Apparently Monday is DIY day here at CrunchGear, as we have another project for you. Battery powered USB chargers are nothing new — but building one yourself, that’s something different. Using a few components from your local electronics store and a 9v battery, you too can solder together your own little frankencharger.
It’s a pretty easy build. Solder the battery connector wires to a regulator, and then from the regulator to the female end of a scavenged USB cable to the regulator, and you’re set. The hardest part will be finding a female end of a USB connector, unless you want to just chop the end off of a cable. You can read about the whole process here (there’s a little more to it then I’ve described).
One thing to be aware of: I contacted an electric engineer friend of mine, and he advised me to be very cautious with this build. It is a strong possibility that this device could short out and destroy the device you are trying to charge. In this case, it might be better to spend the $20 and buy one from your favorite retail outlet.
[via Gizmodo]