[dawktah2]

I like the idea of using the WA8 on a plane, but personally I tend to go pretty minimal during the plane ride: just a portable music player and iems, since I can't appreciate the nuances with all of the background noise, and I like not having too much stuff to deal with in the cramped quarters. I break out the WA8 at the hotel room.

Now that many planes have A/C power at the seat it just was an idea.  I'll be on a plane 6 hours next month...

 

[SDBiotek]

You can always try it out and let us know how it worked for you. At any rate, you might be able to just rely on the battery and not bother with the AC, if you don't mind not having the amp running the entire flight. I bring mine in my carry on bag, even though I don't use it in flight. Too nice of a toy to chance something happening to it in checked luggage.

 

[michkhol]

What is the acceptable voltage range on the WA8 charge socket? Toying with the idea of charging the WA8 with a suitable LiFePo battery pack like this: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-flightmax-4200mah-4s1p-30c-lifepo4-pack.html

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  What is the acceptable voltage range on the WA8 charge socket? Toying with the idea of charging the WA8 with a suitable LiFePo battery pack like this: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-flightmax-4200mah-4s1p-30c-lifepo4-pack.html

 
That product looks dangerous! The TSA agents at the airport would have a field day with this one. 

 

 
Please consider this one instead.
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFMUBYG?ref%5F=ox%5Fsc%5Fsfl%5Ftitle%5F8&redirect=true&psc=1&smid=A2KUZVNQ9LP7N9&pldnSite=1
 

 

[michkhol]

Actually FAA states that a person can bring any number of lithium batteries on board in carry-on baggage as long as the battery terminals are properly isolated and its capacity does not exceed 100 watt-hours: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/more_info/?hazmat=7. Recently I carried two of them on an international flight without any problems.
 
The product you mentioned is 115 watt-hours, limited to 2 per person and require an airline approval. is most likely rated for a single li-ion cell. It's the only way to claim that it is "approved" for travel.  Besides those cells are more prone to self-destruction than the LiFePo cells used in the battery I'm considering.

The LiFePO4 batteries are the safest type of Lithium batteries as they will not overheat, and even if punctured they will not catch on fire.

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/lithium-battery-overview.html
 
 
So what is the allowed voltage range at the charging port in WA8?

 

[raypin]

Mm..lol! Dear god....plastic explosive? Besides, 4200 mah won't cut it. My Chargetech AC powerbank has 27500 mah and it only adds around 3 1/2 to 4 hours of addnl. life. Much safer and completely compatible with the Eclipse.

 

[michkhol]

I wonder then, why the internal battery of 3400mAh lasts the same? If my calculations are right, that humongous 27000 number is specified for one 3.7 volt li-ion cell. Because 3.7 * 27 is 99.9 watt-hours and it is exactly the limit specified by FAA, no certification or TSA approval is needed. And judging from the numbers you provided the effective capacity of your powerbank is even less - just like the internal battery.

 

[bmichels]

 
Please consider this one instead.
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFMUBYG?ref%5F=ox%5Fsc%5Fsfl%5Ftitle%5F8&redirect=true&psc=1&smid=A2KUZVNQ9LP7N9&pldnSite=1
 

 
Thanks for the advice. How much run time this 23.000 mA should add ? 

 

[dawktah2]

I guess I have to add the same comment I stated earlier most aircraft have AC power at the seat nowadays.  The aircraft that don't are usually flights shorter than 2-3 hours. If you aren't tied to a frequent flyer program you can use www.seatguru.com and it tells you based on flight number and route whether there is DC or AC power available.
 
--Chris

 

[michkhol]

And some have EmPower DC ports (15V, 75W). So the question again, what is the acceptable voltage range at the WA8 charging port?

 

[AnakChan]

  I wonder then, why the internal battery of 3400mAh lasts the same? If my calculations are right, that humongous 27000 number is specified for one 3.7 volt li-ion cell. Because 3.7 * 27 is 99.9 watt-hours and it is exactly the limit specified by FAA, no certification or TSA approval is needed. And judging from the numbers you provided the effective capacity of your powerbank is even less - just like the internal battery.

 
I believe  you're on the right track that those mAh are usually at 3.7V. I came across this when looking for a battery for my telescope setup. The advice I was given was to convert to W/h which would give a more realistic capacity.

So for that RAVPower example, it states it's "23,000mAh Portable Charger 4.5A DC Output External Battery Pack (3-Port, 9V/12V/16V/19V/20V, LCD Display) for Macbook, Laptops, Smartphones". Looking at the RAVPower PDF for it, you'll notice that the capacity is actually 85Wh. Use the calculator, 23,000mAh <-> 85Wh, it confirms that the 23,000mAh rating is actually calculated at 3.7V.
 
i.e. if using that model of RAVPower @ 12V, the calculator comes up that it's really only 7083mAh, not 23,000mAh.

 

[JoeDoe]

Howdy WA8-ers,
 
Seasoned head-fier here who's trying to back off this hobby by finding a compact DAC/amp solution to drive PS1000s and ZMF Ori's. Based on my reading, the WA8 checks off quite a few things: class-A tube operation, small footprint, capable DAC, among others.
 
The only concern I have is the charging while playing. To be honest, the Woo probably won't leave my desk very much, so I'd plan on leaving it plugging into the wall most of the time. Will doing so negatively affect batteries? Does it employ a trickle charge operation where my leaving it plugged in doesn't really cycle through the battery? 
 
If any of you owners are using it in a similar fashion, please chime in!
 
Thanks,
Joe

 

[dawktah2]

  Howdy WA8-ers,
 
Seasoned head-fier here who's trying to back off this hobby by finding a compact DAC/amp solution to drive PS1000s and ZMF Ori's. Based on my reading, the WA8 checks off quite a few things: class-A tube operation, small footprint, capable DAC, among others.
 
The only concern I have is the charging while playing. To be honest, the Woo probably won't leave my desk very much, so I'd plan on leaving it plugging into the wall most of the time. Will doing so negatively affect batteries? Does it employ a trickle charge operation where my leaving it plugged in doesn't really cycle through the battery? 
 
If any of you owners are using it in a similar fashion, please chime in!
 
Thanks,
Joe

The charger definitely has two stages indicated by a green or a red light.  Green being trickle charging. I leave mine unplugged until I get down to one LED then plug it back in. Once its fully charged and you're still listening it alternates between red and green, but mostly red.

 

[JoeDoe]

  The charger definitely has two stages indicated by a green or a red light.  Green being trickle charging. I leave mine unplugged until I get down to one LED then plug it back in. Once its fully charged and you're still listening it alternates between red and green, but mostly red.

It better for the battery to be cycled through over and over or could I just leave it plugged in 24/7?

 

[dawktah2]

I just googled this technical read: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries