A while back, I came across an article in Popular Science about a do-it-yourself kit for making a charger that would charge USB devices (like iPods or some cell phones) using only a 9v battery packed into an Altoids chewing gum tin. I was intrigued. I’m not much into homebrew electronics, but this particular charger seemed like a very good idea. So, I looked into it and came across the blog of Aaron Dunlap, who just recently opened up an online store for this and other kits, which is cleverly called the Electroids Co., so named for the propensity of the kits to fit inside or make use of Altoids tins.
So, I bought one. You can buy the kit (no tin included) for $9.50 or a snazzy prebuilt charger for $10.50. There’s also an LED flashlight kit and some other useful stuff, but the USB charger kit is what I went for. I got the kit in the mail a few days ago but I have yet to get working on it. Hopefully I can figure out what I’m doing and get this thing built.
