Hello Elektronauts! I’m trying to power my Digitone using a USB powerbank so that I can jam outdoors during the summer, and I hit a snag:
I tried the following cable from Amazon with a 2.0A power bank, and the Digitone lit up for about 1 second, but then turned off before it had the chance to fully boot (didn’t even get to the logo display step on the main screen). I am wondering if this is due to the cable (below) or the bank. My bank is rated for 2.0A, and I have seen other examples of people using a 2.1A bank - could this be the culprit? The cable is rated at 12V 0.8A max, but I’m thinking this is not the issue, since the BirdCord is rated at 0.75A max, and that seems to work for people.
Does anyone have any ideas? Perhaps it’s just the simple issue of the 0.1A difference in the power bank, but I thought I would ask the Elektronaught hive mind 
Thanks for any tips you might be able to share!
Definitely don’t do any of that. You need 2amps of power at 12v. Any less and you are taking a risk that is not worth it. Look for Talent Cell batteries on Amazon. I’ve been using a pair for over 4 years and still going strong.
You need exactly 12v and a minimum of 2amps (amps can be higher but not lower)
Thanks for your suggestion about the Talent Cell battery. I just ordered one on Amazon - I’ll see how it goes!
Most of the reviews in Amazon say the cable doesn’t work as advertised.
As suggested before you might need a real 12v powerbank.
Cheers
How long a use do you get from one on a DT/DN please?
I never let them run out completely with DT/DN but I originally used them for my ARmk1 and got around 5-6 hours (not straight though, over 3 sessions) before AR would stop working.
There are LED indicators for power reserves and once they get down to 2 (of 4) I only play up to an hour then recharge.
I generally use them 4-5 hours with DT/DN then recharge but since AR is analog and possibly hungrier, I suspect you could get a lot more time with DT or DN
Edit: there are different models too, I got the highest MaH at 12V/9V/5V
You can actually power all three at once. I had the AR, a microgranny and an iPhone all going at the same time. Not for 5+ hours though, just once in awhile
Update: Still no joy, unfortunately. I purchased a 12V 3A Talent Cell battery (and a few universal USB power tip adaptors, since the output cable from the battery was 2.1mm), and I still have the same issue where the Digitone lights up for half of one second, then goes dark before it fully boots the OS. The battery was charged (LEDs indicated as much), and I successfully used it to charge a USB device, so I don’t think it’s a matter of the battery life. It is not the tips either, as I verified that those work on another device. Any ideas on what could be going wrong here? I’m stumped! Thanks to all who read this far!
I bought that battery for the Digitakt, it comes with the right adapter and works for hours ( didn’t do a proper test but I’d say at least 10)
Good call - I noticed the same on some of the reviews but had decided to give it a shot anyway. I bought a 12V 3A DC battery, but am still getting the same issues of the DN flickering on for 1/2 a second, then going dead. I wonder if it has to do with the amperage spikes during start-up, but I doubt it would need anything past 3A. I also saw another post here that measured the draw on the DT at 0.8A max during start up, so I should be in the right range… Right?
Thanks. Your quoted text indicates you purchased a different battery. Which is fine, just wondering if there was a reason you went for the battery with a bunch of different voltage options - was it to get to the 4A capacity?
Hi, sorry I could have told more.
I am not so knowledgeable with battery stuff and saw on the other thread that this particular battery was recommended, worked out of the box and with huge play-time capacity, so I just bought it.
The only reason I recommended it here is that I got it and I know for sure it works for my Digitakt 
Hello - please excuse the question but I couldn’t see it referenced: have you confirmed that it is not a polarity issue with the cable?
I have just ordered one of these
http://myvolts.com/Ripcord
I’ve heard many good reviews on it. You can contact them directly, they’re quite responsive in will help you choosing the right powerbank and the right powercord
Thanks for the link to Ripcord. I noticed that they have a 12V 1A step up cable, which is what I would think is needed for the Digitone. I hope it works out for you! I’ll contact them - thanks for the tip.
Good question. The cable is pin positive (as is the TalentCell), so that doesn’t seem to be the issue. Thanks for brainstorming…!
I’m using a Mophie Powerstation for a powerbank, and a MyVolts Ripcord 12V center-positive cable (the pink one) to power the Digitone. I have an old one and need the (pale green) 2.5x5.5 tip adapter added on the end, but apparently that’s changed from May 2020 and the new version of that cable should just work without the adapter.
It works perfectly, with one exception: the Digitone won’t boot unless you hit the button on the powerbank (yes, really). I suspect the Mophie powerbank is doing some kind of load detection that the Digitone doesn’t trigger at first boot, but that you can override by hitting the button.
I’ve had a lot of fun jamming with it on the couch, just powerbank + digitone + headphones. I recommend giving it a try if you have a digitone/digitakt and heaphones/cheap bluetooth speaker.
Thanks for the clarification. I’m glad it worked for you! I suppose that if it works for the Digitakt, then it should work for the Digitone…
I’d expect so yes.
After trying 3 different powerbanks —this one finally works!
Thanks for sharing your details, sharps030! Now that I have a functioning mobile set up, I agree - it’s a ton of fun 