Touring - hub dynamo cell phone charger

I am looking for a inexpensive device that I can purchase so I can charge a simple cell phone from my dynamo hub when I am touring. I have a Shimano 3n72 dynamo hub which I use for a headlight and tail light. On Amazon I found a LightCharge USB charger for $68. I am wondering if this would work. I am also curious about how I would hook this up. I am fairly illiterate when it comes to electronics. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

Dynamos tend to be (or used to be) AC, so you might need some sort of electronics to condition the electricity, but it sounds like a good idea!

- Wil

Amazon will have to answer your other question.

Recently AXA of NL made an Upgrade to their best LED Headlight,to include the USB plug and circuitry..

I read of others, but, the doing 2 things, enclosed in the same piece seems tidier.
Less to go wrong.. with bad patch cord wiring connection shorts and such.

Light made to Mount onto the Fork Crown http://www.axacompany.com/EE/en/axasite/products/lichten/
see the LUXX70 PLUS. and NANO50 PLUS.

There's a forum for "Electronics, Lighting, and Gadgets." They will probably be able to answer all your questions. There are some cheap, DIY solutions, but they usually seem to be over my head. Other, pre-fab solutions can run through quite a range, and I don't know what's worth it, and what's not, but you might get some feedback on the gadget in question over there as well.

I dont believe cheap is the way to go with electronics. I bought a German device called an E-werk. The cheapest I found them was in Germany via the websites of Starbike.com or Bike24.com.
Peter White Cycles has plenty to say at http://peterwhitecycles.com/ewerk.asp
I use the optional cache battery and have had no issue with using it. It keeps my gps and my phone charged and my dynamo hub lights up my world at night courtesy of my Edelux headlight. I only charge one thing at a time due to me being too lazy to work out how to adjust to a bigger current which the E-werk can do but I cant be bothered with more reading of manuals. There is nothing worse on a tour than sitting in a caravan park laundry or bathroom for hours on end trying to charge your phone or gps etc and having to sit there unable to leave least someone pinches your gear. Best investment I've made yet I reckon.

I dont believe cheap is the way to go with electronics. I bought a German device called an E-werk. The cheapest I found them was in Germany via the websites of Starbike.com or Bike24.com.
Peter White Cycles has plenty to say at http://peterwhitecycles.com/ewerk.asp
I use the optional cache battery and have had no issue with using it. It keeps my gps and my phone charged and my dynamo hub lights up my world at night courtesy of my Edelux headlight. I only charge one thing at a time due to me being too lazy to work out how to adjust to a bigger current which the E-werk can do but I cant be bothered with more reading of manuals. There is nothing worse on a tour than sitting in a caravan park laundry or bathroom for hours on end trying to charge your phone or gps etc and having to sit there unable to leave least someone pinches your gear. Best investment I've made yet I reckon.

Yes, I agree that for my purposes E-werk would work. I was hoping I could get by with something a little cheaper. If I understood electronics I might do what others have done and build my own device. fietsbob post re AXA lights innovation is great. A headlight with a USB port- fantastic. Unfortunately, I already own a B&M headlight and I don't think my wife would look favorably on me buying another.

I have also posted this in the Electronics forum but to my amazement, I have had no responses. I thought electronics wizards and touring gurus would be all over this.

I dont believe cheap is the way to go with electronics. I bought a German device called an E-werk.
I agree about cheap, bad idea. For the price of a lot of these dedicated usb chargers, I would get a B&M Luxos U headlight which has USB charging and is a really nice light as well. The 'B' version doesn't have the USB charger

Most cogent solution I have seen for this is in a recent thread, here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/768209-Dynamo-Powered-LED-lights-and-USB-charger?p=15164693&viewfull=1#post15164693

OTOH, if it's a simple cell phone, you can keep one of those adequately charged just by plugging it in once a week or so, unless you are going someplace where they don't have electricity.

My frend has an external battery pack for his smart phone , get 2 and they should last plenty of time between wall plug ins.
even if fortnightly...

cheapest, (your criteria) leave the phone home. take a holiday from It, too...
the technology industry created is it's own addiction.

