The new Mac mini + external battery?
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chrfr
macrumors G5
You're looking to run the new mini off a battery? It's not going to be very feasible as you'll have to add in an inverter since the mini requires 100-240VAC input and the power supply is internal to the computer itself. Are you looking for this to be portable?
It's feasible; here's an example of a mac mini + battery set up:
I'm looking for the smallest possible option with passthrough charging i.e. I can charge the battery while using the mac mini.
DeltaMac
macrumors G5
Apple has designed a product that will do what you want, using far less space.
Significantly lighter, too!
I think Apple calls it a "MacBook Pro".
I bet the new models should be announced this week. Same M4 chip as the new mini, with the portability that you are craving-- and, no need to add on a battery pack...
Significantly lighter, too!
I think Apple calls it a "MacBook Pro".
I bet the new models should be announced this week. Same M4 chip as the new mini, with the portability that you are craving-- and, no need to add on a battery pack...
tbh I expected this to be the first reply. Now that's out of the way, if anyone has battery suggestions, please shareApple has designed a product that will do what you want, using far less space.
Significantly lighter, too!
I think Apple calls it a "MacBook Pro".
DaniTheFox
macrumors 6502
Have a look at https://goalzero.com/collections/power-banks/products/new-sherpa-100ac-wireless-power-bank
This Power Bank is the smallest I am aware of that offers AC charging capabilities. However, it is still safe to carry on flights. If you require a monitor in addition to the power bank, its battery life will only last for one or two hours.
In contrast, the larger models will render your Mac mini insignificant. It’ll snuggle right into the cable box.
This Power Bank is the smallest I am aware of that offers AC charging capabilities. However, it is still safe to carry on flights. If you require a monitor in addition to the power bank, its battery life will only last for one or two hours.
In contrast, the larger models will render your Mac mini insignificant. It’ll snuggle right into the cable box.
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Apple's M4 Mac mini can be portable with the right battery
| AppleInsiderSmallest Mac yet is perfect Apple Vision Pro companion with the right battery pack
I found a no-name Amazon product sold in the Paopaoyu Store... "Portable Laptop Power Bank 100W AC Outlet, 72Wh/20000mAh with 65W PD USB C Portable Laptop Charger, External Battery Pack for MacBook, Notebooks, Laptops." ...only $60 and offered a 100W AC outlet and 20k mAh capacity. Good enough.
M4 Mac mini has a maximum draw of 65W...
M4 Pro-equipped Mac mini, you'll need something that provides more than 140W...
Seeking the perfect Mac mini battery
This isn't a review and I'm not going to beat up too much on a $60 portable battery, but it did help me understand exactly what I'd want from such a product. Whoever made this one obviously wasn't expecting it to act as a battery pack for a tiny Mac.
First, this battery doesn't have power passthrough, which means you can't charge the battery and power the Mac mini at the same time...
Second, I'd love to see a UPS mode for the battery...
For a bonus, I'd love to see a company make the battery specifically for the Mac mini. Meaning having a matching external aluminum housing similar to Satechi's upcoming dock...
Apple’s Redesigned M4 Mac mini Can Turn Into A Portable Computer That You Can Travel Around With By Using A Powerbank, Just As Long As It Has An AC Outlet
The M4 Mac mini is so efficient and portable that it can hooked up to a powerbank with an AC outlet and be carried out with you
Soccerrick10
macrumors regular
Use an iPad as the monitor and keyboard to give you a smaller overall footprint
FreakinEurekan
macrumors 604
You're looking for a "UPS" (Uninterruptible Power Supply). There are some small-ish ones out there, though not as small as a Mac mini.
AlaskaMoose
macrumors 68040
That is a power inverter, not a battery. The inverter has an internal battery. The inverter "inverts" the battery's DC power to 115 VAC, so now you can plug your Mini into the 115-AC outlet. But the inverter can only power the Mini as long as the battery holds enough capacity. Look at an UPCs at "APC USA," or just at the UPCs at CostCo. It all means that you can only power the Mini using the inverter for a few minutes before the battery discharges.
The UPCs you use at home also have a battery and inverter. You plug the UPC into an electrical outlet, and then your Mini into the UPCs electrical outlet. If the power goes out, the inverter inverts DC power from the internal battery to 115-VAC to keep your mini powered for a certain amount of time. Depending on power draw on the internal battery from the Mini a small UPC unit could power the Mini maybe 30-40 minutes or longer (all depends on the battery's capacity). A larger battery has greater capacity, but it also is heavier than a lower capacity battery.
