Charge your iPad and Keyboard at the same time!

A member asks…

Is there a dual charger for the Logitech ultrathin keyboard AND the Apple Ipad-Mini that will charge both instruments from one outlet?

Short answer: Yes, see the link below for a dual charger we believe will fit your needs.

Both the iPad and the Logitech keyboard use the same USB standard for charging – in terms of voltage. When you purchased them, they each came with their own charging cables. The keyboard’s cable ends in a Micro-USB plug and your iPad Mini cable ends in either the Lightning or a 30-pin plug. And the other ends of both cables are standard USB.

Your iPad also came with a electrical plug ‘cube’ that has a single USB charging port.

You could just buy any single-port USB wall charger for the Logitech keyboard. That would use its own electrical plug, and the two of them would use both top and bottom plugs of a dual-plug electrical outlet.

But I’m guessing that you’d rather use just one electrical plug from the wall outlet. So the thing to buy would be a dual-port USB wall charger. This uses only one electrical plug but has two USB ports. Just plug both your cables into it, and you can charge both devices at the same time.

Many office supply stores and computer stores stock these types of wall-chargers. But not just any dual-port USB wall charger will work for you. Look for these factors:

1. Enough wattage to charge both devices at a normal rate (lower wattage increases charge time)
2. Overcharging circuit protection (this is critical, getting the cheapest charger can be disastrous!)
3. Small enough to let you use the other plug for something else

Read on for more details and specific recommendations.

After looking over various wall chargers. we think this one would work best for you – and you can order it right from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/PowerGen-4-2-Amp-Charger-Designed-iPhone/dp/B00BNQTIRQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387309154&sr=8-2&keywords=dual-port+usb+charger. It provides 20 watts of power (10 watts to each USB port) so there’s plenty of power for fast charging. Plus it has good circuit protection from overcharging your devices. And it uses identical 110v plug prongs, so it can plug in with the USB ports pointing away, so the other wall outlet is available for something else.

You can choose a different brand or type of dual-port wall charger, just make sure it has enough wattage to charge both devices simultaneously. Your keyboard can be charged with about 5 watts, but your iPad mini can require 10-12 watts. If whatever wall charger you end up with has less than 15-17 watts, then it’ll take a lot longer to charge both devices. Recognize that these wall chargers are pretty inexpensive, so they don’t necessarily follow the strict specification requirements from Apple Inc. Apple doesn’t sell a dual-port charger, so you’re stuck with using another brand.

And watch out for dual-port wall chargers that have a low-power port and a higher-power port. Some cheap chargers will only give you a few watts on one port and the other USB port has higher output. Not that you must avoid these types of chargers, just that you’ll need to know which is the low-power port – and use that one for the keyboard. Your iPad mini needs higher power to charge fast.

And be very careful about buying bargain wall chargers, a lot of the cheap ones have poor internal part quality. They can overheat, cause fires, or overcharge your iPad and keyboard-ruining both or causing them to malfunction. That can be expensive, so saving $20 on a wall charger can end up costing you hundreds or more!