I've gone the external battery route. Does the job, but I would someday like to go with self-generated power. One thing is that if you're using a device for navigation, the battery can run down much faster. Being able to keep it charged while using it would be great. The other issue is that finding a place to plug in is just one more hassle you may not want to deal with at the end of the day. I've had good luck, but then I've also had to do things like leave my battery plugged in at the restroom or stashed behind a washing machine overnight. And if there's any thought of stealth camping (heaven forbid), an outlet is going to be hard to come by. The device the OP mentioned only has a few reviews, but they are positive. A way to protect your devices is to use an intermediate battery with the charger. Let the charger charge the battery, and let the battery charge your phone. That should smooth everything out. That's what I've wanted to do: charge a battery while I'm riding and use the battery to recharge my devices while I slept.

I've gone the external battery route. Does the job, but I would someday like to go with self-generated power. One thing is that if you're using a device for navigation, the battery can run down much faster. Being able to keep it charged while using it would be great. The other issue is that finding a place to plug in is just one more hassle you may not want to deal with at the end of the day. I've had good luck, but then I've also had to do things like leave my battery plugged in at the restroom or stashed behind a washing machine overnight. And if there's any thought of stealth camping (heaven forbid), an outlet is going to be hard to come by. The device the OP mentioned only has a few reviews, but they are positive. A way to protect your devices is to use an intermediate battery with the charger. Let the charger charge the battery, and let the battery charge your phone. That should smooth everything out. That's what I've wanted to do: charge a battery while I'm riding and use the battery to recharge my devices while I slept.

I would be perfectly happy charging a battery first as opposed to directly charging my cell phone. Ideally, I would like the charging device to hook directly to my dynamo hub which I could then detach once the battery/cell phone was charged. I don't want to make it a permanent fixture of my bike- I would only want to use it when touring. I don't use a GPS and I don't care about using the internet while I am out adventuring- I simply want to keep my phone charged for necessary calls/ texts.

My next crazy question is, what re-chargeable battery do you buy to charge you cell phone from?

I am looking for a inexpensive device that I can purchase so I can charge a simple cell phone from my dynamo hub when I am touring. I have a Shimano 3n72 dynamo hub which I use for a headlight and tail light. On Amazon I found a LightCharge USB charger for $68. I am wondering if this would work. I am also curious about how I would hook this up. I am fairly illiterate when it comes to electronics. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.


heres what you need about $50

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BICYCLE-DYNAMO-POWERED-PDA-USB-CHARGER-6VAC-To-5-2VDC-/181064757237?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a284ceff5

I would be perfectly happy charging a battery first as opposed to directly charging my cell phone. Ideally, I would like the charging device to hook directly to my dynamo hub which I could then detach once the battery/cell phone was charged. I don't want to make it a permanent fixture of my bike- I would only want to use it when touring. I don't use a GPS and I don't care about using the internet while I am out adventuring- I simply want to keep my phone charged for necessary calls/ texts.

My next crazy question is, what re-chargeable battery do you buy to charge you cell phone from?

I got this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009TCUPIC/), but then I was charging an iPad, an iPod, and a phone. For just a phone, you could go with something much smaller and somewhat cheaper, I imagine. Actually, my battery is not a good candidate because it does not charge from USB. Any good candidate should charge up from USB, and another nice feature would be the ability to be charged and to charge another device at the same time. Then you could possibly have the battery charging while it was charging the phone, so when you got off the bike, both the phone and battery would be topped off. Of course if you're not using your phone extensively, then that might be overkill. My old, non-smart phone would last for a couple of days as long as I remembered to turn it off when going through dead zones or poor reception areas. I'm less optimistic about my iPhone.

Powermonkey Extreme (http://www.amazon.com/Powertraveller-Monkey-Extreme-Tablet-Charger/dp/B00632TH5S/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358560975&sr=1-4&keywords=powermonkey+extreme)

Solar and mains charging, works for IPhones, IPads and GPS( Garmin Edge 800)

Something else to consider is when out of coverage area, your phone uses heaps of battery power roaming looking for a signal. I learnt this the hard way touring the back blocks of Australia hence my E-werk.
Now "no worries"!!!!

