Charger “Frog” is a well-known universal device designed to restore the charge of lithium batteries of mobile phones and other small-sized gadgets. With a different type of battery, this device cannot be used.
Role in everyday life
Sometimes there are times when the charging unit from a smartphone or mobile is not at hand, it has irreparably broken or was lost, and it is not possible to purchase it in the near future. In this case, it is replaced by the “Frog” - a universal charger. Alternative names are “clothespin”, “frog”. This device is equipped with adjustable contacts, which directly connects the battery itself, previously removed from the device. Of course, such a process involves some inconvenience associated with the constant removal of the battery and the possible failure of the settings, but sometimes this is the only successful way out of this situation.
Where and why can it be used?
As mentioned above, this device is suitable for recharging most of the small-sized equipment, mainly telephones and cameras. Usually, the instruction is attached to the frog device, but the problem may lie in the contents of the text of the brochure in a foreign language, since these devices are mostly Chinese-made.
Some useful information
In addition to the cell, the Frog charger is capable of charging a camera, PDA or navigator, but only if lithium batteries with a small capacity are used. The device is connected to the network with a standard voltage. When the battery is fully charged, the device will automatically disconnect from the network. As a rule, this takes about two to three hours.
There are several types of devices of the “frog” type, which can be connected to various sources of electricity:
- To a regular home outlet with a voltage of 220 volts.
- To the car network - 12 volts.
- Connecting to a PC via a USB port is 5 volts.
The most practical and common is the frog charger, powered by a home network. The choice of device type depends on each person’s personal preference.
Explanation of device designations
Each such device has several indicator lamps, next to which are letter designations that help regulate the entire charging process:
- Full, ful - indicates a full battery charge.
- Charge, ch - means charging is in progress.
- Power, pw - the device is connected to a power source.
- Con - polarity is determined correctly.
- Te - there is a polarity check.
How does the frog charger work?
How to adjust polarity manually? First, hold the battery in the charger so that the contacts of the device are connected to the terminals “-” and “+”. If the battery has three or more contacts, then you need to use the two extreme of them.
If the polarity is correctly determined during connection, when you press the left button “Te”, the green light with the word “Con” should light up, otherwise press the right button “Con”, then again “Te”. On some devices, the “Con” LED may light up when connected without first pressing.
The most convenient models that automatically determine the polarity, respectively, in them there is no right button for changing polarity.
If everything is done correctly, the green Con light is on, which means you can plug the device into a power outlet. At this point, “Power” and “Charge” should turn on. When the battery charging process is over, the right Full LED will light up. Now the device can be removed from the outlet and use the battery for its intended purpose.
Non-standard situations
If the “Con” does not light up at all, it means that the battery is completely run down and it needs a “buildup”. In this case, it can be connected arbitrarily in any polarity, and then connected to the network for five minutes. If “Charge” flashes, then charging is carried out correctly, if not, then you need to right-click to change the polarity and see how the “Charge” pointer behaves in this case.
If “Power” and “Full” immediately started to burn, then most likely the battery in the “frog” is poorly installed, it should be more securely fixed.
The charging time varies depending on the battery capacity, as a rule, it takes from two to five hours:
- 1000 mA / h - 5 hours.
- 800 mA / h - 4 hours.
- 500 mA / h - 2.5 hours.
How to use the frog charger?
The classic device is designed for 220-volt voltage, on the back of its cover are two sliding pins located parallel to each other - they can be routed to the required distance, corresponding to the distance between the contacts of the battery.
When turned on, polarity can be adjusted manually via the buttons or automatically. It all depends on which model your “Frog” charger is.
If the battery is completely worn out, the following situations may occur:
- The device does not charge.
- After connecting to the network, the diode with the inscription “Full” immediately starts flashing.
- The battery charges too fast in five to ten minutes.
If desired, and with some skill, the frog charger can be built with your own hands using a simple scheme.
Batteries with more than two contacts can be charged using the described device, however, for this, it will be necessary to disassemble the battery and connect charging to it, bypassing the controller.
Based on the foregoing, it can be understood that the “Frog” is a universal charger, very useful in case of breakdown of other power sources, small batteries, as well as the inability to charge gadgets in the usual way, which happens quite often. At the moment, manufacturers offer all new devices equipped with a USB port and LCD-display, which greatly simplifies their use.
The advantages of the device:
- The presence of a USB port that allows you to charge most devices.
- Easy to use.
- Universality.
Disadvantages:
- With frequent use, relative fragility.
- The long process of charging high-capacity batteries.
"Frog" - the best option for a backup energy source
Despite the few shortcomings, the “Frog” is a battery charger, the price of which is very diverse (from 60 to 650 rubles), this is a rather useful thing in the household, if only because it is able to literally revive batteries of phones and cameras that do not show signs of life . But keep in mind that you need to use this device as necessary. Charging with the Frog too frequently can lead to a rapid depletion of the battery and, consequently, to its failure. Paradoxically, it is.
Despite the fact that mainly these chargers are made in China, do not neglect such products. In today's market you can find universal and unique auxiliary devices that can significantly facilitate our lives and give a second chance to parts that would otherwise have flown to the trash. Therefore, it makes sense to have at least some idea of ​​how to use the “Frog” device for the usual recharging of a telephone battery.