From a financial prospective, I totally agree with you.
From a convenience factor, Oh YEA.


From an environmental impact....I don't know. There are more variables than I can calculate off the top of my head. And not trying to derail this thread, but, it is kind of like adding ethanol to fuel for cars. On the surface it seems like a brilliant idea, but when you remove all the subsidies and account for all the incidentals, I can't get the lobbyist to send me a simple sheet of paper explaining how it is better for the environment or even a cost savings. And even though she is a babe, she is pissing me off.

After a somewhat unsettling series of situations on my way home from school later than I'd expected and with a very dull headlight, I think I'm gonna go with a dynohub if I have the cash when I buy the bike. That way I can run a dynohub for lights normally and worry about charging systems closer to the tour, which helps amortize the cost a touch.

Now for some techy stuff: I assumed these are permanent magnet generators, so "voltage regulation" is really just capping the voltage rather than the fancy zener-diode transistor thingymadoogles alternators normally use, ya?

Based on the data provided by Tourist in MSN it wouldn't be hard to rectify and limit that to USB-esque voltages (stabilization might be another story).

Those watt measurements don't look like much though so it looks like a intermediary pack between dyno and whatever I'm charging would be good to avoid the "beeping" problem Walter S mentioned (and take care of voltage stability...) Any thoughts?

I'll have to do some thinking and digging, sounds like project time (or I'll just go all out and get the B&M Luxos-U and be done with it...). Thanks all for the contribution and great discussion!

~Nick

I am glad you found that link useful on different hubs. Yeah, rectify. (The hubs are alternators, not generators, but I think you knew that since you mentioned rectify the circuit.) But, they can put out more voltage if you have enough (or too much) resistance in the circuit. I have sometimes run two headlamps in series instead of one, they were both pretty bright but my minimum speed to get useable light was faster with two than with one.

There are some suggested circuits out there. This is one I have not tried yet, I bought the parts at Radio Shack but have not gotten around to soldering together. This one is for a bottle type alternator but I see no reason why a hub would not work as well.
http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/u...oneCharger.pdf

Anything I cobble together on my own, I plan to first use it to recharge low cost Lithium Ion battery packs. Then if it appears to work well, then I will consider plugging something much more expensive into it. But I can assure you that my smartphone is not going to be the guinea pig for voltage testing.

you could look at:

http://www.sinewavecycles.com/collec...ike-revolution

Don't believe anyone has mentioned this one.

http://www.ibikeconsole.com/detail.a...1&Pdtid=722052

When you look at all the trouble and expense of making your own circuit, I think it's better to buy one of the ready-made ones, and the most convenient one is the Luxos U. It is quite expensive, so you are best off buying it first, not after you've tried other headlights. Know what I mean?

I have the Sanyo dynamo hub. It is the cheapest, I believe, yet no one has written any problem reports about them. The vibration is said to be worse than other brands, but I don't notice it often, only sometimes when I'm going more than 25 mph, which isn't that often.

Voltage regulation is in the lights, not the dynamo, if I understand correctly. I hooked up my ancient Miller sidewall generator to a voltmeter, and it quickly went to 15 volts. I hooked the generator up to my modern headlight, and nothing blew because of the light's built-in regulation.

At only $30, that seems worth a shot! Thanks for alerting us to this!

Some of you are sure anti-diy. I've made 3 dyno lights brighter than the latest B&M, and cost less than a single b&m luxos. The electronic parts for a dynamo charging circuit is $5-$10, provided that you have a soldering kit. That Dk-02 charger is not too shabby, but the thought of plugging and unplugging the dyno light and the charger is a nuisance, although a simple dpdt switch can easily fix that.

Some of us are indeed "anti-DIY" when someone who seemingly has no experience with the object in question decides it would be easier or better to DIY. If you have to ask if it is possible, you are probably not versed enough to do it properly.

It is also a question of returns. If you like tinkering and trying things out, sure, DIY is great and a good learning experience. If you do it to save money while having to learn the stuff at the same time, you will probably not save money at all, and since learning or developing skills weren't the main things you were interested in, I don't see DIY in this instance as something he should go for. Personally, my time is worth more than what I could possibly save, and even if I was given the hardware to play with, I would still not DIY because what I can buy already made is plenty good enough, and I can earn more in the time it takes to think something up, solder, and whatnot.

You are obviously not that guy, and since you seem to like to tinker and DIY, that is part of the fun for you.

These are much smaller and lighter than a tire driven unit and quieter too. They are also the first dynamo that is designed for powering LED lights from the bottom up. Older dyno systems are designed for powering halogen lighting systems which need much more power and hence add much more resistance when pedaling to generate that extra power. You have to make your own decision as to is the price worth it. These are brand new and do run $200, but I have the money and love new technology so I sprang for it. It may not be worth the cost for you and that is fine. I get a kick out of helping a startup get going personally so do not mind helping out at the start. I do bet these will come down in price though as they ramp up production.

