Originally Posted by
bud16415
I don’t see why you couldn’t do what you are saying. Many of the rechargeable single cells produce a lower voltage per cell 1.2v as opposed to 1.5v of the conventional throw away batteries. The car charger is a great way to get the electronics and protection your phone needs without designing a complex circuit on your own. Automobiles produce a range of power and it’s good to have something in line to regulate and protect the device being charged.
The reason I came up with this system with throw away batteries was to suit someone doing an extended bike tour. Availability of AA cell batteries is very common and they hold a charge for long periods of time unlike rechargeable batteries. If you had a dynamo supply charging them and you juiced the phone as you go that system would be renewable as long as you wanted to travel. A quick method of starting and stopping the dynamo would be nice so that you could always kick it in going downhill and click it out when climbing. It’s been years that I have had one on a bike but I do remember the drag they cause.
I picked AA over AAA or C cells was cost and weight. AAA required being replaced to often and C seemed to be too big and heavy of a pack.
I use my bike both as a touring bike and also a commuter. The lights I can recharge in the house with AC and on the road I can swap battery packs to be used to power lighting. Likewise when commuting I don’t need the backup batteries on the iPhone I just use my normal “Mophie juice pack case” The two full charges I carry in the case and phone are more than enough for a full day of phone and internet.
The most common complaint I hear about AC charging a smart phone in camp is leaving the phone some place like a restroom for several hours as most camp sites don’t have power for tent campers. And when eating in a restaurant you have to find an outlet. The hour or two you hang out waiting for a charge could be spent riding.
I agree throw away AA batteries are a easy way to go and relying on plugging in for hours is silly. I'm not a dynamo fan myself for the most part because I've crashed my bike when one locked up; but I was thinking for those long rides like when I need gps or possibly emergency call the rechargeable battery pack and dynamo would ensure I could power my phone. I was thinking if done right you could even charge the battery pack from the ac home power to to have an initial charge on the system. There's a chance you could even hook that pack of AA batteries to a dynamo and use rechargeable AA batteries in it instead of an expensive rechargeable battery pack.