Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BJNY

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 21, 2002
191
7
New York City
With USB-C battery banks being quite inexpensive,

I'd love to be able to operate a 21.5" iMac without plugging into wall outlet.
 
With USB-C battery banks being quite inexpensive,

I'd love to be able to operate a 21.5" iMac without plugging into wall outlet.
The iMacs internal power supply requires at least a 120v feed of which without some serious modifications you could not get out of a usb c power bank.
 
The internal power supply is not connected to USB like on the MacBooks. So at minimum you would need to have a inverter inline to convert DC to AC.

The typical power draw is quite high (since it has more cooling and no battery restriction vs a MacBook). There are not many cheap (or even expensive) power banks that can supply the full power needed and the iMac doesn't have an internal battery to make up the difference.

For example: for $250 you can get something that supports up to 85W (likely not enough): https://chargetech.com/product/portable-power-outlet/ and they have a 250W model for $400.

I imagine the closest you can get is getting a Uninterruptible Power Supply, as it gives you a regular AC socket and can tell the computer to turn off when it runs low.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.