I would be perfectly happy charging a battery first as opposed to directly charging my cell phone. Ideally, I would like the charging device to hook directly to my dynamo hub which I could then detach once the battery/cell phone was charged. I don't want to make it a permanent fixture of my bike- I would only want to use it when touring. I don't use a GPS and I don't care about using the internet while I am out adventuring- I simply want to keep my phone charged for necessary calls/ texts.

Hi Robert
You dont yet!!!!
No matter, if you want cheap (with the caveat that you get what you pay for) then check out the what appears to be a re-badged pedal power
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=61048
I still reckon buy once and buy right for all eventuallities and get the E-werk and cache battery like I did but
have a look at the above anyway.
The original:
http://www.pedalpower.com.au/
Good luck with what ever you go for
Cheers

There is nothing worse on a tour than sitting in a caravan park laundry or bathroom for hours on end trying to charge your phone or gps etc and having to sit there unable to leave least someone pinches your gear. Best investment I've made yet I reckon.


I am fairly illiterate when it comes to electronics.
Me too! I have also suffered a head injury which means I'm likely to stay fairly illiterate. I wanted a buy once solution and a fit and forget unit. I believe I've found it. Due to its ability to manually set the voltage and the amps there is huge scope for charging different electrical items. However I just have it set to charge the cache battery (which then charges either my phone or gps) and the dynamo hub powers my Edelux headlight. There is a lot to be said for buying once and buying right.

For an Aussie perspective have a squiz @
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50649

Has anyone used the Biologic system (http://www.thinkbiologic.com/products/reecharge-dynamo-kit-micro-usb-cable)? It appears as though it charges a special battery case which keeps the phone charged. This seems to be strictly iPhone, though, so probably wouldn't work for the OP.

From what I've heard, texting long distance is a Horrible Idea. Never been a texter myself.
The phone companies have absolutely NO limits to ringing up the bill to Thousands of $. WTF are they thinking ????
Let Yahoo do it all for free.


I've also been wanting an ewerk that has a battery inside, not separate.

Cell phone roaming charges will be a killer. better to have a cheap prepaid phone ,
bought when & where you arrive..
than, like one traveller, had a $600 phone bill for the month, when they came home..

did you know the phone company profits/charges are higher for text than voice..

want to write ? buy postcards , write a journal.

I purchased the LightCharge USB charger and an external battery pack. I connected the charger to the dynamo hub and hooked up the battery and took off pedaling and everything worked perfectly. I rode for about half an hour and I could see the charging bars went from two lights to three at the end of my ride. Today I am going to go out for a longer ride and charge it up all the way to five bars. Now I am trying to think of things other than just my cell phone that I can charge off the battery when I am out touring- eg a USB camp lantern. Really cool.

I got this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009TCUPIC/), but then I was charging an iPad, an iPod, and a phone. For just a phone, you could go with something much smaller and somewhat cheaper, I imagine. Actually, my battery is not a good candidate because it does not charge from USB. Any good candidate should charge up from USB, and another nice feature would be the ability to be charged and to charge another device at the same time. Then you could possibly have the battery charging while it was charging the phone, so when you got off the bike, both the phone and battery would be topped off. Of course if you're not using your phone extensively, then that might be overkill. My old, non-smart phone would last for a couple of days as long as I remembered to turn it off when going through dead zones or poor reception areas. I'm less optimistic about my iPhone.

Good reply, Rob. Here's more.

I use the New Trent 12000mAh charger. It'll keep my I-phone charged for 7 days. Finding an electrical outlet once every 7 days is pretty easy in most areas of the US. The model I use is an earlier version of this:
http://www.newtrent.com/store/iphone-external-battery/icarrier.html

Kent Peterson wrote an excellent review of the Burro Mobile Charger. This is another, less expensive, option with many applications.
http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2012/10/of-batteries-and-brothers-bright-lights.html