs so close to the edge so it doesn't block two outlets.
Internally, however, the design is not only flawed, but it is unforgivable. First of all, making it so the charger has to be disassembled to replace the fuse, exposing capacitors and circuitry as well as quite possibly leading loss of loose pieces, is ridiculous. So many car chargers have screw on/off caps that make this task so much simpler, there's no reason for them not to have done this.
Second, and this is what prompted me to write this, as well as what made me notice the poor fuse replacement design, is the design of the AC contacts is just plain horrid. My charger stopped working, needing to be forcefully pressed into the outlet to get power. After a brief look, I immediately spotted the problem: The contacts inside are just bent pieces of metal resting on a sheet of plastic, and the AC prongs, when flipped out, press against them. Over time (and I've only used this charger a few times, which makes this even more upsetting), the prongs didn't make contact with them any more.
Steven on April 20, 2009 7:56 PM
So I disassembled the charger, bent the contacts to make them easier to be reached by the prongs, then reassembled it. I even had to use two of my own screws because the ones it came with wouldn't go back in. One was too large for the hole it came out of and one was too small (no, I did not switch them), because they apparently were barely the right size to begin with. Once I had it all reassembled, I found I had tightened the screw holding the plastic plate (I still can't believe the design with that) too much, to the point I couldn't extend the AC prongs, so I had to disassemble it again and loosen it up a little. And after all this, while it does work as it should now, it still has a loud, electrical hum, which I had also noticed when I first discovered it wasn't working properly.
All in all, a great product idea, with a lot of promise, and the few times I used it it seemed to work quite well. However, the lack of quality in the design and construction make what could, and should, have been a great charger into a second-rate product I would definitely not buy again as is and I would not recommend to others. My intent is not to bash the company or its products, simply to give my honest opinion on it through my experience, in the hopes it will result in changes for the better.