How to run a ResMed AirMini on a USB power bank

Re: Just found this item, a cable that runs from a USB-C port to the AirMini:
Has anyone tried this cable?

Yes. I bought the cable for the AirMini and use it now when i travel instead of the power supply. I run it off a 100w USB charger that I use for the AirMini, my phone, my tablet and my earbuds. More than enough juice for everything.

I have NOT connected it to a power bank (battery) though as I'm looking for a battery I can use to connect both my AirMini and my wife's AS11 when we travel to Peru. There are plenty of power banks with enough juice, but not enough connectors to put power in, as well as take power out.

The USB-C adapter however works perfectly. I'm more than happy with it! Never had any problems with it, and bought the AS11 version of it (higher power due to hose and humidifier) for my wife. I think there may be a version for an AS10 or at least there was talk about it...

With new cell phones, buds, tablet and now this, I've now converted everything over to USB-C for when I travel. Its dramatically reduced the amount of wires I need to carry... No more mini or A ports... well, except my toothbrush!

pisco21 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 11:11 am

The USB-C adapter however works perfectly. I'm more than happy with it!

I just ordered the cable. I'll be using it with my Anker 26800 PD battery and AirMini.

I'll report back here on my experience.

psteckler, please do report back on results. I also bought a USB-C ammeter to measure the power usage of the AirMini and AirSense 11 (since the last post, my home machine now runs on the AS11 version of the 914gadgets device). I haven't done any of the math behind the numbers, but it definately seems like a simple USB-C power bank will more than power the machine for the night. Of course, you'll need a higher-wattage power bank, but even the new 65W and higher banks are anywhere from $50 to $100 which is a LOT less than the traditional batteries proposed for CPAP machines.

I look forward to hearing how it goes for you...

pisco21 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:04 am

psteckler, please do report back on results.

I received the cable today via USPS. It's much more compact than the two cables plus homebrew junction box I'd been using.

I connected it to my Anker battery, and the AirMini starts up fine. I let it run for a few minutes, no problems. I'm confident I can use it the next time I travel (or if the power goes out here).

psteckler, what is the output wattage of your anker battery? I seem to recall some discussions on SleepHQ about the device that it needed 65 watts of power to work properly. When I put a USB-C ammeter on the cable, it was running about 20v and a little more than 3 amps. Although that's for the AS11, i think it uses less for an airmini...

I've been trying to decide which power bank to get. Ideally, I need it to run the AirMini, power up my phone, earbuds and tablet (20w max), and be able to charge it while it's discharging (so sort of like an uninterruptable power supply). And be compact so I can take it when I travel... I'd be interested to know what you have... Thanks!!

pisco21 wrote: ↑

Tue May 02, 2023 5:36 am

psteckler, what is the output wattage of your anker battery?

It's this Anker battery, rated at 45W:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-Po ... B07XRJZXKY

According to Resmed, the AirMini has a peak draw of 27W:

https://ap.resmed.com/knowledge/how-muc ... chine-draw

The Anker has close to the 100Wh rating permitted on US flights, so it works well for my use case.

For an AirSense that requires more power, you'd want a different battery, I think.

psteckler wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:27 pm

Just found this item, a cable that runs from a USB-C port to the AirMini:

https://914gadgets.com/products/usb-c-c ... irsense-11

This seems to be functionally like the system I rigged up, a USB C power delivery cable connected to
a voltage booster, followed by the cable to the AirMini.

Has anyone tried this cable?

If it's any good, this cable would be preferable to my home-brew setup, since it's one item,
instead of the two cables + bulky adapter box I'm using now.

This appears to be a similar cable for less $.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BV1 ... 7W6J&psc=1

I purchased this Anker Portable Charger, 24,000mAh 65W Power Bank, 537. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9XHR6BG?ps ... ct_details $79.99
and this 20V PD USB-C Power Supply for ResMed AirSense 11 Air 11 Airmini 65W 20W ResMed CPAP Charger DC Coverter Cable. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV1J88GV?ps ... ct_details $48.99
and this USB C GaN Charger 30W, Anker 511 Charger (Nano 3), PIQ 3.0 Foldable PPS Fast Charger. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2MLRF93?ps ... ct_details $19.54

The battery arrived with 2 of 4 lights illuminated. I put it on the charger for about 2 hours until all 4 lights were illuminated. I used it for 7.5 hours with my Airmini last night. Today it still has 3 of 4 lights illuminated. I much prefer my Airsense 10 so I'm not going to use the battery again tonight with the Airmini to see how many days I can go on a single charge. Based on the charge level displayed, it should go at least one more night, if not two.

If my insurance ever approves the Airsense 11, I'll give it a try and report back.