Hello all,

Is it possible to charge Iliad from a usb port ? (since iliad ps goes up to 1.2 amps and usb does only 0.25 amps..)

No, it's not possible. The iLiad needs ~12W (12V * 1A), while USB only gives about 1.25 W (5V * 0.25A).

In fact, this lack is the single thing that keeps me from buying an Iliad. If iRex offered a battery pack, I'd consider it, but I refuse to buy any product that has a rechargeable battery and does not also have a way to plug in some sort of emergency power.

I go on long plane trips, and there's no way I'm going to risk being caught with a dead battery and no access to a power outlet to recharge it.

USB ports usually offer 0.5A instead of 0.25, but still, not enough.

? why hurry, we could charge slower, with less current, from usb!!!

Since iLiad has a USB socket, is it possible to add a regulator (to increase input voltage) into iLiad and connect it to the rechargable battery? Then, iLiad can be charged via USB socket.
I am not E/E background, so it's just pure imagination.

You could modify the Travel Hub, include a converter from 5V to 12V and solder it to the charging cables. But I don't know whether this influences the iLiads USB capabilities. Maybe it even fries your USB chip if some voltage fluctuation occurs. This setup would also be very lossy as you have to convert from 5 to 12V and internal from 12 to 3.7V again.

Hmm, the Travel hub needs 9-12V input voltage. Why not take a 9V battery, construct some kind of adapter and attach it to the hub? This would make a nice emergency power source. Would the battery give enough energy to charge the device completely?

I am curious about how does DR1000 recharge via USB. Suppose the e-ink screen of both iLiad and DR1000 are the same except their respective dimension, then there must be some electronic components inside DR1000 to facilitate voltage change. Maybe we can copy DR1000's circuit design and apply it on iLiad.