Developer

Battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins

By // March 24, 2011, 11:27 PM PST // HuTerra

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  • Altoids tin for MintiBoost workshop

    Members of Let Them Tweet Cake, a female-only group in Louisville, KY that meets to discuss tech and geek-related stuff, were invited to LVL1 Hackerspace for a workshop on how to make MintiBoosts, battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins. Check out this gallery to see images of yours truly trying to learn some geek skills and build my own MintiBoost!

    It all starts with an Altoids tin.

    Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)

    For more details about the project, read my Geekend post MintiBoost workshop for geek women at LVL1 Hackerspace.

  • MintiBoost project workstation

    Each workstation had a soldering iron, a magnifying glass with attached clamps, and a bright light.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • Underside of the motherboard

    This is the underside of the tiny motherboard. Each transistor has metal "legs" that are inserted in particular order and direction into holes on the motherboard. The soldering is done on this back side, and then the long wires are snipped short.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • Front of the motherboard

    The front of the motherboard with four transistors mounted.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • Magnifying glass

    The magnifying glass isn't always helpful.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • Soldering

    Some Tweeps are fast learners and took to soldering very quickly.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • Motherboard for MintiBoost project

    The board gets increasingly full, and by the end it is difficult to squeeze everything in.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • MintiBoost performance test

    Each completed MintiBoost was tested for performance. Can you guess which attendee didn't do hers right? It seems this geek has difficulty with dry solder sockets. Lesson: don't skimp on the solder.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • MintiBoost project at LVL1

    I had to get some help with the soldering, and I never did get the hang of it.

    Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

  • USB charger in an Altoids tin

    When it was all done, it gets nested inside an Altoids tin.

    Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)

  • Completed MintiBoost

    The battery pack covers part of the motherboard, and the motherboard attaches to a USB port that sits in a cut-out slot on the side of the tin. With the lid closed, the user just plugs any USB device in, and it charges right up.

    I think a good hack on this project would be to use a small photovoltaic pack, like the ones used in making sun jars, and thereby eliminating the need for the batteries.

    Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)

Altoids tin for MintiBoost workshop

Members of Let Them Tweet Cake, a female-only group in Louisville, KY that meets to discuss tech and geek-related stuff, were invited to LVL1 Hackerspace for a workshop on how to make MintiBoosts, battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins. Check out this gallery to see images of yours truly trying to learn some geek skills and build my own MintiBoost!

It all starts with an Altoids tin.

Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)

For more details about the project, read my Geekend post MintiBoost workshop for geek women at LVL1 Hackerspace.

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About Nicole Nash

Nicole Bremer Nash is Director of Content and Social Media for HuTerra, where she uses SEO and social media to promote charitable organizations in their community-building and fundraising efforts. She enjoys volunteering, arts and crafts, and conduct...