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I would like to use my 18 volt Bosch lithium ion batteries to power my Thinkpad laptop which accepts a 20 volt power supply via an USB-C connector.

I think I need some sort of "smart" controller but I have no idea what it is even called or what to look for. I think the controllers that I have found in Google searches have been for the opposite purpose - using an AC wall charger to recharge a battery.

My goal is the opposite: I want to use a fully charged battery to recharge my laptop.

This seems like it's close to what I want but appears to only accept 3 Volt input. Sorry for the nob question, I have no idea what I should be looking for.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Aliexpress.com is blocked on my computer. Can you describe what 'this' is? How much current does your laptop require at 20V? \$\endgroup\$
    – Bruce Abbott
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 3:57
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    \$\begingroup\$ If you are looking for a specific thing to purchase and you want help selecting it, you are asking at the wrong site. Also, if you buy something and it doesn't come with a complete manufacturer's datasheet, know that we will not be able to help you when it doesn't work. \$\endgroup\$
    – Elliot Alderson
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 11:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ The link is to a IP5328P if that means anything. The specs look like they came thru Google Translate but mention "output power of up to 18W" and "maximum input power 10W". I have charged my laptop on as little as 9v/2amp wall charger. \$\endgroup\$
    – Richard Greenwood
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 13:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ Have you seen this? bosch-professional.com/iq/en/products/gaa-18v-24-1600A00J61 No idea if your laptop would charge on the lower voltage though. \$\endgroup\$
    – DamienWontContributeToAITheft
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 13:33
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Damien Good suggestion but I already bought one but it's only got USB-A and even with a USB A to C cable it doesn't charge my Thinkpad. I don't know enough to say for sure, but it seems like the problem is that the USB A isn't communicating its capabilities to the USB C interface, rather than actually being under powered. \$\endgroup\$
    – Richard Greenwood
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 14:45

2 Answers 2

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if your USB-C is multifunction port , you have to buy good quality devcie, like charger, last thing you want is to power 5v line with 20V , whcih may/may not distroy your board and CPU, if the USB-C port is only for charging, buy any BUCK-BOOST conveter from online, i like always to recommed a good quality not cheap one as they usually have spikes the mayout with bad result,

  • if you have multifunction usb port (normal usb+charging port) more like thunderbolt,then you have to either hack your own charger to provide backup source in circtuit or buy spcified circuit,not recommended to do on your own, [more explaination about how multifunction port works here]
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    \$\begingroup\$ Okay, I'm learning a lot here. I am dealing with a Thunderbolt USB on my laptop and apparently what I'm looking for is a "USB Charging Port Controller". This project may be beyond my skills. \$\endgroup\$
    – Richard Greenwood
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 18:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ @RichardGreenwood its not an easy task to do, but now days more and more companies are adopting Thunderbolt multifunction port, maybe we will see circuit pcb in the next few month,No one knows, \$\endgroup\$
    – Ali Shipley
    Commented Apr 23, 2021 at 20:59
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something as a one off design, I would just use an evaluation design for a car charger, like Texas Instruments PMP20774 eval design. But just to let you know, there is USB-c automotive chargers that will accept an input anywhere from 12 to 24 volts for the two voltage standards used for the automotive dc port (cigarette lighter @ 12V or 24V). So you don't necessarily have to build one from the ground up if you don't want to. The advantage of this over just using a 20V boost regulator, is the usb-c auto voltage modes (5v/12v/20v), and be able to charge any usb-c device

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