How did the person in the link above powered both the Mini and the monitor? The screen itself uses electrical power to operate. This power does not come from the inverter, unless the monitor too is plugged into the inverter's electrical outlet.
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I have a couple older Goal Zero power supplies: a Yeti 150 and Yeti 400 (the numbers reflect their capacity in watt-hours). Very happy with both of these, I have used them mostly to power audio gear such as a field recorder and powered stage monitors. Also for powering my iPad and old MacBook Air.
The specs say the new m4 Mini only uses 4 watts at idle but that jumps to 65 watts maximum. So (theoretically) you could run the Mini full-up for about two hours with the 150 watt-hour supply or six hours with the 400. Of course, screens and other peripherals will draw the battery down faster and you also have to consider that these power supplies are not 100% efficient. On my larger Goal Zero, the LCD shows the load on the battery as soon as you turn the inverter on, even with nothing plugged in.
These supplies are really heavy and bulky. I *think* these older models have lead-acid batteries and the newer ones have a different technology which doesn't weigh as much. They also get very hot during usage and have fans that aren't especially quiet, you need to consider that in your setup.
That sherpa model @DaniTheFox linked to above looks very cool. But with a capacity of 95 watt-hours, you are not going to get much run time. I suppose it all depends on how hard you push the computer and what peripherals you need. My two portable power supplies are handy when I need to power some gear away from home and for lights and gadgets at picnics on my land. Also good to have around the house during power outages. Could be an awkward solution for regular usage with a Mini though.
The specs say the new m4 Mini only uses 4 watts at idle but that jumps to 65 watts maximum. So (theoretically) you could run the Mini full-up for about two hours with the 150 watt-hour supply or six hours with the 400. Of course, screens and other peripherals will draw the battery down faster and you also have to consider that these power supplies are not 100% efficient. On my larger Goal Zero, the LCD shows the load on the battery as soon as you turn the inverter on, even with nothing plugged in.
These supplies are really heavy and bulky. I *think* these older models have lead-acid batteries and the newer ones have a different technology which doesn't weigh as much. They also get very hot during usage and have fans that aren't especially quiet, you need to consider that in your setup.
That sherpa model @DaniTheFox linked to above looks very cool. But with a capacity of 95 watt-hours, you are not going to get much run time. I suppose it all depends on how hard you push the computer and what peripherals you need. My two portable power supplies are handy when I need to power some gear away from home and for lights and gadgets at picnics on my land. Also good to have around the house during power outages. Could be an awkward solution for regular usage with a Mini though.
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DaniTheFox
macrumors 6502
They are now in the sixth generation with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). However, they cannot be transported in planes anymore. Nevertheless, the important thing is that you can use them in pass-through. I currently use my older Sherpa as a power station for all kind of devices.
AlaskaMoose
macrumors 68040
A battery's discharge/charge rate is in amp per hour. I could not find the M4 Mini's resistance, just the voltage (115 VAC, and power 4-65 Watts (from 4 Watts on stand-by, up to 65 Watts) when operating (the resistance changes during usage). The thermal specs are shown in the tables I looked at. While the screen needs a 115-VAC to operate, I have no idea how much power it consumes past being turned on (energized), but I assume that the very small inverter is not sufficient to "power" both a 27" 5k screen and the Mini for 2 or more hours-if both are being pushed to perform a medium to heavy task. There are UPCs for home use that have much larger batteries, but they can be quite heavy to carry around.
The easiest would be to power your laptop or mini using an inverter running from your car's battery, or just plug it into the car or truck's electrical outlet. Yes, new trucks and some cars have inverters and at least one 400-Watt ACV outlet. The engine has to be running, however. Now, I assume that you can use an iPad as a screen for the Mini (?). Lugging around a 13"-27" screen, plus keyboard, mouse, etc., would be a pain 😅
The easiest would be to power your laptop or mini using an inverter running from your car's battery, or just plug it into the car or truck's electrical outlet. Yes, new trucks and some cars have inverters and at least one 400-Watt ACV outlet. The engine has to be running, however. Now, I assume that you can use an iPad as a screen for the Mini (?). Lugging around a 13"-27" screen, plus keyboard, mouse, etc., would be a pain 😅
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I have two large APC uninterruptible power supplies. Aside from the weight and awkward form factors, they have very loud fans that start up as soon as external power is lost.
