Charging gadgets and a phone...

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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s2vmx
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Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by s2vmx »

Seems the best way to charge Camera's Sat Nav, Phones etc is via a dynamo hub and e-werk - I found this while trawling the internet - they also produce an iphone holder - Anyone have any experience of it ?

Also which dynamo hub - everyone loves the Schmit - but is it worth the extra expense ?


http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/a ... 4f&x=9&y=5

Anyone have experience of these products ?

Sti
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andrew_s
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by andrew_s »

The eWerk is more versatile than the Dahon Reecharge, which is USB only.
A USB port is 5V, officially limited to 0.5A, and most devices that expect to use USB will expect a similarly limited amount of power. A USB battery charger is therefore likely to take about 6 hours of riding to recharge a set of 4 AAs. It's fine for phones though.
The eWerk will give up to 13.3V and up to 1.3A, so you've scope for faster charging, powering battery LED lights etc.

On dynohubs, there is no functional difference between Schmidt hubs and the better Shimano hubs, except that Shimano hubs are electrically connected to the bike frame so there is the possibility of earthing short circuits if you start doing something unusual (eg twin headlights) and don't take care with your connections.
Other than that it's down to construction quality, expected life etc. Schmidt hubs are return to Germany for service after about 50,000km. Shimano hubs are officially non serviceable, though you can have a go if you are willing to take the change of breaking them
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Mick F
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by Mick F »

I have no experience of dyno hubs. The first one I've ever seen and played with is on my RSW16.

What is the bearing quality on Shimano versus Schmidt?
What sort of bearings are they, cup-and-cone or cassette?

Why don't Campag make them? :wink:
Mick F. Cornwall
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SatNavSaysStraightOn
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by SatNavSaysStraightOn »

Hi
we are setting out in the new year to cycle touring for several years and have been investigating this and the shop we have purchased our bikes from have advised against the eWerks device becuase of charging issues and relability. I understand that recharging newer devices (such as the iphone) is problematic with the eWerks and that what you actually need to do is to charge an intermediate battery and then use the battery to charge the device. Also there is an issue with the connection if you are usign a dynamo front light like we are - basically you seem to end up with 1 of two senarios - either you have 1 of the devices attached to the dynamo and have to fiddle around with connectors behind your front panniers when you want to use the other - or you have to have both conencted in which case they are either both on or off, there are no separate on/off switches for them.

Also another draw back of the e-werks device is having to constantly change the settings via its slotted clockface to control the voltage/amps etc.

In the end we used the money for the eWerks to upgrade the solar panel we are taking with us (I do a lot of photography and need to be able to recharge my camera batteries) and have a better solar panel that works with light cloud cover as well.
rualexander
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by rualexander »

I wouldn't want to rely on solar power anywhere outwith the Tropics, and even then you might not be able to keep everything charged up sufficiently.
s2vmx
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by s2vmx »

Its because of the need to charge a battery - which then charges the iphone (providing a constant power) that I looked for an alternative and found the Dahon gizmo - the additional benefit being that it can also be charged from the wall /pc etc.

The e-wark and battery costs about £160 whilst the Dahon is around the £70 mark.

The varied power from the e-werk may be an advantage but may also be its downfall as the requirement to adjust it would (in my case) inevitablly lead to the ncorrect current being provided.

Stu
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7_lives_left
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by 7_lives_left »

Mick F wrote:I have no experience of dyno hubs. The first one I've ever seen and played with is on my RSW16.

What is the bearing quality on Shimano versus Schmidt?
What sort of bearings are they, cup-and-cone or cassette?

Why don't Campag make them? :wink:


Shimano ones are all cup and cone. Don't know about Schmidt.

Bearing quality on the Shimano ones? They have proper seals and polished surfaces as you would expect. I have two of them, different models. One has been running for many years (bought sometime this millennium) and is still in good condition. The other is about 3 years old and had a rough patch at about 1.5 years when I baptised it in two feet of water then rode it for a further 1000+ miles. It took 2-3 months to obtain replacement cones which cost me £30 a pair :shock: . I still hope to get a little more life out of it.

Regarding the OP, I made my own charging gadget but it is fragile, the electrical connectors corrode with the damp and I have probably spend the cost of an ewerk building it and doing subsequent repairs. In my defense, the ewerk wasn't available at the time.
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essexman
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Re: Charging gadgets and a phone...

Post by essexman »

I have a shimano hub on my agattu its seems fine. The connection to the rear B&M light is rubbish, it keeps shorting somewhere and i cant find where. The front light has never failed, so its not the hub.

Theres a rather good piece on schmit hubs here: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.asp

I think , and i might have made it up, that the schmit hubs are more efficient than the shimano.

Where's hubgearfreak :?: He should know the answer..... :)
I hate snow.
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