HokkaidoRider

I bought the Solio and strapped it onto my rack, adjusting it every now and then to face more directly to the sun. Also you can charge it up via usb cable before you leave so its like having one fully stocked battery charge ready.

I found it wouldnt charge my video camera or digital camera at all.
It would charge up my Garmin 70% of the time.
But the main reason I wanted it was for my iphone which as you may know has a battery life equivalent to a carnival toy... the Solio charged it up a couple times, but now it only 'acknowledges' that its connected but no actual juice flows. Even when the battery charge meter on the Solio shows 5/5 blinks.

Needless to say, its getting returned.

Rusty5329

This looks fantastic! I'm putting together a trip for next summer, riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Definitely going to grab one of these to charge my Droid so I can use My Tracks to track our entire trip on google maps.

Rusty5329

Any chance you could post a picture of the PVC frame you built? I'm ordering one of these panels and I want to make sure I do the frame well.

Thanks.

staehpj1

A few comments...

The Droid has pretty good battery life and most places you can legally camp on or near the BRP will have power.

You can carry a spare or multiple spare Droid batteries.

The panel Neil G is using is almost certainly overkill if all you are charging is a Droid.

Maybe I have just been unlucky, but it seems like the BRP has been foggy every time I have been there.

Rusty5329

That has not been my experience. I bought the extended battery, and that still craps out on me (granted I use my droid practically like it is a lap top). I can't expect it to last all day, especially when running a program like My Tracks.

My understanding was that the camping sites on Blue Ridge Parkway don't include electrical hookups? I certainly would not want to make any extra stops or trips just to charge something (would rather not have the droid than wait around for batteries to charge).

The fog will definitely be a problem, but I won't only be using this on BRP.

Rusty5329

Actually took some time today to make the pvc frame for my solar panel. Tricky part was that my panniers stick out about 4 inches above the rack, so I had to build some legs for my frame:



Testing it out on a biking/camping trip this weekend!

safariofthemind

Interesting. Let us know how it works out. Good luck.

Did you even consider using a Busch & Muller eWerk with a Schmidt hub generator instead? Seems like you'd get back more energy and it does not depend on the sun but what do I know.

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/ewerk.asp

Rusty5329

I have been looking at the hub generators for a while, never saw the Busch & Muller eWerk though. Certainly interesting, although that setup costs a lot more.

But the reason I went was this was mostly out of fascination with solar energy.

safariofthemind

The eWerk option is new-ish. Been looking for reports on it since as you say it's on the pricy side. For international touring, this is a good choice versus panels because roads can be really rough. Can't imagine the vibrations, mud and rain in Central America would do a solar setup any good, or a Schmidt generator for that matter. The other option I've been considering is using a USB charger for everything and adding a spare LiIon battery. See https://www.lenmar.com/Web/ProductSum...thod=lenmarsku for example. For a couple of lbs total extra luggage you get a pretty versatile platform. Problem is you need to plug in every 3 days or so.

surfjimc

What a great thread. I like the idea of being self contained and powering myself. I have been wondering whether to go with a generator hub or solar for next summer's tour. Thanks for all the info.

safariofthemind

Out of curiosity, has anyone seen micro wind turbine technology being used? It looks promising for topping off a Li Ion battery off road and relatively light weight.

https://inhabitat.com/2007/03/21/micr...ze-big-impact/
https://peswiki.com/index.php/Directo..._Wind_Turbines
https://store.motorwavegroup.com/dire...rbines-se.html

irpheus

Hi,

I haven't read the full thread so please "pardon me" if I write what others have already said.

I'm planning to go for a long ride and since I'll also be using electronic equipment where there's likely to be no power I have considered how to do this. I've come up with three different solutions that I hope fit into different weather types around the world:

1. Solar panels. I'm building an app. 8 watt polycrystalline solar panel. This panel outputs app. 0.6 Amps at 14 volts at full sunlight. At other sunlight intensities the output is lower and for it to be useful for charging e.g. the laptop I include a so-called step-up converter that raises the voltage from anywhere between 6-20 volts to inbetween 22- 63 volts (which is to be used for a variety of purposes). Wattage will be about the same - current lower for higher voltages.
2. A hub dynamo - the SON Nabendynamo. I'll mount a SON Nabendynamo on my front wheel. I've chosen the SON dynamo because due to a comparison here on the internet (which I unfortunately can't find right now) the SON is the only one which does not add a noticable braking effect even when no power is output (that is "used") from the dynamo. Other hubdynamos (also some of the Shimano hub dynamos) actually seem to have a larger "drag" when they are not in use compared with when they are in use. Anyway, in this setup the batteries may be charged while biking and - in my opinion - without adding a significant braking effect while driving.

