Eliminating chargers!
 

As we start to prepare for our next tour I have decided to see how I can eliminate as many chargers as possible. I am going with one 4 port USB charger. I have found that almost all our devices can be charged via USB cables. The only items I have not checked yet are our headlights. So with our new laptop, a Lenova IdeaPad, and it's small charger our charger bag will be definitely smaller!

I am not sure if there is a question here, but I noticed on some of my multi-port chargers that the ports are so close sometimes I can't plug things into an adjacent port.

I did something similar, I got a Li Ion battery charger for my camera batteries that is supplied by USB power and smart NiMH AA chargers that are supplied by USB for my GPS batteries. So, besides a tablet or smartphone all of my charging needs are met with USB.

I bought an Anker 10-port charger for 4 lights, 1 phone, 2 battery packs, 1 GPS. Two spare ports for future expansion. You never know when electricity will be available, and I want to be able to charge up everything at once as quickly as possible. For example, if I'm having lunch in a town, but won't have power available that night or the next day, I can charge everything for an hour while eating.

A nice, long cord allows me to run a single line to a power outlet outside the tent if power is available at a campsite, and everything stays inside for security and bad weather.

Any pictures?

I've rationalized my leadlamp, rear light and radio so they all use AAA batteries. I carry spares and can always buy more.
The only 2 things that I charge are my phone and an Anker 9000mAh battery...although a 6000mAh would work just as well.
I have a dual port USB main plug that can be used to charge them simultaneously.

Some spare batteries (the ones measured in mAh) allow pass-through charging, and others do not. This essentially means you can plug the battery into a wall, and plug your devices into the battery and charge all at once. Saves a TON of time topping off at the unexpected outlet by the gas station while you take a break.

So, look for a spare battery that allows pass-through charging. For the touring cyclist, it is a huge convenience.

You need to see what your current requirements are for all of those devices and make sure the new charger can handle it. They should all still charge, it just may take a lot longer. A good quality USB cable makes a difference too. There can be big differences in charging times using different cables.

how many of those ports are 2.4A?

... Did you ever think about getting a dynamo? Seems like it'd alleviate a lot of your worries...

I saw a trailer with a dynamo, spins faster. check the trailer thread.

Not with 7 devices. That's the number of cords I'm counting in the picture although I'm only seeing 5 devices. Even 5 would be more than a dynamo could handle.

On a side note, wouldn't it just be better to cut down on the number of devices that need power? For example, I've never found the need for a whole lot of lighting while touring. Occasionally, I run across a tunnel but an alkaline battery powered tail light and an alkaline battery powered headlight are sufficient for those needs. A Petzl Zipka, for example works well for those midnight trips to the bathroom or for the occasional short tunnel. It lasts a very long time. I've used it on at least 2 tours a couple of years apart and it's still got power left. I would use it for day to day commuting but for the occasional use, it makes sense and I don't have to charge it.

I do use alkaline powered tail lights on my regular commute...actually several. In flash mode, the lights last a couple of years while using them 3 to 4 times per week for 7 to 8 months of the year. Granted I only use them for 2 hours per day 3 months of the year but they still last a very long time. I have a couple that I use on steady mode that will last an entire winter commuting season. And that's even when stored in an unheated garage. It's nice to use rechargeables but, honestly, with as long as an alkaline lasts in a taillight, it's just not worth the extra hassle.

Leave your electronics at home? I have a usb multi port thing that plugs into a wall outlet. Charges the phone, headlight and tail light at the same time. Weighs about 2oz with cords. The note book I carry is 5x7", spiral bound, works with a pen, no electricity needed. People really lug a laptop on tour? Can't imagine.

All ports will charge at 2.4 amps, but the max for the unit is 12 amps.

In addition to the items shown, I have an iPhone, another headlight and another power pack, so eight devices total. I don't usually need two headlights and two taillights, but my last two trips have included riding at night with little ambient light on one trip, and on busy roads at night on another trip, so having lots of lights was a good idea. Having a backup light is also a good idea or if you will be riding later in the day and have a breakdown, it could make a big difference. The power packs are nice, because the GPS tends to drain the battery on longer days, so I can keep it charged while riding.

Nice. I just bought a similar unit from a reputable Amazon seller (iClever) that has 6 ports and a 10A max. Not bad for 23 bucks.

