Elitebook 840 G7 compatible external battery pack

[Kilt-steel]

I have tried charging a Elitebook 840 G7 notebook pc using a USB-C cable from a Duracell 20100 mAh Powerbank, which is capable of 30W output, however it does not do anything to recharge the laptop. No error messages are produced when I connect the battery pack, which is new, fully charged, and charges other USB-C devices. Any advice appreciated.

[banhien]

@Kilt-steel 

30W is too weak, you need wattage rating from 65W up. I can't find one from HP. The following one MAY work

           https://www.amazon.com.au/Charmast-23800mAh-Portable-Charging-Compatible/dp/B08Z7R739Q

Note: I have not tested it.

Regards.

[Kilt-steel]

The charger that comes with the device is only 45W, so the 65W suggestion does not correlate. HP website does not suggest there should be an issue with USB c battery packs. https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/3-different-ways-to-charge-laptop-without-charger

[banhien]

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@Kilt-steel wrote:

The charger that comes with the device is only 45W, ..

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@Kilt-steel 

I did not know which one came with your machine therefore I picked the one for the series to be sure:

• HP Smart 45 W External AC power adapter
• HP Smart 45 W External AC power adapter, 2-prong (Japan only)
• HP Smart 65 W External AC power adapter
• HP Smart 65 W EM External AC power adapter
• 65 W USB Type-C adapter
• 65 W Slim USB Type-C adapter

Source:    https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06680927#AbT12 

Regards.

[Dragon-Fur]

@banhien 

Interesting!

I was curious about this subject when I saw your response.

Fat Raven Zbook workstation requires a 200W charger - I'm not running out to purchase a power bank.

Zbook will probably charge from a car battery --- but little-bitty battery power bank?  Maybe not.  Smiling.

That said...

I agree with the need for a 65W power bank for this Elitebook model.

Being curious sometimes results in adding "my two cents"...

For those reading -

Personal collection of checkpoints

Considerations > USB-C connection / charge requirements for Elitebook IDS Base Model

Product Home Page

HP EliteBook 840 G7 Notebook PC IDS Base Model 

Specifications include the mention of the 65W adapter option
Section Power

Feature	Description
Power adapters	HP Smart 45 W External AC power adapter HP Smart 45 W External AC power adapter, 2-prong (Japan only) HP Smart 65 W External AC power adapter HP Smart 65 W EM External AC power adapter 65 W USB Type-C adapter 65 W Slim USB Type-C adapter note: Availability might vary by country/region.
Power cord	1.0 m (3.28 ft) 2-wire plug (Japan only) 1.0 m (3.28 ft) 3-wire plug
Primary battery	HP Long Life 3-cell, 53 Wh Li-ion note: Battery is internal and not replaceable by customer. Supports fast charging note: Actual battery Watt-hours (Wh) varies from design capacity. Battery capacity naturally decreases with shelf life, time, usage, environment, temperature, system configuration, loaded apps, features, power management settings and other factors. Recharges the battery up to 50% within 30 minutes when the system is off or in standby mode. Power adapter with a minimum capacity of 65 Watts is required. After charging reaches 50% capacity, charging returns to normal. Charging time might vary +/-10% due to system tolerance.
Battery life	Up to 23 hours 15 minutes
Battery weight	0.205 g (0.45 lb)

Yeah, but...

Why was just the 45W adapter included with this customer's computer? 

Doesn't matter, though one or more of the following might apply...

• The "lesser" adapter works (though more slowly). 
• The smaller adapter costs less to provide.
• Customer's Elitebook model is not one of the CTO (Custom-to-Order) configurable models

Conclusion:  The customer has the option to purchase a better charger...

Next,

"Fast Charge" requires a 65W AC charger - regardless of the connection type.

Next,

The Service Guide specifies the power requirements > adapters, including those for use with the C ports  (Page 4)

65 W, straight, USB Type-C®
65 W, slim USB Type-C

Personal Opinion

What has all of this evidence to do with a power bank?

Simply that if it is worth doing, it is worth doing with more power.

Articles from HP

Consumer and Business Technology Trends | HP® Tech Takes

The articles from Tech Takes are generally pretty good -

Those articles I've read are well written: Short, useful, easy to read, and easy to understand.

Unless the information is specific to a platform - the articles (in my experience) are directed at providing a general understanding of a particular subject.

These articles are not service guides, article content does not reference machine specifications (unless noted in the article), and the information should always be verified by the owner / user for completeness on a given subject.

=======================================================================

Correlation

A 45W power bank MIGHT work as a means to charge the Elitebook -  if it works, the charge time would not be fast.

A smaller power bank is more likely to work on a computer that is a less powerful version of the machine. 

A 65W power bank - assuming these devices do the job for which they are intended - would (probably) be a more useful option.

Stepping Away!

[Kilt-steel]

I contacted HP chat, who've said that a minimum spec of 45W output from a USB-C battery pack is required for that device.

It is not appropriate for this info not to be available to the public, nor even hinted at in their own page specifically on charging options, so they are logging a complaint on my behalf. 

[Kilt-steel]

Ps, thanks for that info and views, very detailed. A slower charge would be fine for the use the machine would get, and allow the device to operate until plugs were available again.