I intend to set up the Son hubdynamo to deliver about 6 watts - see e.g.

https://www.m-gineering.nl/sindexg.htm

3. However, another advantage to using the Son hubdynamo I hope will be that the front wheel may act as a small wind turbine. I intend to make small triangular pieces of windproof cloth to be attached to the spokes (in the left-right direction) so that these pieces of cloth may act as wind turbine "blades". Hope you can visualize this :-) Thus I hope to generate power in "nature's way" and also in a way that is easily detachable: the pieces of cloth may just be taken off, folded and stored in one of my bike panniers.

Best regards,

Jesper

safariofthemind

The mass of the wheel is too large. The microturbines are VERY small mass. The amount of energy required to start the wheel on a bike turning is significant.

irpheus

Hmmm... I will try it out but I am not sure it will be an issue. It may take some energy to start up the wheel but the area of a wheel also is quite big so the wind should have a large area to exert its force on. And in my memory the Son dynamo has quite a low drag at low speeds so it shouldn't slow down the wheel's acceleration.

But if you've tried it I'd appreciate ideas & input ... :-)

Regards,

Jesper

Juha

Jesper, not sure if I understand what you're planning. You'd use the front wheel as a windmill when in camp, right?

It might work, a guy called Timo Noko rigged up a water desalination system based on a small windmill that drives a PUR 06 reverse osmosis pump. Here's his homepage, scroll down to "Windoperated PUR 06". Not much details there though. There's no electricity involved, the windmill just provides the motion for the pump's lever. This was for sea kayaking purposes, so there's generally LOTS of wind where he camps. Still, my understanding is the pump lever requires a bit of power to operate.

--J

irpheus

Yes that's right. If you look at a front wheel there are spokes on the right and left side. If a triangular piece of windproof cloth is attached between a right spoke and a left spoke it will create a surface that is angled relative to the axis of the wheel's hub (will need to be "fixed" on the tyre so that it won't slip down the spokes towards the hub when the wind exerts its force). Hope you can visualize this ...? Thus if the bike is turned upside down and the wheel is oriented so that the wind blows parallel to the hub's axis it will resemble one of the early wind turbines. It is, however, easy to dismantle - as described in my previous post.

As far as I remember the practical obtainable energy output for a wind turbine 1 m in diameter is about 170 watts (the exact output depends on many variables, though). The diameter of a 26" wheel is app. 65 cm so the difference in area between a 1 m diameter turbine and the 26" wheel is about 2,3 times (everything else equal that is 74 watts output maximum for a 26" wheel).

I'm asking for 6 watts so I have a good trust it will work. Also the bike's handlebar - which is in the same direction as the hub's axis, and thus the wind, will make a good support for the bike so that it doesn't tilt.

Hope this makes it clearer. I will try it out and post my results when it's been tried.

Greetings,

Jesper

safariofthemind

Interesting Jesper. I have not tried it in the real world. My comment was based on what I have seen in HAM radio QRP events in my former radio op days, mostly in relative typical NC wind which is not the same as trying something in Kansas or on top of a mountain.

It may be profitable to do a thorough google search of QRP and ham radio sites. Many clubs hold annual solar/wind/alternate power events and there's a lot published out there that may help you.

Good luck. It'll be great to read your report after you try it.

Cheers.

LeeG

my gut sense is that it will take a very strong breeze to get your wheel turning fast enough to get 6watts let alone one or two. Simple experiment would be to rig your vanes and put the bike on a bumper car rack and measure the output according to car/wind speed.

safariofthemind

Yes. This is more of a rig capable of that. The size of the vanes creates a huge lever arm torque which the spokes and rim would have trouble duplicating.


https://onjapan.net/2001/hamfair/ja3ckf.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyLgUgb8kGQ JA3CKF Operating at the Tokyo Ham Fair

Camel

Interesting thread.

I'm wondering if anyone has looked into using one of those "e-works" type gadgets hooked up to a sidewall generator (rather than a hub generator).

-Perhaps using a sidewall generator would not be the best option, depending if they can easily become dis-engaged from the tire by rough road/bumpy track?

Sidewall generator would be cheaper to give a try though...

I've used a Schmidt SON hub commuting in the past, and took a solar panel on tour but didn't have a need for it.