I did not get one for my first touring bike build, or the second.

But when I built up the third, I got the dynohub. In that situation, the cost of the rim is the same, cost of spokes is the same, and the cost of the dynohub after you subtract the cost of a non-dyno front hub is not very much more.

But once you already have a complete wheel, upgrading to a dynohub is a lot more than just the cost of the hub. There is the cost of new spokes, for some people the labor cost to build up a wheel. Although I build my own wheels, I just do not see the need to upgrade my other bikes.

Even after you get the dynohub, you then are looking at the cost of the USB charger. There are several on the market that have prices that vary a lot, along with quality that varies a lot too. I was a bit frustrated with the high cost of them, so I tried to build my own. But each time I went down a hill at about 25 mph, I would blow out circuits because my hub at that speed could pump out 34 volts if I was not drawing any current out of it. So, I ended up buying a USB charger/headlight combination that was close to $100 USD. The better USB chargers are $120 or more, not counting the hub.

"And that's even when stored in an unheated garage. It's nice to use rechargeables but, honestly, with as long as an alkaline lasts in a taillight, it's just not worth the extra hassle."

I get several years of camping and touring out of one 2 AA cell headlight. I would like to have a dyno system, but didn't see the light till I had bought a bunch of other stuff already. Then there is the cost of all the bikepacks required to carry that stuff.

So how long with USBs be with us till we need to buy all this stuff over again.

For around home, I use alkaline batteries in my tail lights (AAA or AA) because they get very little use around home. Thus, they last all year.

But, for touring on highways, I often have a tail light on all day long, even if it is bright and sunny. And I have very bright tail lights, so I run rechargeable AAA batteries and charge them after about a week and a half to keep them bright. In the past I carried a charger that I could plug into an outlet, but now I have NiMH chargers that are USB supplied.

Hopefully I will be able to keep all my batteries charged with my dyhohub. But with GPS (AA), tail lights (AAA), camera (Li Ion), headlamp for my head (AAA) and tablet or smartphone (micro USB port), I suspect that I may at times be looking for an outlet to sit next to in restaurants for the tablet or smartphone.

The USB port that my bike has is only a hair over 500 milliamps, so there won't be a lot of excess power.

My tours I left things that needed Charging Un Bought.. or at Home ..

The smart phone addiction as Suckered people in well .



Schmidt has single side Hubs ... Several axle types + those made for smaller front wheels ..


And you will have More room for all that electronics .. maybe add a solar panel for when you are stopped ..

Re orienting the panel to face the sun for Most Power output, will be hard to do on the move

Concider swapping the AA's for AAA"s with upsizers, I did this so All I have to carry is spare AAA now. I did a video about all of this awhile back, its here if interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJmhKT-Fe18

Thanks, but no thanks. The AAs in the GPS usually last for two or three days. AAAs only have half the capacity, so I would be swapping them out twice as often.

My marine band radio that I use for sea kayaking and canoeing takes 8 AA batteries, I think the batteries weigh more than the radio. I started using AAA to AA adapters for that radio, putting AAA batteries in the radio makes it much lighter. Probably 90 percent of the usage of that radio is only for weather reports which is probably no more than 15 minutes a day. Only in fog do I leave the radio on while I am on the water. Thus, I usually can go for a week without having to replace the AAA batteries.

I have never tried solar charging for bike touring, but I recently bought a couple small panels that will push out about 500 milliamps through a USB port in bright sun that I will probably carry in the future for kayak trips. Lets face it, a dynohub on a kayak trip would be pretty worthless. This coming summer I am contemplating a longer kayak trip where the solar panels could come in handy.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=504037

I wanna get away from that stuff while on tour, but it is nice to be able to get inline when you need to find something. Therefore, I just carry my phone.

I had an odd experience charging (trying to) my phone with a 5 watt solar panel. It was overcast and the phone actually discharged. I heard that could happen overnight, but not on a fairly bright, but cloudy day.

I have on rare occasion plugged an Android tablet into a charger and later found it discharged instead of charged. I suspect that one of the pins in the connection was not connected right which caused that. Since then I started using an amperage meter on my USB charging so I could see if current was actually flowing in at a rate that I wanted it to.