Some things to consider. Laptops are designed to run off batteries, so you can power them all sorts of ways. The Mini is not, and the power supply built in is designed for only a certain power source (AC of course). Those batteries with the AC ports, can produce unstable, questionable power. I have several devices that require AC that wouldn't even run off one of the cheaper Jackery batteries with the 'square wave AC 'port. I had to spring for the more expensive 'pure sine wave AC' model. Even then you risk frying the Mini supply. Of course I would run it off the latter Jackery, as it's a huge battery that can reliably be used for a longer time.
Point is, I wouldn't cut corners with cost, or try to one too small, and be careful with the type of AC port. The more expensive Jackery type power stations are great, and can be used safely, if you don' go below around 20% (or maybe even 30% to be safe.
Point is, I wouldn't cut corners with cost, or try to one too small, and be careful with the type of AC port. The more expensive Jackery type power stations are great, and can be used safely, if you don' go below around 20% (or maybe even 30% to be safe.
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AlaskaMoose
macrumors 68040
APC has numerous uninterrupted power supplies (UPC) made to power sensitive electronic devices, and so on during an electrical power loss. The large ones can be quite heavy
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The smallest portable battery with AC output I found is Enerpad AC27K and AC40K (same form factor, but different cells)
Universal Portable Power Bank-AC-27KD
POWERFUL AC OUTLET – Built-in Dual Ports AC outlet can power up any electric devices *UP TO 120W* INTELLIGENT FAST CHARGING – Rapid charging with 2.4A on USB ports SAFETY BATTERY – Using premium Panasonic Lithium-ion battery cells INDICATOR – Digital display to indicate battery capacity...
I had an older model of this battery years ago, and it was stolen back in 2019 when I was traveling in Paris
Gonna get another one and see how it works with my M4 Mini
And based on Apple's own power consumption numbers ( https://support.apple.com/en-us/103253 ), Enerpad AC40K should allow a base model M4 Mini to run for a few hours.
AlaskaMoose
macrumors 68040
What are you going to use to power the display?The smallest portable battery with AC output I found is Enerpad AC27K and AC40K (same form factor, but different cells)
Universal Portable Power Bank-AC-27KD
POWERFUL AC OUTLET – Built-in Dual Ports AC outlet can power up any electric devices *UP TO 120W* INTELLIGENT FAST CHARGING – Rapid charging with 2.4A on USB ports SAFETY BATTERY – Using premium Panasonic Lithium-ion battery cells INDICATOR – Digital display to indicate battery capacity...www.enerpad.com
I had an older model of this battery years ago, and it was stolen back in 2019 when I was traveling in Paris
Gonna get another one and see how it works with my M4 Mini
And based on Apple's own power consumption numbers ( https://support.apple.com/en-us/103253 ), Enerpad AC40K should allow a base model M4 Mini to run for a few hours.
I modified my mini for 12V power and it normally runs off USB-C power with a modified Microsoft surface (15V) cable. Will run fine from 12V battery and should run off a powerbank that can do 15V 3A. Basically has the power supply removed, top cut off, DC power jack and thats it.
Be interested to find what the smallest USB-C powerbank with passthrough there is. Would quite like one with only a short run time (1hr would be fine). Only ones I see are pretty large.
Be interested to find what the smallest USB-C powerbank with passthrough there is. Would quite like one with only a short run time (1hr would be fine). Only ones I see are pretty large.
Mikegyver is also offering an upgrade service for the M4 mini. I’d really like USB-C but not enough for an irreversible upgrade.
I chose the Omni 20+ instead:
It’s practically the same width+length as the Mac Mini M4 and supports passthrough charging by USB-C (or DC); those are my minimum requirements! With a sufficient high watt USB-C wall charger I’ve been able to keep the omni 20+ permanently attached to the Mini. And the combo fits in my jacket pocket for portable
There are some complaints though:
- The is an inverter whine (but placing the omni 20+ on top the Mac mini deadens most of the sound and noise cancelling headphones takes care of the rest)
- I’d like it to last longer but on the other hand it’s a bit thick already. (I’ll probably grab that Baseus blade and stack up top)
- The Mac mini power socket and the Omni AC adapter plug don’t line up (or I have to flip it upside down)
- It’s a bit expensive
The Mac Mini M4 ssd module replacement kit is quite popular. Between these two mods this is the most exciting Mac in a while imo. It