StowNCharge by Adventure High Tech - Out Now!

[Autolycus]

Thanks! I saw that second one, but didn't think the removable cable would fit.

I've tried sitting my phone on top of someone's "MagSafe" puck at the office and it did nothing. The phone didn't even recognize that it was on a charger. So not holding out much hope for the "official Apple one" working.

A shame the Anker's didn't fit. They charged really well.

Regardless, going with the option that always seems to work best for me on Amazon: Order every single product available and return whatever doesn't work. Starting with these. ??

The JSAUX should work unless their new flip-out stand makes it thicker.

I ended up using the official Apple MagSafe pad since we're all iPhones, but there might be some future compatibility advantages to Qi2 -- but downside for older iPhones.

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[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Order every single product available and return whatever doesn't work.

Following up on my own question for the sake of completeness.


NewQ Qi2 wireless charger: Puck is physically too large to fit in the StowNCharge.

ESR HaloLock Qi2 wireless charger: Puck is physically too large to fit in the StowNCharge. Also the cable is too thick.

Apple MagSafe charger: Does nothing with my Google Pixel 8 Pro. Phone doesn't even detect that it's on a charger. Presumably not compatible with any Android devices (???).


JSAUX: Has some quirks but it works. Cable is very long (much longer then Apple one, for example). The longer cable made it a bit harder to fit in this tight space (had to wrap it many times). Magnet isn't as strong as the Anker. Also anecdotally, it doesn't charge as fast as the Qi2-rated Anker.

^ Black cable in this picture is the JSAUX, white cable is the Apple model

Shame Rivian couldn't include a better solution natively. But I do like the little drawer. Fits my sunglasses, ChapStick, and a few other items perfectly. Good installation video on manufacturer website. Very ingenious design. Pleased with the product. Might need to get a fidget-spinner otherwise I'm going to keep opening & closing the drawer while driving. ?

 

[Destreyf]

Just wanted to chime in, I have a Pixel 7 and use the official apple magsafe pucks without issue, I do have a "magsafe" case on my phone to make it lock into place on the charger, without the case if I line it up it also still works.

Sadly my sunglasses do not fit in the little cubby.

 

[schalliol]

Does anyone know if you install the new MagSafe charging pucks that can output 25W w/ 30W charger that Apple released will deliver 25W if installed in this unit? Thinking I might swap one or both out if it’s faster in the Rivian.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Same question. Anyone?

 

[Spaceball1]

Does anyone know if you install the new MagSafe charging pucks that can output 25W w/ 30W charger that Apple released will deliver 25W if installed in this unit? Thinking I might swap one or both out if it’s faster in the Rivian.

It should just be dependent on the max power the power adapter puts out. They don’t advertise what that is, though. Worst case a larger power adapter or second one would be needed to get max power from both Apple pucks?

Downside is the higher power means higher heat. I’m thinking of ways to add active cooling to my pucks. I have the lower power JSUX pucks and frequently overheat my phone, especially if the sun in hitting it.

 

[schalliol]

Agreed. Any idea what it can do?

 

[Mcdubjr]

I’ll pick one up later today and run some basic tests.

 

[Mcdubjr]

I picked up the new Apple MagSafe charger yesterday. I don't have any metrics yet but it will work with the StowNCharge. Compared to the previous version of the Apple MagSafe charger I have, there are some differences.

1. It's thinner 4.5mm vs 5.5mm (I think they might have already had a revision with this thickness). Anyways, this still fits in the StowNCharge but is slightly loose. Could wedge something under the bracket to make it tighter.

2. It has a braided cable. I thought for sure it wasn't going to fit in the wire channel, but it actually went in quite smoothly.

I tried running some initial baseline tests off a 65w wall charger between the two, but wasn't seeing any difference. My phone (16 Pro) was 82% so this could account for that. I'll try to run my phone down today and test again.

 

[schalliol]

Thanks for all the extra hoops on this. Yeah, I bet at 82% you won't see an impact even if it would make a difference.

 

[Mcdubjr]

Ok, finally got to do a little testing. I was surprised to see some benefits. Let me provide the raw data I saw.