Some do not mind the constant drag of a hub dynamo as drag equates to about 10 feet of climbing over a mile. That does not sound so bad, but if you are riding a century that day it is an extra 1,000 foot vertical hill you have to climb in that century ride...

I have had a biolite stove for over a year and, well they do charge pretty well. You can fully charge a cell phone in less than an hour. They have a huge heat output and can boil water faster than my MSR Whisperlite. The drawbacks are that they are a little tricky to light, they are not very good at modulating cooking temperature, they are pretty heavy (though that is offset by not carrying fuel), and if you are cooking you have to add fuel every 4- 5 minutes so you cannot just walk away and let it simmer for 20 minutes, you have to keep taking the pot off ad adding sticks and putting the pot back on. Also, you have to gather wood and start the fire before you can cook which can take 10 minutes or more and is a pain when you get into camp after dark or when you want a quick cup of coffee in the morning. A stove that you just light and boil then shut off is much more convenient. Still I like our biolite and it is great for large groups when we are making a giant pot of spaghetti which you just boil as fast as you can then turn it off. (We task the kids with gathering sticks and feeding it while the adults set up tents.) It is also nice as a table top light after dark; we sit around it an talk and slowly feed sticks in to it as we charge our phones. We found that thumb-sized hardwood was the best fuel, broken into 2 inch pieces; a small pair of pruning shears was really convenient to have around to cut all of thise short sticks. It produces just a little bit of soot that will get on the bottom of your pots, but not very much.

by this do you mean trespassing and illegally squatting on someones property without permission? pretty poor form.

By this do you mean finding a well hidden spot of woodland or common land which you leave with "no trace" having neither trespassed nor disturbed anybody? Pretty good form

Bit like hijacking the thread to offer opinions off topic.;)
Start a new thread to get your agenda off the ground as I think there be be lots here who would gladly contribute something on the topic including myself, albeit an alternate view.:thumb:

its from the original post, not off topic at all. Not making a big deal of it just my opinion.

How is this in the rain. Do you have a problem with the contact slipping on the rim?

Marc

Gee. Sounds like fun really. But not something I'd want to Need to do every day. I'll stick with the dyno because there's no tending to it. It just works.

+1. Well said.

Riding the Transam from Virginia to Colorado this year and even though I stayed mostly in motels I came home wanting a hub dynamo. I found that I wanted to leave earlier in the mornings to avoid heat and winds. And in some cases wished I could have rode at night through western Kansas and eastern Colorado. BTW in Ordway I met a fellow who was doing just that with a hub dynamo.
So I came home and built a hub dynamo (SON) wheel with a B&M Luxos U light with an integrated USB charger for my SOMA Stanyan. I have since built another hub dynamo (Shimano) for my Bruce Gordon. On that setup I believe I'll use the B&M Eyc light and build my own USB charger. I have about $500-600 dollars in the Stanyan set up. With the Bruce Gordon I think I'll be under $225 for everything (hub, light, spokes, electronics). But I build my own wheels and electronics too.

Update: I am not advocating DIY for anything. I just have fun doing these things and like all hobbies they are rarely economically justified.

You are of course entitled to your opinion, no matter how much I disagree with it :) Not everyone can afford to pay for camping. Squatting seems to me to imply staying more than one dusk to dawn. I'm often gone before anyone know I was there. I see nothing wrong with that.

Back on topic, I plan to supplement my very nice and useful dynamo hub with a small, light weight solar panel. This gives me power when I ride fast or slow or stop to squat illegally in catonec's back yard.

Ok. I received a wheel mentioned in post : http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post16380963

Turn out that's a wheel from this wheel set: http://www.intelligentdesigncycles.c...wheelset-black

Same seller on ebay have rear wheels for $100

Product is a surprisingly well build - it's not a cheap rim or something like that. It seems durable. Dynamo hub is pretty much same as in pictures NH-H27 Sanyo. Wheel weight is 1500 grams
So all in all I believe it's a best value for dynamo hub on the market if you count a wheel rebuild job. As a rear wheel you can pick up this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/700c-Shimano...item56600c0e7b or something similar and you good to go.

For USB charging I ordered this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370935357110 I'll tell how good it will work for me in spring.

This is what I would consider rather than a dynamo hub, if you want to get serious, but it's solar... http://www.hi-powercycles.com/

just because you can sneak in and sneak out without getting caught doesnt mean you didnt trespass. Thats like driving home drunk, you didnt get pulled over or kill anyone so its ok? a bit extreme I know.

Im really not so upset about it people are going to do whatever they want it just raises a moral flag for me.

Wow. Now I have to worry about my immortal soul. Each to his own I guess. Happy riding.

And in countries like Sweden where you are allowed to stealth camp (i.e. you are not supposed to be seen from the road, and not supposed to be close to a house)?

Still immoral?