Battery-powered USB chargers made with Altoids tins

Each workstation had a soldering iron, a magnifying glass with attached clamps, and a bright light.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

This is the underside of the tiny motherboard. Each transistor has metal "legs" that are inserted in particular order and direction into holes on the motherboard. The soldering is done on this back side, and then the long wires are snipped short.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

The front of the motherboard with four transistors mounted.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

The magnifying glass isn't always helpful.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

Some Tweeps are fast learners and took to soldering very quickly.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

The board gets increasingly full, and by the end it is difficult to squeeze everything in.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

Each completed MintiBoost was tested for performance. Can you guess which attendee didn't do hers right? It seems this geek has difficulty with dry solder sockets. Lesson: don't skimp on the solder.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

I had to get some help with the soldering, and I never did get the hang of it.

Photo credit: Nicole Bremer Nash

When it was all done, it gets nested inside an Altoids tin.

Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)

The battery pack covers part of the motherboard, and the motherboard attaches to a USB port that sits in a cut-out slot on the side of the tin. With the lid closed, the user just plugs any USB device in, and it charges right up.

I think a good hack on this project would be to use a small photovoltaic pack, like the ones used in making sun jars, and thereby eliminating the need for the batteries.

Photo courtesy of Grace Simrall (@greendrv)