Fast Charge Tester: FNIRSI FNB58
Phone: iPhone 16 Pro
Case: Apple Silicone MagSafe Case
State of Charge: 20%

These speeds are the max I saw after about 2 minutes.

65w Wall Charger - Old Apple MagSafe Charger
18w (9v, 2amp)

65w Wall Charger - New Apple MagSafe Charger
24w (15v, 1.5 amp)

StowNCharge Adapter - Old Apple MagSafe Charger
18w (9v, 2amp)

StowNCharge Adapter - New Apple MagSafe Charger
23w (9v, 2.5 amp)

---
I noticed the new adapter dropped down to like 18w on the new adapter by the time the phone had reached 35% (which happened pretty fast). I was testing this directly to the phone without the StowNCharge platform in between. I plan on testing that was well but need to drain my phone again (I have to work to drain this brand new phone...).

In the past I tested at around 50% SOC and saw about 12.5w with the old MagSafe charger so phone battery level seems to make a big difference. This was also on an iPhone 14 Pro, so not exactly apples to apples.

I've heard Apple claims to have better thermal management on the iPhone 16, but who knows how long it charges before heat starts slowing it down.

I'll continue doing more testing over the new few days.

 

[TampaR1T]

Was thinking of adding myself to the waiting list. Does this work with the iPhone max size? (I've got a 15proMax.) Please let me know!

 

[schalliol]

It does work with the 15 Pro Max. This is a great system. Buy Apple’s new pucks for future proofing for the fastest speed (… though I’d be happy to sell you my Apple last gen at a discount since I have a 16 Pro and the new picks can charge faster).

 

[jaredm]

Since this thread is still fairly active, people looking for chargers that fit that work on android, thought I'd chime in. I'm on a Pixel 7. There were conflicting reports in the amazon reviews whether the suggested JSAUX work on Pixels or not. Also there's a new "15W Prime" version of the 2-pack jsaux chargers, and it wasn't clear which one fits the StowNCharge, nor what the difference between them is.

So my results for a Pixel 7, if it helps anyone googling this. I don't have a good way to see raw wattage, just mA from apps like Ampere.

Apple New 35W MagSafe charger: 600-800 mA (~5W). Acceptable but not great. Maybe if your house is split iphone/pixel, get just one of these.
JSAUX Magnetic Wireless Charger "15W Prime": Caps out at 600-800 mA too. Not much info on what the difference is on this variant, but I think this one allows >7.5W charging on iPhones. That seems to make it worse for non-iPhones. Same size as the non-prime (below).
JSAUX "Magnetic Wireless Charger": 2150 mA (~12W). Good! Pixel 7 is limited to 12W on non-Google Qi, so this might be the max I can achieve.

Really glad the recommended JSAUX works on my pixel since it fits the StowNCharge perfectly, and should be good enough if I switch to iPhone in the future (or have guests).

edit:
May have spoken too soon. After about 20% charge (40-60%), the phone started re-handshaking with the jsaux "Magnetic Wireless Charger" (non-Prime), essentially re-starting the charge over and over again. Phone hit 100°F, which doesn't seem that bad but could be culprit. Plugged back in the slow "15W Prime" puck and it's charging consistently again and battery temp is stabilized at 89°F. May have to use this one because at least it can consistently charge, albeit slowly.

edit 2:
Trying the 15W Prime version more, it has the same problem as the non-Prime. It is a slow charger on pixel 7, but at about 79% SOC on phone, it started the re-connecting loop too. Sigh.

I guess the MagSafe v2 is what is going in the car. While also very slow charging, it is consistent, and I've done 10-80% chargers with it, and it never fails to stay connected and charging. Heat issues in the summer may be an issue since it has a 95°F operating limit, but I can live with that.

 

[Spaceball1]

@Mcdubjr have you looked into making a version that’ll work with a cooling pad, similar to this one? I have the StowNCharge and love it, but my phone frequently overheats especially if the sun is on it, which is often where I live (even with tinted windows and brow on windshield). I need to come up with some sort of cooling solution for this pad.

https://a.co/d/5j1S3ft

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