Dynahub or not for tourer?

[johnb5271]

As an electronics engineer I decided to use the SON hub on my custom touring bike to charge AA & AAA batteries for mp3 player, camera & lights via a regulation circuit I made, this was set to deliver 250mA charge current & always ensured I had batteries ready for use.

That sounds very interesting, is there much involved in doing this?

Is it heavy/bulky?

 

[yello]

That sounds very interesting, is there much involved in doing this?

It'd be interesting to me as well.

 

[yello]

It's very obvious you're in love with the engineering

I don't know what makes you think that. I actually don't care about the technology nor engineering, I was simply after a no-hassle, effective lighting solution.

When I was commuting, I found the battery leds I had next to useless for seeing by. As I researched the subject, it seemed (then) the cost of decent battery lights was high plus they required daily charging. Being of a forgetful nature, that didn't suit me. That made a dynamo my preferred option.

But even then, when I got my first dynolight (a B&M lumotech oval), it still didn't give the light I would have liked (expecially when I started riding unlit rural roads). It wasn't until I got the Cyo that I really felt I got the answer for me.

Btw, you've added a couple of extra cons that I wouldn't agree with, at least no more so than a set of battery lights.

that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best solution for everyone and in all circumstances.

I'd agree with you there but then, in the phrase that piqued you, I was talking about my own decision...

Do it, a no brainer for me really.

I'm obviously weighting the pros and cons differently; the no-pfaff fit and forget outweighing any cost or weight cons - but then equally I stand by my recommendation. I appreciate others will weight it differently but that's there call. I only pass on my experience and comments.

It's kind of like good insurance, you pay a bit and forget about it but it's there for when you need it and, when needed, great to have something that works really well.

 

[P.H]

I can't imagine a car without a spare wheel either.

? I cant imagine a vehicle where you couldn't sort out a puncture, so your comparison is lost on me.

 

[P.H]

As an electronics engineer I decided to use the SON hub on my custom touring bike to charge AA & AAA batteries for mp3 player, camera & lights via a regulation circuit I made, this was set to deliver 250mA charge current & always ensured I had batteries ready for use.

B&M do a ride and charge box that charges the AA batteries in a Ixon light;
http://www.bumm.de/docu/492rk-e.htm

 

[Will1962]

B&M do a ride and charge box that charges the AA batteries in a Ixon light;
http://www.bumm.de/docu/492rk-e.htm

I've just purchased one of these myself. I've already got an Ixon Speed light - it is like the Ixon, but uses a 5 cell NiMH external battery (6V, 4100 mHa).

I plan on using the Ride & Charge on my touring bike to keep the battery pack charged up, and then charge my Road Angel GPS off the battery (via USB). The Ixon Speed's battery has two connectors, so I think I can charge the battery at the same time as using it to charge the GPS (I can do this when the battery is charging using the mains charger and the light is on).

The battery pack is 6V, but USB is only 5V. I am going to adapt a Lil Sync USB AA Battery pack (http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=108719) by soldering an external connection that plugs into the battery, and then uses the Lil Sync's built in voltage reduction circuit to drop the voltage to 5V.

You could do something similar with the Ixon, using the batteries in an unmodified Lil Sync (or similar). You would probably need two sets of batteries with this setup, one set charging and the other being used to charge your device (swapping over when necessary).

I hope to get the chance to test the charging of the Ixon Speed battery via the Ride & Charge this weekend. At the moment, I have a bottle dynamo, but if works OK, then I am going to build a wheel with a SON.

Will

 

[bike_the_planet]

As an electronics engineer I decided to use the SON hub on my custom touring bike to charge AA & AAA batteries for mp3 player, camera & lights via a regulation circuit I made, this was set to deliver 250mA charge current & always ensured I had batteries ready for use.

Interesting. I'm an ex EE, and having also recently fitted SON hubs to both my bike and my wife's, I was thinking of doing exactly the same thing.

The missus and I spent four happy months on our bikes in Europe last year. I took a small Solio solar panel to charge MP3 and phone. But it couldn't charge
camera batteries because a) Europe doesn't produce enough sunlight, the panel was too small and c) the internal battery lacked storage capacity.

So I figured that it would be better to use pedal power to do it.

I'm thinking of a box that provides a 5v USB interface initially plus a separate 12v output. Several devices (MP3s, phones, etc) now come with a USB socket just to charge up from a USB 2.0. In addition, a 6-12 v would probably allow charging of most other devices including some GPS models. Most handheld devices have provision for charging from a car cig lighter, so that, plus a USB would be ideal. Being a multipole generator, the Son can deliver large voltages on a downhill run. An inverter circuit would maintain 12 v even at lower wheel RPMs.

Cheers