The Starlink Mini is one neat device. How could it not be? Little bigger than a pack of printer paper, but lighter, with a built-in wireless router, IP67 rating and (drumroll please) - it'll run off of any DC voltage between 12 & 48. Plus the little thing delivers. I routinely get between 100 & 200 mbps when set up under open sky. Of course, much less when in a wooded area with only a limited view of the sky, but still usable (between 50 & 100 mbps). Plus Starlink has gotten aggressive with their plan pricing. Right now I pay a monthly $10 'reserve' fee that gets me 10 GB of data, and I can buy additional gigabytes at $2.00/gig as I need it. Or I can upgrade to a more expensive plan - $50/month and 50 GB of data, with add-on data billed at $1.00/gig. Full-time users can go with the $165/month unlimited plan, and that can be paused when not needed. All things considered, it's a bargain if you find yourself in places without internet or cell coverage.
When the Mini hit the market, discussions about power options started almost immediately. The standard Mini package includes a wall-wart that converts 120v AC line voltage to 30 volts DC, but right away folks noticed that the minimum 12 volt power requirement was well within the ranges of some small & lightweight battery power supplies. These include small power packs designed to charge phones, tablets and laptops. YouTube hosts a number of videos of Mini owners using these power packs to run a Mini for a few hours or more.
I've given some of these power packs a try, and my experience is that they don't work well. The Mini will power up, connect to the satellite constellation, sync with the Starlink system, then disconnect, reconnect, disconnect... it's never a stable or usable connection. After a few days of testing I concluded that the problem is likely that these small battery packs are not providing enough power for the Starlink antenna to negotiate and maintain a stable connection with the satellite constellation. The receiver will draw up to 35 watts on initial power-up and while connecting to the Starlink network. These power packs may be able to provide over 13 volts at full charge, but 35 watts is a hefty load to put on one of these devices for any length of time, and my suspicion is that the voltage drops close enough to the 12 volt minimum that the receiver can't maintain a stable connection. This isn't a knock on these power banks. They are actually pretty good little devices, and mine are now relegated to recharging our phones and tablets while on the road.
So, I went looking for a different portable solution. I want to be able to power the Mini for short periods of time at things like field activations, family gatherings at parks, or when taking short breaks while traveling. All I'm after is a few hours of run time. At the recommendation of one Australian YouTuber, I decided to test a device that sits on top of the very common Ryobi 18 volt tool batteries that are found in every Home Depot. These batteries are available in a variety of amp-hour ratings, from 1.5 up to 12. I've tested the 4 amp hour batteries, because that's the largest capacity I have (I own a lot of Ryobi cordless tools). What's great about the Ryobi batteries is their 18 volt capacity. This means they will stay well above the minimum 12 volt requirement, even as the battery runs low.
But how to get that 18 volts out of the battery and to the Mini? The answer is a 'hat' that sits on top of the battery and allows you to power the Mini. Manufactured by a company called SYMIK, it snaps onto any Ryobi 18 volt battery and provides two USB C ports, one USB A port and an LED light. Depending on the connection, the SYMIK hat can either charge the battery or provide up to 100 watts of power through one of the USB C ports. Plenty of wattage to meet the Mini's power needs for short periods of time. Unlike other power hats (including Ryobi's own version), this neat gizmo provides an OLED display that shows what's going on with the battery - state of charge, output voltage and amps, and more. While not a particularly rugged or weatherproof device, it is well made and reasonably priced. It came on the market in 2023, and seems to have been designed for the hobby drone market, as a portable charging station.
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| The SYMIK battery 'hat' set up and powering my Starlink Mini |
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| The Starlink is waterproof, the connecting cable is waterproof, but the SYMIK and battery aren't. I need to find a smaller waterproof box to put the batteries and the SYMIK into |
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| How fast? I was getting over 200 mbps within 15 minutes of setting the system up. Admittedly, this is on the fast end of what Mini users will see, even under a fully open sky |
My initial testing shows that one 4 amp hour Ryobi battery will power the Mini for about 2 - 2.5 hours. This is for casual use - some internet surfing, some video watching, occasional small file 'pushes' up to the satellite constellation - emails, documents, pictures, etc. The connection stays reliable all the way to the end, and the SYMIK hat will shut down when available power drops to just below 10 amps. Heavier usage for things like video streaming will reduce battery run-time, likely by at least half.
Of course, you need an appropriate USB cable to connect the Mini to the SYMIK power supply. They are readily available from several online vendors, and from Starlink directly. It's just a USB C connector on one end, and the standard waterproof Starlink canon plug on the other end.
This brings us to the last consideration. Water resistance. The Mini is waterproof - it's IP67 rated. The power connection at the Mini is considered waterproof, too. Everything else in this power chain isn't. Not even remotely. The Ryobi battery and the SYMIK power hat need basic environmental protection. Right now I'm thinking about an inexpensive plastic water resistant ammo can that can hold two batteries, the SYMK power hat, and cables, Route the power cable thru a makeshift water resistant port on the ammo can. If ya'll have any thoughts or ideas on this, I'd love to have them!
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