Does anybody have any experience with a dynamo/ generator running a gps unit or phone? I see the old school type that spins on the tire and also a hub type.

Any input would be great. I was thinking why not use my Nav-system from the car for touring?

Thanks

G'day BadgerJohn,
I've been using dynamo hubs for about 20 years I guess.
I started with a front Sturmey Archer GH6.
The headlight options in those days were very limited and were really just to be seen by other road users as opposed to seeing anything by.
I now use a Son28 front dynamo hub with an Edelux 1 headlight and utilise a Philips Lumiring tail-light.
My hub also charges my Garmin Edge 800 gps and my cell phone.
It does this via an E-werk with a cache battery.

https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tes.../index_en.html

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt-headlights.asp

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

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

https://cyclingtips.com.au/2012/09/ga...00-gps-review/

https://cyclingabout.com/index.php/20...cycle-touring/

I've been running a shimano hub dynamo with my android phone for some time on my daily commuter. Being an engineer I went the DIY way and made my own converter/charger.
Glad to see there are more and more power supplies on the market, some of them are cheep too! I heard rave reviews about E-werk, but I find it quite expensive.

There was a long thread on this a few weeks back. The Magnic light though has no output, just the light. You would have to build it yourself. It is a pretty cool light though on its own.

I use a SON 28 dynamo on my Surly Long Haul Trucker and it was used on for example my Chasing the Dirt tour to keep my Garmin Edge 800, my mobile phone and my iPad 2 charged up. I used it conjunction with a PedalPower+ Super-i-Cable. On my Giant XTC 2 mountain bike I use a Shimano Deore XT DH-T785 dynamo hub to do the same thing.

Oh I have a SP PD-8 waiting to be built into a wheel to power-up my LoGo P-38 recumbent bike. It will do the same thing as the other dynamos.

Andrew

Thats a nice tidy looking setup Andrew.
No more issues with the cables?
Hows your latest Garmin treating you?
Its a touring specific version?

Also, there (at least when the Magnic thread was rampant) was no data on power output, so no way to assess whether any charging loads could be added, or if the internal generator could be switched from "lamp" to "charge." You'd have have to take on any modifications strictly on your own. There's a Kickstarter for a second generation that is supposed to have a stand light and beam pattern closer to complying to the German standard. It didn't mention an external charge function.

But it's claimed to have a very good quality of light output, and drag is not perceptible.

I don't see this as a repeat, and I think your project is very interesting, being an electrical engineer myself.

I've been using the B & M Luxos U for about a year now, and very much like how the charging circuitry and battery is integrated directly with the light, and the light itself is one of the best headlight beams currently on the market.

It is designed to charge up the battery enough before charging any device so that the output is always at a constant USB voltage (5v). I have had such great results using it to charge my GPS and phone that I ended up getting a second one for another bike. On the newer unit, the cable to the USB port is fixed to the headlight unit, so water getting into the connection during a heavy rain is not an issue.

Nothing is too heavy for my >15kg touring bike . At least the weight difference is minimal as the average hub dynamo adds ~300g to the wheel, and one Magnic Light is ~150g. According to the other thread, the maker claims the power output is 1W @30 (!) km/h. This is no surprise considering the size and the fact it is basically a bottle dynamo with (eddy current) magnetic coupling instead of mechanical.
But having the option to easily move it from bike to bike is great, I do hope they soon make a scaled up version and ditch the light in favor of USB.

Ok I don't get it? What actually makes the power on this thing? Yeah a noob question, but does it work in conjunction with a hub, or what?

Thanks

The Luxos U is a dynamo powered light, usually used with a hub dynamo. It has a USB port built in. It can power or charge a low power USB device, but not a high power one like an iPad, especially when the iPad is on GPS tracking.

AFAIK at best it's a trickle charge USB is not a high current specification..

[TABLE="class: wikitable"]
[TR]
[TD]USB Battery Charging[/TD]
[TD]0.5–1.5 A[/TD]
[TD]5 V[/TD]
[TD]2.5–7.5 W[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

Yes, sorry. The Luxos U is dynamo powered. I use hub dynamos.

Of course no device will be able to charge beyond the maximum output capacity of the dynamo, but the advantage that this has is that the light and the charging circuitry come in one unit. There is no need to find another mount point for the charging device. No extra battery is required to ensure constant, even USB voltage output so device specific adjustments are not necessary.

Combined with a dynamo hub, this is more than enough to keep a Garmin bike GPS unit charged. I use a bicycle specific GPS, but I don't see why it wouldn't work with your car GPS. I guess it would depend on how much power your unit really uses. Bigger screens mean more juice is needed.

While I'm not very familiar with the auto GPS units or the mounting options, the Garmin bicycle units do mount to a bicycle quite well. Now, there are "Touring" models that cut out some of the racer/training fitness specific options, and a lot of the related cost.

Personally, I like to plot my routes before I ride, even with a bike GPS. I'd be even less comfortable relying on a car GPS to find routes that are bicycle friendly.

Thanks and no issues with cable and latest Garmin is the Edge 810 so not the touring model. It is behaving okay which is a nice change

Andrew